Research Articles Base: Quality Improvement

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT – SERVICE DELIVERY

SERVICE DELIVERY AND QUALITY IMPROVEMENT   Introduction             One of the most important things to consider in being competitive in the marketplace is having quality service or product delivery. It is noted that having a systematic product and service delivery enables an organization to achieve customer satisfaction.  Further, ensuring quality products and services may help the company to be recognized in this arena. The main goal of this paper is to discuss in details the delivery of services offered in package delivery industry. In addition, this will also discuss the efficiency and effectiveness of the activities which make up the process. It will also provide some recommendations in order to improve the quality of the service and product to be delivered.   The Concept of Quality Improvement             The concept of quality with respect to customer satisfaction has been with us since the beginning. However; the formal study of quality is relatively new, dating back to early part of the twentieth century. Over the years, we have seen a variety of definitions for quality. These definitions have ranged in length from a few words to comprehensive discussions. Here are some definitions proposed for “quality” by authorities.       Quality is a physical or nonphysical characteristic that constitutes the basic nature of a thing or is one of its distinguishing features, Webster’s New World Dictionary. Quality, as applied to the products turned out by industry, means the characteristic or group or combination of characteristics which distinguishes one article from another, or goods of one manufacturer from those of his competitors, or one grade for product from a certain factory from another grade turned out by the same factory (1992).  There are two common aspects of quality; one of these has to do with the consideration of the quality of a thing as an objective reality independent of the existence of man. The other has to do with what people think, feel, or sense as a result of the objective reality; this subjective side of quality is closely linked to value  (1980). Hence, the challenge for the service sector is to develop ways of addressing the ‘quality problem’ which are appropriate to the needs of a sector whose principal asset is people and where the application of the skills and knowledge of those people it employs is the key differentiator between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ service.  Quality has become a central issue in the business community. Most companies of any size now have quality improvement processes. Quality improvement means doing things in order to enhance the way the product or service of an industry meets or exceeds the expectation of their target audience. Quality improvement is a systematic approach to the analysis of performance and systematic approaches to improve it. QI which basically aims in improvement measures where the operations are and identifying ways to make things better. Specifically, it attempts to avoid attributing blame and tries to create systems to prevent possible errors from occurring. Quality Improvement Methods includes qualitative and quantitative techniques, reduction of waste, benchmarking, training, customer focus and empowerment. FedEx Corporation was established by  in 1973 as an entirely new concept in package delivery an overnight air delivery service. FedEx was the pioneer of the express transportation and logistics industry.  In addition, FedEx is also regarded as one of the world’s leading transportation companies that focus on the transportation of parcels and packages worldwide. The following are the core, supplementary and facilitating services provided by FedEx: <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Overnight package delivery </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Worldwide express delivery</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Ground small parcel delivery</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Freight delivery, and </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Customs brokerage.</li> </ul>   These services are being offered in a quality manner to satisfy their customers. Because FedEx has been able to expand their services internationally, the industry also provides different products and services to their customers in the international market like in Asia-Pacific. The products and services provided by FedEx in Australia and New Zealand include FedEx International Priority (IP), International Priority Freight Services and FedEx Packaging.   ·         FedEx International Priority (IP) The FedEx International Priority Service offers a time-definite, door-to-door technology-intensive, customers-cleared delivery of packages, documents and freight all over the world. This offering includes the FedEx International Mail Service which is available for bulk mailings of printed material like direct mail, invoices and catalogues. The clients of FedEx has the opportunity to choose from different delivery options which include door-to-door delivery using FedEx courier, customs clearance, holding for collection at a FedEx location and delivery through a broker or customer’s agent.   ·         International Priority Freight Service (IPFS) The industry is currently operating in five scheduled air services from the United Stated to Sydney every week. The majority of the traffic on these flights is IXP, to ensure a time-definite airport to airport service.   ·         FedEx Packaging In this service, the company used sound packaging system to ensure the fast and secured delivery of the shipment of the customers. In this regard, the company are able to develop their own range of ready-to-usee, self-sealing packaging in different shapes and sizes. At the hub, the range of boxes, tubes, envelopes and packs have been created to deliver superior durability and protection at the lowest possible weight. Service Delivery System of FedEx                         FedEx was the pioneer of the express transportation and logistics industry.  In addition, FedEx is also regarded as one of the world’s leading transportation companies that focus on the transportation of parcels and packages worldwide. In accordance to the activity around us especially when it comes to the speed and efficiency needed to serve the clients better, FedEx also has improved its performance when it comes to service through continuous changes in its IS and addition of certain programs like tracking lost parcels within thirty minutes which is of good help to clients and the such. This is very important so as to keep the company consistent of being number one on its spot. In this way, it will never fail to attract more clients. FedEx is committed with their People-Service-Profit philosophy. Herein, the company aims to produce outstanding financial returns by means of providing, competitively superior, totally reliable global air-ground transportation of high priority goods and documents that require rapid, time-certain delivery.  The company also aims to provide positive control of each package that will be delivered by using real time electronic tracking and tracing systems.  In this manner, a complete record of each shipment and delivery is being presented with the company’s request for payment.  The company’s goal is to become helpful, courteous and professional to each other and the public.  The vision of the company is to strive efficiently to have a completely satisfied customer every time they avail the services of FedEx. In order to provide quality service, the company has been able to implement different activities.  One of this is their adherence to e-business as one of the effective solutions to address the concept of quality.  FedEx employs a variety of Internet-based systems that serve both their needs and the needs of their customers. EC-Inventory, for example, enables different product classifications in selected locations to be tracked and managed and, thereby, can be used to validate orders against inventory levels and to track and trace orders and shipments. EC-Manufacturing provides FedEx customers with a powerful means of monitoring and controlling their inbound supply chain. EC-Return Management provides a useful means for handling returns and repairs, and EC-Warehouse Management provides FedEx customers with tools to improve their inventory and warehouse management. In these ways FedEx extends and adds value to the services they provide for their customers.       The FedEx service begins when a customer calls the nation-wide toll-free customer service number. This can be accessed 24 hours every day of the week. Once the customers requirements have been ascertained by a customer service operator/agent, an instant quote is calculated and, if accepted, a courier is then dispatched to the customers location to pick up the shipment and to provide documentation and packaging (where required) needed for international shipping. Customers are shown how to fill out an air waybill with all the correct information (including, for example, contact information about the sender and consignee, handling and delivery instructions, shipping information, duties and taxes), and are provided with a wide range of free packaging of different shapes and sizes. Central to the company’s growth and success has been the development of strategic information systems that enable FedEx to provide superior service to its customers. Through its innovative use of technology the company has been able to offer its customers the ability to complete entire shipping transactions from their own desktop personal computers, to call for courier pickups via modem and to track the status of their shipment en route. Almost all of Fed Ex’s total volume internationally is processed using an automated shipping system. In this manner, the company has been able to use advanced technology to ensure that they still meet the needs of their customers of fast and quality delivery system. The company has utilised different technology like FedEx’s Automated Sorting Tracking Routing Aid (ASTRA), Digitally Assisted Dispatch System (DADS) and COSMOS.   