Quality management approach in construction equipment manufacturing

Over the recent decades, quality management practises have been documented extensively, with concepts often being termed the latest management fad. This study tackles a debate that has been a topic of discussion within academic literature for several decades; is Total Quality Management a management fad, which should be replaced by a new quality philosophy. This paper presents the TQM versus Six Sigma debate, by critically reviewing existing literature on the two approaches, as well as providing results from research within a leading construction equipment manufacturer. The results highlight that Six Sigma should be implemented using TQM as a foundation; thus presenting the overall finding that TQM and Six Sigma are compliments, not substitutes

Andreev interferometry as a probe of superconducting phase correlations in the pseudogap regime of the cuprates

Andreev interferometry - the sensitivity of the tunneling current to spatial variations in the local superconducting order at an interface - is proposed as a probe of the spatial structure of the phase correlations in the pseudogap state of the cuprate superconductors. To demonstrate this idea theoretically, a simple tunneling model is considered, via which the tunneling current is related to the equilibrium phase-phase correlator in the pseudogap state. These considerations suggest that measurement of the low-voltage conductance through mesoscopic contacts of varying areas provides a scheme for accessing phase-phase correlation information. For illustrative purposes, quantitative predictions are made for a model of the pseudogap state in which the phase (but not the amplitude) of the superconducting order varies randomly, and does so with correlations consistent with certain proposed pictures of the pseudogap state.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures; 3 references adde

Detection of electronic nematicity using scanning tunneling microscopy

Electronic nematic phases have been proposed to occur in various correlated electron systems and were recently claimed to have been detected in scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) conductance maps of the pseudogap states of the cuprate high-temperature superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x (Bi-2212). We investigate the influence of anisotropic STM tip structures on such measurements and establish, with a model calculation, the presence of a tunneling interference effect within an STM junction that induces energy-dependent symmetry-breaking features in the conductance maps. We experimentally confirm this phenomenon on different correlated electron systems, including measurements in the pseudogap state of Bi-2212, showing that the apparent nematic behavior of the imaged crystal lattice is likely not due to nematic order but is related to how a realistic STM tip probes the band structure of a material. We further establish that this interference effect can be used as a sensitive probe of changes in the momentum structure of the sample's quasiparticles as a function of energy.Comment: Accepted for publication (PRB - Rapid Communications). Main text (5 pages, 4 figures) + Supplemental Material (4 pages, 4 figures

Exact microscopic analysis of a thermal Brownian motor

We study a genuine Brownian motor by hard disk molecular dynamics and calculate analytically its properties, including its drift speed and thermal conductivity, from microscopic theory.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Supply chain integration strategies in fast evolving industries

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to define the "fast evolving industry" (FEI) and its supply chain management (SCM) challenges. The authors review and structure the literature regarding integration strategies and implementation methods to develop a strategic decision-making framework for SCM in the FEI. Design/methodology/approach - The authors conduct a review of SCM literature, including supply chain strategy, supply chain integration (SCI), agile and responsive supply chain and SCM for innovative and fast-changing industries. The authors develop a conceptual model and a decision-making framework and use four mini cases to provide support for the model and framework. Findings - The FEI, characterised by a high level of innovation and differentiation, short products/services lifecycle and high variety, is yet to be fully defined. Inherent uncertainty in FEI supply systems makes SCM in these industries a complex but strategic task for their managers. The framework and the model offered in this study, which employ a core competency concept and provide risk management strategies, offer a strategic tool for managers and scholars in the field to optimise their integration strategies and to operationalise integration decisions. Originality/value - Little research has been published on transferable and cross-industrial SCM in FEIs. This paper defines the FEI and its resource-related concerns and then offers a conceptual model and a strategic decision-making framework for SCI in FEIs

The Anderson prescription for surfaces and impurities

We test the Anderson prescription [1], a BCS formalism for describing superconductivity in inhomogeneous systems, and compare results with those obtained from the Bogoliubov-de Gennes formalism, using the attractive Hubbard model with surfaces and nonmagnetic impurities. The Anderson approach captures the essential features of the spatial variation of the gap parameter and electron density around a surface or an impurity over a wide range of parameters. It breaks down, however, in the strong-coupling regime for a weak impurity potential. [1] P. W. Anderson, J. Phys. Chem. Solids 11, 26 (1959).Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Angular dependence of the magnetic-field driven superconductor-insulator transition in thin films of amorphous indium-oxide

A significant anisotropy of the magnetic-field driven superconductor-insulator transition is observed in thin films of amorphous indium-oxide. The anisotropy is largest for more disordered films which have a lower transition field. At higher magnetic field the anisotropy reduces and even changes sign beyond a sample specific and temperature independent magnetic field value. The data are consistent with the existence of more that one mechanism affecting transport at high magnetic fields.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure