Yunus ahmedally Kathawala

Purpose This paper aims to explore the relationship between job characteristics (JC) and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) moderated by job satisfaction (JS) among educators in the higher education institutions in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and O...

Kuwait and Indonesia are two Asian countries with similar literacy rates and median ages of residents. An understanding of their residents' perspectives can help the governments of these countries better plan their e-government services and provide useful information to other countries. The current study used a survey to assess the importance of e-...

This study examines the roles of perception and belief in influencing ISO 9000 practitioners to maintain the quality management system during the post-certification period. The creation of a model to examine the causal relationships between practitioners' beliefs and ISO 9000 maintenance was guided by a cross-disciplinary approach that was based on...

The U.S. economy depends on the health of small businesses, which represent 99.9 percent of total U.S. businesses. Similarly, the Mexican economy depends on the health of its small (and medium) businesses, which represent 99.8 percent of total Mexican businesses. Small business creation and success is important to developed and developing countries...

Sixty-seven managers of U.S. firms in Poland, Hungary, former Czechoslovakia, and former Yugoslavia responded to a mail questionnaire on their evaluation of the business climate in their host country. About 25% were in manufacturing, 25% in sales/marketing; 50% in basic services such as consulting, accounting, engineering, etc. They had neutral to...

The ingestion of alcohol is among the moderating variables that may affect the effectiveness of television commercials. The effects of alcoholic beverages have been the focus of numerous investigations. The findings have important implications as they suggest that the ingestion of alcohol affects learning and retention. Consequently, further study...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report an application of the CETSCALE measuring consumer ethnocentrism for high‐value consumer goods in the emerging markets of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The study examines how regional markings can be thought of as variants of national markings and then goes on to establish a regi...

This paper addresses the topic of Japanese human resources management effectiveness in non-Japanese environments by trying to identify management systems and practices of selected Japanese subsidiaries in the Arabian Gulf Region. The findings indicate that Japanese subsidiaries in the Arabian Gulf Region have not been able to apply the Japanese-sty...

Purpose Set in the newly emerging hybrid product research stream, and reflecting trends towards multi‐national production and sourcing, this paper aims to present a three‐country study on perceived quality and image of automobiles “made in and for” Southeast Asia. Design/methodology/approach The authors used a multiple cue design in the stimulus d...

The main objective of this paper is to introduce the South East Europe (SEE) markets as a valuable alternative for western companies in terms of both growing demand and resources availability. The privatisation process, as the main mode of entry, is discussed as well. By examining available literature on this topic, the paper is expected to create...

Guanxi, a Chinese term, which means special relationships or business connections, has been known to be a prerequisite in doing business successfully, especially in China. Today, this term is quite widely known and not only prevalent in China but is a universal phenomenon. This paper reports research on the study of competitive strategies in the ma...

Rough economic times make the outsourcing of information technology (IT) an even more critical area of discussion for businesses. Recently, there has been a great deal of debate on whether a shift in the global outsourcing of IT is occurring. India has long been known for its dominance in the field; however, China, which plays a leading role in the...

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a globally accepted technology, which has a great success in the area of supply chain management and particularly inventory management. Businesses benefit from this cost efficient opportunity to scan and track inventories. The tracking of items with RFID devices is applied in a variety of areas, such as reta...

With the move of the market power in several industries from sellers to buyers, a new level of customer responsiveness and manufacturing flexibility is needed. As the latest step in the manufacturing evolution, the concept of the build-to-order supply chain evolved to enable companies to have the needed customer responsiveness and manufacturing fle...

Purpose The paper aims to research the mechanics of voluntary export restraints (VERs). It first develops a comprehensive VER research agenda, subsequently covering a 1991 VER between the European Union (EU) and Japan that established “voluntary” quotas on Japanese cars until 1999. Design/methodology/approach Reflecting gaps in research, an overal...

In recent years, global outsourcing has received a great deal of attention by both practitioners and academics throughout the world. Globalisation is forcing multinational companies to outsource their products and services in order to reduce cost, enhance the competitive capability, and satisfy shareholders. Before an organisation decides whether t...

Aims to develop a knowledge city model by constructing knowledge homes using futuristic technology building blocks that can help in implementing the concept of virtual Ba to share, manage, and create knowledge. A variety of research organizations and forums are researching new technologies for better connectivity, contactivity, and computational po...

