Sunday, November 3, 2019
Analysis of primary Document.DOCUMENT 15.1, Magazine article on the Essay
Analysis of primary Document.DOCUMENT 15.1, Magazine article on the changing caracter of immigration, by Kate Claghorn,in Wori - Essay Example Kate Claghorn considers the new system of presenting the statistics of immigration, introduced by Edward F McSweeney, as an effective system of classification, as it helps in disengaging the racial facts and the grouping of same race elements from different countries. According to the author, the predominance of the racial stocks of the Slavs, the Italian, and the Hebrews is the most noticeable feature of contemporary immigration, and these racial stocks are usually considered as lacking social and industrial values. Another characteristic of the recent immigrations is that it is mainly the patient family groups consisting of father, mother, children, grandparents, etc. that composes the major sections of the immigrated population, and the land of freedom and opportunity attract them. Immigration from city slums is practically diminutive, and there is very little immigrant population from cities.
Friday, November 1, 2019
Online marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words
Online marketing - Essay Example This makes, the study of the concept of online marketing all the more interesting and inevitable, in order to ascertain the various methods, policies and strategies applied by successful online marketing firms, to provide a broader idea about the concept and a wider understanding of the subject. For the purpose of this study, Amazon.com Inc, is chosen as a case study, which shall be used to understand a range of concepts, and theoretical aspects concerning online marketing. Amazon.com Inc., an American based (headquartered in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.) multinational e-commerce organization and is one of the largest online retailers in the country. It was founded by the Jeff Bezoz, in the year 1994 and was launched online a year later in 1995. Initially it was established as an online retail book store, however, in the wake of the overwhelming response of its largely diversified customer base, it was subsequently diversified to include a range of other products such as CDs, music, games, computer software, electronic equipments, apparels, food, furniture, toys, and the likes. At the time when Amazon debuted on the online retailing scene, there were already several other companies doing brisk business, owing to the internet boom. However, Bezos, with the help of innovative online marketing strategies along with revolutionary internet technologies which made the online shopping experience - faster, better and more comfortable and more personal as compared to the traditional retail, managed to survive, outsmart and eventually lead the pack of online stores. The success of the company could be ascertained from the consecutively profitable performances, which it has been able to deliver. Currently, the company has managed to achieve almost $6.8 million, in sales which includes books, DVD players as well as miter saws1. Products and brands are the inevitable
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
You will be analyzing the hyrdrodynamics of different swimming strokes Lab Report
You will be analyzing the hyrdrodynamics of different swimming strokes - Lab Report Example The major purpose of this lab report was to analyze the hydrodynamics of different swimming strokes through considering several factors such as swim time, stroke frequency, stroke length and perceived effort, in the comparison process. From the results, scenario B assumes a shorter swim time and higher stroke frequency than in the case of scenario A. Further, the perceived effort used in B was less than that used in A. The reasons for the observed phenomena, depends on such factors like gravitational pull, friction force and outside pressure. When a swimmer is partially submerged, as shown in A, there is increase in atmospheric pressure and gravitational pull acting thereby resulting in reduced speed. Further, while partially submerged, some parts of the body remain exposed to the air thereby triggering action of friction force between swimmer’s body and air. At the same time, scenario A allows the subject to breath, which in turn reduces the stroke frequency because more time is spent in breathing. The situation is different to scenario B, where swimmer’s body is fully submerged in water leading to reduction in friction force, gravitational pull and atmospheric pressure acting. This triggers shorter swim time, higher stroke frequency and less perceived effort (Stager & Tanner, 2005). The results also manifest differences between scenario C and D, where dolphin kick was used for both with difference being one is submerged while the other is not. C, where full submergence was assumed, both swim time and perceived effort was less than D (not submerged. This can be attributed to the fact that dolphin kick becomes more effective when there is reduced friction and gravitational force through ensuring full submergence (Maglischo, 2003). The reduced forces leads to less perceived efforts and swim time as observed in scenario C. For situation D, more force is allowed to act on the swimmer in addition to efforts spent on breathing
Monday, October 28, 2019
Bullying speech Essay Example for Free
Bullying speech Essay What does it feel like to wake up in the morning and look forward to a day of teasing and name calling? What does it feel like to be engulfed in a world of negativity? Bullying Unwanted and aggressive behavior among school aged children involving real or perceived power imbalance. Bullying is no man’s best friend and it shouldn’t be. We see it all around us in our daily lives. All across the United States, this form of victimization has become an infamous trend among scholars. About 3 million out of America’s 21 million students are affected by bullying. That is about 1 student in every 7 students! Numerous people have different perspectives on what bullying is. Some think it means physical hurting while others think it is only emotional hurting. All of these are correct due to the fact that there are different ways one can be bullied. Bullying is unwanted and repeated behavior among students which includes Physical, Verbal, Indirect, social Alienation, Intimidation and Cyber