Cause and Effect Diagram             The activities mentioned above, states the service delivery system of FedEx. Although, it can be said that the industry has been able to use an effective and efficient service delivery system, there are still factors to be considered to sustain its efficiency, there is a need for quality improvement to ensure that the company will always adhere on providing quality service among its customers.  To improve the quality of the service of FedEx, the management should be able to identify different aspects that affect quality service of package delivery.   Cause and Effect Diagram             The diagram below shows the possible cause of having a delay in package delivery of the company. Herein, the causes are categorized as equipment, personnel, materials, procedures and other aspects which may affect the quality service of the company. Cause and Effect Diagram is used to determine the reasons for poor quality service. In addition, cause and effect diagram can easily show the problems and issues to be addressed to ensure that the company will always provide quality services in terms of package delivery.   Diagram 1: Cause and Effect Diagram Recommendation; Quality Improvement       Although, it can be said that the industry has been able to use an effective and efficient service delivery system, there are still factors to be considered to sustain its efficiency, there is a need for quality improvement to ensure that the company will always adhere on providing quality service among its customers.  As shown in the cause and effect diagram, one of the cause f ineffective delivery of packages is in terms of lack of employee empowerment. To improve the quality of the service of FedEx, it is recommended that the company will use empowerment method for quality improvement. For employees to be empowered, the company must provide means for employees to participate both at the shop or office floor and at higher levels in the organization.  In the service industry such as the shipping business, employee empowerment has been associated with many of the key issues related to employment practices in general, namely in gaining competitive advantage through improved service quality. However, the attempt to gain competitive advantage is difficult – because of the difficulties in defining the successful service encounter, particularly in the intangible sources of customer satisfaction. Moreover, there are in fact, some base level customer expectations of employee performance, positive interpersonal contacts, service deliverer attitudes, courtesy and helpfulness that are all closely related to customer evaluations of service quality (1994). Then another problem is in the quality of the service encounter itself. This involves the performance of the employee, on how the employee work and perform the service that should be given to the customers. (1993) stated that seeming to love the job becomes part of the job; and managing the appropriate feelings of enjoyment of the customer helps the worker in this effort. Enabling employees to sense their own power and the significance of their role in the service drama may help employees manage the emotions required of their performance ( 1993). Thus, it can be said that a respond or action of an employee enhanced by satisfaction can be the basis that the employee will give his or her best to the company. Empowered employees willingly take responsibility for the service encounter, they respond more quickly to customer needs, complaints and changes in customer tastes ( 1991). People are the cornerstone of the FedEx organization and service. Their importance and value is clearly recognized in the words of : Federal Express, from its inception, should put people first both because it is right to do so, and because it is good business as well. All Federal Express managers are expected to scrupulously follow as well as communicate to their people the successful formula inherent in our P-S-P philosophy: Take care of our people; they, in turn, will deliver the impeccable service demanded by our customers, who will reward us with the profitability necessary to secure our future.  Among the many means by which FedEx executes its ‘people first’ philosophy are the following initiatives: Ø      A staffing effectiveness policy which ensures responsible hiring decisions to enable the company to avoid layoffs wherever possible. Ø      Total commitment to affirmative action and equal opportunity principles. Ø      Performance review systems that provide feedback to employees on how they are performing against mutually agreed expectations. Ø      Promotion from within, which gives existing employees the first option on new and additional career opportunities within the organisation. Ø      The open-door policy which encourages employees to direct any question to the appropriate person regardless of their title. Ø      The guaranteed fair treatment procedure by which an employee can appeal any management decision, leading to a review process involving both other managers and the employee’s peers. Ø      Reward and recognition programs that encourage and honour exemplary service performance. Another vital component of P-S-P is the Survey-Feedback-Action (S-F-A) process. Once a year, the company must anonymously surveys all active employees about a range of issues including corporate and local management, work group cooperation, reward systems and job conditions. After company-wide tabulation, the results should be discussed at the workgroup level where solutions are developed to problems identified by the survey. Finally, each manager commits to an action plan to implement the agreed solutions. The initial training of new customer service personnel, sales representatives and couriers takes several weeks and culminates in written and oral examinations. Successful recruits should be placed on three months’ probation before a permanent appointment is made. The training and development of service personnel, however, must be ongoing, in order to ensure that Fed Ex, through its people, remains synonymous with exemplary customer service.   ACTION PLANS             To be able to implement quality improvement approach to FedEx, the company must be able to follow the following Action Plan.             I.  Introduction                         A. Research.             First and foremost the company must know the current situation of the industry. Using quality improvement tools like cause and effect diagram, the problems that hinder quality service can be detected. Hence, it is important that the company must be able to establish an internal marketing research to determine the factors to be changed and how quality improvement would be implemented. B.     Information Dissemination             The management of the company must be able to disseminate the information that the company will imposed some changes to improve the quality of the services offered by the company so that the employees will be aware in the situation.   II.   Specific Processes to Successfully Implement the Plan After the planning phase is over (and agreed), it is a signal of the doing phase begins. Once the activity is in motion, it acquires a direction and momentum which is totally independent of anything that was predicted. The key elements to the control of the changes are the milestones and established means of communication. The milestones are a mechanism to monitor progress; for the team, they are short-term goals which are far more tangible than the distant completion of the entire project. This maintains the momentum and encourages effort for the team; it allows the team to judge their progress and to celebrate achievement throughout the activity rather than just at its end.   III. Dangers in review There are dangers avoiding this project reviews, it is either too frequent or too drastic . The lack of sustainability to the project can lead to plan revisions which shake the team’s confidence in any particular version destroying the stability of the project designed. Decide objectively, and explain beforehand, when the review phases will occur and make this a scheduled milestone in itself. Even though the situation may have changed since the last review, it is important to recognize the work which has been accomplished during the provisional. First, the organization do not want to abandon the project since the team will be demotivated feeling that they have achieved nothing. Secondly, this work itself is part of the new situation which has been done, it should provide a foundation for the next step or at least the basis of a lesson well learnt. Existing achievements of team should always be building up.                         V.  Time             Time is sometimes one of the problems since there are companies that are demanding for unrealistic time. For this project, realistic schedule viewed by the team should be imposed.  Outside world are not allowed to deflect team form what knows to be practical. If the impose a deadline upon which is impossible, the team will clearly state this and give reasons.  For this instance, the project teams must determine the most appropriate time to start the implementation of the project; the sooner, the better.               VI.   Planning for error One of the most common errors in planning is that assuming there will be no errors in the implementation which in effect, the schedule is not based on the plan. On the other hand, recognizing that errors will occur is the reason for implementing a monitoring strategy on the project. However, by cautiously considering errors in advance you can make changes to the original plan to enhance its tolerance. The team that would implement quality project must try to predict where the errors will occur by examining the activities’ list. The risky areas might then be given a less strict time-scale – actually planning-in time for the mistakes. Another option is to apply a different strategy, or more resources, to such activities to minimize the disorder in the project.   Conclusion             Although FedEx has been efficient in providing satisfying services for their customers, the company must be able to ensure that they always adhere in providing quality for its customers. In doing so, the company must implement quality improvement process. Herein, the company must choose specific issue to be given emphasis and improve the system attached within such issue.   Reference             Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT – SERVICE DELIVERY

