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Purpose Muda is a Japanese term literally meaning futility, uselessness, idleness, superfluity, waste, wastage or wastefulness. The term was introduced by the Japanese engineer Taiichi Ohno of Toyota Motor Corporation in the 1960s. Therefore, reducing and minimizing Muda is an effective way to increase the operational efficiency and productivity of an organization’s processes. In turn, the technique known as the affinity or TKJ diagram represents a practical way of sorting data or ideas into groups classified by common patterns; it can be regarded as one of the new seven tools of quality. The purpose of this paper is to discover Muda by applying the affinity or TKJ diagram in Mexican organizations. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory qualitative study was conducted. Using theoretical sampling, the authors identified and analyzed data from a kaizen training course. Each course workshop was organized by the Universidad de las Americas Puebla and consulting firm “Mi Empresa”, and given to employees of various organizations in various sectors over three years from January 2012 to January 2015. Findings The research provided the first evidence of Muda in Mexican organizations. The Muda of Ohno’s classification was confirmed, but new common patterns of Muda in twenty-first-century organizations also arose. Furthermore, the TKJ diagram proved to be an effective tool of quality to detect it. Research limitations/implications This paper has the same limitations as all other qualitative research, including analysis subjectivity and questionable generalization of findings. It is also important to highlight the seven KJ diagrams, a seemingly abundant figure. However, it is a small sample for the number of companies and processes to be found in Mexico. Practical implications This paper may prove to be valuable for practitioners and managers involved in the operations and continuous improvement fields. Getting to know Muda in organizations is of great importance for continuously improving organizational processes. This classification will allow greater insight and easier detection. Originality/value The study contributes to the limited existing literature on total quality management, lean thinking and kaizen, and subsequently disseminates this information to provide impetus, guidance and support toward improving the quality of organizational processes.

Purpose Some manufacturing and service organizations have made efforts to work on continuous improvement in the form of Kaizen, lean thinking, Six Sigma, etc. The elimination of problems and waste (MUDA for the Japanese) plays a fundamental role in the reduction of operational costs and quality rejections of finished products both internally in the organization and in the supply chain. Some of these efforts use quality control tools to remedy it. Kaoru Ishikawa proposes seven basic quality tools. In this group of quality tools is the cause-and-effect diagram (CED), also known as “The Fishbone” and “Ishikawa diagram”. Exploring this questioning can shed light on the first indications to ratify the arguments of Ishikawa and Deming, that the main problems of companies are found in their processes and perhaps, in a deep way, in some of these cornerstone root causes that have to do with the way organizations are managed. The purpose of this study is to investigate cornerstone root causes through the application of CEDs in 40 Mexican companies that began an effort to improve some of their organizational processes. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory qualitative study was conducted. As a research strategy, the case study method was applied. Using theoretical sampling, the Ishikawa diagrams of 40 companies were analyzed, and 24 semi-structured interviews in depth were conducted. Findings The results of this research confirm the main research question: Are there cornerstone root causes that give way to one or several problems or effects of problems in organizations regardless of their sector? In other words, there were at least seven typical patterns that show the first signs of cornerstones root causes in organizations. Research limitations/implications The method itself is a limitation; 40 case studies are not enough to generalize the results. In addition, the research was conducted only in a single Latin American country; in some cities of Mexico. However, 60 per cent of these companies are multinationals. Practical implications This paper is fundamental to delve into the cornerstones causes that give rise to the problems of organizations of the twenty-first century. The authors understand that these are the first indications, and that they cannot be considered a conclusion of these causes. However, this first theoretical sampling presents a first light on the subject. Originality/value The study contributes to the limited existing literature on total quality management and Kaizen in quality control tools and subsequently disseminates this information to provide impetus, guidance and support toward improving the problems of the organizations of twenty-first century.

Androgen receptor (AR) CAG n (polyglutamine) and GGN n (polyglycine) repeat polymorphisms determine part of the androgenic effect and may influence adiposity. The association of fat mass, and its regional distribution, with the AR CAG n and GGN n polymorphisms was studied in 319 and 78 physically active nonsmoker men and women (mean 6 SD: 28.3 6 7.6 and 24.8 6 6.2 years old, respectively). The length of CAG and GGN repeats was determined by polymerase chain reaction and fragment analysis, and confirmed by DNA sequencing of selected samples. Men were grouped as CAG short (CAG S ) if harboring repeat lengths #21, the rest as CAG long (CAG L ). The corresponding cutoff CAG number for women was 22. GGN was considered short (GGN S ) if GGN #23, the rest as GGN long (GGN L ). No association between AR polymorphisms and adiposity or the hormonal variables was observed in men. Neither was there a difference in the studied variables between men harboring CAG L + GGN L , CAG S + GGN S , CAG S + GGN L , and CAG L + GGN S combinations. However, in women, GGN n was linearly related to the percentage of body fat (r 5 0.30, P , .05), the percentage of fat in the trunk (r 5 0.28, P , .05), serum leptin concentration (r 5 0.40, P , .05), and serum osteocalcin concentration (r 5 0.32, P , .05). In men, free testosterone was inversely associated with adiposity and serum leptin concentration, and positively with osteocalcin, even after accounting for differences in CAG n , GGN n , or both. In summary, this study shows that the AR repeat polymorphism has little influence on absolute and relative fat mass or its regional distribution in physically active men. In young women, GGN length is positively associated with adiposity, leptin, and osteocalcin.