Bullying. see more:speeches on bullying Physical bullying is a serious problem it is when one person or a group of people picks on or harasses another person in a face to face confrontational manner. Verbal bullying is the most common form but it is just as bad as the other types. It is when an individual uses verbal language (e.g., insults, teasing, etc.) to gain power over his or her peers. Social Alienation is one type of bullying whereby exclusion is occurring between students due to social differences. The devastating part about this form is that it is not easily recognized as a form of bullying. Intimidation is the acts of making someone feel fearful by using threats. Last but not least, Cyber bullying which happens when kids bully each other through electronic devices. Over 25 percent of adolescents and teens have been bullied repeatedly through their cell phones or the Internet. With the increase in our use of technology, this form of bullying is increasing to higher rates. How can you stop this from happening? How can we put an end to bullying? It’s simple. The best way is NOT ignoring it whenever you see it going on. STEP UP! And be an advocate for your fellow peers that are hurting. Bulling is BAD! And it is up to YOU if you would let it happen when you see it going on or stop it. experience
Saturday, October 26, 2019
Marketing Analysis of Ecovers Current Position in the Market Essay
Marketing Analysis of Ecover's Current Position in the Market 1. Introduction The assignments mainly consists of the following parts: Firstly, an analysis of Ecover’s current position in the market. Secondly, how Ecover is changing its competitive strategy. Thirdly, consumer behaviour towards detergent. Finally, an outline for new marketing strategy for Ecover to enter the supermarket. 2. Background Ecover was founded in 1979 by Frans Bogaerts.It was a modest little detergent company in Malle in northern Belgium. Pierres Magnin a successful Swiss businessman dealing with pharmacies and health food stores, suggested Bogaerts to develop an eco-friendly detergent free of harmful chemicals (which was to be banned by the Swiss government as a part the proposed environmental regulations). Thus they entered the detergent market in Swiss and other key markets. Environmental disasters have made more and more people aware of the urgent need to protect the natural environment. 3 Marketing Audit Marketing audit give a picture of where the company is, how did it get there and where is it heading. It goes through the through the strength, weakness, opportunities and threat of the company. This analysis is called the SWOT analysis. It is divided into two major parts: External Factors and Internal Factors Strength and weakness are concerned with the internal factors and opportunity and threat are concerned with the external factors. 3.1 External Factors Here only opportunities and threats are analysed as these are supposed to be listed as anticipated events or trends outside the business that have implications for performance. These factors are not controllable by the company. Some of the factors discussed here are: 1.     Macro environment 2.     The Market 3.     Competition 3.1.1Macro Environment Macro Environment consists of Political (P), Economical (E), Social (S) and Technological (T) factors that affect the Company. Continuous monitoring of these variables is an important marketing function. As Corporations today, Ecover is also sensitive to Macro Environmental changes. Some of the PEST factors that affected Ecover are discussed below. Political: Marketing strategy is deeply affected by political trends. Issues like new laws, regulations, change in foreign policies etc brings change to t he bus... ...entalists to recommend its products. 9.Appendix Appendix 1: Survey of consumer attitudes:      Australia     Canada     Germany     Italy     Japan     Holland     Spain     Switzerland     Pay 10-15% more for green products     69     72     68     79     42     87     85     80     Boycott others     82     -     76     79     43     74     86     75     Give up 10-15% quality for environmental safety     65     -     62     80     45     74     64     78     Pay more even if its hard to make end meet     43     -     47     65     46     46     64     64     Source: David Jobber, 1998,Princilpes and practice of Marketing, 2nd Edition. Appendix 2: Table showing Ecover’s competitors ’ market share: Market Share Competitors in Germany& Austria     More than 50% Competitors in Swiss & Germany     Almost 50% P&G and Unilever together (in 1980s)     Almost 80% Private brands (by 1990)     10-30% 10. Bibliography 1. David Jobber, 1998, Principles and practice of Marketing, Second edition. 2.Subash.C.Jain, 1997, Marketing Planning & Strategy, Fifth Edition. 3.Wayne D.Hoyer, Deborah J.Maclinns, 1997, Consumer Behaviour.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Ethical issues Essay
1. Environmental Hazards: The pollutants that business industry dumps into the environment are more than just ugly nuisance; they are killers. For example, air pollution has been found to be related to deaths from bronchitis, heart disease, as well as emphysema, and several types of cancers. Studies by the American lung Association have concluded that between 50 to 120,000 thousand deaths a year are linked to the air pollution that are disbursed by air from manufacturing companies. Ant there is little doubt that the depletion of the ozone is caused by atmospheric pollution. According to Coleman/ Cressey (2001), The contamination of our waters with poisonous waste, for example, lead, mercury and dumping radioactive materials at sea to include the sinking of certain types of vessel, has already taken many lives. Thus, alone the American industry creates 3000 new chemicals every year, and most of the hundreds of thousand of chemicals used by industry have never been thoroughly tested to find out how dangerous they really are. For example, Dell Computer has come increasing scrutiny for its failure to take a leading role in reducing the amount toxic materials in the production of computers. All so, Dell Computer is using prison inmates (cheap labor) to handle the recycling of computers component parts. Not only is Dell violating environmental laws and contributing to improper disposal of computers that contain high contents of mercury, but also is endangering the inmate’s