SERVICE DELIVERY AND QUALITY IMPROVEMENT Introduction One of the most important things to consider in being competitive i...

Quality Improvement – Occupational

Quality Improvement – Occupational   Introduction   Quality Improvement             According to  (1992), systemic quality improvement processes (QIPs) must include five overlapping phases.  They are the familiarization, vehicle emplacement, training, implementation of measurement techniques, and long-range or strategic planning.  During the familiarization phase, which should always comes first, upper-level management, quality department staff members, and consultants explain to the entire work force the need for improved quality.  They usually begin this process at the top of the organization, working their way down gradually to the hourly ranks.  They help employees realize that a successful quality improvement process is just that.  Rather than a project or an exercise with an end, it is an ongoing process that eventually causes the corporate culture to change, to become more participative and better integrated. They explain the difference between quality control, which basically checks for product defects and then tries to discover and eliminate the causes of these defects, and the new, more comprehensive quality thrust that realizes that better product quality results from improvements in the quality of manufacturing processes, management systems, and the work environment as well.  They stress that the ultimate objective of QIPs must be to improve the bottom line, that if the corporation fails financially, the rest is meaningless. In abridgment, the familiarization phase is self-defining. Its purpose is to offer the “why?” behind a QIP and the “what do we need to put into place to accomplish our objectives?” It is ongoing. Presentations are made continually, at all employee levels, with shifting emphasis depending on the audience and the process stage. Tools used during the familiarization phase can include posters, videos, presentations, stickers, visits to other sites–anything that will help employees: focus on improved quality as a primary workplace objective; better comprehend the power being given them; and better understand the corporation’s customized approach. Vehicle Emplacement Once the familiarization phase is well under way, most corporation jump directly to training rather than to team building.  Team building is very important since most quality consultants and members of QIP departments lie primarily in training, in working directly with individuals’ problems and group processes which is the major reason why they fail so quickly during the training.  There is a critical difference between the familiarization phase and the training phase.  The former can be presented to large audiences and completed in several weeks, while the latter, when dealing with a company of any size, ultimately involves running several thousand students through well-organized two- to three-day sessions.  Such an effort is extremely drawn out so that by the time that everyone is trained, many of the earlier students have lost their enthusiasm, their workshop notebooks, or both.  At the same time, such training is rarely if ever adequate. Learning a technique in the classroom, even practicing it there, never gives students all the answers or prepares them fully for the real-life situation. A tremendous amount of support, therefore, is necessary when those initially trained begin passing down their new knowledge and skills to lower-level managers and hourly workers. Such support, however, is rarely available. The corporate quality staff and consultants can visit just so many work sites during the year and can answer just so many phone calls. However, many middle managers see QIPs as an attempt to get rid of their jobs.  They’ve heard about too many layers of management and about the push to get hourly workers to make more work-related decisions so that some of these layers can be eliminated.  Giving middle-level managers the responsibility of passing on problem-solving and decision-making skills is, in many cases, like asking the last werewolf to teach the pretty lady how to shoot silver bullets. It doesn’t make sense. Inexperienced or emotional supervisors create a fuss or refuse openly to cooperate. The old-timers go through the motions but then make sure that nothing happens. The Training Phase The training phase starts soon after the first teams are in place and follows the team building phase through the organization. It “follows” because initial facilitator training is done on the job and because team members identify a large number of their own training needs. Implementation of Measurement Techniques The trick, however, is to give the teams ownership, to let them decide that what is being offered is a good idea and should be spread throughout the operation. The basic techniques involved–histograms, run charts, control charts, flow charts, pareto, the fishbone, and scatter charts–are not that difficult to teach or to use. The hard part traditionally has been to get employees to want to use them. There are three possible approaches. The first is coercion: learn how to use these or start looking for another job. However, when employees are forced to implement something they don’t understand the need for, they tend to make a lot of mistakes. The second approach is to educate workers to the value of measurement techniques. Conscientious and ambitious employees will listen and will make a sincere effort to implement what they have learned. Those just putting in their hours, however, will see the additional time and effort requirement as another unwelcome imposition and will take shortcuts.   The third approach is to encourage the employees themselves to discover the value of the techniques. This is obviously superior, but how do we achieve it? We do so primarily by developing a strong sense of employee commitment to improved quality in products, manufacturing processes, management systems, and the work environment. But how do we engender this required commitment? The answer is that we foster it through the familiarization, vehicle emplacement, and training phases that precede the introduction of measurement techniques. Strategic Planning In order for QIP organizers, familiarizers, team facilitators, trainers, and team members to succeed, they must have a framework built on clearly defined organization objectives into which to fit their integrated efforts. This framework, or overview, traditionally has been created through the annual strategic planning exercise. Recently, however, strategic planning has fallen on hard times. It is no longer considered a critical function in many corporations. The future of such organizations is now being decided by the president or CEO and a few confidantes, their decisions based on a mix of financial considerations, their own observations, and gut instinct. The reason for the recent disenchantment with strategic planning is twofold. First, our much maligned short-term orientation makes the ability to react quickly to shifting environmental circumstances more important than the ability to gen1erate a long-term plan. Second, even if our orienta- tion were long term, strategic planning, as it has been practiced during the seventies and eighties, does not work. Strategic planning is important, not only to quality improvement but to the long-term health of any organization. Asian and European firms do it effectively and have used the results to increase their share of world markets. The problem, therefore, is not that strategic planning does not work but that the paradigms that we have been using in the United States are not right for our situation. In order to be more successful, we need an approach that helps replace or combine our short-term orientation with a long-term one; discourages in-house competition for resources; helps generate consensus on priorities; encourages the necessary integration; effectively reads and reacts to the organization’s increasingly turbulent environment; and does not impose unrealistic demands on those required to translate corporate objectives, as defined, into reality. Interactive planning, like comprehensive quality improvement efforts, has five overlapping stages.  These are formulation of the mess; ends planning; means planning; resource planning; and implementation and control. Formulation of the Mess –A “mess” is defined as a system of problems.  During this stage the future of an organization is charted if no changes are made and if the environment remains stable. Ends Planning –During this stage participants define an “ideal.” They are told that their company, mill, or department has been destroyed and that they are responsible for totally rebuilding it. The charge, however, is to design what ought to be ideally, rather than simply to improve on what originally existed. The only three stipulations to this exercise are that the systems designed must be technologically feasible, financially reasonable, and capable of adapting to future environmental change. Means Planning –During this stage projects that will help move the organization from its current “mess” toward the ideal are defined and prioritized. The QIP teams can play a key role in both definition and prioritization once overall organization objectives have been identified. Resource Planning –The teams can contribute heavily to both the identification of available resources and allocation decisions. Implementation and Control –The teams can assist in carrying out action steps.  