Quality

This paper similar to the study of recruitment and selection process, element of organisation social capital building, the paper focused attention on one function of human resource as it relates to organisational social capital building, the paper is widening the gap in knowledge on how to influence other human resources function such as training and development. This paper opens discussion on how training and development relates to organisational social capital building using Nigeria medium enterprises human resource perception. Business today operates in an environment, where every organisation focus on attaining increased productivity and performance from the staff they recruit. Human resource practitioners are expected to, not just, recruit staffs; they are saddled with the responsibility of training and developing employees they recruit in order to the achieve objectives of their firm. Hence, the use of training and development programmes and policies to build social capital for firms requires attention, that too, in a contextual manner. This paper studied the view of medium enterprises human resource practitioners as regards using training and development programmes to build organisation social capital.
Quantitative approach was used as the sole research method, 500 questionnaires were sent out to human resource practitioners in Nigeria medium enterprises, 451 were retrieved back. The paper uses a Likert-scale questionnaire as instrument and descriptive, bivariate and multiple regression analysis to investigate if human resource practitioners in Nigeria medium enterprises understand the need to use their training and development programmes to build organisation social capital for their firms and what influences this perception generates. The study reveal that Nigeria medium enterprises human resource practitioners focus on the social nature of work than on efficient process of work whilst design training and development programmes and in assessment of training needs of the organisation implying they are in support of the use of training and development function to build organisation social capital. Education background and qualification of human resource practitioners is found to the only factor responsible this positive perception.

Przeprowadzanie badań satysfakcji klienta jest obowiązkowe w przedsiębior-stwach mających wdrożony System Zarządzania Jakością (SZJ), jednak organizacje bez wdrożonego SZJ również zauważają korzyści płynące z prowadzenia tego typu badań. Analiza poziomu satysfakcji klienta w przedsiębiorstwach traktowana jest jako cenne źródło wiedzy o stopniu jego zadowolenia z działalności przedsiębiorstwa.

The assessment of customer satisfaction is obligatory in the companies that have implemented the Quality Management System (QMS). Yet, the organizations without the QMS implemented also notice benefits of such assessments. The analysis of customer satisfaction shows how much they are content with the company activities.

Enforcing environmental aspects into all areas of human life causes the customer to start preference for products that meet demanding quality, hygienic criteria on all sites.
In the woodworking industry, manufacturers are forced to adapt to market requirements. Surface treatments finalize wood products and provide the product with the required appearance, durability and other qualitative characteristics. In order to optimize and correctly choose surface treatments, it is necessary to analyze a large number of factors determining the final quality of the wood products determining the suitability of their use and the resulting product price. The aim of the paper is to analyze the factors determining wood surface treatment and to propose evaluation criteria in the optimization of surface treatment processes with regard to the qualitative, ecological and economic aspects of the production process of the finalization of wood products.
Key words: Surface treatment, manufacturing process, optimization, quality, wood

Presadzovanie ekologických aspektov do všetkých oblastí ľudského života spôsobuje, že zákazník začína uprednostňovať také výrobky, ktoré po všetkých stránkach spĺňajú náročné kvalitatívne, hygienické kritériá. V drevospracujúcom priemysle sú výrobcovia nútení prispôsobiť sa požiadavkám trhu. Procesy povrchových úprav finalizujú výrobky z dreva a dodávajú výrobkom požadované vzhľadové, odolnostné aj ostatné kvalitatívne charakteristiky. Pre optimalizáciu a správnu voľbu povrchových úprav je potrebné analyzovať veľké množstvo faktorov podmieňujúcich výslednú kvalitu drevárskych výrobkov určujúcich vhodnosť ich použitia a výslednú cenu produktov. Cieľom príspevku je analýza faktorov podmieňujúcich povrchovú úpravu dreva a zároveň návrh hodnotiacich kritérií v optimalizácie procesov povrchových úprav s ohľadom
na kvalitatívne, ekologické a ekonomické aspekty výrobného procesu finalizácie drevárskych výrobkov.                                                     
Kľúčové slová: povrchová úprava, výrobný proces, optimalizácia, kvalita, drevo

