Implementation of Total Quality Management

[Pages:258]Implementation of Total Quality Management

An Empirical Study of Chinese Manufacturing Firms

Zhihai Zhang

RIJKSUNIVERSITEIT GRONINGEN

Implementation of Total Quality Management

An Empirical Study of Chinese Manufacturing Firms

Proefschrift ter verkrijging van het doctoraat in de

Bedrijfskunde aan de Rijksuniversiteit Groningen

op gezag van de Rector Magnificus, dr. D.F.J. Bosscher,

in het openbaar te verdedigen op donderdag 15 februari 2001 om 16.00 uur door Zhihai Zhang geboren op 12 december 1963

te Jin County, Liaoning Province, China

Promotores: Beoordelingscommissie:

Prof. ir. A.C.Waszink Prof. dr. J.Wijngaard

Prof. dr. ing. T.W. Hardjono Prof. dr. ir. F.P.J. Kuijpers Prof. dr. drs. A.G.M. Steerneman

Uitgever:

Labyrint Publication Postbus 662 2900 AR Capelle a/d IJssel fax +31 (0) 10 2847382

Drukwerk:

ISBN 90-72591-87-9

? 2000, Zhihai Zhang

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system of any nature, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying or recording, without prior written permission of the publisher.

Acknowledgements

The studies described in this thesis were performed at the Faculty of Management and Organization of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. While conducting this research project I received support from many people in one way or another, without whose support, this thesis would not have been completed in its present form. It is my pleasure to take this opportunity to thank all of you, without the intention or possibility to be complete. I would like to apologize to those I do not mention by name here; however, I highly valued your kind support.

First, I would like to deeply thank my two promotors, Professors A.C. Waszink and J. Wijngaard. Both of you provided me with the freedom to explore research directions and choose the routes that I wanted to investigate. Your encouragement, excellent guidance, creative suggestions, and critical comments have greatly contributed to this thesis. Prof. Waszink, I would like to thank you very much for your daily supervision. I enjoyed our discussions and have learned a great deal from you. To Prof. Wijngaard I would like to express my profound gratitude for opening the door for me to become a PhD candidate at this Faculty. Without you, I would never have had that opportunity. I strongly believe that what I have learned during the four-years PhD study period will be infinitely profitable for the rest of my life. For this I am eternally grateful. Thank you, from deep in my heart!

I would like to express my gratitude to Prof. N. van Omme. In 1994, I was selected as a visiting scholar by the Chinese government to go to the Netherlands through the cultural exchange program between the Chinese and Dutch governments. My first letter was written to Prof. van Omme in Groningen, and my first positive response came from Prof. Wijngaard. During my first year's stay in Groningen, Professors Wijngaard and van Omme provided me with much guidance, support, and encouragement. What I learned in the first year in Groningen laid a solid foundation for conducting my PhD research project.

I am indebted to the members of the Reading Committee, Prof. T.W.Hardjono, Prof. F.P.J.Kuijpers, and Prof. A.G.M. Steerneman, for your critical comments.

I am especially grateful to Harry Gundlach for providing me with the insight into Dutch and Chinese quality management in general and ISO 9000 certification in particular. Your insight into quality management was beneficial to my PhD research.

I especially thank my colleagues Jan, Manda, Martin, Taco, Leonieke, Carla, Gera, Deniz, for your help. I would like to deeply thank Klaske and Manon for your kind assistance over the past several years. Without your help, my life would have been more difficult. I would also like to thank my colleagues Ed, Frits, Cees, Roel, Arjan, Sicco, Jannes, Gwenny, Sonja, Kees, Wout, Bas, Ellen, Gjalt, Pieter, Annick, Aukje, and Charles, for your kind help.

While conducting this research project, I also obtained help from Herman Mous, Frits Koopman, Hans Groothuis, H.F.W. de Vries, Foppe Dijkstra, Y.C.Lo, Jaap Meijer, J.J. de Vries, Tom Gerretsen, J. Dubbeling, Boudewijn Bertsch, Jan J. Vesters, Peter Lemaire,

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F.A.F. Simon, Jan Nico Blauw, Joost de Groot, Henk G.Boddendijk, Jieles van Daalen, Cornelis Dam, Vincent de Graaff, Richard de Grood, S. van der Voort, Ton van Veen, Adri Maranus , and T.J.de Jong. I would like to thank all of you.

I would like to express my deep appreciation to Wang Chengzhang, who helped a great deal in my collection of data in China. I also thank you and Doctor Min Li for taking care of my mother during her stay at the hospital. Due to your help, I could concentrate on my research.

I am greatly indebted to Yan Hongshen and Sun Jiahan, my former colleagues at the Liaoning Provincial Township Enterprises Management Institute, for your encouragement, support, and understanding during my work in the organization. I also would like to thank Li Chengfu, Lu Xiaomin and Wang Peng at the Liaoning Provincial Personnel Bureau for selecting me as a visiting scholar to the Netherlands.

I would like to thank Zhan Pei, Chen Xiaobo, Ni Chun, Wang Huabin, Xue Enquan, Xu Guikui, Wang Huiyuan, Ci Yuanwu, Jiang Yanghai, Yang Jiehui, Yang Zhongxiao, Zhang Xiaofeng, Luo Fengming, Li Guangquan, Shi Chuan, Yang Chengmin, Su Huijun, Xiao Jianhua, Yang Shaohua, along with numerous others for your kind help during my collecting of data in China.

I am especially indebted to my former postgraduate supervisors, Professors Zheng Futing and Zhang Heyuan at Shenyang Agricultural University, for leading me to the scientific world.

I would like to thank all my colleagues at the Faculty of Management and Organization of the University of Groningen. Although I cannot mention you all by name, my sincere thanks go out to you all for creating such a pleasant working environment. I am most thankful to all of the Chinese scholars in Groningen for helping me and spending your spare time with me. Please forgive my inability to name all those who have helped me over the past few years. I wish to let you know that I owe you my gratitude and indebtedness.

I wish to express my sincere thanks to my father, Zhang Youxi, and my mother, Wang Yunlan, for your continual support, encouragement, love, praying for my progress and for teaching me the values in life that brought me where I am today. I greatly appreciate my sisters and brother for fulfilling my duty to take care of our parents; especially my younger sister, Zhang Xiuhua, who also helped a great deal with my data collection in China.

Finally, I would like to deeply thank Ying Wu for your deep understanding, profound encouragement, and unlimited support. You always helped alleviate my pressure when I faced various difficulties. I thank Ying Wu for carefully reading the manuscript of the thesis and offering critical comments on the English.

Zhihai Zhang

Groningen, 12 December, 2000

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