They can also generate the information necessary for proper control and function as a channel for the upward and downward flow of this information. ALL OR NOTHING All systemic and successful QIPs must include the five phases discussed above. None of these phases can provide the desired results without the support of the others. Familiarization is of little value without a change vehicle, training, and a framework of long-range organization objectives. Teams cannot function effectively without proper familiarization, relevant training, and long-range objectives. Training is largely a waste of time without a change vehicle and a framework of objectives.  Measurement tools are all but useless by themselves. Finally, a strategic plan has no value unless employees understand it, are committed to it, and possess the knowledge and skills necessary to implement it. While all five phases are important, vehicle emplacement, or team building, is the most critical. Team building is also the most difficult phase to introduce. A majority of team building efforts in the United States have failed. They have done so mainly because those responsible have not understood the systemic nature of the beast that they were trying to tame and have left out critical pieces, or have been unable to link the pieces together properly. Pre-Employment Screening Hiring the right people is more important than ever before. In fact, hiring the right people with the right skills can make a difference to your organization and ultimately to your company’s financial success. The cost of making poor hiring decisions is evidenced in high turnover, discontented employees and reduced productivity. These operational pit falls have devastating impact on the ability to grow your business and create a work environment that is stimulating, efficient and effective. Why is there a Need for a Quality Improvement on Pre-employment Screening?             Apart from issues of social justice, ethical behavior makes good business sense. Unethical behavior is expensive. Discriminatory practices, negligent hiring, and product quality failure can incur large legal judgments. In the United States, employee malfeasance costs companies billion to billion per year. The value of white collar deviance alone is one thousand percent of the annual loss incurred by all street crimes and burglaries. Thirty percent of American bankruptcies are substantially attributable to workers who willfully disregard company norms and social law (1993; 1991, 1991;  1987: 1985;1993;1988).  These are such a good reason for the importance of quality improvement on pre-employment screening.  Many companies use pre-employment integrity tests to detect job applicants who are likely to violate standards of appropriate behavior.  These tests are controversial.  Although critics claim that research and ethical practice cannot support the use of these measures for employee selection, supporters have reached the opposite conclusion (1993; 1994; 1991; 1991; 1991;1994;  1987; 1990). Support for integrity testing is based on three conclusions. First, a growing consensus holds that pre-employment integrity tests predict important job-related criteria regardless of job type or setting. It is reasoned the tests tap broad personality constructs, such as “work conscientiousness,” which influences a wide range of job attitudes and behaviors. Second, the tests lack adverse impact against females or members of racial and ethnic minorities. Third, applicants generally regard the tests as appropriate for job screening ( 1993;  1993;  1989;  1984). Pre-Employment Background Check Why should you screen your employees with an employee background check? <ul type="disc" style="margin-bottom: 0in"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt"> 67% of criminals released from prison in 1994 were re-arrested for at least one serious crime within the next three years (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 6/2/02)</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt"> The National Crime Victimization Survey, released by the  Department of Justice in December of 2001, analyzed workplace violence from 1993 to 1999. On average, 1.7 million violent incidents per year were committed against employees at work.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Nearly 60% of sex offenders are under conditional supervision (probation or parole) in the United States. (Bureau of Justice Statistics) </li> </ul> Small and mid-sized businesses are particularly vulnerable without an employee background check… Small businesses are the most susceptible to employee fraud, according to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. In a small company, a single employee tends to have a large amount of responsibility and a small amount of managerial oversight. Obtaining access to sensitive information or the company’s finances is not very difficult for employees within smaller businesses. Businesses with less than 100 people are more likely to incur fraud losses than companies with more than 10,000 employees. According to the 2002 Report to the Nation on Occupational Fraud, the average loss for a small business is 7,500 and the average loss for a large company is ,000. Victims recover less than 25% of their losses in about half of all cases filed (). Pre-Employment Drug Test Why perform a pre-employment drug test? Substance abuse testing can decrease workplace accidents, cut production costs, save wasted salary dollars, cut increased medical costs, decrease workers’ compensation premiums, lower employee turnover, reduce theft and shrinkage, and increase morale and loyalty. Consider these facts: <ul type="disc" style="margin-bottom: 0in"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Employees who abuse drugs are about 30-35% less productive than non-users.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Employees who abuse drugs and alcohol cause more than 40% of on-the-job injuries.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Employees who abuse drugs are more likely to steal to support their habit.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Employed drug abusers cost their employers about twice as much in medical and worker compensation claims as their drug-free coworkers. ( 1999)</li> </ul> ScreenNow Employment () offers several assessment tools designed to improve your ability to select the right candidate and ultimately impact your employee retention, employee satisfaction and overall operating success.  It is committed to creating a safer and more secure workplace through the responsible use of information.   ScreenNow Skill Assessment tests will help you: <ul type="disc" style="margin-bottom: 0in"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Measure a candidate’s job expertise and confirm pre-existing knowledge </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #000033; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Reduce employee turnover due to misrepresented qualifications </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #000033; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Accurately quantify the skills of job candidates </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #000033; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Motivate your existing staff to develop new skills </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #000033; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Increase productivity, morale and commitment </li> </ul> ScreenNow Employment online is widely used in the United States by different industrial sectors and has already received positive feedbacks from its clients.  It is very useful in the screening process of these industries and became a great part of their development since they are guided into the best projected employee that they are looking for.  Conclusion             Quality improvement is every company’s practice in the hope of uplifting its standard for the growth and development of the employer, employee, product and services.  However, without proper knowledge in doing so, quality improvement process may seem worthless and instead, a costly practice.  It would take an extensive effort in the part of the company in achieving the desired quality improvement.  Resourcefulness and creativity will then be the key for this.              Having an inventive energy and the determination to reach such goal is not that tough nowadays.  With the advent of information technology that brings us closer to whatever queries we got in a hassle-free manner, this objective is not beyond our reach.  Pre-employment Screening             A company can then apparently recognize the link that binds quality improvement and pre-employment screening through research method.  This is very evident in the previous findings on the need and importance of development in the pre-employment screening. Not only is this paper could help in the improvement in the screening area but this study will also help upgrade the industrial sector as a whole.  In no longer time, the economic lifestyle of a company will then be change for good towards its goals and objectives.                          Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Quality Improvement – Occupational

