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Iran is an energy superpower and the Petroleum industry in Iran plays an important part in it. Iran holds world's 4th largest crude oil and 1st gas reserves and is ranked as the second largest economy in the Middle East and North Africa in terms of GDP of about US$463 billion. Quality plays a crucial role in this industry. Quality is an approved management concept in the twentieth first century and an intense catalyst for driving organisational competitiveness and effectiveness. The cornerstone of any type of quality enhancement includes cultivating a 'quality culture' in the target organisation and incorporating it all through the organisation. A recent study showed that 1129 accidents have been recorded in 5 studied years through monitoring of only 9 refineries in Iran which five times higher than 217 incidents in the UK's oil and gas industry in 2017 referring to energy voice report. The oil and gas industry is definitely a fundamental element of economic activity in every oil-producing country. Not only it is a key provider of employment opportunities, but it pulls together different sectors and stimulates value creation. The aim of this study was to investigate challenges that the Iranian oil and gas industry face as they embrace the quality management guidelines and in creating the operational quality cultures. The study further explores the definitions of culture and how it is generated in the oil and gas organisations as well as the effectiveness of the quality culture. With the growth in the global energy industry is becomes critical to assess the challenges that affect Iran and the Middle East region to establish factors that might impede the growth. In this regard, the study sought to identify the drivers, barriers and success factors when implementing or adopting a quality culture, and the implications and impacts of Iran's culture on quality for organisations in the oil and gas industry. To achieve this aim, the study uses a mixed research approach and adopting a multiple case study strategy by triangulating the data collected through semi-structured interviews, questionnaire survey and literature review. Data was collected from two Iranian oil and gas organisations and descriptive and inferential statistical analysis in addition to content analysis methods were used to analyse the data. To the best of the researcher's knowledge, this study will be the first of its kind to be undertaken in Iranian oil and gas oil industry. Therefore, the findings will enrich the existing literature on the quality culture implementation in the oil industry and fill the gaps in knowledge of studies on Iran. The finding shows that the soft and hard cultural skills majorly determine the quality of the culture in the organisations in the oil and gas industry. Based on the findings of this study, there is an apt need for improvement in the leadership of the organisations. The nature of the leadership within an organisation is of particular importance in determining whether TQM is likely to be successful. The success of an organisation is highly dependent on the ability of the leaders and the people involved in the management of the organisation to direct the firm, regularly to generate or develop a cultural agenda that reflects their mission. The companies must add value to its products, services and its operations. Otherwise, the companies risk losing its esteemed customers and failing to gain new ones. Leaders must be strong and committed to successfully endure the quality programs needed in the organisation. Managers should play a significant role in improving the quality of the entire organisation. The contribution to knowledge is highlighting the importance of critical factors of quality in the oil and gas sector. Moreover, numerous updates from earlier researches were provided through this study and in more significant manner new considerations were added. By focusing on the five main critical success factor areas, this study added school of thought related to people, resource, strategy, process and performance management and finally this research unified the perception of stakeholder orientation by adding the performance management fundamentals in relation to sustainability and corporate social responsibility. The study provided a deep insight into the complexity of implementing quality management for a quality culture, and the various challenges and obstacles highlighted through other studies. The outcome of this study provided an empirical evidence that contributes to the importance of total quality management practice as a strategic tool helping oil and gas companies to optimise performance and operate efficiently and effectively in the industry.

Academic libraries operate in a fluid environment, where they must provide, and demonstrate that they provide, a high quality service that is focussed on customers’ needs. It is broadly accepted that the way to provide a high quality service responsive to customers’ needs is to have a culture of quality that underpins all the organisation’s efforts, i.e. TQM. The literature on how to improve the service quality of libraries in particular, and organisations in general, is extensive and varied. But it is not informative to practitioners who wish to know what to do to improve the quality culture of their library. The literature provides many examples of what a high quality organisation looks like, and, by inference, what a low quality organisation looks like. However, anyone who has worked in an organisation knows that quality culture is not binary but is instead a developmental process. This disconnection between the published research and known practice has led libraries to avoid attempts to measure, and therefore improve, their culture of quality. The purpose of this research is to facilitate engagement by directors of academic libraries with issues of quality culture. This is achieved by producing a new representation of the concept of quality culture, the Quality Maturity Model. The QMM enables library directors to assess their location on a roadmap to a culture of quality, guides them as to the next step forwards, enables them to measure their progress over time, and enables them to compare themselves to others and so learn from best practice. The characteristics of the research problem suggest the use of Design Science Research as the most appropriate research paradigm. This is a novel paradigm for library and information science research; one that has the potential to bridge the research-practice gap prevalent in this field. Design Science is iterative, creative and evaluative in the process of devising useful artefacts to attain specified goals. This research applies the Design Science Research Methodology (Peffers et al., 2008) as a framework and uses interpretive synthesis and grounded theory methods to create the Quality Maturity Model consistent with both theory and practice. Practice was identified via interviews with a cross-section of staff at ten academic library and information services in the UK. The QMM delineates 40 elements of quality culture, grouped into eight facets: Management of the organisation; environmental sensing; learning organisation attributes; attitude to change; attitude to quality; leadership; investment in staff; and alignment. The QMM has five maturity levels describing the progression from low quality maturity to high quality maturity for each of the elements. As a companion to the QMM, this research applied standard survey design methods to develop the Quality Culture Assessment Instrument. The QCAI enables library directors to self-assess the location of their library on the QMM using feedback from their library staff. The QMM rubric then enables library directors to identify what the next level of maturity looks like for each element. The evaluation of these artefacts demonstrates that they fulfil the aims of this research: changed the representation of quality culture and so promote engagement with such issues by academic library directors.

Quality has proven to be an effective management concept in the twentieth century and a powerful catalyst for driving organisational effectiveness and competitiveness. In recent years, research interests have shifted from the implementation aspects of quality and thus the shaping of local and organisational cultures that drive quality through continuous improvement and optimisation, towards the emerging concept of sustainable organisational excellence. The construction industry is a key pillar of every country’s economic activity. In the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, continued strong growth is demonstrated by the number of landmark projects, both residential and commercial, in development across the region. The construction industry in the GCC has become more sophisticated, complex and daring than ever before and the pace of development and expansion appears unabated, despite the economic downturn. This study looks specifically at the challenges the construction industry faces in the process of implementing quality management principles and creating effective quality cultures that can deliver organisational excellence and performance impacts on a sustainable basis. The research closely scrutinises how quality cultures are defined and created in various construction-based organisational settings and aims to assess the effectiveness of quality culture maturity. A combined integrated methodology was used to examine a list of critical success factors identified in the literature review. By using six case studies spread across three GCC countries and a survey questionnaire distributed to members of all GCC countries, plus the affiliate country of Jordan, 46 critical factors emerged as dominant (and with high significance). Several unique contributions to the existing body of knowledge were added through this study. In addition to a comprehensive analysis of the literature, this study used an integrated triangulated methodology suitable for researching the GCC construction industry.

