Business Commons^™

Tqm In Small And Medium Scale Manufacturers: Development Of Measurement Instruments, Deepak Subedi, Uday S. Tate, Suneel K. Maheshwari

Management Faculty Research

The objective of our paper is to identify factors and develop constructs that could be used to develop a conceptual Total Quality Management (TQM) model that is applicable to small and medium scale manufacturers in the United States. The data for this study was collected from a mail survey targeted to managers in the manufacturing plants. Responses were analyzed and factor analysis was used to develop measurement instruments.

How To Make Unethical Decisions, Andrew Sikula Sr., John Sikula

Management Faculty Research

People make decisions and solve problems in a variety of ways. Oftentimes, little if any thought goes into choice selection. Sometimes, even very important decisions are made without serious contemplation of potential alternatives and their consequences. Many different tools/techniques and rationales are utilized in problem solving and decision making with little or no regard to ethical judgment and/ or aftermaths. Some ways of making choices are worse than others when using pity parameters. This article discusses commonly used but ethically unsound methods of making selections. Later in the writing, appropriate standards and benchmarks for determining ethical action will be presented.

The Balanced Scorecard Framework-A Case Study Of Patient And Employee Satisfaction: What Happens When It Does Not Work As Planned?, Andrea Lorden, Alberto Coustasse, Karan P. Singh

Management Faculty Research

Background: The successful utilization of the balanced scorecard (BSC) framework in health care has been demonstrated in the literature. Given these successes, a financially struggling hospital implemented a BSC framework intervention which attempted a culture change centered upon patient satisfaction which it hoped would translate to improved financial stability. Despite the evidence of BSC successes, the intervention, entitled Route 99, did not succeed in this hospital.

Purpose: This case study was conducted to identify learnable lessons and confounding factors associated with the successes and failures of Route 99. Metrics for patient satisfaction and employee satisfaction were examined as reflections of …

Hospital Costs And Clinical Characteristics Of Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy Patients: A Continuous Ethical Dilemma, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

This study describes the clinical characteristics and examines hospital costs involved in the care of 117 patients undergoing Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT) between January 1999 and August 2002. The majority (70.9%) of the patients undergoing CRRT expired in the hospital. Statistically significant differences were found with respect to the length of stay for discharge status and gender; and with respect to costs for surgery versus no surgery and gender. Significant differences were also found between discharge status and gender, age, and cardiovascular surgery. The results of this study raise economic and ethical questions related to the cost/benefit of CRRT …

Organizational Culture In A Terminally Ill Hospital, Alberto Coustasse, Douglas A. Mains, Kristine Lykens, Sue G. Lurie, Fernando Trevino

Management Faculty Research

This study analyzed an organizational culture in a community hospital in Texas to measure organizational culture change and its impact on Patient Satisfaction (PS). The study employed primary and secondary data, combining quantitative and qualitative methods for a case study. Participant observation was used and archival data were collected to provide a better understanding of the organizational culture and the context in which change was taking place. This study also applied a “Shared Vision” of the organization as the central process in bringing forth the knowledge shared by members of the community hospital who were both subjects and research participants. …