Quality Improvement – Occupational Introduction Quality Improvement According to (1992), systemic quality improvement pr...

Improving the quality of a working environment

Improving the quality of a working environment               “There is no place like home,” as what had Dorothy had said in the Wizard of Oz; truly, no one can replace home in our hearts but wouldn’t it be better to have a second home? You heard me right! Our workplace should be as cozy as our home. Contrary, not all work setting is as amiable as we imagine. We have officemates from the ends of nowhere and dropping us with cannon balls or some so-called supervisors who would like to engage in distasteful sexual behavior. These instances are big no way! Working environment should never be hostile to its employees for it will hinder the growth of the workforce thus, limiting manual labor and output.             What then is the ideal working environment? Well, it varies from one to another. Others excel in an environment where it caters good communication, great teamwork and places where they can grow professionally as well as intellectually; ideas are well received and respected and these will give them a boost of security in the organization. Human resource department in every company are mindful enough to accommodate the needs and wants of every employee. What are their strategies or innovations that give their employee’s hearts’ content? According to  Ph.D., a Pensacola, Fla.-based management consultant and author of the book “Getting Employees to Fall in Love with your Company,” has identified five things you can do to make people want to work for your organization: 1. Capture the heart of employees. To cite instances it would be balancing the life and work of the employees by giving them enough time for breaks and acknowledging or providing positive feedback. 2. Open communication. This promotes an amenable environment that allows workers to ear out their ideas, thus; giving room for growth. 3. Create partnerships. Treat employees as associates in the business world, a companion to success in that way, one is gaining respect and trust from the other. 4. Drive learning through career, peer counsel or seminars that will enrich their knowledge thus, avoiding stagnation and timidity. Offering career conversations once in a while is also fueling them to act on their hidden talents. 5. Offer professional growth. This could be done sharing the limelight by permitting an employee to handle work projects. Encourage wellness physically or mentally through free subscription to a gym or a health spa. Remember to offer rewards or allow them to choose what they want as an additional benefit.             The above guidelines are just examples of what one can do to be creative in improving workplace conditions. Diversity of ideas isn’t a barrier to create an environment a homey-effect. One Human Resources executive stated “We work hard to understand and value differences and we celebrate our diversity” (1991). The changing times in the workplace allowing the employees a wider perspective in their chosen jobs, increases their motivation to grab opportunities thus, greater chances of achieving success.   Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Improving the quality of a working environment

Improving the quality of a working environment “There is no place like home,” as what had Dorothy had said in the Wizard ...