In line with current trends in education both locally and abroad, the Institute of Vocational of Education (IVE) has embarked on a Total Quality Improvement programme. The IVE (Tsing Yi) campus was one of the first to embrace this as it already had an established infrastructure for quality assurance which pre-dated this programme. The purpose of this research is to study the academic quality culture in the IVE (Tsing Yi campus), and to determine factors that work for and against the implementation of Total Quality Improvement in a vocational education setting. The research was carried out through a triangulation process involving documentary analysis, questionnaire surveys, and interviews. To draw up an academic quality profile of the IVE (Tsing Yi campus), these areas were studied: staff values and beliefs in relation to TQM principles staff perception of the college's quality-related activities and mechanisms the structure and role, policies, practices and management of quality the extent to which the academic quality climate effectively helps to deliver quality courses and factors which can bring about a synergy between professionalism among staff and the current academic quality practices. Major strengths in the academic quality culture at IVE (Tsing Yi campus) include staffs professionalism and personal commitment to quality, as well as an existing infrastructure for quality assurance. Weaknesses include the existence of balkanisation in the campus, the absence of active leadership in quality issues, and a one-way communication pattern. To create a synergy between the quality culture, academic practices and mechanisms in the IVE (Tsing Yi campus), a TQM model has been proposed. Essentially, this involves creating a pre-condition for harnessing commitment and orchestrating changes, as well as allowing for better integration of staff.

The purpose of this research is to investigate the interactions between organizational effectiveness, quality culture, and employee health. The system dynamics modeling approach is used in order to reveal the complex and dynamic behavior of the system under investigation. Understanding system behavior facilitates policy analysis and management decision-making. The relationships between the three constructs: organizational effectiveness, quality culture and employee health are non linear and during the research a number of dynamic hypotheses were investigated. For example, illness is the main cause for absenteeism, loss of productivity, ineffective learning, which in turn causes even more stress and eventually more illness. As part of the system dynamics approach a conceptual (qualitative) model and a formal (quantitative) model were built. The conclusion from analyzing the dynamic hypotheses of this model was that quality culture had a great impact on the performance of the whole system, especially on employees’ health and on organizational effectiveness. Furthermore, employees’ health and organizational effectiveness concurrently impact each other. However, this research could not show a considerable impact of the employees’ health and organizational effectiveness on the organization’s quality culture. The research contributes to the general understanding of complex production systems, since the three constructs investigated in this research face similar issues, i.e., the trade-off between long-term and short-term goals, consequences of managerial actions that are far apart in time and space, and conflicts between measurable outcomes and subjective outcomes. The research adds to the design of effective social systems, where the products and the services are created in a quality fashion, and individuals experience an environment that is conducive to their well-being.

During the past decade, nurses in the clinical setting have began making a paradigm shift from Quality Assurance to Total Quality Management, or as it is commonly referred to within health care facililties, Continuous Quality Improvement.In contrast, scant attention has been paid to quality management practices in nursing in the higher education sector. This study provides an applied example of where it investigates quality management practices in the context of organisational culture and human resource management with the aim of developing a quality culture model for a school of nursing in higher education.The research study that was conducted produced several major findings from the views of nurse academics who participated in it. Several issues associated with nurse academics' opinions of quality management practices utilised in schools of nursing have been unravelled.The fundamental issue is that procedures and policies formulated for nurses in the hospital setting do not serve the needs of nursing education.The most crucial factor to be considered in policy developments and future research is that it needs to be contextualised in the culture of nursing in higher education.It has become imperative that a transparent quality culture reflects contemporary nursing in Australia and the proposed model in this thesis provides nurses with an opportunity to shape a quality system for the nursing profession.

This qualitative research study compares the local construction of ‘quality’ through national and institutional discourses and practices in France and England. It examines their impact on the daily practice of academics in the cases of Sciences Po Paris and London School of Economics. The study adopts a social constructivist epistemology, a multiple case study design, and uses a Foucauldian discourse analysis to interpret the data. The data is gathered through an analysis of policies, quality codes, and audit reports, as well as twenty qualitative semi-structured interviews with officials in quality agencies, institutional managers, and academics. Many analyses of quality assurance systems in higher education have likened them to Foucault’s metaphorical ‘panopticon’; the conceptual framework of this study initially uses the concept of panopticon and modifies it by integrating Clark’s (1983) triangle of coordination and Ball’s (1994) policy cycle. The findings reveal that the State plays an important steering role: in France through project-based funding and in England by setting and updating quality norms. In England, a focus on students’ satisfaction (which in reality is a manufactured concern) has led to discourses focussing on ‘value for money’ and ‘excellence’ and has created a shared quality culture across Higher education institutions. This facilitates academics’ practice, particularly for the newly recruited contractual lecturers. In France, quality is taken as a static condition associated with the prestige and selective admission processes of the grandes écoles. This, in addition to the binary divide between universities and the grandes écoles and longstanding bureaucratic rigidities, has inhibited the creation and implementation of a shared quality culture. This has an especially negative impact on contractual teachers’ practice while permanent academics are hired and perform based on national frameworks. This research is of significance as it, a) examines quality policies and practices in France which is an understudied topic; b) provides a comparative analysis of socio-historical events and State policies as well as elite institutions’ practices that have shaped the local definition of quality in higher education in England and France; c)critiques Foucault’s panopticon in light of the current developments in higher education quality governance, its multiple interest groups, and their power relations; and, d) argues that quality systems may have an empowering impacts on academics.