Agaricus Bisporus is an edible button mushroom that is highly perishable with an extremely short shelf-life at ambient temperature. This work aims to evaluate some antioxidant activities, oxidation enzymes, and determine postharvest qualities of nano-coated mushrooms with the combination of chitosan (CHN) component during storage at 4 ◦C for (0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 days). Silica/CHN Film strongly delayed the mushroom respiratory spike onset and blocked carbon dioxide passage from inside to the outside, while Titanium/CHN Film (0.035 mmol s−1 kg−1) established the lowest O2 production rate and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances production (6.21 nmol g−1 ). Silica/CHN Film was mainly effectual for the polyphenol contents (0.39 g kg−1 ) and antioxidant activities (78.14% and 71.09%) for DPPH and ABTS+ radical scavenging activities, respectively. The results reported that Silica/CHN Film induced the highest (catalase and ascorbate peroxidase) activities, while Titanium/CHN Film recorded the highest (peroxidase and superoxide dismutase) activities of antioxidant enzymes. Besides, Titanium/CHN Film preserved relatively lower contents of hydrogen peroxide (22.40 µmol g−1 ) and hydroxyl radical (0.16 µmol g−1 ). In a word, nano-materials used in coating films such as titanium or even silica with the combination of CHN can directly reduce the cell degradation, oxidation processes and enhance the harvested horticultural crops.

It is well known that public administrations are under the increasing pressure to improve their effectiveness in providing better quality services to their citizens. This paper critically appraises aspects related to the impact of the New Public Management on the organizational performance of public administration, based on the critical theories underlying the NPM paradigm: public choice theory, principal-agent theory, competition theory and the theory of the transaction cost economics. Components of the NPM such as restructuring, work process reengineering, organizational reinvention, activity-based costing and re-conceptualization are assessed in terms of Lean Management principles in an attempt to give public administration a new orientation towards performance and excellence. This paper contributes to identifying the general framework, the factors and the Lean Management criteria that are essential for the successful implementation of Lean practices in the area of public administration in the future. Finally, the paper discusses this novel perspective for the reform of the public sector and contributes to research on the challenges facing public governance and its response to the rapidly changing social, economic and political milieu.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to empirically test the causal relationships in the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) Education Performance Excellence Criteria. Design/methodology/approach - Using a sample of 220 respondents from 15 United Arab Emirates (UAE) universities and colleges, results of regression analysis and confirmatory structural equation modeling show that all of the hypothesized causal relationships

This article seeks to show as to how a notion of universal justice, the rationale behind quality education, can be achieved through actions such as ummah (communal engagement), shūrā (public deliberation) and jihād (just striving which includes the recognition of the rights of others). Thereafter, it is argued as to why and how these acts of justice are linked to various conceptions of Islamic education, namely, taʿlīm (socialisation), tarbiyah (individuation) and ta’dīb (good action). In the last part of the article, the author draws on an empirical study to show as to how virtues of Islamic education can be used in an institution of higher learning to stimulate discussions about achieving universal justice.

A smartphone and a strong Internet connection are what every tech-savvy customer's need to meet the full spectrum of his / her everyday needs. The on-demand taxi service is a phenomenon that has changed the habit of a huge proportion of people in the country who ride on a daily basis. The hour-long waiting and paying out inflated rates for community transportation is now over thanks to on-demand taxi services. The taxi business sector is evolving at a rapid pace with new technology, on-demand services, attracting consumers, new marketing strategies, and dedicated service providers are all helping to reinforce integrated industries and create strong brands that can spread beyond national borders. It is important for cab service companies to understand the factors that influence the choice of cab service providers. This paper is an attempt to measure service quality proposed by (Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V., Berry, 1988) and its impact on satisfaction for on-demand ride services. The data was collected from around 1494 respondents using any on-demand ride mobile application for at least six months. The initial questionnaire was pre-tested with around 50 on-demand ride mobile application users. The changes were incorporated in the finalised questionnaire before starting the data collection. It was found that for delivering satisfaction to the on-demand ride users all the dimensions are service quality namely reliability, assurance, empathy and responsiveness are significant, though for measuring service quality all the five measures are essential.

