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Introduction
5S initially based on the Japanese acronyms of seiri (organisation), seiton (neatness), seiso (cleaning), seiketsu (standardisation) and shitsuke (discipline), is used as a platform for developing an integrated management system by the parallel use of total productive maintenance (TPM) ([3] Bamber et al. , 2000). In the West both 5S and TPM are sometimes disregarded or at least underutilised ([12] Douglas, 2002). A common definition of 5S in the West is "housekeeping" ([4] Becker, 2001; [7] Chin and Pun, 2002; [8] Cooney, 2002; [9] da Silveira, 2006; [13] Eckhardt, 2001). A framework of applying 5S within a business (as apposed to a personal philosophy of way of life) was first formalised in the early 1980s by Takashi Osada ([17] Ho et al. , 1995). The practice of 5S aims to embed the values of organisation, neatness, cleaning, standardisation and discipline into the workplace ([36] Osada, 1991). In Japan the 5S practice was initiated in the manufacturing sector and then extended to other industries and services sector. The Toyota Production System provides a well-known example of 5S principles in practice, the early versions were based on 3S this, became 4S ([34] Ohno, 1988). Boeing in the USA pursues 5S as a world-class strategy ([2] Ansari and Modarress, 1997). Even with these prestigious and complex examples it appears that many researchers and practitioners have difficulty going beyond the simplest 5S concept (or meaning) of "housekeeping". This is suggested by Hyland and others where they believe that Australian manufacturing firms have only a basic perception of the importance and the potentiality of 5S ([19] Hyland et al. , 2000). These authors found of ten continuous improvement tools they investigated the usage and perceived importance of 5S was lowly ranked. It would appear at the abstract level, 5S is "easy to understand" ([4] Becker, 2001; [13] Eckhardt, 2001; [49] Zelinski, 2005). It seems far more difficult to fully understand what lies behind 5S when developed as a value driven business model as seen in both the Toyota and Boeing situations. In addition it is also believed that some definitions applied to 5S in the west may confuse practitioners ([18] Hubbard, 1999; [38] Shih and Gurnani, 1997), compounding the difficulty the West has in fully appreciating the benefits...