The objective of this study is to investigate the quality management systems of ISO 9000 registered firms in the manufacturing sectors in Saudi Arabia. For this purpose, different aspects were studied; a study of the characteristics of firms; an investigation into their quality systems, which includes some ISO clauses and other elements; and a comprehensive study of the implementation of ISO 9000. To achieve these objectives, 140 questionnaires were distributed to all possible known firms holding an ISO certificate. 97 were returned, of which 83 were considered usable. In addition, 10 postal questionnaires were sent to assessors in Saudi Arabia, 3 were returned; and interviews were conducted with three SASO officials. The chemical and petrochemical sectors had the largest number of ISO registered firms, followed by the metal sector, and ISO registration was adopted by all sizes of firms. Moreover, the largest number of firms, were joint ventures, and approximately 90% of all the firms were involved in exports, the majority comprising the chemical and petrochemical ones. Most of the employees in quality-related positions were expatriates, while the 12 Sabic firms employed a higher percentage of Saudi nationals than other firms did. Two thirds of the firms were registered to ISO 9002 and one third to ISO 9001, while no firms were registered to ISO 9003 or to ISO 14001. The study also revealed that a third of the firms were implementing TQM, and the remaining ones were not. Large firms and Sabic's companies were more likely to implement TQM than others. The Western Region housed the largest number of firms, followed by the Eastern then the Middle Region, while the city of Jeddah came first, followed by Riyadh and then Jubail. The study concludes that ISO registered firms performed well in terms of the quality system elements, and in their compliance to ISO clauses. Among these, TQM firms generally performed better than Non-TQM ones in executing quality system elements and were significantly better in some aspects such as training, relations with suppliers, qualitative tools, SPC, quality culture and measuring performance. However, many ISO firms tended not to implement advanced and other techniques such as QFD; benchmarking; cross-functional teams; a vendor rating system; failure mode and effect analysis; and quality circles. Nor did they use sophisticated techniques to measure customer satisfaction and performance. The study also showed that ISO firms substantially fostered quality culture. The commitment of top managers to ISO was significantly higher than their commitment to quality in general. By applying factor analysis, it became evident that the 19 motives to ISO registration were grouped into 5 factors: increase market share; improvement of functions; international marketing; cost reductions; and joint venture influence. It was also found that there was a positive correlation between the international marketing motives for ISO and the extent of involvement in export. A large number of firms, small and large alike, appeared not to take sufficient preparation measures before implementing ISO. Approximately 53 % of firms relied on external consultants, and some of them used their registration agencies for this purpose, which constituted a conflict of interest and a violation of ISO 62. The most important factors in helping in the implementation were top management commitment; a well-structured system of procedures; and the contribution of the internal auditors. The private training agencies ranked first in training for ISO, followed by the chambers of commerce then the registration agencies, while SASO ranked fourth. The participation of the registration agencies in training their clients may question the conflict of interests matter and the integrity of the registration process. Firms, when choosing their registration agencies, considered such criteria as their reputation and image, their knowledge about their industry, and their experience in Saudi Arabia. It was also found that small firms tended to use subjective factors more than did large firms when choosing the agencies. Before contracting agencies, many firms did not adequately assess their operations and work. The study showed the dominant role of the British agencies in the ISO scene providing more than 80% of registration and the known private training. For those who did not choose SASO, this was because the certificate of the foreign agency was more prestigious, valid, and credible. About 88% of the firms achieved registration in the first audit, and more than half of all firms achieved it in less than a year; the smaller the firm, the faster. It was found that the British agencies and SASO conducted two surveillance visits a year, while the Germans and the Americans did so once a year. The most significant problems with agencies were their high fees, the confusion of choosing the appropriate agency and the complication of the assessment procedures. However, the level of satisfaction with these agencies was high. In arranging the quality manual, about 85% of firms did so according to ISO clause sequencing, and more than half of all firms relied on consultants to write the manual. The majority of firms showed satisfaction with the manual, although some expressed annoyance with certain shortcomings, such as: the involvement of a large administrative burden; being too theoretical, and leading to a loss of flexibility. However, the severity of those problems was not great. Internal costs and consultancy fees incurred about 90% of all expenses, but could be avoided if firms used their own resources. Firms were generally convinced that ISO benefits were worth the costs. By using factor analysis, the 20 benefits of ISO were reduced to 5 factors: internal benefits; marketing benefits; efficiency benefits; inspection benefits; and quality benefits. About two thirds of firms used the ISO logo as a promotional tool in their advertisements and publications. The majority of firms were satisfied with ISO, the larger the firm the more likely it was likely to be uncomplaining. However, they did not think that ISO guarantees good quality products, nor that ISO alone could establish a sufficient quality system, but both ISO and TQM together may do so. Moreover, many respondents and assessors felt the need for the amendment of ISO clauses. When evaluating the role of SASO in ISO implementation, it was found that the organisation played a minimal role in terms of registration, publications, and training for ISO, and had not been accredited to ISO 62. The chambers of commerce provided training for ISO more than did SASO, and were led by the chambers in the Eastern Region. The Saudi government was found not to play an active role in ISO implementation.

The Ministry of Education (MoE) in Oman continues to improve the quality of education in response to the Omani labour market requirements, and to achieve global education standards, by making ongoing improvements to various components of the education system, such as curriculum development and evaluation, which is the main core of this study. The curriculum development and evaluation processes in the Directorate General of Curriculum (DGC) have received their share of attention and development due to their importance as one of the main elements in education. The Total Quality Management (TQM) philosophy is based on principles that help institutions to develop their performance to achieve the highest possible quality productivity and services. Quality in education should reach all of the institution's processes in order to establish continuous improvement mechanisms for all of the education system's processes to improve their performance, which is reflected in the learning through which students are able to achieve educational excellence. A number of studies and global reports highlight that there are several components in the Omani school curriculum that could potentially have a negative effect on the educational system. This arises from an imbalance in the overlapping processes in the work of the DGC in the MoE, because the quality of curriculum content is associated with the quality of curriculum development and evaluation work processes. The main aim of this study, therefore, is to investigate the application of TQM principles in the curriculum development and evaluation work in the DGC in the MoE in Oman. The key question is whether the curriculum development and evaluation work undertaken in the DGC is based on TQM principles because the quality of curriculum content is associated with the quality of curriculum development and evaluation work processes. The study focuses on current DGC staff practises in order to highlight the strengths and weakness of curriculum development and evaluation work, and to gain an understanding of the perspectives of the DGC staff in respect of the application of TQM, examining the potential benefits and obstacles of applying TQM principles in the curriculum development and evaluation work in the DGC, and proposing solutions and suggestions. The current literature relates to TQM in general. In this study, TQM in education and curriculum development and evaluation is analysed to design the study instruments. The research methodology literature was then reviewed to identify the appropriate methods and instruments to use. A mixed methods approach involving both qualitative and quantitative methods was used to fulfill the main aim of the study. A questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. Quantitative data was collected from 147 participants from the staff of the DGC in the MoE by means of an online survey, and then SPSS (V. 22) was used for quantitative data analysis. Qualitative data was obtained from the semi-structured interviews with 10 participants, and open-ended questions in the questionnaire and then analysed thematically. The results from both the quantitative and qualitative data show that there is no systematic application of TQM principles. However, there are some strengths in curriculum development and evaluation work, such as the leadership in the DGC being convinced of the importance of change and development for quality, theoretically, through open discussions between the different levels and the positive personal relationships among DGC staff. The findings of the study also highlight various weaknesses associated with leadership practices, employees' involvement, continuous improvement, technical work, and staff satisfaction. The study has found an overall agreement among the participants that implementing TQM is urgent to create a quality culture in the organization of work, which will positively reflect on the quality of the curriculum content. This study also indicates the potential obstacles of applying TQM principles in the curriculum development and evaluation work in the DGC relating to financial, administrative, technical, and strategic issues. Finally, this study proposes potential solutions. Recommendations based on the findings are made that might provide the necessary information to the DGC to identify the strengths and weaknesses in the current approach to improve the standard of future work, and to encourage the DGC to fully adopt the philosophy of TQM in curriculum development and evaluation work.