Characterization Technique for Parabenes

Characterization Technique for Parabenes   Introduction             Today, cosmetics and other beauty pmroducts have a high demand among consumers, and because of this high demand, several additives and ingredients are also exhausted to be able to meet the needs of consumers. At present the use of cosmetics is essential, being crucial in adding color to the lives of many individuals, especially of women. Because of this importance, different processes are being developed for faster production of the ingredients needed in making cosmetics. Likewise, these cosmetics contain a variety of ingredients, which make them exhibit necessary properties. One of the most common active ingredients of cosmetics is parabenes, and because of its importance as cosmetics’ active ingredient, this paper discusses a specific technique in improving the characterization of parabenes in body lotions, which would be useful in enhancing its quality.   Technique: Capillary Electro-Chromatography              (1997) reports that cosmetics contain preservatives to extend their shelf life, and one of these preservatives is parabenes, which are used in many cosmetics because of their ability to impede microbial growth and prolong shelf life. However, the levels of parabenes and other preservatives must be monitored in any cosmetic product. It has been reported that some cosmetics ingredients can be regarded as allergens, and cause contact allergy, which results from a specific required hypersensitivity reaction, or cell-mediated hypersensitivity, and this involves significant and usually repeated contact with the allergen (2007). In addition, numerous allergens have been identified as causes for allergic contact dermatitis, where the most common contact allergens include nickel and fragrance mix (2007). However, like nickel and fragrance mix, preserving agents, such as parabenes can also cause allergic reactions when used in excess. For this reason, monitoring the amounts and levels of such ingredients in cosmetics must be monitored and checked. In addition, preservatives are crucial ingredients in cosmetics, specifically body lotions, because they contain organic compounds that may become dysfunctional without the reaction or effect of parabenes.               With this problem, many techniques are being developed and applied to detect levels of preservatives such as parabenes, in cosmetics products, including body lotions, and this technique is Capillary Electro-Chromatography or CEC. This technique is a fusion of liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis, which preserves the best aspects of both techniques ( 1997). Moreover, this is a hybrid separation method that couples the high separation efficiency of capillary zone electrophoresis or CZE, a high-efficiency separation technique for charged analytes but incapable of separating neutral molecules, and high performance liquid chromatography or HPLC, which is capable of resolving a wide range of both neutral and charged analytes. It uses an electric field rather than hydraulic pressure to propel the mobile phase through a packed bed, and since there is no back pressure, it is possible to use small diameter packings and achieve very high efficiencies (1999). This technique is suitable in examining levels of parabenes because given the characteristics of parabenes, they are hydrosoluble, insipid, colorless, and odorless substances (2006). Given these characteristics, parabenes can easily undergo the technique and can easily be identified and evaluated by using the process.   Basis for Chosen Technique, Advantages and Disadvantages             Electro-chromatography is a term used to describe narrow bore packed column separations where the liquid mobile phase is driven not by hydraulic pressure an in high performance liquid chromatography but by electro-osmosis, and using electro-osmosis to propel liquids through a packed bed are the same as for in open capillaries, leading to higher peak efficiency than is possible in using pressure driven systems such as HPLC. The driving force in electro-separation methods results from the electrical double layer that exists at the liquid-solid interface between, such as the bulk liquid and the capillary surface, the packing material and mobile phase ( 1999). In addition, under alkaline conditions, the surface silanol groups or silicon atoms to which hydroxyl substituents bond directly (2006) of the fused silica will become ionized leading to a negatively charged surface, and this surface will have a layer of positively charged ions in close proximity or the Stern layer, which are relatively immobilized. The remainder of the excess charge, which constitutes the Gouy layer, which is solvated and has the characteristics of a typical solvated ion, extends into the bulk liquid and becomes the double layer. The concentration of ions in the double layer is relatively small compared to the total ionic concentration, and falls off exponentially from the capillary surface, as does the corresponding electric potential that is proportional to the charge density. From this, it can be seen that the electro-osmotic flow depends upon the surface charge density, the field strength, the thickness of the electrical double layer, and the viscosity of the separation medium, which in turn is dependent on the temperature (1999).             Moreover, the silica gels used in the manufacture of stationary phases possess different properties, and as a result, the use of phases can produce different charge densities depending on the surface area of the silica and the acidity of the surface silanol groups. An important consideration in CEC, is the relationship between the linear velocity and the concentration of electrolyte, and since linear velocity is directly proportional to the zeta potential z, which itself decreases with increasing electrolyte concentration, it is an important variable to consider during method development. Furthermore, the driving force in this technique is the electro-osmotic flow and is highly dependent on pH, the buffer concentration, the organic modifier, and the type of stationary phase ( 1999).                  