The services industry, especially the professional sector in the auditing, accounting, and financial consulting, was and still is moving toward globalization. This move was characterized by the cooperation between headquartered US firms such as the Big-five and other related firms all over the world. The result was increasing the efficiency and eff...

As competition abounds, the efficient organization of a company's supply chain is a vital success factor for companies in today's business world. In recent years, electronic hubs have received great attention, providing buyers and suppliers alike with a means of structuring and streamlining their supply chains in order to create maximum efficiency....

There is increased interest in online MBA programs across the globe. This paper attempts to review and assess online MBA programs and what lessons other universities and students can learn from them. It attempts to compare between the online and the traditional MBA. In addition, a thorough evaluation of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and...

Strategic alliances can be effective ways to diffuse new technologies rapidly, to enter a new market, to bypass governmental restrictions expeditiously, and to learn quickly from the leading firms in a given field. However, strategic alliances are not simple or easy to create, develop, and support. Strategic alliances projects often fail because of...

Global outsourcing is a management strategy by which an organization delegates major, non-core functions to specialized and efficient service providers. Global outsourcing represents a significant shift in the way organizations manage and staff their business support activities. While global outsourcing has received considerable attention from prac...

This paper attempts to fill a void in supplier selection research by developing a model for sourcing and purchasing in an international setting, particularly in developing countries. The emphasis of this model is to reduce the uncertainty of quality from these countries by not only determining quality through the standard avenues of selection such...

A study was conducted to assess the status of total quality management (TQM) in small business in the service industries. The attitudinal results indicate that TQM improves participants morale, productivity, adaptability to environmental changes, responsiveness to customer needs, and the quality of their operations and the services they offer. But...

Outsourcing has become a useful tactic to lower costs and gain a competitive advantage. Now that international markets have become easier to access and more reliable, global outsourcing has become more of a concern. By using a well-managed outsourcing agreement, companies can gain in markets that would otherwise be uneconomical. Global outsourcing...

The continuous pursuit of excellence is the underlying and ever present goal of benchmarking practices. Benchmarking is an external focus on internal activities, functions, or operations in order to achieve continuous improvement. It is the process of judging a company’s processes or products by comparing them to the world’s best, including those i...

The impact of participation in a self-managed teams program on employee quality of work life attitudes, and on productivity and quality was studied among employees in a manufacturing firm located in the mid-western United States. Employee productivity and quality changes were measured by collecting and analyzing actual organizational data, for a th...

This study was undertaken to assess total quality management (TQM) familiarity and utilization and to investigate the perceived effects of TQM programmes on overall organizational effectiveness. Two validated instruments on organizational characteristics were used to gather data, and follow-up interviews were also conducted with one administrator a...

Explains that the rapid growth of artificial intelligence techniques, especially neural networks and knowledge-based systems, have paved the way for the development of an intelligent and real-time manufacturing information system. By efficiently utilizing the specific domain representation in a production cell, an intelligent system can manage the...

Kumar, A., Motwani, J., Kathawala, Y. (1995). World Class Manufacturing Practices of North American manufacturing Organizations (pp. 77-80). 31st Midwest Business Administration Association Conference Proceedings.

Offers an integrative perspective of quality function deployment (QFD), including its benefits and shortcomings. By developing a model that includes within it the antecedents as well as the components of QFD and the potential gains accruing to an organization from QFD, clarifies this competitive tool and helps businesses to realize its importance t...

Determines the extent to which world-class philosophy and methods are being adopted and utilized by North American manufacturing organizations. Using mailing lists obtained from several US and Canadian chambers of commerce, 800 organizations were identified as a target group. Managers of 251 manufacturing organizations served as respondents to the...

Argues that organizations are in the midst of a competitive revolution and quality improvement is an important factor in the quest to remain competitive. Companies are realizing they need to initiate a quality improvement programme and that training is a critical variable in the success of that programme. Improvement involves change, and training p...

A longitudinal and experimental field study comparing changes in perceptions of quality-of-work life and in productivity and quality of products produced for participants in a Deming quality improvement program is discussed. It is shown that the introduction of this program into an organization further requires the introduction of multifaceted chan...