BACKGROUND: Poor quality health services have been identified as a threat to global health security. In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) and others recommended that countries develop national quality policies and strategies (NQPS) to address this issue. Multi-level, practice-based evidence on NQPS implementation is, however, limited, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. A mixed methods NQPS study was conducted to systematically (1) identify the institutional barriers and facilitators to implementation, (2) examine the process of implementation, including factors affecting adoption at the national, regional, and hospital levels, and (3) examine the effect of implementation on hospital quality of care in Ghana. METHODS: The study design was informed by the RE-AIM QuEST framework. Data were collected through a survey (n=36) and in-depth interviews (n=56) with implementation leaders at the national, regional, and hospital levels. Hospital quality of care data were obtained from a national database. Data were analyzed using thematic and time series analysis. Emerging themes on barriers and facilitators were further categorized using the i-PARIHS framework. RESULTS: Key facilitators included support from donor partners and individual commitment to health quality. Facilitators were overshadowed by several barriers. Notable barriers emerged in these areas at all levels: funding, governance, the national quality culture and history, policy design, dissemination, monitoring, and evaluation. Moral distress and production pressures were among some of the unique barriers at the hospital level. Regulatory requirements strongly influenced the adoption of the NQPS. Lack of dedicated implementation funding and limited implementer knowledge discouraged adoption. Hospitals “implementing” aspects of the NQPS performed better on quality-of-care indicators than those “not implementing” it. However, this difference cannot be attributed to the NQPS with certainty as the policy was yet to be fully disseminated to the hospital level. Most hospital implementation activities appeared to be coincidental rather than deliberate attempts to implement the NQPS. CONCLUSION: Findings indicate there is an interest in implementing the NQPS in Ghana; however, numerous barriers, particularly those in the larger health system context, such as funding, impeded implementation at all levels. To facilitate the adoption and implementation of NQPS, the policy instrument must be well-developed through an inclusive process and disseminated to all health system levels. An enabling health environment with strong political will, effective governance, local ownership, funding, and other resources is critical for success. Expected implementers need to have the requisite technical expertise and support, including protected time.

There have been a few attempts to address different understandings of quality management systems in healthcare organisations. Nevertheless, there are still misconceptions about how the matter of quality management systems can be linked to practice to ensure the establishment of a holistic quality system. In general hospitals, although the quality related practices are universally rooted on the international standardisations such as ISO 9000 and ISO 9001, it is still problematic that standardisations generated by quality control agencies especially in economically developing countries such as Saudi Arabia did not appear to allow better practices to control the service quality in general hospitals. This research is following the pragmatism philosophy. It aims to: assesses and examines the perspectives and opinions of key stakeholders - namely nurses, patients, and middle managers (heads of department) - with the goal of initiating a framework to improve the practices of quality management systems in general hospitals in KSA. The research went into two phases: at the first phase: 252 questionnaires were distributed to nurses, and 237 questionnaires were distributed to patients. While, in the second phase, seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with heads of department in one of the general hospitals under investigation. The findings of the patients' questionnaire demonstrated that patients were satisfied with the information provided to them and the level of communication. However, they showed a lack of satisfaction in relation to staff clinical skills, family involvement, as well as the current level of caring. Conversely, the findings from the nurses' questionnaire showed that nurses claimed to understand the healthcare policy and that their hospitals achieved the required level of QM. Nevertheless, they complained about a lack of education, training, culture of learning and a poor recognition and reward system. the findings from the interviews agreed to a limited extent with and support the questionnaires with three different sets of themes (global, organising, and basic themes), which represent the role of hospital middle management in quality assurance and the important influence of different organisational cultural aspects such as structure, policy, and management style on shaping the role and responsibilities of the management in establishing a culture of quality. In addition, the findings of the interviews helped illuminate the role CBAHI has played in supporting hospitals' mission to set a QMS that responds to patients' needs. The outcome of the interviews revealed that although CBAHI is promoted in general hospitals' QMS related practices such as patient record systems, CBAHI has so far failed to establish a culture of quality where quality practices can be secured. The implications of approaching the aim are varied: firstly, better understanding to the future steps the decision and policy makers should take to improve the clarity of the concept of QMS. In addition, for the successful implementation of QMS, the hospital management requires assuring that quality of care for patients is secured. Second, the research has implications on training and education of the nurses. The outcomes of the patients' questionnaire suggest that staff did not meet patients' expectations regarding not only the level of care, but also the level of clinical skills (practice). In fact, on some occasions in the questionnaire, several nurses demonstrated a lack of understanding of CBAHI standardizations. This suggests that the research should have implications on the development of CBAHI and its standardisation This research is undertaken principally due to a paucity of research that examines quality management systems and practices in the Saudi's general hospital context. This, paired with significant changes within the health context in Saudi Arabia, meant that an opportunity existed to develop the practices of quality management through examining the perspectives of different stakeholders. Understanding the practices of quality management systems and the barriers as well as the challenges that hinder their implementation and use in general hospitals will help set guidelines to improve the practices of quality management system in the future of general hospitals in Saudi This research has contributed to the knowledge theoretically through addressing the issues and perceptions of different stakeholders, especially in Saudi Arabia, as the King intends to pursue his Vision 2030 where quality and equality is at the core, which will have a considerable impact on the development of quality management system practices in Saudi. In addition, it proposes new additions to the research Onion model utilised to master this research which is considered as another angle of contribution to the theory of research in nursing. Into practice, the findings of this research and the initiated framework are hoped to lead to better engagement and communication with the stakeholders at different levels - from top management to end users - to enhance the practices of QMS in general hospitals. As the findings illuminated different challenges including a lack of professional training, and a lack of understanding of both the culture of quality and culture of patient safety. The framework, thus, suggests a new net of collaborations and involvement of accreditation agencies such as CBAHI and MoH to build a holistic quality culture where everyone in the hospital should be engaged in developing the policy of quality and equality that support the implementation of QMS and its practices. The implication of such collaboration should lead to bettering the commitment of the nurses and middle managers to standardisations developed by CBAHI.

The application of QA is a demanding reform area for Lebanon due to the distinctive organisation of its HE system and its cultural setting. This study explores different QA practices, approaches and systems in aim to establish a theoretical reference framework for the development of QA in HE in Lebanon. A major contribution of this study resides in the fact that it is the first attempt to approach the topic while drawing upon students' interest and the perceptions of numerous HE stakeholders. Using a qualitative research method, particularly semi-structured interviews, this study explored the QA nature within three HEIs in Lebanon and at the national level. This study shows that HEIs in Lebanon understand the importance of QA in HE, yet several lack the necessary standards, resources and methods to establish a quality culture. This study asks: how should the QA system and its associated process be developed in Lebanese HE in light of the existing experience; drawing on borrowing from international models and evident good practice in ways appropriate to the unique setting and cultural circumstances? This study shows that the need for the construction of a QA framework is exacerbated by the huge demand for economic, political and educational reforms in Lebanon. With the lack of a national QA framework, HEIs in Lebanon are left to define quality and set QA standards on their own. Given the lack of national standards, this study shows that several HEIs in Lebanon are using international accreditations to develop and ensure education quality. Hence, this study suggests the establishment of a Lebanese QA system while aligning it with international best practices in order to ensure quality among all Lebanese HEIs. Nevertheless, this study also suggests that such alignment should be carefully established taking into account the given cultural and political setting of Lebanon. This study depicts that collaboration at both the national and institutional level is needed to establish a QA system befitting Lebanon's conditions.

