Six Sigma is a disciplined approach to define, measure, analyse, improve and control processes that result in variability and defect reduction. Although Six Sigma has been widely embraced by many world class manufacturing companies, it is still new in the software industry. This paper initially makes an attempt to compare software industry with manufacturing industry. This is followed by presenting the results from a pilot survey on Six Sigma in the software industry. The focus is on the Six Sigma tools and techniques used by software industry, key Six Sigma metrics used by the software businesses, important attributes in the software development process and finally critical success factors for successful implementation of Six Sigma in software industry.

The introduction of decision-aid technology in sport, such as Goal Line Technology (GLT) in football, has generated minimal literature on supporters' perspectives. This paper aims to investigate Scottish football supporters' perceptions towards GLT. Two hundred and seventy Scottish supporters completed a questionnaire to assess their satisfaction with GLT and factors that influence their level of satisfaction. The majority of Scottish supporters trust the technology applied in football and favours its use. However, they are dissatisfied with GLT in part because GLT is considered to detract from the atmosphere resulting from contentious goals which supporters appreciate and lessen the debate around crucial decisions. Findings also showed that football supporters are against GLT viewing in the stadium and do not welcome future decision-aid technology in football.

PurposeA successful supply chain should ensure that all participating members benefit from the marketplace. To achieve this goal, the supply chain members need to improve their competences all the time, which requires a continuous learning process. Thus, mutual learning, through knowledge sharing between the different members, is a necessary approach to increase the competence of supply chain partners. To realise efficient and effective knowledge sharing in a supply chain, this paper aims to explore and formulate a model that supports an enterprise with its management of the supply chain members' knowledge resource sharing (herein referred to as “advanced practice” and includes two levels of knowledge – strategic and operational). The model is based on the theories of supply chain management (SCM) and case‐based reasoning (CBR).Design/methodology/approachThis research follows a conductive and inductive cycle. Firstly, based on the learning expounded through an extensive literature survey regarding SCM and CBR, as well as available empirical applications, the conceptual model is designed. Then the primary stage evaluation will be discussed regarding the feasibility and refinement of the model towards its maturity.FindingsTo share knowledge along the supply chain is theoretically sound, but a difficult task to realise in practice, due to the complexity of knowledge sharing between the different organizations.Research limitations/implicationsThis research explores one of the important topics in SCM – knowledge sharing within a supply chain, and the model also extends and explores a new tool for this knowledge‐sharing process by applying CBR methodology.Practical implicationsThe designed model in this research will provide a practice‐oriented vehicle allowing the supply chain members to share and apply their knowledge.Originality/valueThis research applies CBR in the domain of SCM, it both enriches the available approaches to supply chain performance enhancement and enlarges the application domains of CBR methodology.

Total Quality Management is an integrative managemetn philosophy aimed at continuously improving the performance of products, processes and services to achieve and surpass customer expectations. Very little has been published on the fundamental difference between manufacturing and service industries with regard to TQM implementation. The purpose of this study is to understand the concept of TQM in both industry sectors and to identify the significant differences (if any) in TQM practices in UK service and manufacturing organizations. The research is based on a pilot survey conducted in both industrial sectors. It was found that five out the eleven management factors are significantly different between manufacturing and service industries. They are top management commitment and recognition, supplier partnership or supplier management, quality systems and policies, communication in company and cultural change. It was also found that “customer focus’ is the most important factor and “supplier partnership/supplier management” is the least important factor for TQM practice in both manufacturing and service industries in the UK.

Dr Genichi Taguchi is a Japanese engineer and quality consultant who has promoted the use of statistical design of experiments for improving process/product quality at minimal costs. Taguchi has developed a practical and strategic approach for designing quality into products and processes at the product planning, design and development stages, which is often referred to as off-line quality control. Although many companies in Europe and the USA have used the Taguchi approach to statistical design of experiments with success, very few applications of this method are realised in countries such as the Czech Republic. This paper reports the applications of experimental design advocated by Taguchi in two manufacturing companies in the Czech Republic. The results of the study are stimulating and will lead to wider applications of this methodology for tackling process and quality-related problems in the Czech Republican industries in the near future.