Quality is another name for customer satisfaction and the USA cannot afford to ignore its importance. Education and training are essential to the productivity and competitive advantage of the entire country. Emphasizes the importance of quality training and suggests the keys to implementing a quality training programme. Covers why quality training...

Kumar, A., Mohamed, Z., Kathawala, Y. (1994). Part Grouping Models and Their Effects on the Makespan and Routing Flexibility of an FMS (vol. 3, pp. 1702-04). Honolulu, Hawaii: 25th Decision Sciences Institute, National Conference, Proceedings.

Deals with expert systems and their application in the area of quality management. Reviews a number of applications with explanations as to in which areas of quality management expert systems have been successful.

Job shop scheduling has been the focus of much research. Heuristic rules to assist in this endeavour abound in the literature. However, rules leading to the optimum schedule have been elusive. The predominant scheduling methods now used are specifically tailored to the type of job shop. Generally, various rules are tried and those giving the best r...

This article forms the third and final part of a continuing study on the role of business ethics in America. The first part of the study explored the views of business executives and the second part analyzed the values and beliefs of business educators. In this third and final part, the two sets of values and beliefs from business and academic lead...

The Just-In-Time system is an operations technique that was developed in Japan and became a growing trend in U.S. industry. JIT applications are relatively new to the hospital industry. Entry into a JIT arrangement requires a good deal of forethought and planning prior to implementation. Hospitals, in order to profitably implement JIT, must commit...

Health coverage and health care costs continue to frustrate employers, employees, and public policy makers. Controlling escalating health costs, improving coverage for the uninsured, and providing retiree health care are all important to the small employer. This study was undertaken to investigate the availability and extent of health care coverage...

Compares the traditional performance appraisal systems with Deming's philosophy of operating a production system focused on quality for the consumer. W. Edwards Deming has long challenged the effectiveness of traditional performance appraisal systems used by American managers. He criticizes the traditional performance appraisal system of rewarding...

Focuses on computer-integrated manufacturing's macro aspects and its strategic implications. Defines CIM at the macro and micro level and the various factors that strongly call for the implementation of CIM. After going into the advantages, concludes with implications for the future.

Quality management is a vital and growing concern of businesses in the global marketplace. Expert system technology is beginning to play an important role in this area and will become much more common in the future. This paper summarizes several current expert systems used in quality management. A framework for choosing appropriate application cand...

This project set out to determine whether there is a relationship between the minor emergency facility an individual uses and their choice of a hospital for in-patient care. In studying this relationship, the factors that are important to persons choosing a clinic or hospital facility, as well as the influence of a physician, were also identified....

According to John Naisbitt, author of Megatrends, the United States is moving from an industrial to an information society. This is evident in the rapidly growing service industry. From 1969 to 1976, ninety percent of the newly created jobs were white collar or service oriented positions. In 1981, almost seventy percent of all jobs were in the serv...

This article evaluates maintenance management in an electric utility setting. It begins with a historical review before discussing present pressures on management and the new importance of maintenance costs. It discusses remedial, preventive and predictive maintenance, and the implications of each one of these maintenance functions.

Centralisation and decentralisation of the US economy is examined. How the organisational structures are changing, and why these changes are coming about, reasons such as technology changes in computers and communications, to the move from an agricultural to an industrial to a more service related society are outlined. Other factors such as corpora...

A survey was conducted to test the preference of salaried employees when given the option of increased pay versus increased job security. The study also looked at various job characteristics and compared how employees ranked them as motivators and satisfiers. Subjects were 41 automobile industry salaried employees who responded to written questionn...

Several examples of successful expert systems applications are presented. Examples of expert systems as applied in process planning, operations planning, inventory control, process design, quality control and scheduling are covered, and the performance of these expert systems is described. Expert systems will become an essential part of computer-in...

Quality control of banks is discussed in the light of the recession in banking in the early 1980s. The failure of banks has been seen to be due more to poor management and control than to adverse economic conditions. Therefore the quality of institutions must be measured not simply by profitability but also by customer service, key financial ratios...

Dramatic increase in international trade during the past two decades and increasing political instability of the third world countries have forced the multinational firms to devote more time and resources to risk assessment. In the past decade we have witnessed that international business can be affected by wars, revolutions, coup d'etats, social u...