Recommendations aimed at preventing criminal justice failings caused by forensic science errors and quality failures have led to the creation of the Forensic Science Regulator's (FSR) role in England and Wales. The FSR role ensures that the provision of forensic science services across the criminal justice system (CJS) is subject to an appropriate regime of scientific quality standards. Despite reports of an increasing framework of quality standards overseen by the FSR, knowledge about the impact of regulation on the quality of forensic services is lacking. The aim of this study was to understand the fitness of the FSR role in improving the quality of forensic service provision from the crime scene to court. Stakeholder reports about the FSR role were analysed and supplemented with 18 semi-structured interviews with participants purposefully sampled from public and private sector Forensic Science Providers (FSPs). The experiences and views of the participants were analysed to interpret the extent to which the FSR role has been impacting the provision of forensic services that reflects the needs of the CJS. Overall, qualitative findings have shown that even though the FSR role has the potential to improve the quality of laboratory-based forensic practice, it is insufficient if attempting to improve the quality of forensic sciences carried out outside the laboratory setting. Cuts to police budget on forensic science and a consequent interest for cheaper forensic service delivery were seen to dictate the quality of forensic service provision. Criticisms indicate that it is more challenging achieving a forensic service delivery process that is continuously tailored to the needs of the CJS as a whole and not necessarily the demands of a specific forensic customer, because of the financial pressures on FSPs and not necessarily the lack of statutory powers for the FSR role. Concerns emphasise that providing statutory powers for the FSR only to mandate quality standard requirements are overly legalistic and will not drive any changes in quality beyond intensifying accreditation requirements, which will add to the financial pressures which adversely impact the quality of forensic science. Overall, the findings indicate that the lack of adequate funding for forensic service provision creates a gap in the role of the FSR which causes failures to address systemic issues which adversely affect the quality of forensic services. A suggestion is made for the provision of sufficient funding and for increasing the proximity between the FSR role and the management of the forensic marketplace. An increasing focus on quality culture is also recommended to build and improve the ethical and professional values of FSPs.

Recent improvements in volumetric antibody productivity (often in excess of 5 g/L) have been achieved by advances in cell lines and upstream processing, but often lead to harvest material becoming more difficult to recover. These intensified upstream operations require a renewed prioritisation of the integration of upstream and downstream process development to ensure product purification issues are taken into consideration, to avoid extensive and expensive clearance strategies downstream. Here, it was demonstrated that changes to upstream process parameters at the bioreactor stage of monoclonal antibody production affect product quantity and quality. Culture pH, temperature and seed density setpoints leading to high titre are commonly also linked to higher post-protein A HCP levels, reduced monomer percentages and increased percentages of undesirable glycan structures. To predict post-protein A product quality, several potential indicators that can be measured in harvest material (prior to using expensive purification resources) were explored, including culture viability and osmolality, revealing unexpectedly that culture viability could not be used for such a purpose, but that osmolality has the potential to be used as a product quality indicator. The impact of culture duration on product quality was also investigated and it was shown that as cultivation progressed and antibody titre increased, product quality declined, in one case due to post-protein A HCP levels increasing by 75% from day 14 to day 17 of culture. HCP identification by mass spectrometry was applied to this system to provide insights into cellular behaviour and HCP carryover during protein A purification. It showed increases in several classes of post-protein A HCPs (e.g. stress response proteins) as the culture progressed, particularly on days 15 and 17 of culture which were associated with significant increases in total HCP levels. This provides a new level of insight into HCPs that are retained during mAb purification which may be used to aide process development strategies.

The focus of this thesis is stakeholder conceptions of quality management in pre-service teacher training (PTT) and its practice in a Vietnamese university. The research is a qualitative case study underpinned by an interpretive paradigm drawing on the concepts of quality control, quality assurance and quality enhancement as a framework for evaluating the provision of PTT in the Vietnamese higher education context. A particular focus is PTT in the Social Sciences and Humanities, with a comparative analysis of the Geography and History departments in the selected university. The investigation provides critical insight into a topic that has been under-researched in the Vietnamese higher education context. There are four key findings. First, there is a convergence of conceptions of PTT quality that can be explained within the classic model of 'input-process-output quality', stakeholders regarding provision as satisfactory, while emphasising the importance of the relatively poor quality of the student input as an explanation for any deficiencies in output quality. Second, while there is a general consensus among the stakeholders about the existing policy of standards regarding quality in education, the evidence suggests that there are significant gaps in stakeholders' knowledge regarding teacher standards, especially from an international perspective. Third, the research reveals the absence of a coherent quality assurance system at both institutional and departmental levels, provision depending largely on the professional initiative of individual staff. Fourth, the university lacks a graduate tracing system, thus a range of employability dimensions are outside its control, showing the systemic problem of quality management, not only at the institutional but also the national level. The study provides a number of recommendations for improvements in policy and practice. These include: (a) embedding a quality culture at national, institutional and department levels; (b) engaging both staff and students more in quality processes; (c) developing a 'close-to-practice' curriculum that generates a closer working partnership between the PTT providers and schools; and (d) developing greater awareness of global best practice and how this can be incorporated into the Vietnamese system, while avoiding the potential pitfalls of education transfer and policy borrowing. Such challenges will depend on visionary leadership and a long-term strategy at all levels of quality provision.