health. (Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, 2005). The growth of our ecological problem actually started in the 1960’s, which prompted groups and individuals to lobby congress to establish laws to protect the public and impose stiff penalties on those businesses that violated the laws. Out of this era came the Radiation Control for Health and safety act of 1968, Clean Water Act of 1972, and Toxic Substance Act of 1976. (Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, 2005). The responsibility of enforcing these laws is entrusted to (EPA), Environmental Protection Agency. Even businesses of today, continue to behave in total unethically manner when it come to pollution. Many large corporation don’t have pollution control program and/or mechanism in place that places value on the environment, be it land, sea or air pollution. But, most violators of the â€Å"Acts†receive just a â€Å"slap on the wrist†. Businesses are more concern about their own self-interest of profits. Thus, continue to show little regards to the fact they are destroying the environment as well as depleting precious resources. Furthermore, the present contemporaries are incline to affluent life style and their materialistic greed have made them careless about the environment. Just as the rules are written for ethical behavior and left open for ones own interpretation and compliance, the same could be said in reference to the pollution control â€Å"Act†, there is a right and wrong way to demonstrate â€Å"environmental awareness†, but organizations continue to ignore the fact that we are on a path of depleting our precious environment. 2. Equal pay for women. â€Å"I believe that not only must the hierarchical nature of the division labor between the sexes be eliminated, but the very division of labor between the sexes itself must be eliminated if women are to attain equal social status with men and if women are to attain the full development of their human potential†. (Hurst, 1998). Throughout history, women were directly involved in production. When the industrial revolution occurred, single women and children were recruited for example from New England to work in textile factories in Rhode Island. Supervisory positions were held by men. Female workers were paid only half of what men were paid, even though they made up approximately 75 percent of the workers (Eisler, 1977). Men were concerned about the entrance of women into the labor market because they felt that it would have a depressing effect on their wages. They fought to keep women out of the craft unions that later developed. Women held strikes in the 1830s and 1840s to protest reductions in wages, speed-ups in work pace, and working hours (Dublin, 1970). Wars change the face of a nation, to include the workforce. During the World War II, jobs held formerly by men were accessible to women. The influx of women into the labor force has continued in recent years. In general, women tend to concentrate in white-collar and service occupations, while men are more spread out between white collar and blue-collar positions. A decline in occupational segregation has occurred in broad occupational categories, largely because of shifts in technology and organizational structures. But despite these general improvements, women still are found disproportionately in certain occupations such as nursing, teaching and hold only a small percentage of positions as computer specialists, scientist and engineers. Similarly, a man and woman may be both be in sales, but the woman is much more likely to be in clothing sales, while the mans is involved in selling of stocks and bonds. Craft occupations are another group of occupations in which women continue to be severely underrepresented (Herz, Wootton, 1996). According to a US Department of Labor (1996) report, in 1979, women who worked full time made about 63 percent of what men did, but in 1995, women earned about 75 percent as much as men. However, this decline may be due more to decreases in the earnings of men, in general, than it is to real improvement for women (Bernhardt et al., 1995). The Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA) guarantee that women holding essentially the same jobs as men will be treated with respect and fairly compensated regarding all rewards of work: wages, salaries, commissions, overtime pay, bonuses, premium pay, and benefits. However, comparisons cannot be made across different companies. Interestingly, employers may pay workers of one gender more than another on the basis of merit, seniority, quality and quantity of production, or any other factor other than sex. Given that women are still reaching a glass ceiling, particularly when it comes to upper management, CEO positions, these allowed practices are still discriminatory practices. How is equality of position established? By determining and setting criteria for skill, effort, responsibility, and working condition. Ivancevic (2004) maintains that the difference in wages includes also â€Å"any type of compensation such as vacations, holiday pay, leave of absence, overtime pay, lodging, food, reimbursement for clothing or other expenses†. In order to close the remaining earning gap, the concept of equal pay for equal jobs to be expanded to include equal pay for comparable jobs has become more widely accepted. 3. Women comparable worth in the job market: The concept of comparable worth maintains that since females are discriminated in the labor market we have to look at the worth and intrinsic value of the job, and although jobs may be dissimilar in content (i.e. nurse and plumber), both are important to society and the organization. My wife maintains that she thinks that the garbage man/woman has a much greater worth and value (what would happen if the garbage wouldn’t be picked up?) than a doctor, for example, for she seldom goes to the doctor, at least not weekly. Even when men take â€Å"women’s work†, they are on top of the pay scale. The solution to the erosion of inequality is, regardless whether viewed from the perspective of equal pay or comparable worth, that women’s real wages have to rise faster than men’s whose wages don’t have to fall. Though laws now prohibit employers from paying a woman with the same qualification less than a man who does the same work. In support of women rights, I would like to see the law expanded to guarantee that the jobs in which most workers