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Management of quality control has shown a shift from an inspection‐oriented approach towards a defect‐prevention and organisation‐focused planning process. The development of a quality control information system (QCIS) should focus on management, planning and control issues. This article examines the QCIS from the aspect of its implications for management in a computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) environment.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a scale for measuring information quality in the order fulfilment process.

Measurement scales are developed out of the practical information needs and a theory review. A state‐of‐the‐art description and further scale development are based on a survey of the most important suppliers of 136 Swedish companies.

The paper finds that information quality can be measured with variables as in time, accurate, convenient to access and reliable. The scales were found to possess unidimensionality, validity and reliability.

The implications of this paper are mainly theoretical, providing a foundation for further empirical research.

Even though established customer‐supplier relations were studied, information quality deficiencies were found on all variables. This is an indication of improvement possibilities.

There is a lack of research on measuring the information quality construct, which might be the reason for little empirical research on the impact of information quality on logistics performance.

This study aimed to evaluate the quality of Internet information on smoking cessation using a cross‐sectional survey design. The characteristics and content of 89 Web sites containing smoking cessation information were evaluated. The quality of these sites were measured by the information quality tool (IQT), quality scale (QS) and DISCERN. The most widely reported types of information were the risks of smoking (65.2 per cent of sites) and nicotine replacement therapy (77.8 per cent of sites). Most (59.7 per cent) of the sites containing treatment information were evidence‐based. The Web sites were of variable quality and the quality of sites produced by non‐commercial organisations (e.g. universities) was significantly higher than those produced by commercial organisations (e.g. pharmaceutical companies) and private practices. Sites containing some evidence‐based information had significantly higher quality scores than sites containing no evidence‐based information. These findings have implications for practice and further research and these are discussed in the paper.

Total quality management (TQM) is one of many new quality initiatives being introduced in the NHS to improve the quality of information and overall service quality. Out‐patient departments were targeted by the Department of Health as an area in which to start quality improvements, particularly regarding the provision of information to patients. Describes a study undertaken in a rheumatology out‐patients clinic which examined the flow of information, where information can be improved and how TQM can help improvement. Based on the hypothesis that patients′ and staff′s perceptions of information quality differ to the extent that some patients are not satisfied with information quality and this is inconsistent with a TQM approach. The quality of information was measured in three areas: sufficiency, understanding, and selectivity. A structured questionnaire was used and 80 patients and 11 staff were interviewed. Discusses differences in perceptions of information. Further research is needed to make a detailed study of information flow and to identify specific areas of information provision for improvement.

Asserts that information systems are an essential component in the efficacy of quality management systems and that information systems therefore merit greater recognition within the theory and the practice of quality management. Based on an empirically validated reference model which includes three dimensions: quality management practices, quality information systems (split into information flows and information technologies) and quality performance. The claim is stated through null hypotheses which are tested on a sample of 34 manufacturing plants, with more than 100 employees, in the electronics, machinery and auto‐supplier industries. The results show that: quality management practices are closely linked to quality information flows; the contribution of information flows to the obtaining of high quality performances is considerable; information technologies seem to contribute something to the achievement of high quality performance and in particular of low defectiveness but their contribution requires further investigation; the upstream links with suppliers and downstream links with customers strongly influence the achievement of quality performance.

A quality management system based‐ISO 9001 focuses on confirming process conformance from the initial development of a product through production, test, installation and servicing. Information management has been a key factor affecting the effective implementation of the standard. The aim of this study is to explore management of information flows in quality assurance in project management. It is hoped to that it will be helpful in pursuing continuous quality improvement in the construction industry.

Based on the characteristics of the construction industry, this study designed an organizational structure with three levels, including firm, sub‐firms and project departments. The paper examined the difficulties for the multi‐level organizational structure in information transferring and feedback.

It is found that there are information asymmetries in quality management from internal and external organizations. Internally, information asymmetry exists between contractor, subcontractors and suppliers; and externally, there is no information sharing mechanism between project departments. Information feedback is more difficult than information transferring in a construction firm.

The construction industry has always been bedeviled with great difficulties in sharing information among its participants. Although many construction firms have claimed to be ISO 9000‐certified, there is still missing an effective channel of information flow for quality management.

The paper proposes reengineering current management strategy for establishing an information network for quality management. This study could help construction firms to effectively manage information flow to achieve continuous quality improvement.

After current trends towards establishing standards for information systems have been explored a de facto standard for production control is discussed. The article then goes on to consider a potential quality information system standard based on the widely accepted requirements of BS 5750. Next it is shown that production control software can be modified to alleviate the present lack of information systems support for quality systems. The article concludes with a functional specification for an integrated production and quality information system.

Presents a guide for development of certifiable quality management systems for the library and information sector. The project was supported by NORDINFO and was carried out in 1993‐94. Begins with an introduction to fundamental ISO 9000 philosophy, definitions and concepts. All 20 main points of ISO 9001 receive a thorough treatment with respect to the library and information sector. The staff members concerned describe experiences from two test sites (Norsk Hydro and Telecom Denmark‐Jutland Telephone Co.) and analyse the two reports. Describes the implementation of ISO 9000 in the library and information sector in practice in general terms. Describes four examples of typical library and information routines in detail, together with relevant quality requirements. Analyses the process of certification and reports the findings of an empirical survey in the Nordic countries. Aims at a general quality improvement of information services and products, and at developing new tools for quality improvement.

This paper presents the development of guidelines for assuring quality and consistency in the creation of high quality information gateways and portals on the Internet. This method is presented as a transferable model for quality assurance in the use and development of learning technologies, and as an example of good practice in the management of information on the Internet. The paper demonstrates the importance of quality assurance as part of the process, illustrating how structured guidelines can be used to support the transfer of good practice.

Public sector policymakers have been preoccupied with quality, performance and impact initiatives, which constrain and define the strategic and operational objectives of public sector bodies. This theoretical article aims to review the quality, performance management and impact assessment regimes that currently impact on public and academic libraries in the UK, and to explore the challenges for managers in finding their path through this quality maze. Much of the literature focuses on individual initiatives, with little reference to the wider quality management context. Also seeks to urge consideration of the cumulative impact of such initiatives, with their different notions of quality, on public sector organisations and their quality management processes.

The article is an opinion piece that offers some conceptual frameworks, based on an analysis of literature, practice and web sites gathered over many years' investigation and observation. The tension between externally‐focused quality assurance and internally‐focused quality enhancement is taken as a point of departure. A further source of complexity is the quality management agendas that impact on library and information services from different levels in the organisation, otherwise described as the quality hierarchy.

A review of the approaches to collecting customer evaluations of service quality, enhancing quality and performance, and the accreditation of quality and performance illustrates the complexity associated with accommodating agendas arising from different contexts, and the competing notions of quality that are embedded in these different approaches.

The range of different influences on quality management, the sheer complexity and dynamism of the landscape and the management challenges associated with maintaining an appropriate quality management regime for any specific information service, are key messages that emerge from this review. Information managers in different posts experience the quality maze differently. Further research and reflection on practice are necessary.

This paper provides useful information for those managers trying to implement quality, performance and impact assessment regimes.