In using this characterization technique, several advantages can be determined. Primarily, using the capillary electro-chromatography technique results to shortened analysis times and enhanced performance, for handling small volumes of complex sample, such as parabenes, and reducing sample consumption is crucial in respect of clarification of physiological processes or identification of successful drug candidates and compounds, including cosmetics (2006). Secondly, using this technique would reduce materials consumption in every respect ( 2006), for in line with the primary goal, this technique would allow the identification of the compound using small amounts, and this in turn, lessens the costs of the production and hastens the operation. With this, body lotion manufacturers would not only be able to examine parabenes as preservatives, but other active ingredients as well. Manufacturers will be able to identify the amounts of preservatives in their product, improve their quality control, and enhance the value of their product in the market. Third advantage, the application of electro-kinetic separation techniques, such as capillary electro-chromatography enhances separation performance due to decreased theoretical plate heights caused by the superior plug-flow profile of the electro-osmotic flow field, which involves particulate packed or monolithic capillary columns (2006). Lastly, combining mass spectrometry to capillary separation techniques allows the use of micro-electrospray down to nano-electrospray ionization, enhancing the mass and concentration sensitivity by a multiple (2006). Because parabenes are polar compounds, it would easier for it to undergo the process, as its component properties would be adsorbed in the columns. With these advantages, it is evident that the use of this technique would enable drugs and cosmetics manufacturers to examine the amounts of the ingredients and components of their products before introducing them and selling them in the market. In addition, being able to identify the substantial amounts of preservatives in cosmetics would lessen the incidences of causing allergies to consumers.               However, despite its advantages are the said disadvantages that limit the use of the capillary electro-chromatography technique. One of its basic limitations or disadvantages is that although higher electrolyte concentrations tend to produce higher efficiencies, electrolyte concentrations can limit the percentage of organic modifier used, which can severely retard method development, brought about by the low solubility of many common inorganic buffers in organic solvents (1999). Second, high electrolyte concentrations give rise to high currents when conventional buffers are used, and leads to Joule heating followed by loss of current because of bubble formation ( 1999). Bubble formation must be suppressed to increase and maximize reliability of the data, so the Agilent CE system must be used, which is uniquely designed for operating CEC in that it can apply up to 12 bar pressure simultaneously to both vials ( 1997). Third limitation is that performing CEC on conventional CZE instruments restricts the operating conditions at certain temperatures, and because of this problem, the use of a modified CZE instrument that allowed electro-chromatography to be performed with up to 90% organic solvent at 30kV and 40C with no interference due to bubble formation (1999). However, without this instrument, performing the technique would be expensive and unreliable. Lastly and most importantly, the reliability and reproducibility of some compounds is poor, being unsuitable for routine use in CEC. With this, manufacturers must be able to produce CEC phases, allowing the highly efficient analysis of acidic, neutral and basic compounds ( 1999).   Other Techniques Used             Aside from the discussed technique, another useful technique for analyzing parabenes in body lotions is normal phase high performance liquid chromatography, which separates analytes based on polarity, and used when the analyte is fairly polar in nature, as it uses a polar stationary phase and a non-polar mobile phase (2007). Adsorption strengths increase with increase in analyte polarity, and the interaction between the polar analyte and the polar stationary phase increases the elution time, such that the interaction strength not only depends on the functional groups in the analyte molecule, but also on steric factors and structural isomers is often resolved from one another. In addition, particularly polar solvents in a mixture tend to deactivate the column by occupying the stationary phase surface, and since parabenes can be regarded as polar compounds because of their function as antimicrobial and fungicidal agents, they will be easily absorbed by the polar stationary phase.             Moreover, similar with high performance liquid chromatography, another technique can also be used, and this technique is microemulsion electro-kinetic chromatography, which is an electro-driven separation technique. Separations are achieved using microemulsions, which are nanometer-sized oil droplets suspended in an aqueous buffer ( 2003). It is application include the analysis of preservatives such as parabens, wherein in the simultaneous separation of methyl, ethyl, propyl, and butyl paraben were performed using a low-pH microemulsion. A selective separation was achieved against parahydroxybenzoic acid, which is the major degradation impurity of the preservatives, and this method was employed to assay methyl and propyl paraben. The results obtained exhibited that this method was suitable for determination of paraben concentrations, and no impurities were detected in the batches tested above the limit of detection (2003).   Performance of Technique Based on Micro Structure of Product             Results of the technique show that capillary electro-chromatography can be used for the easy determination of parabenes in body lotion and in cosmetic samples. From the experiment, graphs of the results indicate that the first eluting peak is thiourea, and as a non-retained marker can be used to indicate the liner velocity of the mobile phase through the column, which is necessary since the flow is physico-chemically dependent. Reproducibility of migration time was sufficient to identify the four peaks apparent in the body lotion analysis as parabenes, and this was confirmed by spectral analysis, which also indicated that the peak for ethylparabene contained an unknown component ( 1997). From the graphs, the components of parabenes and other preservatives present in the body lotion are evident. This would be useful to evaluate the components of body lotions, and determine its effects in the skins of consumers. In addition, using this technique would improve the quality of body lotions because manufacturers will be able to detect impurities in their product easily without the hassle of altering other components of the product. Because of the issue associated with paraben, causing cancer and other allergies, this technique and process is crucial for checking excessive amount of parabens in the final product. In this way, body lotion manufacturers will be able to lessen the incidence of contact allergies, and thus, increase the sales of their product. Moreover, because temperature is restricted, the viscosity of the final product would be sufficient for its function.   Conclusion             The use of the Capillary Electro-Chromatography is one efficient technique in determining the amounts of the components in cosmetic products, such as body lotions. The use of this technique must be developed and improved further to help detect other components in a variety of products that may bring harmful or damaging effects to the health of consumers. In this way, manufacturers of cosmetics, especially of body lotions will be able to meet the demands and the standards of their consumers, which would retain and help establish the company’s brand image and brand identity in the market. Furthermore, the use of this technique enhances the effective and efficient use of science and technology. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Characterization Technique for Parabenes

