There are a number of philosophies, tools and techniques available for continuous improvement of performance of the organizations. Kaizen is one of the Japanese management philosophies, which can be effectively implemented for continuous improvement of performance, work area, product quality, organizational internal processes and development of human resource. Primarily, Kaizen was developed and implemented by automobile sector organizations of Japan. Most of the automobile organizations of Pakistan are Japan based and have tremendous contribution in economic development of the country. Therefore this sector was selected for measuring perceptions of respondents regarding different factors affecting Kaizen and its outcomes. The theoretical framework for effective implementation of Kaizen was developed through identification of key factors from literature review and survey of automobile organizations and discussion with proponents of Kaizen in Pakistan. In this research, Top Management Commitment, Organization Kaizen Culture, Personal Initiative of Employees, Rewards & Recognition, Training of Workers and Kaizen Event & Team Design were selected as independent variables of Kaizen. Variables such as Human Resource Development, Work Area Improvement, Product Quality Improvement, Organization Internal Process Improvement and Overall Success of Kaizen in an organization were incorporated as outcome variables of Kaizen in theoretical framework. In this research, survey technique was adopted for the collection of data for empirical analysis. The existing questionnaire found in the literature was amended, and this modified questionnaire consisting of two parts was used in this research. Construct validity and reliability of survey scale items were checked through Factor Analysis. Survey was conducted in two phases. In first phase, Part I of survey questionnaire was forwarded to 455 automobile sector organization including member organizations of Pakistan Automobile Manufacturing Association (PAMA), Pakistan Association of Automotive Parts & Accessories Manufacturers (PAPAM) and Association of Pakistan’s Motorcycle Assembler (APMA). Out of those 455 organizations only 216 organizations responded back showing response rate of 47.5%. Kaizen tools and techniques implementation status was found good / satisfactory in 97 organizations. In second phase of survey, perception of individual respondents regarding statement of survey scale xxxiii items related to independent, process and dependent variables of Kaizen was measured from selected organizations of Phase-1 of the survey. A total of 200 respondents from 61 different organizations including respondents from top management, middle management and shop floor workers working as Kaizen team members and team leaders responded back to survey questionnaire. During face validation and data screening through descriptive statistics, 27 survey responses from 7 different organizations were rejected due to incompleteness or biasness. Finally 173 survey responses from 54 organizations, implementing Kaizen tools and techniques for continuous improvement were empirically analyzed. The relationship among independent and dependent variables was determined through statistical analysis of data collected through measure of perceptions of the respondents. Pearson Correlation Test, ANOVA and Multiple Linear Regression Analysis were applied to confirm the proposed theoretical research framework. Results of statistical analysis indicate that critical factors such as Top Management Commitment, Organization Kaizen Culture, Personal Initiative, Reward & Recognition, Training of workers and Kaizen Event & Team Design have medium to strong positive correlation having Pearson Correlation Coefficient values ranging from 0.413 to 0.791 with outcome variables of Kaizen. After confirmation of all pre-requisites of Multiple Linear Regression Analysis from the data, regression model for each outcome variable of Kaizen was developed. The results indicate that model developed for outcome variable Human Resource Development account for 76.7% variation in it due to change in independent variables such as Top Management Commitment, Organization Kaizen Culture, Rewards & Recognition and Training of Workers having standardized beta coefficient values 0.432, 0.206, 0.242 and 0.269 respectively. The regression model developed for Work Area Improvement account for 72% variation in outcome variable of Kaizen “Work Area Improvement” due to independent variables such as Organization Kaizen Culture, Rewards & Recognition and Training of Workers having beta coefficient values, 0.251, 0.315 and 0.549 respectively. Similarly the third regression model developed for Product Quality Improvement accounts for 72.3% variation in it, contributed by three independent variables such as Top Management Commitment, Organization Kaizen Culture, and Training of Workers having beta coefficient values, 0.428, 0.338 and 0.350 respectively. Fourth model accounts for 75.5% variations in Organizational Internal Process Improvement, contributed by five independent variables such as Organization Kaizen Culture, Rewards & Recognition, Training of xxxiv Workers, Personal Initiative of employees and Kaizen Event & Team Design having beta coefficient values, 0.220, 0.255, 0.221, 0.455 and 0.210 respectively. Finally, 69.2% variations in Overall Success of Kaizen were explained by four independent variables of Kaizen such as Top Management Commitment, Personal Initiative of employees, Rewards & Recognitions and Training of Workers having beta coefficient values, 0.281, 0.228, 0.219, and 0.361 respectively. The results of mediation analysis indicate that process factors of Kaizen partially mediate the relationship between independent variables and overall success of Kaizen in an organization. The results of this study are in line with the research carried out on Kaizen event effectiveness in the UK. The framework for effective implementation of Kaizen was developed by incorporating all independent variables (input factors) having medium to strong correlation with outcome factors and has significant contribution in regression model developed for different outcome variables of Kaizen. This research study is limited to automobile sector organizations of Pakistan, however, in future the scope of this research can be widened to other sectors as well. Secondly, in this study the relationship among 15 different variables (independent, process and dependent variables) of Kaizen has been analyzed. The relationship among other organizational factors, internal as well as external affecting Kaizen may be identified through empirical analysis in future research work.
