Profiling Quality Management in Systems Development: An Empirically Study

The critical role of information systems in organizations has focussed attention on the need to manage quality in systems development. Existing quality management practices have been found inadequate to meet the escalating demands in systems delivery performance (Cusumano, 1991; Matsumoto, 1987). Problems such as poor quality,low productivity, cost over runs, late deliveries and user dissatisfaction have become common in systems development (Hamid & Madnick, 1989). These problems highlight the critical need to reengineer the systems delivery process (Rockart & Hofman, 1992). Several IS organizations have responded to this challenge by adopting Total Quality Management (TQM) practices. Success of TQM initiatives in organizations like Corning Inc (Shrendick et al, 1993) and Dun & Bradstreet suggests a positive relationship between quality management practices and quality performance. However, the reported failures of TQM programs in organizations like Florida Power and Kodak (Grant et al, 1994) suggest that systematic study is necessary to develop a richer understanding of how TQM works and when it is effective. The quality management literature adopts an universalistic perspective that TQM involves a set of principles and practices that are applicable across organizations (Juran, 1986). However, recent empirical studies (Bensen et al, 1991; Flynn et al, 1994) and theoretical work (Sitkin et al, 1994) highlight that quality management is context-dependent and organizations that have recognized this have been relatively successful in implementing TQM programs (Ernst & Young, 1992).This contingent perspective which is rooted in systems theory suggests that quality management practices vary across organizations. Understanding these variations is perhaps the first step towards theory development in this area. Accordingly, this study focuses on developing a descriptive profile of quality management practices in the context of systems development. The rest of the paper is organized as follows: first, a description of the empirical study is presented; this is followed by a discussion of the data analysis; next the results and findings of the study are presented and their implications are discussed

Inequalities in Health and Service Use among People with Borderline Intellectual Impairment

This report, produced in collaboration with Professor Angela Hassiotis and others, sets out the extent to which people with borderline intellectual impairment face inequalities in health and use of services compared with the rest of the population, and seeks to improve awareness of these inequalities. Findings - Borderline intellectual impairment is common, affecting at least one adult in ten in England. The term is used here to refer to people with good verbal skills and living in private households, but who may experience cognitive impairments. - The findings in this report are consistent with previous research: people with borderline intellectual impairment are a disadvantaged group and their needs are not well understood. - Such adults face high levels of poor mental health, poorer general health, and many limitations in their daily lives. - Their level of use of mental health treatment and services does not appear to be commensurate with their higher level of need. This indicates that they are underserved compared with the rest of the population. - This may be due to a lack of professional awareness of their needs, to services not adapting enough to meet those needs, or to difficulties the individual faces in seeking treatment and support. - Adults with borderline intellectual impairment constitute key users of primary and secondary health care, and employment, education and welfare support. Improving awareness of the needs of this group should form part of wider plans to reduce inequalities in health and service use in England. Methods Secondary analysis of data from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) was conducted to profile the circumstances of people with borderline intellectual impairment. APMS is one of the most authoritative and comprehensive national household surveys to assess both intellectual functioning and mental health in adults in England

Risiko Keterlambatan Progres Fisik Terhadap Mutu Pelaksanaan Jalan Nasional Di Provinsi Sulawesi Utara

Physical progress delay affects the quality performance of national road construction. Factors causing the delay are very complex related to quality, human resource, material, equipment, construction method, and project control and management. This study aims to identify and analyze the risks of delays and its effect to road construction quality performance. The methods of risk analysis are modified Importance Performance Analysis (IPA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The result shows that factors that cause delays and have significant risk and effect on quality deviation are: (1) improper technology, (2) wrong construction methods, (3) improper material quality, (4) infeasible of heavy equipment function, (5) deficient specifications and shop drawings, (6) incompleteness planning documents, (7) lack of control, (8) inadequate project administration, (9) low competency of personnel, and (10) deficient contract. Keterlambatan progres fisik di lapangan berpengaruh terhadap capaian mutu pelaksanaan jalan nasional. Faktor-faktor penyebab keterlambatan tersebut sangat kompleks berkaitan dengan mutu Sumber Daya Manusia, material, peralatan, metode kerja, serta pengendalian dan manajemen proyek. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengidentifikasi dan menganalisis risiko akibat keterlambatan progres fisik dan pegaruhnya terhadap mutu pelaksanaan konstruksi jalan. Analisis risiko tersebut menggunakan metode Importance Performance Analysis yang dimodifikasi dan Structural Equation Modelling. Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahwa faktor penyebab keterlambatan yang memiliki risiko signifikan dan berpengaruh terhadap penyimpangan mutu pelaksanaan jalan nasional adalah: (1) ketidaktepatan teknologi pelaksanaan proyek, (2) kesalahan metode kerja, (3) ketidaktepatan kualitas material, (4) ketidaklaikan fungsi peralatan berat, (5) defisiensi spesifikasi dan gambar kerja, (6) ketidaklengkapan dokumen perencanaan, (7) pengendalian proyek yang kurang memadai, (8) ketidaktepatan pelaksanaan manajemen proyek, (9) kompetensi tenaga kerja yang rendah, dan (10) defisiensi kontrak