The research presented here is a longitudinal field study that compares changes in perceptions of productivity and job satisfaction for participants and nonparticipants in a computer aided quality circles program in a multinational firm in Saudi Arabia. Employee efficiency, productivity and absenteeism changes related to the implementation of the c...

The Japanese practice of Kanban (Just‐in‐time — JIT), has won a lot of converts in recent times in the US and elsewhere. Literature is rife with success stories, though mostly from the users' side. The strategic implications of this emerging management philosophy on the large number of suppliers on whom depends the very survival of hundreds of JIT...

This article forms the second part of a continuing study on the role of business ethics in America. In the first part we explored the views of business executives; the second part analyzes the beliefs and values of business educators; and the third part will compare and contrast the responses from academic and business leaders.

The Japanese practice of Kanban (Just‐in‐time – JIT), has won a lot of converts in recent times in the US and elsewhere. Literature is rife with success stories, though, mostly from the users′ side. The strategic implications of this emerging management philosophy on the large number of suppliers on whom depends the very survival of hundreds of JIT...

Until recently, quality in most of the Third World countries was given little or no emphasis. However, today most of these countries are endeavouring to infuse a high degree of quality in their products. This endeavour is proving to be fruitful, which is encouraging more countries to accelerate their efforts to produce higher quality products and s...

The importance of quality has recently been established in US manufacturing. It has been stated many times that the reason why people buy foreign products is the lack of quality. The purpose of the study described is to compare and analyse the similarities and distinctions between the major contributors to the concept of quality. The quality approa...

The role and strategy of integrated materials management are reviewed. The impact of the concept is then considered in relation to the traditional functional structure of many companies. A strategy for the introduction of integrated materials management into a company is outlined and the benefits and constraints of the concept are considered.

This paper attempts to determine the effects of robotic use in manufacturing on employment. Current trends in the utilization of robots, displacement of workers, changes in job content, and labour relations are addressed. These issues are discussed in relation to the effects on individual workers and the overall employment situation. Finally, predi...

This article reports the results of a 1988 survey of business executives on the issue of ethics. The survey is directly comparable with a similar survey conducted in 1983. With the exception of a few marginal changes the responses showed no significant differences between the two years. Consequently, allegations of a decline in business ethics over...

This study examines the potential for increasing productivity through the use of participatory programmes in multinational organisations in Saudi Arabia. Three hundred and forty middle managers selected randomly from 100 Saudi Arabian based multinational companies were surveyed. From a total response of 236, 184 usable questionnaires were obtained....

Training is one of the key elements to the success of computer‐aided design (CAD). In the past, CAD educators concentrated their efforts in design engineers and draftsmen. The trend in the manufacturing environment towards integration of computerised systems is discussed. This trend has created a great demand for CAD training tailored to the needs...

This paper explores the world of Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI is a brand of computer science which deals with intelligent machines that can understand language, learn, perceive, see, plan, act and reason. In this paper the evolution of and components of this technology are discussed. Emphasis is placed on one branch of AI, known as Expert Syste...

Data was gathered from Fortune 500 companies (manufacturing and service organizations) and 500 small firms pertaining to the use of several quantitative techniques. Analysis was also done to see if differences existed within different classes of service companies. Also, respondents were asked for their opinion pertaining to specific barriers that m...

Data was gathered from Fortune 500 companies (manufacturing and service organizations) and 500 small firms pertaining to the use of several quantitative techniques. Analysis was also done to see if differences existed within different classes of service companies. Also, respondents were asked for their opinion pertaining to specific barriers that m...

The use of robots to supplant direct labor, automated materials handling, computer controlled flexible manufacturing systems which are capable of producing a number of products within the same product line, and just-in-time production and distribution are creating a new manufacturing environment. As in the past, the need for assignment and control...

In a rapidly changing and complex environment, facility location decisions require careful evaluation; both quantitative and qualitative factors must be considered. Existing methods emphasize the quantitative aspects of such decisions. In this paper, we introduce a new method that provides a framework for a comprehensive analysis of both qualitativ...

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Georgia, 1979. Includes bibliographical references (p. 229-242). Photocopy.