مولانا محب ﷲ لاری ندوی افسوس ہے کہ مولانا محب اﷲ ندوی مہتمم دارالعلوم ندوۃ العلماء لکھنؤ، ۳۰؍ نومبر ۹۳ء کو رحلت فرماگئے، ان کی عمر ۸۸ برس تھی اور وہ نحیف و کمزور بھی ہوگئے تھے لیکن ندوۃ العلماء کے دور کمال کی ایک یادگار تھے اور ان کا وجود ندوۃ العلماء خصوصاً اس کے ناظم مولانا سید ابوالحسن علی ندوی مدظلہ کے لیے باعث تقویت تھا جن کے مرحوم ہم سبق تھے۔ ان کا وطن لارتھا، یہیں ابتدائی تعلیم حاصل کی۔ عربی تعلیم ندوۃ العلماء لکھنو اور انگریزی تعلیم علی گڑھ مسلم یونیورسٹی میں پائی اس کے بعد وہ چاہتے تو اچھی سی اچھی ملازمت مل جاتی مگر انھوں نے فراغت کے بعد کانپور میں اپنی انڈسٹری کرلی۔ کاروبار میں لگ جانے کے بعد بھی انھوں نے ندوۃ العلماء اور اس کے فضلا سے اپنا تعلق باقی رکھا اور اس کی مجلس انتظامیہ کے برابر رکن رہے۔ ۶۹ء میں بعض خاص حالات کی بناء پر انہیں دارالعلوم کے اہتمام کی ذمہ داری سپرد کی گئی جس کو کم و بیش ۲۵ برس تک وہ انجام دیتے رہے اور وفات کے بعد ہی اس سے سبکدوش ہوئے۔ دینداری، تقویٰ اور خشیتِ الٰہی ان کا شعار تھا، طبیعت میں اعتدال، سلامت روی سادگی اور انکسار تھا۔ اپنے اخلاص، مروت، شرافت اور حسن خلق کی بناء پر طلبہ، اساتذہ اور منتظمین کے حلقے میں مقبول رہے۔ اﷲ تعالیٰ اپنے اس نیک بندے کی مغفرت فرمائے، آمین۔ اب مولانا سید محمد رابع ندوی صاحب نے دارالعلوم ندوۃ العلماء کے اہتمام کی ذمہ داری سنبھال لی ہے، جن کا انتخاب ان کے طویل تجربہ اور دیرینہ خدمات کی بنا پر بہت مناسب ہوا ہے۔ (ضیاء الدین اصلاحی۔ جنوری ۱۹۹۴ء)
Background: Women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) have insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia that may play a key role in the pathogenesis of PCOS. Objectives: To determine and compare glucose-insulin ratio in hyper-insulinemic women with the polycystic ovarian syndrome and healthy controls. Materials & Methods: A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted at Lahore General Hospital. A total of 80 women 24-35 years of age were recruited from Lahore General Hospital. 50 women had PCOS, and 30 were healthy controls. PCOS was diagnosed by using the Rotterdam criteria. Height, weight, and waist circumference were measured. Glucose and insulin were estimated by the glucose oxidase method and ELISA, respectively. HOMA-IR was calculated to determine insulin resistance (IR). HOMA- β was calculated to assess the β-cell function. Fasting glucose and insulin ratio were also calculated. Results: Mean age of the women with PCOS and healthy controls was 29.89±3.54 and 28.60±1.12 years, respectively (p>0.54). BMI and waist circumference of women with PCOS were higher compared to healthy controls (p>0.45). Fasting glucose, fasting insulin, HOMA- β, and IR were significantly higher in women with PCOS compared to healthy controls (p<0.001). Conclusion: In addition to HOMA IR, the glucose-insulin ratio may be considered to assess hyperinsulinemia in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.
