KMU setzen auf TQM: ISO 9000-zertifizierte Unternehmen erkennen den Verbesserungsbedarf für ihr Qualitätsmanagement

Total Quality Management (TQM) ist gerade in kleinen und mittleren Unternehmen ein aktuelles Thema. Die Ergebnisse einer empirischen Studie zeigen jedoch, daß es hier oft am nötigen Wissen zur Umsetzung mangelt. Dies betrifft insbesondere systematische Ansätze wie das TQM-Modell der EFQM. Total quality management (TQM) is a current topic, even among small- and medium-sized companies. The results of an empirical study reveal, however, that the necessary knowledge for its implementation is often lacking. This applies particularly to the introduction of systems such as the TQM model for EFQM

The lion-tailed macaque Macaca silenus (primates: cercopithecidae): conservation history and status of a flagship species of the tropical rainforests of the Western Ghats, India

The lion-tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus) is a threatened species inhabiting the rainforests of the Western Ghats mountain range in southern India. Once assessed to be less than a thousand individuals remaining in the wild habitats, the population is now estimated to be between 3000 and 3500 individuals. However, the rainforest habitats of the species are highly fragmented. During the past three decades or less, the population of this species has severely declined due to habitat degradation and illegal hunting in several areas of its occurrence. In situ conservation programs included notification of certain areas as Lion-tailed Macaque conservation regions. Several captive breeding programs have been initiated in order to have a viable captive population of the species. However, the analysis reveals that both in situ and ex situ conservation programs have not achieved the desired success and the species is even more endangered than it was a few decades ago. In this article, we discuss these conservation programs and suggest further measures for effective conservation of lion-tailed Macaques

Dermatologic investigation of alopecia in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)

Coat damage has been reported frequently in captive rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), and it is a serious health problem because the hair coat functions as an anatomic and physiologic barrier between the animal and the environment. The purpose of this study was to identify the pathogenesis of coat damage in this species and to exclude the most frequent causes of alopecia. The investigation included clinical, hematologic, bacteriologic, mycologic, parasitologic, and histopathologic evaluations. A broad systematic dermatologic investigation was performed on 156 rhesus macaques, kept under variable environmental conditions, at the German Primate Center, Göttingen. In addition, 27 animals from other primate facilities were incorporated into the study. Clinically, 126 animals showed partial alopecia of varying severity, with complete alopecia in the worst cases. In 88% of the cases, the disorder was bilaterally symmetrical. The back and extremities were most commonly affected. No gross clinical changes of the skin surface were detected. Histologic changes consisted predominantly of mild epidermal hyperkeratosis and mild perivascular dermatitis. The presence and severity of histologic lesions were not correlated to coat damage. Parasitic, bacterial, and mycotic causes of alopecia were ruled out. Overviewing these results, disturbances in environment and behavior controlling or influencing hair growth may lead to hair loss in captive rhesus macaques. Future studies should try to identify disturbances in extrinsic or intrinsic factors influencing hair follicle activity in rhesus macaques

Distribution, Demography, and Conservation of Lion-tailed Macaques (Macaca silenus) in the Anamalai Hills Landscape, Western Ghats, India

The status of the endemic and endangered lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) has not been properly assessed in several regions of the Western Ghats of southern India. We conducted a study in Parambikulam Forest Reserve in the state of Kerala to determine the distribution, demography, and status of lion-tailed macaques. We laid 5km2 grid cells on the map of the study area (644km2) and made four replicated walks in each grid cell using GPS. We gathered data on lion-tailed macaque group locations, demography, and site covariates including trail length, duration of walk, proportion of evergreen forest, height of tallest trees, and human disturbance index. We also performed occupancy modeling using PRESENCE ver. 3.0. We estimated a minimum of 17 groups of macaques in these hills. Low detection and occupancy probabilities indicated a low density of lion-tailed macaques in the study area. Height of the tallest trees correlated positively whereas human disturbance and proportion of evergreen forest correlated negatively with occupancy in grid cells. We also used data from earlier studies carried out in the surrounding Anamalai Tiger Reserve and Nelliyampathy Hills to discuss the conservation status in the large Anamalai Hills Landscape. This landscape harbors an estimated population of 1108 individuals of lion-tailed macaques, which is about one third of the entire estimated wild population of this species. A conservation plan for this landscape could be used as a model for conservation in other regions of the Western Ghats