O projeto padrão pode ser considerado impessoal, caso seja puramente uma representação gráfica da intenção projetual para determinada função. No entanto, sem a caracterização de um público-alvo, ainda com ausências de informações socioculturais que dependerão de cada região, a padronização genérica e impessoal pode ultrapassar os limites da humanização e ser uma ferramenta para a criação de espaços que não dialogam com seus usuários e ainda reforçam questões relacionadas à hierarquia espacial, insegurança e ausência de privacidade. Através de estudo de caso explanatório, análise de peças gráficas projetuais e revisão bibliográfica, busca-se relações entre temáticas sobre a qualidade funcional do espaço e as definições adotadas em projeto padrão de Arquitetura. Para este artigo, foi adotado como objeto de estudo o projeto arquitetônico padrão da Casa da Mulher Brasileira (instituição pública para atendimento centralizado às mulheres em situação de violência). Algumas problemáticas causadas pela desorganização espacial e fluxos cruzados foram identificadas e, com base nos argumentos apresentados, pretende-se provocar a reflexão sobre a importância da valorização do sujeito no momento da definição de programas de necessidades e setorizações projetuais para evitar prejuízos à apropriação do espaço: fator primordial à confiança e transcendência.

Discusses work completed at Cardinal River Coals in Canada to improve the existing oil analysis condition monitoring program being undertaken for wheel motors. Oil analysis results from a fleet of 55 haul truck wheel motors were analyzed along with their respective failures and repairs over a nine‐year period. Detailed data cleaning procedures were applied to prepare data for modeling. In addition, definitions of failure and suspension were clarified depending on equipment condition at replacement. Using the proportional hazards model approach, the key condition variables relating to failures were found from among the 19 elements monitored, plus sediment and viscosity. Those key variables were then incorporated into a decision model that provided an unambiguous and optimal recommendation on whether to continue operating a wheel motor or to remove it for overhaul on the basis of data obtained from an oil sample. Wheel motor failure implied extensive planetary gear or sun gear damage ...

Fresh eggs are natural and inexpensive source of high quality micronutrients. Egg products are used widely by the foodservice industry in a variety of forms with white, yolk and whole liquid. Thermal processing remains the most commonly used method for achieving safe and convenient these food products including eggs. However, the high temperatures cause detrimental effects on nutritional components such as coagulation and also changes in taste and texture. It is necessary for fresh eggs products to reach the final consumer with high quality. Ultrasonication is a one of the fast, versatile, emerging, and promising green technology used in the food industry from last few years with extended the shelf life including egg processing.

Though information architecture (IA) has been represented in Wikipedia since 2003, subject coverage remains inadequate. Without current, academically oriented information and references, the article fails to meet quality standards. A proposed WikiProject would bring needed enhancements to the quality of the IA page to present an accurate and comprehensive picture of the field with appropriate links to related topics. A Wikipedia IA editathon at the 2015 Information Architecture Summit provided an opportunity to jumpstart the WikiProject, with new page editors enlisted as Wikipedians. Editing a Wikipedia page is open to all, though editors are expected to follow policies, rules and guidelines. The DBpedia database, underlying all Wikipedia pages, captures URIs for information elements and RDF triples representing facts. Topic tagging enables linked, open collection of information, stored in the Wikidata knowledge base and linked to other Wiki sites and external databases through identifier properties. All are invited to improve the Wikipedia Information Architecture entry by strengthening and tagging the content, adding references and building links

Summary The biscuit making potentials of wheat and plantain (stages 1 and 3 ripeness) flour blends were evaluated. Composite flours were formulated using wheat (white) and plantain flour in ratio 90/10 1 , 80/20 1 , 50/50 1, 100/0, 90/10 3 , 80/20 3 and 50/50 3 at stages 1 and 3 respectively with the superscripts representing the stage of ripeness. The functional properties of the flours, proximate composition, mineral composition and sensory attributes of the biscuit were evaluated. The loose bulk density (LBD) of flours ranged from 0.46-0.53 g/mL, the packed bulk density (PBD) ranged from 0.64-0.76 g/mL. The water absorption capacity (WAC) ranged from 1.19-2.02 g water/g flour and oil adsorption capacity (OAC) ranged from 0.50-1.00 g oil/g flour. The LBD and PBD values of the composite blends were higher than the control (100 % white wheat flour-sample D). The proximate composition ranged from 11.00 %-9.96 % for moisture, 1.21 %-1.27 % for ash, 2.98 %-4.30 % for fat, 11.82 %- 12.6...