In this study, polymer/silica hybrid compositeswere developed using grafting techniques for potential applications as adsorbent, heterogeneous catalyst, and ion exchange resin. Two commonly used grafting techniques i.e., radiation-induced grafting and emulsion graft polymerization have been explored to modify the surface of the commercially available silica microparticles with different monomers to fabricate composite materials for environmental applications. The mesoporous silica particles with high surface area, tunable pore size, and narrow pore size distribution were modified by treating with vinyltriethoxysilane to introduce polymerizable vinyl functionality on the particle surface for in-situ polymerization of various monomers to achieve polymer/silica hybrid composites. Silica/poly(acrylonitrile) and silica/polystyrene hybrid composites were fabricated by in-situ grafting of acrylonitrile (AN) and styrene (St), from surface of the modified silica (MS) microparticles, respectively. Radiation induced grafting was achieved by using the Co-60 irradiator. Systematic and detailed studies have been carried out to investigate the influence of various grafting parameters, i.e., gamma absorbed dose and monomer concentration, on the grafting of acrylonitrile. Under the optimized conditions of 1:12 silica to monomer ratio (w/v) and 20 kGy absorbed dose, afforded the highest grafting (748 %, the value indicates the % increase in weight of the silica particles after the AN grafting). Radiation induced grafting in a solvent free system provided eco-friendly route by avoiding hazardous organic solvents. The emulsion graft polymerization AN was carried out with potassium persulfate as initiator and tween 80 as surfactant in aqueous medium. Systematic investigations were carried out to elucidate the effect of monomer, initiator, and surfactant concentration on the grafting. The optimized conditions were found to be 6% monomer, 0.15 % initiator, and 1 % surfactant concentration that afforded the highest grafting (296 %). The nitrile (-CN) groups of the grafted poly(acrylonitrile) were converted into amidoxime functionality by treating with hydroxylamine. The emulsion grafting route is free from the requirements of using higher monomer concentration, costly organic solvents, and special equipment. In 2nd study, styrene was grafted onto modified silica particles to afford silicagrafted-styrene composite via radiation induced grafting and subsequent sulfonation of the grafted polystyrene. The effect of grafting conditions, such as absorbed dose, monomer concentration, and the type of solvent used was investigated in detail. The structural and morphological investigations of the hybrid composites were carefully performed by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms. The amidoxime grafted silica materials prepared were evaluated as adsorbent for Cu(II) ions from the aqueous solution and were found to have higher loading capacities of 172 mg/g and 130 mg/g, respectively, for radiation-induced and emulsion grafted samples. The hybrid materials after loading with Cu(II) ions were also employed as heterogeneous catalyst for the reductive degradation of methylene blue (MB) in the presence of NaBH4 as reductant. The reduction process followed pseudo-first-order kinetics and the rate constant (k) was calculated 0.6224 min-1. The hybrid catalyst was found to be highly effective for the degradation of MB and can be easily recovered and reused several times with no appreciable loss of catalytic activity. The ion exchange capacity (IEC) of the fabricated silica-grafted-sulfonated styrene composite resin was evaluated by ion exchange titrations (back titration method). The IEC was found to be in the range of 0.43-2.97 meq/g depending on the degree of grafting. The facile fabrication method and high IEC value could lead to potential application of the fabricated resin in ion exchange resin in waste water treatment and metal recovery.