are mostly women are paid at roughly the same rate as comparable jobs in which most workers are men. My own personal experience of equal pay and comparable worth is linked to the military pay system. This particular pay system is a product of across the broad theory, that regardless of gender, the pay at this particular rank is the same for both male and female. There are four major factors that govern advancement for the sexes: education, time in service, training, and experience, though there are special incentives for those with critical skills. In other words, all jobs in this particular specialty are to be considered to be equal in pay for all. Therefore it is my belief regardless if you are male or female with identical qualification and capable of performing at the next level there should be no hesitation in advancement. It has been proven time and time again throughout ranks of military professionals, that women are just as capable and sometime more capable than men at performing the same job, but at a higher rate of success and enthusiasm. In closing, the net worth should be based on the value each job (not female or male) renders to the organization. Reference Bernhardt, Martina Morris, and Mark S. Handcock. 1995. â€Å"Women’s Gains or Men’s Losses? A Closer Look at the Shrinking Gender Gap in Earnings.†American Journal of Sociology 101:302-28. Dublin, Thomas. 1979. Women at Work. New York: Columbia University Press. Eisler, Benita, ed. 1977. The Lowell Offering. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott. Herz, Diane E., and Barbara H. Wooton. 1996. â€Å"Women in the Workforce: An Overview.†Pp 44-78 in The American Woman 1996-7, edited by C. Costellor and B.K Krimgold. New York: Norton. Hurst, Charles E. 1998. Social Inequality: Forms Causes and Consequences. Allen & Beacon: Needham Heights, MA. Invancevich, J. M. 2004. Human Resource Management. (9th ed). New York: McGraw Hill/Irwin. U.S. Department of Labor, January 1996. Employment and Earnings. Washington, D.C: Government Printing Office.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Iso 9000, Service Quality and Ergonomics Stanislav Karapetrovic
To cite this document: Stanislav Karapetrovic, (1999),†ISO 9000, service quality and ergonomics†, Managing Service Quality, Vol. 9 Iss: 2 pp. 81 – 89 Permanent link to this document: http://dx. doi. org/10. 1108/09604529910257948 Downloaded on: 17-10-2012 References: This document contains references to 27 other documents Citations: This document has been cited by 3 other documents To copy this document: [email protected] com This document has been downloaded 1952 times since 2005. * Users who downloaded this Article also downloaded: *Rujirutana Mandhachitara, Yaowalak Poolthong, (2011),†A model of customer loyalty and corporate social responsibility†, Journal of Services Marketing, Vol. 25 Iss: 2 pp. 122 – 133 http://dx. doi. org/10. 1108/08876041111119840 Harold W. Webb, Linda A. Webb, (2004),†SiteQual: an integrated measure of Web site quality†, Journal of Enterprise Information Management, Vol. 17 Iss: 6 pp. 430 – 440 ht tp://dx. doi. org/10. 1108/17410390410566724 Rabiul Ahasan, Daniel Imbeau, (2003),†Who belongs to ergonomics? An examination of the human factors community†, Work Study, Vol. 52 Iss: 3 pp. 123 – 128 http://dx. doi. org/10. 1108/00438020310471917Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY OF GAZA For Authors: If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service. Information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www. emeraldinsight. com/authors for more information. About Emerald www. emeraldinsight. com With over forty years' experience, Emerald Group Publishing is a leading independent publisher of global research with impact in business, society, public policy and education.In total, Emerald publishes over 275 journals and more than 130 book series, as well as an extensi ve range of online products and services. Emerald is both COUNTER 3 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. *Related content and download information correct at time of download. Perspectives ISO 9000, service quality and ergonomics Stanislav Karapetrovic 1. Introduction In the last decade or so, we have witnessed an explosion of quality-related standards and regulations.As a result of the continuous quest for better â€Å"quality†of products and services offered to customers, the International Organization for Standardization introduced the ISO 9000 series of quality management and quality assurance standards in 1987. The series currently includes three models for quality assurance (ISO 9001, ISO 9002 and ISO 9003), guidelines for quality management (ISO 9004), and two supporting documents: ISO 9000 Guidelines for Model’s Selection and Use and ISO 8402 Quality Vocabulary (Figure 1). The ISO 9000 standards have been accepted worldwide, with more than 200,000 organizations already registered.The standards present a sound basis for assuring the customer of quality of products and services, as well as the processes that create them. Several other quality-related standards have since emerged, such as the automotive standards QS 9000, environmental management standards ISO 14000, and emerging health and safety international standards (Figura, 1996). The upcoming revision of ISO 9000 standards in the year 2000 (now in the form of a Technical Committee Draft) is expected to further facilitate the use of quality assurance methods the world over.Another commonly used phrase from the 1980s and 1990s has been total quality management (TQM): an integrated approach to the management of quality with special emphasis on delighting customers and improving the wellbeing of all employees in the organization. A number of articles have been written on the relationship between the ISO 9000 series and TQM (Johnson, 1993; Struebing, 1996; Wilson, 1996; Velury, 1996; Corigan, 1994; Sakofsky, 1994; Emmons, 1994), underlying the opinion of quality management professionals that the two are not quite the same.While ISO 9000 series are technical, presenting speci?cations, requirements and guidelines for quality systems, TQM emphasizes teamwork and customer satisfaction. Put another way, TQM is quality management with â€Å"a human touch†. Does this mean that ergonomic aspects of the workplace and customer satisfaction are not emphasized by ISO 9000? Does quality assurance (ISO 9000) emphasize ergonomics