In education, assessment is a process of collecting data about students. It helps to identify learners' needs, capacity, knowledge, etc. The assessment process is a little bit complicated, and teachers face some problems. The world is changing, developing day by day, assessment either. It means that teacher should improve their skills. If there is a need, they should change their methods and approaches. Teachers should be open to newness. Monitoring is very important and effective in this process, the results of that help to monitor the development of learners. And teachers can also identify students with special needs. Using assessment and monitoring together leads to quality, and it is the main goal in education. But these are not enough, teachers and students should use technology during lessons, and these lessons should be student-centered and fun.

Als komplexes und mehrdeutiges Phänomen gibt es qualitativ verschiedene Verständnisse und Inter-pretationen von Qualität. Bereits die Wortherkunft von Qualität zeigt die Ambivalenz des Begriffs. Der lateinische Wortstamm „qualis“ bezieht sich auf Art und Weise einer Beschaffenheit, während „qualitas“ sich sowohl auf die Eigenschaftlichkeit als auch auf ein Verhältnis zu Dingen oder Prozessen verweist. Qualität trägt damit substantielle und prozessuale Dimensionen in sich. Doch kommt Objekten eine eindeutig bestimmbare qualitative Substanz zu? Kann es so etwas wie ein „Wesen“ des Qualitativen geben? Ist Qualität das, was ein Subjekt Objekten bewusst zuweist? Oder ist Qualität ein präreflexives und vorgängiges Ereignis aus dem erst Subjekt und Objekt entstehen bzw. subjektives Qualitätserleben und objektive Qualitätsmerkmale hervorgehen? Kann Qualität metaphysisch festgelegt werden oder entzieht sie sich in ihrem dynamischen Ereignen einer Definierbarkeit? Wie kann Qualität historisch und methodisch bestimmt werden? Und schließlich: welche Interpretation erfährt das moderne und ökonomische Verständnis von Qualität in diesem philosophischen Zusammenhang? Der folgende Beitrag versucht auf diese Fragen Antworten zu geben.

Implications of high quality financial statements have been proven across the literature, highlighting improvements in investment policy and contractual use of financial information. However, previous research papers assessing the quality of financial information have some limits, as the concept could not have been unanimously defined. In this paper, we propose an approach to assess the quality of financial statements, using exploratory factor analysis. The aim is to build an aggregate score describing the evolution of quality in financial statements.

The work is devoted to the study of the plastics features in modern construction use. The plastics classification in modern construction is generalized. This classification includes: the field of building products application, the features of the materials properties and products, a backup group that includes those products that are not included in the previous groups. The classification considered is the basis for choosing the basic materials properties that affect the quality and durability of products. To improve the plastics types in the construction, the Venn diagram is used. The main materials types for manufacturing a product of the "window profile" type are analyzed; the result of the studies is a comparative diagram.

This paper presents a general three-phase model for wye/delta-extended transformers for time-domain analysis. Among other features, the modeling includes the nonlinearities of the core and the transformer phase-shifting can be of any value. The model is implemented in the SABER simulator and tested in a 24-pulse converter. The corresponding results are presented and special attention is given to harmonic elimination and inrush currents

original scientific paper Summary The biscuit making potentials of wheat and plantain (stages 1 and 3 ripeness) flour blends were evaluated. Composite flours were formulated using wheat (white) and plantain flour in ratio 90/10 1 , 80/20 1 , 50/50 1, 100/0, 90/10 3 , 80/20 3 and 50/50 3 at stages 1 and 3 respectively with the superscripts representing the stage of ripeness. The functional properties of the flours, proximate composition, mineral composition and sensory attributes of the biscuit were evaluated. The loose bulk density (LBD) of flours ranged from 0.46-0.53 g/mL, the packed bulk density (PBD) ranged from 0.64-0.76 g/mL. The water absorption capacity (WAC) ranged from 1.19-2.02 g water/g flour and oil adsorption capacity (OAC) ranged from 0.50-1.00 g oil/g flour. The LBD and PBD values of the composite blends were higher than the control (100 % white wheat flour-sample D). The proximate composition ranged from 11.00 %-9.96 % for moisture, 1.21 %-1.27 % for ash, 2.98 %-4.3...

