This study advocates a planned and integrated approach for achieving continuous improvement in an organisation. A model based on ten essential criteria and supporting elements of``best practice'' is provided. The role of senior management in ceaselessly driving the improvement cause is emphasized together with the need to focus on stakeholder requirements, measure performance and learn from results. The underpinning foundations are seen to be a culture for innovation, focusing on critical processes and the involvement of employees, together with the integration of improvement activities throughout the organisation. Use of the proposed model is seen as preparatory for, and complementary to, the more complex models (such as the business excellence model or Baldrige criteria) which are useful where an organisation already has the foundations and culture for improvement and wishes to stretch itself further.
A greater awareness of overseas students' problems and a commitment to meeting their needs are critical for academic institutions to win the competition for overseas students. This study has empirically explored the perceptions of overseas students of the major problems encountered during their study. The interrelationships between each of the problems have also been examined. The data used for this study were drawn from the overseas students' survey conducted at a university in the UK. The results yield some valuable insights for academic institutions in counselling and helping their overseas students and in improving the quality of services.
IntroductionCurrent theory indicates that, for TQM to succeed, all of the four "S"s in Figure 1 need to be in place [1][2][3]. A TQM programme needs to be founded on a strategic evaluation of the company's quality performance compared to its own mission statement and the performance of its competitors. Leadership is required to set direction and specific goals for the programme. Management then interprets strategy into specific plans for people, resources and processes. Clear procedures are set with the aim of consistent, reliable service to the customer, perhaps using the BS 5750 guidelines [1]. Statistical controls need to be in place to measure success and feed results to improvement teams [2]. These teams then build on the successes reported, solve any problems highlighted and create new procedures in order to achieve greater satisfaction next time around [3].Evidence from current practice has established that measurement is the weak link in many TQM programmes in the UK [4][5][6]. Many resources have been directed at the systems approach and achieving BS 5750 [4]. More recently, many companies have launched sociological initiatives to achieve the necessary cultural change, using quality circle and teamwork techniques [5]. However, statistics have often been ignored and without this factual foundation, the initial enthusiasm of a TQM programme has lacked direction and failed to achieve results [6].The aim of this article is to explore the role of measurements in a TQM programme. The method used is to establish the most appropriate types of measure of TQM success and to assess by how much the rate of success improves when these measures are used.A study at Colt International carried out in the third quarter of 1992 addressed this problem. The Baldrige framework [7] was used to identify six key measures of TQM success:(1) management involvement;(2) strategic quality planning;(3) employee involvement; (4) training;(5) process capability; (6) customer perceptions. Methods of measuring each of these six key factors were established, choosing simple methods with a reasonable correlation to the factor to be assessed, rather
This research is mainly concerned with the reasons why many organizations remain rooted in the early quality eras and what prevents them from making the transition to the era of strategic quality management. The study examined the characteristics of 13 organizations at various stages of their quality initiatives. Interviews were conducted on a face‐to‐face basis using a semi‐structured questionnaire in order to obtain an in‐depth picture of each organization. The results enabled organizational profiles to be constructed, identifying in particular the key characteristics of those organizations which had successfully integrated their quality initiative into organization strategy. These findings provide useful learning for those organizations wishing to progress their quality initiatives.
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