This study determined the strategic management in improving total quality in Bahrain's public sector. More specifically, the concerns of this study were: 1) the demographic characteristics of the respondents in terms of gender, nationality, number of years in public sector, category of specialisation, position in the organisation, and field which team work is relevant; 2) the strategic management practices and TQM application along institutionalising the planning function, establishing the strategic foundation, strategic situational diagnosis, and managing TQM implementation; and 3) TQM factors implemented in Bahrain's public sector; 4) applying TQM and influenced the Bahrain's public sector competitiveness; 5) the role of strategic management factors in encouraging the implementation and sustainability of TQM in Bahrain's public sector; 6) the main impediments that hinder TQM adoption in Bahrain's public sector. The descriptive-correlational research method was employed using questionnaire-checklist, interview guide and unstructured interview. The research is based on a mixed methodological in the exploratory investigation, whereby, three tools were used for primary data collection. These tools were focus group discussions (FGD) with 5 respondents, Interviews with 6 respondents, and survey questionnaires with 400 respondents; a total population of this study is 400. The data gathered were statistically treated through the use of frequency count, percentage computation, and test of significant relationship using Pearson's correlation using SPSS statistics. The salient findings of the study were: 1. Demographic characteristics. Majority of the participants are male indicating that 312 out of 400 or 78% and barely 88 out of 400 or 22% are female. A high percentage of Bahraini among the respondents showing 376 out of 400 or 94% and remaining 24 out of 400 or 6% are non-Bahraini nationals. More than half of the participants acquired about 16 years and above experience in Bahrain's public sector indicating a value of 52%, those with 1 to 5 years of experience consists of 80%, those with 11 to 15 years of experience obtained 18%, and the least are those between 6 to 10 years of experience comprise of 10%. On category of specialisation, 400 were currently employed as technical and non-technical job. Majority of the participants are non-technical indicating that 224 out of 400 or 56% and remaining 176 out of 400 or 44% are classified as technical personnel. Responding participants were almost Administrative Support Staff and Managers/Supervisors positions (n = 80, 20%); 64 or 16% participants holding other positions; 56 or 14% are Engineers; 48 or 12% are Directors; 40 or 10% are Senior Executives in their current position. The remaining 32 or 8% are individual contributors (Consultants and Sales Representatives). However, no Vice President served as participants of the study. However, in the field which team work is relevant, out of 400 participants, 88 or 22% are in Military, Armed Forces and Law occupations; 72 or 18% worked in the Technology and Communication; 59 or 14.80% worked in Business and Finance, and 54 or 13.60% worked in other fields. The remaining 37 or 9.20% participants are employed in Education and Training; 29 or 7.20% worked in Healthcare; 23 or 5.60% worked in Energy and Oil. However, the remaining 19 or 4.80% worked in the Production and Manufacturing, and Transportation and Logistics. vi 2. Strategic Management Practices and TQM Application. On Institutionalising the planning function. The findings revealed that 81 respondents gave a rating of 3 or "some improvement needed" on "top executives take formal responsibility for the organisation's strategic planning to improve TQM management practices". On establishing the strategic foundation. The findings revealed that 69 respondents gave a rating of 6 or "Much Improvement Needed" on "all management and higher-level staff aware of the mission and understand. On Conducting the strategic situational diagnosis. The findings revealed that 64 respondents gave a rating of 6 or "Much Improvement Needed" on "the organisation have knowledge of and access to sources of information about the industry, markets, and other external factors." On Managing TQM implementation. The findings revealed that 64 respondents gave a rating of 6 or "Much Improvement Needed" on "individuals responsible for strategic management and implementation of TQM successful performance." 3. TQM factors implemented in Bahrain's public sector. The participant mentioned that "quality communication and structure is a requirement of each directorate in the ministry. In each sector there are commerce and industry experts who control quality. They have oversight of the directorate, and they communicate with QR or QM stakeholders or QR representatives. For each expert there are two representatives for each sector. There is a quality representative for the directorate and a quality management representative for the sector itself. They all report to the Undersecretary for the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism. 4. Applying TQM and influenced the Bahrain's public sector competitiveness. The participants had varying opinions on the application of TQM to Bahrain's public sector. One participant, in particular argued that it is a competitive surrounding important any product, involving products in Bahrain's public sector such as media; radio, television, and publishing. There is no particular monopolist for this service; the customers and the clients have a lot of available alternatives. Through the strategy of competitiveness to be the first choice; the first choice for the audience, the first choice for the recipients of the news even for travel can be strengthened through strong TQM. There is a significant link between competitiveness and the quality of service. Competition is intense and it is no longer peer organisations that are competitive. Social media has become a site of major competition for all. 5. The role of strategic management factors in encouraging the implementation and sustainability of TQM in Bahrain's public sector. Three participants agreed that the strategy which gives the best guidance and the channels which provide the bigger picture it is the quality framework aspect of strategy. A strategy/goal provides the organisation with a goal, which is a generic and crucial part of the mission. All stakeholders within an organisation must get behind the goal. The optimisation and quality of the service depends on having a goal that one can attain to fulfill the strategy. There are the links between both. The strategic plan is the basis or the roadmap for total quality management (TQM) implementation in any organisation. It should not be independent or isolated from the strategic plan. There is a major effort to drive the competitiveness of many service sectors such as electricity and the solar panels. Other participants argued that in the communication sector there is increasing competitiveness amongst companies. 6. The main impediments that hinder TQM adoption in Bahrain's public sector. Participants 1, 2, and 3 said, that teamwork is the main impediment hindering TQM adoption. There must be a building and fostering of trust through enhanced transparency between various organisations to bring teamwork to the different public sector organisations. Participant 3 said, that Bahrain deserves better from all parties to cultivate strategic thinking skills and existing mindset starting at the school level. Everyone should be loyal to Bahrain's leaders and the country and all must do more to make the nation prosper. vii Based on the findings, the following conclusions were drawn: 1. The male group outnumbers the female members of the workforce. Majority of them are Administrative Support Staff, Managers and Supervisors positions and acquired about 16 years of service in public sector. 2. There is a strong positive relationship between the compliance to quality standards and work performance relative to strategic management and TQM application in Bahrain's public sector. The correlation analysis showed that there is a significant relationship" along institutionalising the planning function, establishing the strategic foundation, conducting the strategic situational diagnosis, and managing TQM implementation. 3. The bureaucratic socialisation process is a barrier to the establishment of a quality culture in government. It is clear that this can bring about much resistance to any positive efforts aimed at effective organisational change. TQM mostly faces resistance from work cultures, mainly due to the protection of self-interest. Fixing lateral and cross-functional cooperation as well allowing room for improvement are essential steps towards establishing effective TQM practices. Changing the culture of an organisation is the only way towards the effective implementation of quality management. 4. The hierarchy is still the principal management method in the public sector, notwithstanding the demand of employees' empowerment and participation. Most in the private sectors seem to have very successful TQM management practices. 5. The Bahrain's public sector has no reason to avoid a push for effective TQM management practices, given the many benefits offered by this structure. These include low capital investment, innovative ideas, increased employee commitment, improved performance/quality, and the reduction of waste, reduced costs, and improved customer satisfaction. 6. The factors affecting compliance to quality standards and work performance for the employees are economic status, followed by political influence and leadership style. The suggested measures to improve compliance to quality standards and work performance are good working condition, sustained support to employees, and fair appraisal system.

This qualitative exploratory study seeks to explore and identify the challenges and opportunities for the high-level integration of critical success factors (CSFs) derived from total quality management (TQM) to promote quality practices for improvement in the context of Saudi Arabian public universities. In this qualitative study, multiple universities were employed as the source of the primary data to investigate the topic. Specifically, three public universities in the Saudi Arabian higher education sector were chosen for this qualitative exploratory research study, which involved fieldwork. Semi-structured in-depth interviews with study participants across the three universities were the main instrument for the collection of relevant data. In total, 29 in-depth semi-structured interviews were carried out with quality developers, including both male and female quality deanship personnel, across the three universities. The data collected were then analysed thematically, using both deductive and inductive approaches underpinned by Yin’s five-phase approach for analysing research study data. The tools available in NVivo 12 software package were used to assist the analysis, which included organising, coding and navigating through the study data. The findings of the current study highlight both the external and internal drivers contributing to the initiation of quality development strategies and plans in these three universities, to enable the greater integration of quality values for quality improvement and excellence. The findings also uncover barriers to quality development, including both managerial and people-related challenges, that have hindered the achievement of the high-level integration of TQM CSFs, which has made the adoption and practices of quality values and tools such a challenging task in these public universities. The implications of the current study findings will be valuable for leadership and quality developers in the context of Saudi Arabian public universities to assist them to capitalise on the opportunities available and optimise their approaches to overcoming barriers to promote the high-level integration of TQM values and practices to create a quality culture in these educational institutions. Furthermore, suggestions are provided for future research studies focusing on the application of the TQM philosophy in universities.

