DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT SCIENCE.

The paper describes a participatory action-based case research to analyze the effect of the easier-to-apply quality management core practices on the operational performance in
contexts in which the harder-to-apply socio-behavioural infrastructure practices are in deficit. Uses collaborative core action research cycle built around thematic concerns of a
workgroup and a reflection cycle to experience, reflect and interpret the outcomes of actions relating to the specific core practices. Bivariate correlation analysis is used on the data
collected from survey of a group of employees, structured observations and objective data analysis to examine the relationships between the different quality management practices’ categories and operational performance dimensions. Proposes that organizations should not have to wait for the socio-behavioural management, employee, customer, and supplier based infrastructure practices to be in place before applying the mechanistic and technical process and information-based quality practices.

ISO 9000 family of quality management system standards are meant to enable organizations to set up effective management systems with which they can meet the needs of interested parties and assure sustained success. The evaluation tool preferred by many organizations for feedback on system
effectiveness has been third party audit with success and certification taken as an indicator of management system effectiveness. The purpose of the empirical study reported in this paper was to investigate the relationship between a successful pre-ISO 9001 certification audit and effectiveness of an organization. The study uses the data from multiple informants in each participating organization to identify two configuration groupings, the ISO hard elements and the systemic oriented groups and finds that effectiveness of a certified organization may be predicted from the group into which it is classified. The conclusion is that certification status by itself is not an indicator of effectiveness. The study adds to
the literature on the relationship between ISO 9001 certification and performance. A key implication of the findings for the managers is the need to see the quality management system standard in terms of a management technology rather than a marketing tool with certification as the visible icon.

The interest in Quality Management since its entry into the management arena has grown unabated despite the controversies, criticisms and dismissive labels. There are those who have dismissed it as a fad. Enthusiastic proponents too have done it disservice through hypes and selling it as a quick fix for the organizational problems arising from lack of organization-environment fit. There are situations where operational performance improvements have been attributed to the approach and there are others where such improvements have not been apparent. In this review, a perspective is presented based on current knowledge in management and taking into consideration the various viewpoints in the subject. From the analysis of the literature, it is concluded that management field is evolving and new methods and constructs are expected to emerge and focusing on labels is very likely to result in practitioners and researchers missing opportunity to evaluate and correctly apply new and emerging knowledge required to improve the situation for mankind.

This position paper discusses ISO 9000 family of standards in terms of its capability assessment value and as a framework for management of organizations. Uses data collected from empirical sources to buttress a position for the continued usefulness of the management system standard for the foreseeable future and challenges the critics to put forward an alternative that can be effective for the complex global economy. The paper uses rationalization to put forward a thesis in which the misperceptions are blamed on the marketing flavor favored by the certification industry.

ISO 9001 quality management system standard, a member of ISO 9000 family of standards that comprise two complementary pair of standards, ISO 9001 requirements and ISO 9004 guidelines standards, has been used globally as a framework for adoption of quality management approach. With focus on third party certification, performance of certified organizations, relative to the non-certified organizations, has been used to make judgment on the approach itself. To test the validity of this thinking, the authors carried out an in-depth case study in two ISO 9001 certified organizations in the East African nation of Kenya. The findings, based on the data from multiple informants from the two organizations, suggest that an organization can be successful in pre-certification audit and be certified even when it has not made any significant steps towards managing in the quality management way. The findings lead to a conclusion that certification does not imply quality management approach to management.

Recent technologies of digital and analog signal processing applications have a lot of interference occurring due to signal transmission traffic in air medium. As such, transmission and reception of RF signal tend to have interference, calibration imbalance and jitter noise. In this digital modulation and demodulation technique of Quadrature transmission we will have I/Q based differential signal method to reduce this calibration imbalance. However some errors will still occur in gain and phase mismatches on high frequency range transmission. The proposed work will designed a Quadrature amplitude modulation in phase shift keying method of QAM-QPSK modulation and demodulation in 4, 8, 16 quadrant in differential signal processing using the technique of digital frequency calibration with carrier signal generation. This method is fully designed with digital quadrature method in FPGA using VHDL. The output will be measured in the extraction, calibration of gain and phase mismatch and al...

In order to benefit from eLearning, institutions should conduct considerable up-front analysis to assess their eLearning readiness. Studies show that there are numerous models that have been developed, however, they are used in developed counties whose eReadiness is high hence not applicable in developing countries. This paper includes a model that has been developed to assess eLearning readiness of lecturers from institutions of higher learning in Kenya. It investigates the eLearning readiness of lecturers from the University of Nairobi, and the objective was to carry out a diagnostic eLearning readiness assessment of lecturers and determine the factors that influence eLearning readiness. The questionnaires were administered to the lecturers. The results obtained indicate that an overwhelming majority are ready. In addition, the study results show that there is no significant relationship between age, gender, and level of education on eLearning readiness. The study results indicate...

Africa is absorbing new socio-technologies such as eGovernment while simultaneously building basic norms and institutional frameworks for governance. This paper addresses the absence of adequate philosophical and methodological bases to theorize complex technology change in a postcolonial context. In this ongoing research, we evaluate Bhaskar‟s Critical realism and associated writings as a robust analytical framework in the light of contemporary African philosophy and the notion of society as an open system. Societal openness is an axiom of critical realism; some researchers argue that in the light of empirical findings from complexity theory many natural systems are open severely limiting philosophies such as logical positivism. Secondly, by committing the epistemic fallacy, both positivism and interpretivism have limited analytical capability and only provide an impoverished account of reality. ICT discourse in Africa is dominated by the World Bank‟s development for progress agend...

This research paper largely explored lean quality as proposed by luminaries of lean concept. The study aim was to propose and test conceptual model of the relationship between lean quality and operational performance of third-party port-centric logistics (3PL) firms in Kenya. The objective was to determine the relationship between quality management and operational performance of third-party port-centric logistic firms in Kenya and test the hypothesis (H0) that there is no significant difference in the relationship between quality management and operational performance of Third-Party Port-Centric Logistics firms in Kenya. Most studies in the area were done outside the African continent and dwelt largely on manufacturing firms. Port-centric logistics as logistics services providers are critical to any country since they are the interface between exporter and importer and the study put a lot of emphasis on finding out the relationship between quality management as a lean practice and ...

This paper examines the relationship between process innovation, operationalperformance, reverse logistics adoption and competitive advantage. According to theresource advantage theory of competition organizations gain competitive advantagethrough marshaling comparative advantage in resources. Empirical studies have shownthat marshaling comparative advantage through the adoption of reverse logistics can leadto sustainable competitive advantage for firms. However, these studies have notdemonstrated how various strategies to the adoption of reverse logistics impact on a firm’ssustainable competitive creating capabilities. Further studies have shown that processinnovations have the potential to reposition organizations’ current assets in a manner thatallows them to gain new capabilities that enable the achievement of higher operationalefficiency and ultimately generate sustainability creating processes in the short and longrun. Studies have also revealed that firms gain comparative adv...

Health care institutions have complex global supply networks and organizations that have heterogenous cultural configurations. There are a number of studies that have directly linked supply chain quality management practices in the manufacturing sector and other service firms to organizational performance. However, minimal research has been done to examine the role of corporate culture in the relationship. Moreover, there is need to empirically confirm effect of corporate culture in private hospitals in Kenya where provision of quality and affordable health care remains a challenge. Corporate culture fit between organizations serves as a thread that ties firms together. The study was conducted in order examine the effect of organizational culture on the relationship between supply chain quality management practices adoption and performance of private hospitals in Kenya. Positivist research orientation and descriptive cross-sectional research design guided the research process. Raw d...