The exon-1 of the androgen receptor (AR) gene contains two repeat length polymorphisms which modify either the amount of AR protein inside the cell (GGN n , polyglycine) or its transcriptional activity (CAG n , polyglutamine). Shorter CAG and/or GGN repeats provide stronger androgen signalling and vice versa. To test the hypothesis that CAG and GGN repeat AR polymorphisms affect muscle mass and various variables of muscular strength phenotype traits, the length of CAG and GGN repeats was determined by PCR and fragment analysis and confi rmed by DNA sequencing of selected samples in 282 men (28.6±7.6 years). Individuals were grouped as CAG short (CAG S ) if harbouring repeat lengths of ≤21 and CAG long (CAG L ) if CAG >21. GGN was considered short (GGN S ) or long (GGN L ) if GGN ≤23 or >23, respectively. No signifi cant differences in lean body mass or fi tness were observed between the CAG S and CAG L groups, or between GGN S and GGN L groups, but a trend for a correlation was found for the GGN repeat and lean mass of the extremities (r=−0.11, p=0.06). In summary, the lengths of CAG and GGN repeat of the AR gene do not appear to infl uence lean mass or fi tness in young men.

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ResumenIntroducción: los andrógenos juegan un papel importante en la oxidación de grasas; sin embargo, el efecto de los andrógenos depende, entre otros factores, de las características intrínsecas del receptor de andrógenos (RA). Un menor número de repeticiones CAG y GGN del RA parecen tener un efecto protector sobre la acumulación de grasa en la transición de la adolescencia hasta la veintena. Se desconoce si adelante en la vida persiste un efecto protector similar. Los objetivos de este estudio fueron: a) evaluar si repeticiones extremas de los polimorfismos CAG y GGN del RA influyen sobre la masa grasa corporal, su distribución regional, la tasa metabólica en reposo (RMR), la máxima oxidación de grasas (MFO) y la concentración sérica de leptina, testosterona libre y osteocalcina en hombres sanos; y b) determinar los efectos longitudinales sobre la acumulación de grasa después de 6.4 años de seguimiento. Métodos: la longitud de las repeticiones de CAG y GGN fueron medidas en 319 hombres sanos (media ± desviación estándar [SD]: 28,3 ± 7,6 años). De estos, seleccionamos los sujetos con repeticiones del CAG extremas cortas (CAG S ≤ 19; n = 7) y largas (CAG L ≥ 24; n = 10), y los sujetos con repeticiones del GGN extremas cortas (GGN S ≤ 22; n = 9) y largas (GGN L ≥ 25; n = 10). Se evaluaron la composición corporal mediante DXA y los niveles séricos de leptina, testosterona libre y osteocalcina por ELISA. Tras 6.4 años de seguimiento el DXA fue repetido, y la tasa metabólica en reposo (RMR), máxima oxidación de grasas (MFO) y VO 2 max fueron determinados mediante calorimetría indirecta. Resultados: los grupos CAG S y CAG L fueron comparables en RMR y cantidad de tejido graso tras 6,4 ± 1,0 años de seguimiento. Sin embargo, el grupo CAG L tuvo mayor MFO y masa libre de grasa que el grupo CAG S (p < 0,05). Los hombres con GGN S acumularon mayor cantidad de masa grasa total que los hombres con GGN L , particularmente en la región del tronco siete años después. Esto concordó con un mayor MFO en el grupo GGN L (p < 0,05), que acumuló menos masa grasa. La testosterona libre se asoció con el MFO en valores absolutos (r = 0,45; p < 0,05) y con MFO expresado por kg de masa libre de grasa de las piernas al cuadrado (r = 0,35; p < 0,05). Conclusiones: las repeticiones del polimorfismo del CAG y GGN pueden influenciar la capacidad muscular de oxidación de grasas y pueden tener un rol en la acumulación de grasa con los años. AbstractIntroduction: Androgens play a major role in fat oxidation; however, the effects of androgens depend, among other factors, on the intrinsic characteristics of the androgen receptor (AR). Lower repetitions of CAG and GGN polymorphism appear to have a protective effect on fat accumulation in the transition from adolescent to mid-twenties. Whether a similar protective effect is present later in life remains unknown. The aims of this study were: a) to evaluate if extreme CAG and GGN repeat polymorphisms of the androgen receptors influence body fat mass, its regional distribution, resting metabolic rate ...

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