Disponible en: https://repository.usta.edu.co/handle/11634/16098

The concept of "quality" over time is not only used in the business context, being a term that is increasingly used in many sectors of daily life, that is why educational systems have been adopted for quite some time. Of course, it can’t be left aside, for example, in the Latin context, which is why this document discloses the incidence of the term - quality- in Latin American higher education institutions, presented a panorama in which the impact of the same on processes such as accreditation as well as the professional institutions of undergraduate (undergraduate) and postgraduate.

This document presents a general review, from which the accreditation processes and Latin American higher education institutions are increasingly recognized as being and more powerful, as well as generating a question about this type of process, because on behalf of it, unfortunately, the same educational educations as recognition of accreditation, very rarely in the first places of the different categories, research, teaching, university social responsibility, etc.

Finally, some conclusions are generated which are given from a neutral perspective, which seeks to highlight the relevance of accreditation processes in their eagerness to demonstrate quality standards.

Keywords:
Educational quality, accreditation, higher education, educational systems, educational equity, quality, educational recognition.

This research work evaluates the impact of stormwater infiltration on the removal of organics, solids, nitrogen and phosphorus in a LECA-based horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland. Stormwater runoff for the period between January 2008 and June 2010 (30 months) was estimated for the drainage basin of the Vila Fernando wastewater treatment plant (constructed wetland system) and it was observed proportionality between the increase in surface runoff and the infiltration flow rate that reached the plant. The average stormwater infiltration rate that reached the plant was 67.4 m(3) d(-1) (77% of the influent flow rate into the plant). The 30 month monitoring campaign set up at one of the reed beds showed that stormwater infiltration led to a high variation of the hydraulic loading rate (HLR) throughout the bed, which affected its performance in the removal of organic matter, suspended solids and nitrogen. For a HLR below 20 cm d-1 the removal efficiencies for BOD5, COD and TSS doubled. The removal of nitrogen was too low and was associated with the weak development of nitrifying biofilm and the poor growth of reeds. However, it was observed a good relationship between the applied and removed loads for most of the parameters, which seems to indicate that the organic, solid, nitrogen and phosphorus loading rates influenced the respective removal rates. The use of a bed material with high specific surface area, such as LECA, can only improve the treatment capacity of horizontal subsurface flow systems if the organic and solid loading rates, as well as the HLR, can be effectively controlled.

E-commerce marketing channel is a media that fully mediated by information technology, depriving the intrinsic attributes of services, and creating information asymmetry. Information asymmetry can reduce consumer ability to evaluate services effectively, hence posing a challenge to service providers. Signaling theory provides a framework for understanding how extrinsic attributes (signals) can be used by service providers to communicate the information quality of services to consumers. This paper proposes a model to investigate how the quality of a university official website acts as a signal of quality of university education as commercial service. This research divides university website quality into several dimensions: reliability, responsiveness, functionality, ease of use, information quality, and visual appeal. Questionnaires are distributed to third year students of senior high schools around Jakarta to observe the quality of university website based on those dimensions. Based on the analysis of the 117 questionnaires, the conclusion is that the quality of a university website influences the perception of the quality of university education, which eventually affects the intentions of prospective students to enroll to the university.

This ethnographic case study explores how developers, editors, and reporters in two Norwegian newsrooms evaluate automated news and which logics underlie their assessments. Despite automation being described as the most disruptive data-centric practice of journalism, the observations and in-depth interviews show that all three groups define automated texts as journalism. At the same time, they characterize automated news as simplistic, lacking creativity and a critical approach, and argue that today's machine-written texts are incapable of fulfilling central professional ideals such as critical scrutiny and advocating on behalf of the citizenry. Accepting automated news as journalism while simultaneously stressing its low quality shows a growing gap between what the newsroom groups are willing to accept because of organizational demands and what they ideally want journalism to be. The conflicting assessments may indicate financial motives gaining ground within Nordic media companies.