It has been widely acknowledged that the construction industry is a very strong and viable contributor to the economic growth of any nation. To this end, the Nigerian construction industry plays an important role in meeting the needs of the nation's infrastructural and economic development; thus, making it one of the main economic indicators that determine the growth of the Nigerian economy. However, previous studies have observed a general decline in quality performance of construction projects in the Nigerian construction industry due to its poor quality cultural practices; thus, leading to the prevalence of abandoned projects, high maintenance cost, loss of lives due to building collapse, clients' dissatisfaction, and low competitiveness. The low quality of construction projects has also resulted in the dominance of foreign-based companies over the local contractors in Nigeria in terms of contract procurement and quality delivery. A thorough review of the literature reveals that effective quality management practices are deep-rooted in culture. It therefore means that for construction clients and end-users of completed projects to realise best value, the concept of quality culture must be addressed in the industry to improve the quality of projects and services. This therefore reflects that there is a correlation between culture (organisational culture especially) and the effectiveness of quality management practices. On this note, this research sets out to develop a model that is intended to build a culture of quality that can facilitate effective quality management practices in construction organisations in Nigeria to enable them to satisfy their clients, and improve their competitiveness at local, national, regional, and international construction market. A Questionnaire survey was distributed to construction companies in Nigeria including the foreign-based companies to examine the effectiveness of their quality management systems implementation. The survey was also aimed at identifying current problems within the systems and comparing the quality management system performance between the foreign-based construction companies and the local ones as well as probing the implementation of ISO 9001 which is regarded as the most effective quality management system standard and the world's most widely used quality management system with its core aim of customer (client) satisfaction. But, it is worth noting that the effectiveness of any management system depends largely on the cultural practices in its location and region. Furthermore, this research examined the cultural practices in relation to quality in the construction industry in Nigeria. The collected data were analysed with the aid of a statistical software (SPSS), and the results from the data analysis and reviewed literature supported the development of a conceptual quality management model in construction as the outcome of this research. The model is designed to assist Nigerian construction companies to identify some typical barriers affecting effective QMSs implementation; to assist them to develop cultural values that can drive effective QMSs implementation; to undertake effective QMSs practices as it relates to construction; and to recognise the potential results and longer-term benefits obtainable from implementing effective QMSs. A Focus Group Discussion was conducted with the assistance of a panel of professional construction practitioners, academic experts, and policy makers which evaluated and validated the usefulness and applicability of the model. Based on the outcome from this discussion and on the results of the earlier data analysis, a final version of the model was developed to assist Nigerian construction companies in improving their capability of construction project delivery, and thereby contribute to providing or improving the competitive advantage of Nigerian construction companies in the local, national and global construction markets.

This study discusses the purpose, process and practice of quality assurance in transnational education (TNE) wherein institutions in one country award their degrees to students studying in another. This arrangement raises the issue of how the quality and standards of the degree programmes are assured so that they enable the programmes delivered in one country to be considered as being of a comparable quality and standard to those delivered in another. The study explores how the cross-national implementation of quality assurance is conducted and perceived by those engaged in it and the challenges such activity faces. Using data collected via structured interviews in Sri Lanka and the UK, the study examines the perceptions of participants in TNE collaboration. The analysis is undertaken within a conceptual framework developed from inter-firm relationship and supply chain management theories. The concept of “relational capital”, and its creation through socialisation activity, is proposed as a key factor in understanding TNE. A further body of literature is explored, that of inter-cultural communication and inter-cultural competence. The study contributes to the literature on TNE and internationalisation by identifying a tension between the financial drivers behind TNE and the resource intensive activities required to build relational capital. The findings are developed into a conceptual model for quality assurance in TNE, which can be used in the planning, management and evaluation of TNE and is designed to develop relational capital through the relational and inter-cultural competences of those engaged in such work. Through such a development, it is argued, quality assurance in TNE can move away from a process of enforced compliance with the prevailing quality assurance processes to one driven by a shared quality culture in which capacity building in the partner institutions of TNE can be achieved.

The primary aim of this study was to develop an in-depth understanding of Transnational Higher Education (TNE) in Oman by investigating the implementation of TNE programmes hosted by two Omani private colleges. TNE in private Higher Education (HE) is the outcome of government policy requiring all private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to establish collaborative partnerships with credible international universities; the latter being responsible for awarding the degrees. With the private HE sector in Oman currently accommodating about 50 percent of the new students entering the national HE system, it was important to examine issues around the nature of institutional partnerships; curriculum development; academic impact (teaching and learning, and quality of education) as well as problems or challenges faced in the delivery of TNE programmes by private local HE colleges. By recognising the dearth of research in this area, this qualitative study focused on the perceptions and experiences of academic staff regarding TNE in Oman. It also examined the policy drivers for TNE in Oman and its implications at the national and institutional levels, in order to understand the political and economic context in which these institutions were operating in. Data were generated primarily through the use of semi-structured interviews carried out with 27 academic staff from two selected private colleges. The data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis which enabled the identification of various key themes from the data. The study confirmed that the provision of TNE by private colleges is driven by government policy which seeks to accelerate the building of national capacity through the provision of good quality HE. The academic staff were generally satisfied with the provision of TNE programmes, however, the study highlighted that the implementation of TNE programmes was affected by a number of factors including,financial constraints; socio-cultural challenges; and ineffective communication among key stakeholders. The thesis further investigated participants‟ views regarding the ways in which the implementation of the existing TNE programmes could be improved. Participants identified that enhancing the role of the local colleges in the development of a quality culture and rethinking of the role of the foreign partner Universities and the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) in the development of TNE programmes were key areas for policy and academic action.