and 81 The author Stanislav Karapetrovic is based at the Department of Industrial Engineering, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Keywords Ergonomics, ISO 9000, Quality assurance, Service quality, Workers Abstract This paper addresses some ergonomic issues in the ISO 9000-based qualit y assurance. Ergonomics – the study of human factors in engineering and design of systems is brie?y touched on. Then, outlines of ISO 9001 and ISO 9004 quality system models are provided, and all 20 requirements of the current ISO 9001:9004 standard are presented in an ergonomic light. Subsequently, human factors in the documentation and implementation of a quality system are illustrated.The relevance of ergonomic studies in the development of service systems is addressed. Finally, a blueprint for an ergonomic assurance system, de?ned as a set of interrelated resources and processes that function in order to achieve objectives related to ergonomic design and use of products and processes, is provided. Managing Service Quality Volume 9  · Number 2  · 1999  · pp. 81–89  © MCB University Press  · 0960-4529 Figure 1 Ergonomics – an essential element of the production and/or service systemRaw Material RESOURCES Ergonomics PROCESS PRODUCT Output Input Ergono mics COST ERGONOMICAL CHARACTERISTICS QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS occupational health and safety? In the present time of globalization of markets and internationalization of best-practice standards, such questions can and should be posed. This paper addresses some of the ergonomic issues in the ISO 9000-based quality assurance. Ergonomics, that is the study of human factors in engineering and design of systems, is brie?y touched on.Then, outlines of ISO 9001 and ISO 9004 quality system models are provided, and all 20 requirements of the current ISO 9001:9004 standard are presented in an ergonomic light. Subsequently, human factors in the documentation and implementation of a quality system are illustrated. The relevance of ergonomic studies in the development of service systems is addressed. Finally, the design of an ergonomic assurance system based on ISO 9000 is discussed. 2. Ergonomics It seems that it takes a disaster, loss of human life, or a health crisis for most of us to realize how important human factors are.Before the Three Mile Island incident, the Chernobil explosion, the Bhopal pesticide leak, plane crashes involving human errors, or ?ndings that millions of people suffer from repetitive stress injuries, it would have been hard to ?nd anyone who knew what ergonomics or human factors engineering are (not including the ergonomists themselves, of course). Today, however, we often hear about â€Å"ergonomicallydesigned computer mouse and keyboard†, 82 â€Å"ergonomic†chairs, pots, pans, door handles, and automatic teller machines (ATM).We now know that ergonomic design of products and processes is bsolutely crucial for effective and ef?cient work. Ergonomics, or human factors engineering, deals with the design for human use, as well as optimizing working and living conditions (Sanders and McCormick, 1993). The ?rst term (ergonomics) is mainly in use in Europe, while the second (human factors engineering) is often heard in North America. Th e following de?nition, modi?ed from Chapanis (1985), is provided: Ergonomics discovers and applies information about human behavior, limitations, abilities and other human characteristics to the design of systems for ef?cient, safe, comfortable and effective human use.Interested readers are referred to a classic in ergonomics, Sanders’ and McCormick’s â€Å"Human factors in engineering and design†(1993), for more information on the history of the science and a detailed study of many applications of ergonomics. Ergonomics, almost by default, is implied in quality assurance. Quality assurance encompasses techniques used to provide con?dence to customers that their requirements for quality are met. Therefore, by de?nition, human factors are involved. Assurances in the quality of products and services are provided to humans, by humans.In fact, ergonomics and quality assurance are so intertwined that it is impossible to say where one starts and the other ends. Sever al articles in ergonomics literature have already discussed the use of quality assurance techniques in human factors engineering (for instance, see Helander and Burri, 1995; Bergquist and Abeysekera, 1996). For an early account on human factors in quality assurance, the reader is referred to Harris and Chaney (1969). Hence, in the following sections, interrelationships between ergonomics and quality assurance will be addressed. 3.Quality Assurance (ISO 9001) and Management (ISO 9004) Of the three available models for quality system registration, ISO 9001 is undoubtedly the most comprehensive and most widely used. The current version (ISO 9001: 1994), includes 20 elements (requirements), to which a quality assurance system of an organization is assessed (Table I). ISO 9001 covers design, development, production, installation and servicing activities. It is aimed at providing con?dence to internal and external customers that their requirements for quality are continuously met.An organ ization’s anagement is the main internal customer, while external customers include consumers of the organization’s products and services, as well as registrars that assess the suitability and effectiveness of the quality system. ISO 9001 is a generic standard, which means that it is universally applicable to both manufacturing and service organizations, i. e. small businesses (Karapetrovic et al. , 1997), health care and education (Willborn and Cheng, 1994). Rather than focusing on speci?c products and services, ISO 9001 addresses quality systems and processes in?uencing the product throughout its lifecycle.A quality system can be de?ned as a set of processes that function harmoniously, using various resources, to achieve quality objectives (Karapetrovic and Willborn, 1998A). It is in the interaction of human, material and information resources, as well as human resources and processes, that the ergonomic aspects of the quality system emerge. Focusing on the underlyin g concept of a system will help us understand the interrelationships between the quality and ergonomic system, and provide a possibility for integration.Apart from ISO 9001, a set of guidelines numbered ISO 9004 is widely