Although quality improvement is being sought, and total quality management is being applied in the service sector, the majority of applications which have been described are in environments similar to manufacturing in some important respects. Some of the cases are, evertheless, concerned with...

Describes an investigation, in different types of services, of relationships between customers’ perception of service quality, and the importance which customers attach to elements of the service package. The scale for measuring service quality, SERVQUAL, which was discussed in Part 2 of this...

In this article are presented the basic strategies which should be adopted by manufacturing for trouble shooting and process improvement studies. Much work is needed to encourage the usage of these techniques and it is here that the quality assurance professional may be able to exert strong...

Further discussion is provided on the findings of a postal questionnaire survey on current production management practices, reviewed in Part I. Recommendations are also made for a proactive approach by companies to improve their production management through the development and introduction of...

In this first of a two‐part series, the methodology for the research is described. This took the form of a postal questionnaire carried out in conjunction with the Institute of Industrial Managers to establish the current situation. The results were compared with a similar study carried out in...

This paper describes the results of surveys which provide information on the relative status, qualifications, knowledge, practices and needs of production/operations managers within the UK. The qualifications and ambitions of production managers are shown to be lower than managers in other...

The work described in this paper is part of a large study of the barriers to acceptance of production management techniques in UK manufacturing industry. The first part of this study is described, it:(i) establishes the use being made of proven traditional techniques of production management and...

This paper presents the results of the second part of a study into the “barriers to acceptance of production management techniques in UK manufacturing industry”. The results of a telephone survey and detailed in‐company work carried out with seven manufacturing companies are presented. The...

The results of a survey of production managers in the UK, carried out in 1986, on behalf of the British Institute of Managers (BIM). It compares these results with those from an earlier, similar survey carried out in 1977. The evidence shows that changes in production management have not kept...