Induction of WNT16 via peptide-mRNA nanoparticle-based delivery maintains cartilage homeostasis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive joint disease that causes significant disability and pain and for which there are limited treatment options. We posit that delivery of anabolic factors that protect and maintain cartilage homeostasis will halt or retard OA progression. We employ a peptide-based nanoplatform to deliver Wingless and the name Int-1 (WNT) 16 messenger RNA (mRNA) to human cartilage explants. The peptide forms a self-assembled nanocomplex of approximately 65 nm in size when incubated with WNT16 mRNA. The complex is further stabilized with hyaluronic acid (HA) for enhanced cellular uptake. Delivery of peptide-WNT16 mRNA nanocomplex to human cartilage explants antagonizes canonical β-catenin/WNT3a signaling, leading to increased lubricin production and decreased chondrocyte apoptosis. This is a proof-of-concept study showing that mRNA can be efficiently delivered to articular cartilage, an avascular tissue that is poorly accessible even when drugs are intra-articularly (IA) administered. The ability to accommodate a wide range of oligonucleotides suggests that this platform may find use in a broad range of clinical applications

Financing costs and barriers to entry in Australia’s electricity market

Purpose: This paper aims to provide investors’ views on financing costs and barriers to entry into the electricity generation sector, with a focus on investors’ views on potential impacts on cost of capital from adopting nodal pricing and financial transmission rights (FTRs). The implications for policymakers and policy reforms are also discussed in detail. Design/methodology/approach: Survey-based data collection of investors and developers in electricity generation, consisting of multiple choice questions from a closed list of discrete choices, binary-choice questions, and questions with free-text/open-ended answers. Findings: Across survey respondents, weighted-average cost of capital (WACCs) were broadly unchanged over 2019, with increases for undiversified/non-integrated participants offset by decreases for horizontally integrated participants. Cost of equity has risen, whereas cost of debt has fallen. Nodal pricing-cum-FTRs were estimated to increase WACCs by 150–200 basis points p.a. (15–20%), reflecting concerns around the firmness of FTRs and ability to automatically access intraregional settlement residues. Research limitations/implications: These findings have energy policy implications, namely, the need to consider the interaction between economic theory and real-world financing models when designing and implementing fundamental energy sector reforms. Practical implications: The need to consider implementation and transitional issues (e.g. grandfathering of existing rights, focusing on reducing the largest barriers to entry) is associated with implementing nodal pricing. Originality/value: Unique set of survey questions and insights that have not previously been addressed in an Australian context; what-if analysis not previously done in an Australian contex

Australia's National Electricity Market after Twenty Years

The Hilmer reforms served electricity consumers well over the first post‐reform decade. However, three key issues emerged from the mid‐2000s: (i) a significant and largely unnecessary rise in network expenditures; (ii) emissions policy discontinuity; and (iii) a large increase in wholesale prices due to rising fuel prices and the sudden exit of generators. The consequence was a doubling in retail prices. Deficiencies in cost‐recovery mechanisms have meant price increases have disproportionately affected low‐income households. We propose three key reforms as rectification: (i) integrating emissions reduction and energy policies; (ii) boosting network capacity utilisation; and (iii) improving cost recovery mechanisms

Surveillance of RNase P, PMMoV, and CrAssphage in wastewater as indicators of human fecal concentration across urban sewer neighborhoods, Louisville, Kentucky

Wastewater surveillance has been widely used as a supplemental method to track the community infection levels of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. A gap exists in standardized reporting for fecal indicator concentrations, which can be used to calibrate the primary outcome concentrations from wastewater monitoring for use in epidemiological models. To address this, measurements of fecal indicator concentration among wastewater samples collected from sewers and treatment centers in four counties of Kentucky (N = 650) were examined. Results from the untransformed wastewater data over 4 months of sampling indicated that the fecal indicator concentration of human ribonuclease P (RNase P) ranged from 5.1 × 101 to 1.15 × 106 copies/ml, pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) ranged from 7.23 × 103 to 3.53 × 107 copies/ml, and cross-assembly phage (CrAssphage) ranged from 9.69×103 to 1.85×108 copies/ml. The results showed both regional and temporal variability. If fecal indicators are used as normalization factors, knowing the daily sewer system flow of the sample location may matter more than rainfall. RNase P, while it may be suitable as an internal amplification and sample adequacy control, has less utility than PMMoV and CrAssphage as a fecal indicator in wastewater samples when working at different sizes of catchment area. The choice of fecal indicator will impact the results of surveillance studies using this indicator to represent fecal load. Our results contribute broadly to an applicable standard normalization factor and assist in interpreting wastewater data in epidemiological modeling and monitoring

Strange Particle Production in p+p, p+Pb and Pb+Pb Interactions from NA49

Recent NA49 results on Lambda, Antilambda, Xi- and Antixi+ production in minimum bias p+p and centrality selected p+Pb collisions at 158 GeV/c, and the results on Lambda, Antilambda, K+ and K- production in central Pb+Pb collisions at 40, 80 and 158 A GeV are discussed and compared with other available data. By comparing the energy dependence of Lambda and Antilambda production at mid-rapidity a striking similarity is observed between p+p and A+A data. This is also seen in the energy dependence of the Lambda/pi ratio. K+/pi at mid-rapidity is affected in a similar way, due to the associated production of K+ together with Lambda particles. The observed yields increase faster than the number of wounded nucleons when comparing p+Pb to p+p. As already observed in A+A collisions, the increase is larger for multistrange than for strange baryons and for baryons than for anti-baryons.Comment: 8 pages, 10 figures, To appear in proceedings of Strange Quark in Matter 2001-A Flavourspace Odyssey, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 24-29. Sept. 200