used for developing and implementing quality 83 management. The set currently consists of eight documents, ranging from the guidelines on quality management in service organizations to con?guration and project management. For the purpose of discussing an ergonomic system in services, we turn our attention to the second document in the series, namely the ISO 9004-2 (1994) â€Å"Quality management and quality system elements: Guidelines for services†).In essence very similar in scope and structure to ISO 9001, ISO 9004-2 provides guidelines for establishing quality management throughout the service life cycle, starting from establishing the need for a service, through service design, acquisition of resources, service delivery and status, as well as performance analysis and improvement. Differing from ISO 9001, these guidelines directly address interfaces with customers, including â€Å"creating a perception of the appropriate image based on the reality of actions taken to meet customers needs†(ISO 9004-2: 1994).Effective communication with customers, â€Å"listening to them and keeping them informed†, is particularly emphasized. What is also important from an ergonomic standpoint is that the guidelines provide the basis for adequate training of personnel, including motivation, staff development and communication. Although the training mentioned therein mostly involves â€Å"quality system training†, it could be expanded to environmental, health and safety, and ergonomic system training.For different strategies of using the quality system framework for developing other management systems, including environment and ergonomics, the reader is referred to Karapetrovic and Willborn (1998B and 1998C). In addition to ISO 90 04-2, another standard from the ISO 9004 series, namely ISO 9004: Part 1 â€Å"Guidelines for quality management and quality system elements†, addresses some particular ergonomic aspects. This is done in the standard’s 19th element: Product safety. Speci?cally, it is suggested that â€Å"consideration be given to identifying safety aspects of products and processes with the aim of enhancing safety†(ISO 9004-1: 1994).Steps to achieve this can include: †¢ identifying relevant safety standards; †¢ performing design evaluation tests for safety; †¢ analyzing instructions and warnings to the user; Table I Ergonomic issues and implications of ISO 9001 (1994) ISO 9001 element 4. 1 4. 2 4. 3 Management responsibility Quality system Contract review Ergonomic issues Organization ensures that the quality policy is understood at all levels Procedures and work instructions are effectively documented/implemented Customer requirements are adequately de?ned and d ocumentedImplications Quality system documentation should be designed and implemented using ergonomic (human factors engineering) knowledge Ergonomic characteristics of a product, such as environmental conditions, sensory characteristics proper handling and packaging should be determined (see Bergquist and Abeysekera, 1996; Helander and Burri, 1995; Barsky and Dutta, 1997) Products should be ergonomically designed to ensure healthy and safe functioning Quality system documents should be accessible . 4 4. 5 Design control Document control 4. 6 4. 7 4. 8 4. 9 Purchasing Control of customer supplied product Product identi?cation and traceability Process control 4. 10 Inspection and testing 4. 11 Inspection and test equipment 4. 12 Inspection and test status 4. 13 Nonconforming product 4. 14 Corrective and preventive action 4. 15 Handling, storage, †¦, delivery 4. 16 Control of quality records 4. 17 Internal quality audits 4. 18 Training 4. 19 ServicingCrucial characteristics for s afe and proper functioning of the product are identi?ed Appropriate documents are readily available at all locations where essential operations are performed Purchasing documents adequately address speci?ed requirements Adequate procedures for storage and maintenance of the product are in place Product is adequately identi?ed and traceable Suitable equipment and working environment are used Criteria for workmanship is stipulated in the clearest practical manner Records clearly illustrate the results of inspection and testing activities Suitable indicators of calibration status are identi?ed Inspection and test status of the product is identi?ed by suitable means Nonconforming products are adequately identi?ed and segregated Appropriate sources of information are used to detect and eliminate potential/ existing causes of defects Adequate handling, storage, packaging, preservation and delivery of the product is identi?ed and maintained Quality records are adequately identi?ed, indexed , ?led and storedQuality records are easily accessible Quality audits are performed to examine the suitability and effectiveness of the quality system Training needs are identi?ed and adequate training provided Appropriate identi?cation of servicing needs and customer feedback is performed Ergonomic techniques can be used to ensure clear understanding of documents Safe and risk-free storage and maintenance of products is emphasized Identi?cation of products should be performed according to ergonomic guidelines regulations For identi?cation and maintenance of the suitable working environment and hardware, ergonomic analysis and evaluations must be performed Identi?cation of products and equipment should be performed according to ergonomic guidelines and regulations (for example, see Sanders and McCormick, 1993 (part 2), and Harris and Chaney, 1070 (chapters 6-11)Ergonomical analysis of human-information interaction is helpful (for instance, see Sanders and McCormick, 1993 (part 2) Er gonomical design and analysis of handling and packaging of products should be used Ergonomic techniques can be used to ensure clear understanding of documents, and accessibility of records Ergonomic audits/evaluations, identifying areas for possible improvement of human-machineproduct-environment interactions are performed Ergonomic training should be emphasized Ergonomic characteristics of a product, such as environmental conditions, sensory characteristics proper handling and packaging should be determined (see Bergquist and Abeysekera, 1996; Helander and Burri, 1995; Barsky and Dutta, 1997)Statistical tools and techniques are used in ergonomic analysis and evaluations 4. 