Background: The scientific literature on health care quality, health literacy, and chronic illness calls not for more data or innovative interventions but for a new paradigm that accounts for the importance of subjectivity and interpersonal relationships to these problems.  Specifically, leaders in public health and health care quality are calling for a systems approach and for practice-based research to address the Quality Chasm.
Research Objective: The goal of this practice-based project was to demonstrate the application of a Model of Dynamic Quality to the process of advising members of an outpatient services clinic via a council comprised of patients and community members and to share its results and implications for public health practice and leadership.
Data Sets and Sources: Participant observation was the primary means of data collection.  Over the course of two years, the primary investigator and council participants digitally recorded the majority of the council and facilitator meetings and more than 50 semi-structured participant (key informant) interviews related to the council process. Other documents, artifacts, and more than 2000 field notes also comprise the ethnographic record that is the data set for this project.
Study Design: An intentional mix of ethnography and interpretive phenomenology were used to accommodate the ambiguous, situational, and dynamic nature of advisory council structures and the inherent importance of subjectivity to the concepts of health care quality and patient-centeredness.
Analysis: The data generated through this project were analyzed using two processes—first, guided reflection by the project participants, then critical interpretation of this data through the application of a theoretical Model of Dynamic Quality.  Member checking (the process of returning to the participants, one or more times after the initial observation, in order to determine their thoughts on the accuracy or “truthfulness” of the information collected, the resultant themes, and conclusions) was used to address the need for rigor, validity, and “objectivity.”
Principal Findings: Specific areas for improvement in local practice were identified and were organized around four themes that emerged from the data: Purpose, Decision-making, Organizational Structure, and Communication. Dialogue was needed about the purpose of the council and their ideas about quality. Transparency was needed in the decision-making process. The use of existing organizational structure to frame a patient-centered care model was a barrier to the development of new relationships and to the integration of silos.  The concept of subjective/objective dualism and a bias for expert opinion were barriers to interpersonal communication in the process.
Conclusions:  The practice of patient-centered care is difficult in an expert-driven culture. Evidence-based templates, expert advice, and financial incentives offered by traditional, authoritative, agenda-setting institutions in health care and government are of limited value in local practice. The concept of Dynamic Quality and the principles of practice-based research can help identify and address problems encountered on the local level when trying to move the culture of hierarchical, expert-centered health care organizations toward patient-centeredness.
Implications for Public Health Practice and Policy: In order to address the 21st century health care challenges of quality improvement, chronic illness, and health literacy, current leaders and policy makers must acknowledge the limits of expert-defined “quality standards” and explore ways to give the power and responsibility for defining health and health care quality back to the public.  Systems science, practice-based research, and a Model of Dynamic Quality, as demonstrated here, are useful tools toward that end.

The rapid growth in consumption of bottled water across the globe has drawn attention of policy makers and academicians alike. However, its consumption practices have been examined primarily in the context of industrialized countries. Drawing on studies of Science, Technology and Society, Public Understanding of Science, and institutions, this article explores the nuances of the consumption conundrum of bottled water in India. This mixed method study relies on data collected through surveys and ethnography of consumption practices at selected sites in Delhi. We find reasons for bottled water consumption to vary with the site of consumption. Although the notions of “purity” and “scarcity” drive consumption behavior, these attributes are far from being objective. Rather, they are shaped by a complex mix of sociocultural factors, public understanding of science, and trust on various institutional mechanisms of water provisioning.

Məqalədə Azərbaycan təhsilinin məzmunca yenilənməsi, ümumi təhsilin idarə edilməsinin beynəlxalq təcrübə əsasında təkmilləşdirilməsi istiqamətləri, şəffaf idarəetmə modelinin yaradılması, milli zəmində təhsil sahəsində böyük idarəetmə məsuliyyətinin fəaliyyətə görə bölüşdürülməsi, müəllim fəaliyyətinin dəyərləndirilməsi imkanları, təhsilin və təlimin keyfiyyətinin yüksəldilməsi yolları oz əksini tapmışdır.


The article focuses on updating the content of Azerbaijani education, improving the management of general education based on intemational experience and creating a transparent govemance model. It also reflects the distribution of responsibilities of senior management at the national level in the fıeld of education, the possibility of assessing the effectiveness of teachers, ways to improve the quality of education and training.