The transferability of Japanese and western production management practices to petrochemical organisations in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This thesis seeks to identify the characteristics of Japanese and western management practices concerning product quality, and their transferability to the petrochemical industry in Saudi Arabia. The thesis is divided into seven chapters. Chapter One discusses the purpose and value of this research. Chapter Two introduces the management practices of developing countries and Saudi Arabia in particular, to assist in the understanding of this subject. The experience of western and Japanese companies in transferring their management practices abroad is discussed in Chapter Three. To carry out this study, a model has been developed in Chapter Four, adopted from the theoretical models of Neghandi and Frasada (1971) and Horn, Grubb-Ingram and Masson (1987). This model suggests that product quality can be achieved through improvements in management philosophy, management functions and production management. Chapter Five shows the results of the questionnaire analysis and Chapter Six discusses the findings of the research. Finally, Chapter Seven provide a summary of the research findings which showed both the Japanese and western management practices have contributed considerably to an improvement in product quality in the Saudi petrochemical industry. Both the Japanese and western companies have employed their management practices in their subsidiaries in Saudi Arabia to a considerable extent; however, both Japanese and western practices have been influenced by the business environment in Saudi Arabia to a certain extent.