20 Statistical techniques The need for the application of statistical techniques is identi?ed 84 †¢ developing a means of product traceability to facilitate product recall; †¢ considering development of an emergency plan The following section will address some ergonomic factors in the ISO 9001/9004 qual ity system structure, as well as suggest implementation of this system with ergonomics in mind. 4. Ergonomic considerations of ISO 9001/9004 Quality systems depicted in ISO 9001 and ISO 9004 standards apply to all phases in the life cycle of a service, from initial identi?cation to ?nal satisfaction of customer requirements.The concept of all activities in?uencing the quality of a service throughout its life cycle is often referred to as the â€Å"service quality loop†(ISO 9004-2, 1994). Thus, a service quality system involves three main elements: (1) service; (2) processes along the quality loop; and (3) resources. Likewise, ergonomic considerations within a service quality system include: †¢ Ergonomic design and delivery of service (and/or related products). †¢ Ergonomic design and application of processes. †¢ Analysis of the interaction between human and information/material resources Using Figure 1, it is possible to explain how quality and ergonomics inte rrelate in a quality system. Each product or service made possesses certain characteristics.For example, service quality is a set of characteristics that bear on the service’s ability to satisfy customer requirements. Ergonomic characteristics of products / services provide safe, healthy and ef?cient usage and/or delivery. It is evident that some ergonomic characteristics of a product (or service) are essentially quality characteristics (such as the design of the driver’s seat in a car), and vice-versa. Also, service delivery processes have to satisfy certain requirements that may be ergonomic in nature. For example, the environment in which retail-banking services operate may be altered to provide safety for a bank teller working in it. Finally, ergonomic issues emerge when human, material and informa85 ion resources are combined to create a quality system.The current ISO 9001 quality system has a multitude of elements that are directly applicable to managing ergonomi cs and health/safety. Table I lists all 20 elements of ISO 9001 in the order in which they appear in the standard, illustrates sections and speci?c requirements which pertain to ergonomics, and provides ergonomic implications of the quality system. The implications range from adequate identi?cation of customer ergonomic requirements, ergonomically suitable design of products, services and processes, to identi?cation and maintenance of appropriate working environment and equipment.Such analysis of the ISO 9001 quality system shows that virtually every element of the system includes at least some ergonomic and/or health and safety aspects. This conclusion, however, is not surprising, since ultimately, quality is created by people, and for people. Not only does the content of ISO 9001 relate to human factors (Hansen, 1996), but also its context. A quality system must be adequately documented and implemented in order to operate effectively and ef?ciently. Quality documentation, as a pil lar of the quality system, must be understood and readily available to all persons whose work affects quality, as well as understood by all involved. Ergonomically designed documentation will undoubtedly help people understand their tasks better and improve their performance.New technologies, such as head-up-displays (Geiselman and Osgood, 1995; Karapetrovic, 1995), computer-aided communication (through electronic mail and the Internet) can greatly improve the implementation of a quality system in any organization. Examples include: †¢ Operators using HUDs for display of quality procedures and work instructions. †¢ Paperless ISO 9000 documentation, i. e. documents available on-line using HTML or Java (Clarkin and Dow, 1997). †¢ Wireless electronic mail for reporting and analysis of quality-related problems. The following section addresses the implementation of human factors engineering in services, using ?nancial services as an example, in more detail. 5. Ergonomics a nd services How do ergonomics relate to service quality systems?To answer that question, we can follow the above-mentioned â€Å"service quality loop†from the inception of the need for service, to the evaluation of whether that need has been satis?ed. In designing a â€Å"quality service†, we must ?rst identify the need for it, as well as ?nd out who would actually need such a service. Put another way, we are de?ning the user and his/her needs. For instance, say we want to open a bank branch in a specific location. Do local bank users really need a branch there? What exactly do they need? Perhaps they need investment services, or easy access to cash, or mortgage consultations. Sanders and McCormick (1993) and Bailey (1982) de?ne the identi?cation of user needs through observation, interviews and questionnaires as ergonomic activities that apply here.Psychology-based tools of ergonomics deal in particular with an effective and ef?cient determination of user needs. The service system is subsequently designed on the basis of identi?ed needs. We have determined that local users require access to money from their accounts as well as the possibility of discussing investments. Now, we need to allocate resources to required banking functions. These resources include people (bank employees), hardware (automatic teller machines (ATM), computers) and software. Which particular functions should we assign to people, and which to machines? For instance, for easy access to cash, we would assume that a 24hour ATM would be appropriate.However, what if most of the bank’s clients are seniors, who are still not accustomed to trusting machines in dealing with deposits or withdrawals, or if the bank is located in a place where people prefer customer service and contact with bank tellers rather than machines? Ergonomic studies help us in determining speci?c capabilities of people, hardware and software, and can provide signi?cant assistance in allocating system functions. Then, we can decide whether to completely automate certain functions, or to assign people to perform them, or use both machines and people. For example, a bank may decide to allow withdrawals of less than $1,000 from an ATM. If a customer wants to withdraw more than that, he/she would have to go to a bank teller. 