Characterization Technique for Parabenes Introduction Today, cosmetics and other beauty pmroducts have a high demand amo...

Improving quality in the construction industry

Improving quality in the construction industry It is commonplace to describe the current business environment setting as turbulent. The marketplace has become more global and service-oriented and clients’ tastes have become more demanding and sophisticated. Under these circumstances, many firms have found it is increasing difficult to compete. To survive in the current business environment, it is necessary for companies to look for ways to improve quality and productivity in order to enhance their competitive edge. Since the introduction of ISO 9000 in 1987, the number of organizations certified under the scheme has been constantly increasing all over the world. The implementations and certifications of quality systems on ISO 9001 have been a major activity for many organizations and have become a widespread phenomenon. Many studies revealed that effective implementation of ISO 9000 quality standards can benefit the certified organizations through the improvement of management control, efficiency, productivity, and customer services. According to a survey conducted by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), global ISO 9001:2000 registrations surpassed the 500,000 mark at the end of 2003, in which it can show the concerns of quality improvement. Among all industrial sectors, the construction industry has the third highest number of ISO 9000 certificates. This indicates the construction firms’ active attitude towards the international standards series. In construction, the final product is produced by activities in processes. However, the construction process is not of a production line as in manufacturing industry but is composed of concurrent activities on a construction site. Quality assurance in construction focuses on process control. In practice, it is more difficult to implement the scheme for quality assurance in the construction industry than in manufacturing industry due to the characteristics of the construction setting. Hence the proportion of the construction firms of ISO 9001 certified, which deemed ISO 9001 an effective quality management means, is not high. 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 information management system required for this standard is not just a database with predefined reports; rather, it is the support for trouble-shooting, decision making and knowledge management. Because of dispersed projects undertaken by a construction firms, effective information flows among project teams for a firm are very important in implementing quality assurance. Information requirements in quality management In the construction industry, contractors have to collect much external and internal information as information input for quality management. The external information required includes: ·       client’s requirements on quality; ·       project supervisors; ·       relevant quality standards for checking; ·       subcontractors; and ·       material suppliers and vendors. Furthermore, internal information required includes: ·       organization structure; ·       quality management system; ·       quality management plan; ·       information of construction technology; ·       information of construction equipment; and ·       workers. The inputted information needs to be processed and utilized effectively and becomes conducive to quality management. Information flows in quality management A construction firm has three levels within its organizational structure including firm, sub-firms and project departments. The multi-level organizational structure renders many difficulties in information transfer and feedback. In general, the firm level, rather than sub-firms or project department levels, plays a pivotal role in certification of the ISO 9000 quality assurance systems. “The construction industry has always been plagued with great difficulties in sharing information among participants.” Much of the work, including quality manuals and procedures document writing, training, internal audit and management review, is organized and finished by the quality assurance group in the firm level. Indeed, all the project departments must implement the plan of quality assurance. Thus information flows, including information transfer and feedback among all the different levels in a construction firm, will form the necessary foundation for effective quality management and quality assurance. The construction industry has always been plagued with great difficulties in sharing information among participants. In general two major kinds of information flows are information transferring from project departments to firm and information exchange between project departments. Improving information flows The construction industry has two particular characteristics: 1.   there are many participants involved in a single project; and 2.   there are various combinations of participants in different construction projects. The former requires an effective information collaboration system to realize information sharing among multi-parties in a project. The latter requires that the information collaboration systems can be applied in different projects even though the combination of participants is different. Given these two characteristics, a web-based approach can be proposed to develop a system for information flows in quality management in construction projects. The use of the internet as the communication platform can help information transfer more effectively during the construction process. Developing a communication system for the multi-parties in construction projects to collaborate on the Web can also improve information flows in construction project management. On the other hand, new participants in different projects can also learn to use such a web-based information system in a short time and at low cost. It is clear that the technical problems can be overcome by utilizing the information and network technology that has prevailed in recent years. Reengineering the existing information flow channels is necessary in the construction industry. For a project department, once it has found information on construction quality, such as an unqualified subcontractor or a material supplier, it should feed the information back to the firm immediately and transfer it to the other project departments at the same time. Currently, information feedback in a step-by-step manner is not conducive to quality management. A sharing environment The construction industry has always been bedevilled with great difficulties in sharing information among its participants. Information flows and exchanges are very important in implementing ISO 9001 and improving quality management. Because of the characteristics of the construction industry, information transfer is easier than information feedback in a construction firm’s quality management. Thus it is important for construction firms to reengineer their information flow channels for decreasing risk due to information flow suspension. That requires firms to create a culture and environment conducive to sharing information. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Improving quality in the construction industry

Improving quality in the construction industry It is commonplace to describe the current business environment setting as turbule...