86Once we have decided which resources the bank should have (say three ATMs, four tellers and two investment advisors), we need to perform an analysis of the required processes, activities and tasks. Put another way, we are listing the sequence of activities that need to be conducted in order to accomplish a speci?c function. Flowcharts are particularly helpful here. For instance, we can specify a procedure for cash withdrawals from the bank. This, in ergonomics, is called task description and analysis (Sanders and McCormick, 1993). Whenever we have some interaction between people and hardware or software, such as when a teller needs to input withdrawal informat ion into the database, there are ergonomic implications.For example, in the bank where I normally do my ?nancial transactions, computer monitors and keyboards are placed so low in relation to the counter, that the teller needs to bend down every time he/she inputs the information, virtually disappearing behind the counter. Just imagine how many times the teller needs to bend like that every day, every week, every month. Put another way, in designing the work space for employees, e. g. placing customer service counters and computers in determined locations, allocating space for safety deposit boxes, etc. , we inevitably in?uence the comfort, safety and ef?ciency of people working in such spaces. All these are ergonomic considerations that can in?uence the quality of the product or service.The likely reason why tellers in my bank still have to bend down to reach the computer is that it was probably never de?ned as a problem at all. The existence of an ergonomic program within the bank , with planned ergonomic audits and corrective actions, would certainly identify and rectify such a problem. But how can such a program be introduced with minimum cost and maximum bene?ts? Perhaps the solution is in the integration of the existing quality system with an ergonomic program. The integration of quality and environment management systems came naturally, since standards representing best practices were effectively established at the international level (namely ISO 9000 and ISO 14000).This should also be the case with occupational health and safety (OHS), since national and international OHS standards, dubbed ISO 20000 (Figura, 1996) are already emerging. The following section presents an approach to the development of an ergonomic assurance system on the basis of the quality system. 6. Ergonomics assurance system As was mentioned in Section 3 of this paper, the systems concept can greatly assist us in understanding the interrelationships of many production and management processes, among others, quality and ergonomics. For an excellent account of the relationship between ergonomics and the system design, the interested reader can refer to Sanders and McCormick (1993), Chapter 22. While the pplication of the systems concept to service quality is presented elsewhere (Karapetrovic and Willborn, 1998A), it can be used to propose an ergonomic assurance system. We can de?ne ergonomic assurance as â€Å"all those planned and systematic actions aimed at providing con?dence to customers, management and the general public, that their requirements and needs for ergonomically safe products and processes are met†.An ergonomic assurance system is then a â€Å"set of processes and resources that function harmoniously to achieve objectives related to ergonomic design and implementation of products and processes†.Note: Proposed EAS elements are given in bold letters, while numbers represent sections of the ISO 9004-2 Guidelines 87 Similarly to the ISO 14001:1996 environmental management system, an ergonomic assurance system can include Deming’s plan-dostudy-act (PDSA) continuous improvement circle, with the following elements: †¢ Ergonomic objectives. †¢ Planning and design (ergonomic aspects, targets, determination of system performance speci?cations, ergonomic system design). †¢ Resource acquisition and deployment (allocation of functions to people, hardware and software; task analysis, design of jobs and human-hardware-software interfaces; training). †¢ Operation (ergonomic control, monitoring and measurement).†¢ Corrective/preventive action (ergonomic audits). Improvement (ergonomic evaluations, communication with interested parties. Interested parties may include customers, for ergonomic characteristics of the product/service, and employees, for ergonomics of the workplace). Rather than adding speci?c ergonomic and safety requirements to existing quality standards (Barsky and Dutta (1997) sugg est this), a separate ergonomic system standard can be drafted, and then integrated with existing quality management systems. Using the de?nition and the model of a quality system from Karapetrovic and Willborn (1998C), proposed elements of the ergonomic management system (EMS) can be illustrated as in Figure 2.For example, the executive management of an organization should de?ne an ergonomic policy that is documented and communicated to all employees. Ergonomic aspects of all activities and processes within the organization should be identi?ed and speci?c objectives and targets set. An ergonomic management program should be de?ned and documented, and adequate resources allocated. Operation of the EMS should include a statement of responsibility and authority of people involved, identi?cation of training needs and a provision of adequate ergonomic training, and preparation of adequate EMS documentation. Corrective and preventive action to eliminate existing and potential problems sh ould be undertaken, and ergonomic audits would assist in this effort.Finally, the executive management should review the status of the EMS, includ88 ing its effectiveness, suitability, and conformance to the requirements. 7. Conclusion This paper addressed some of the ergonomic issues in the ISO 9000-based quality assurance for services. Outlines of ISO 9001 and ISO 9004 quality system models were provided, followed by a discussion of the content of the ISO 9001 standard considering ergonomics and human factors. Ergonomic implementation of a quality system was subsequently addressed. Finally, possible development of an â€Å"ergonomic assurance system†on the basis of ISO 9001 and systems theory was presented. Further research into the development of ergonomic assurance systems is suggested.
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