Quality remains as an essential attribute for the appraisal of manufactured products in today's contemporary fast-changing market. The world has witnessed how Quality Management (QM) concepts evolved from a specific departmental area of concern to a system-wide application of total quality or performance excellence. Many manufacturing-based organisations began to pursue the accreditation of international quality standards to be competitive in the global market. In relation to QM implementation, certification to ISO 9001 has been the most prevalent. However, after 30 years of its inception and global acceptation as a QM framework for product compliance, manufacturing companies still struggle to sustain their company's Quality Management System (QMS). Consequently, this scenario also has affected Ready-to-Wear (RTW) garment industry globally with the presence of Quality Control (QC) issues, involving the companies who manufacture the garments. The current literature reveals that the industry is still lacking knowledge on the fundamental aspects of quality and QM, hence leaving a big gap between the Quality Assurance (QA) systems and the actual QM implementation within the garment companies. Malaysia represents one of the developing economies in the Southeast Asian Region who has a good reputation in supplying RTW apparel for both export and domestic market. Nevertheless, empirical evidence on how QM has been internalised by Malaysia RTW garment manufacturers has not yet been documented. This research examined the level of QM implementation in RTW garment industry and investigated the critical quality issues that hindered the deployment of Total Quality Management (TQM). The final aim of this research is to re-strategise the important QM principles as the core elements in developing a QM framework for an effective implementation of QM in the Malaysia context. The research utilised two sequential phases of data collection and analysis. The first phase of data collection was based primarily on the survey questionnaire to gain a general understanding of QM practices in the Malaysian RTW garment industry. Further investigation was carried out based on interviews mainly with the Head of Department (HOD) at six case-study companies, which represented the three types of Malaysian RTW apparel suppliers. Apart from face-to-face interviews, additional supplementary observations in the production floor as well as revision of documents were also used. The key findings of this research demonstrated that over-reliance to control system quality management is the ultimate reason for an ineffective QM implementation of Malaysian RTW garment manufacturers. Most of the case-study companies were found stagnant at QC and QA stages of QM implementation. Furthermore, the study also confirms the human factors were the main obstacles for the industry to fully adopt ISO-based Quality QMS. A Human-Focus Quality Management (HFQM) framework that gives priorities to the management and utilisation of people as valuable assets in the garment manufacturing sector are therefore developed and proposed. It was conceptualised from the ISO 9001 QM principles which focused on these three aspects: self-directed leadership, an involvement of people and internal customer focus. The research has made a significant contribution to knowledge in expanding the theory of QM by highlighting the future of ISO 9001 QA System as part of company's international compliance. In addition, this research successfully developed HFQM framework as as a new contribution for Malaysian RTW apparel business towards the successful journey of performance excellence in a labour-intensive manufacturing environment. It is suggested that HFQM framework would bring fundamental changes towards sustaining the quality culture in the Malaysian RTW garment industry. Similar framework could possibly proposed and adopted in other labour-manufacturing companies as a strategy to foster people's engagement for continual improvement.

This research analyses the implementation and impact of Quality Assurance practices within the Women’s Section of the King Abdulaziz University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. For this purpose, the study examined the introduction of the Self-Evaluation process at the university, while also taking into account accreditation procedures, student evaluation, assessment and existing administrative policies. The researcher chose to conduct a qualitative research that consisted of a single case study, in order to accurately depict the opinions and experiences of the people who participate in QA and SE practices at KAU. Therefore, the researcher conducted 42 individual interviews with various members of the management, with lecturers and with supporting staff, so as to create an intricate and diverse portrayal of the introduction of SE and QA in the women’s section of KAU. The findings revealed that SE, and QA practices in general, are either viewed by some members of the personnel as positive, or perceived by a bigger portion of the staff as disadvantageous. Thus, both institutional and personal SE is currently performed in pockets, and the procedures are lauded by those who practice it, as they have noticed improvements in administrative and academic endeavours. However, a large proportion of the staff remains reticent in their opinion regarding SE, as the personnel at the women’s section of KAU has tried to implement this practice without addressing prior crippling issues. Most importantly, centralisation (for example, the decisions taken in the women’s section depend entirely on the Dean of the men’s section of KAU) disrupts all processes, including those pertaining to QA, and this causes dislike for the administrative requirements of successful SE practices. Furthermore, the stakeholders of the university are sceptical of each other and communication is neither open nor critical. This causes alienation and mistrust, and the consequences are most aptly observed when examining the student evaluations, which are not openly shared with the lecturers. As such, these issues create a significant collaboration gap between the management, the lecturers and the students, who do not work together towards implementing successful QA practices and towards creating a cohesive, quality culture.

Available empirical data relating to quality generally and the application of quality assurance principles to language education at tertiary-level are scanty. This study explores how higher education institutions in Ghana apply QA mechanisms to enhance the teaching and learning of English for Academic Purposes. It examines how institutional contexts and cultures of the four case study institutions impact their QA processes. First, the rhetorical tensions and the apparent lack of consensus on the definition of the term “quality” are acknowledged alongside the enviable status of English as a “global lingua franca”; the relevance and pervasiveness of the EAP discipline in tertiary educational circles within and without Ghana and the resultant need for quality assurance and enhancement in its teaching and learning. One particular component of quality in higher education: the need for ensuring that programmes and services are fit for the purpose for which they were designed, and that the “clients” (students) are getting value for their money serves as the focus of the empirical research. The QA dimension of the research attempts to answer the question of whether students provide written feedback on their teaching and whether this is acted upon by the case study institutions in order to improve the EAP course. A combination of qualitative, quantitative, mixed-method approaches and documentary research is adopted to provide the framework for exploring QA and quality issues at each of the institutions involved in this study. The study first considers the quality challenges of higher education in Sub-Saharan Africa and Ghana within the context of policy. Subsequently, the unique features of each case study institution are quantified. To enhance the depth of understanding so as to establish each case study institution’s QA mechanisms and processes for enhancing EAP teaching and learning, a comparative/multiple case study approach is adopted. The blend of methods facilitated exploring the issues and the drawing of conclusions as the strengths of each complements the other. The assessment of QA practices used in the teaching and learning of EAP in the case institutions revealed a number of interesting similarities and differences in terms of institutional context, quality culture, quality assurance mechanisms, pedagogy, and curriculum designs. Based on these findings, suggestions for EAP teaching quality enhancement in the case study institutions are subsequently made. Unique practices identified in the institutions are recommended for replication in other tertiary educational institutions. Suggestions for further and future research are also made followed by a brief account of the author’s professional and personal development during the DBA programme.

The intended contribution and unifying purpose of this research was to identify the enablers and barriers affecting the implementation of quality management systems (QMS) within the Kuwaiti industrial context. This was achieved by assessing the current practices adopted by a number of manufacturing firms in Kuwait and then the gaps or areas that need to be filled were measured. QMS is defined as an organisation’s structure, responsibilities, processes, procedures and resources which guide and control an organisation with regard to quality in order to constantly improve the effectiveness and efficiency of its performance. QMS enables businesses to minimise undesired impacts on the processes while maximising the effectiveness and efficiency of those processes that deliver products or services to end-users. This PhD research focuses on identifying the general state of the manufacturing sector within Kuwaiti Small, Medium and Large Enterprises (KSMLEs) and analyses links, enablers and barriers related to the implementation of QMS by linking the possible effects of culture. The research was carried out using a case study as well as the mixed methods approach involving the use of both quantitative and qualitative research methods. In the first instance a single case study organisation involving a large sized enterprise within the Kuwaiti manufacturing sector was researched into as a pilot study. This helped in refining both the quantitative survey questionnaire and the qualitative interview questions. Thereafter, for the quantitative approach, a total of 192 valid responses out of 308 received data sets involving KSMLEs that included three different levels of management (top, middle and shop floor) were generated using physical and online-surveys, the target participants being managers working in the industrial sector in Kuwait. The qualitative research design included twenty-five interviews involving twenty-five KSMLEs, also at different management levels (six top, six middle and thirteen shop floor managers) in the manufacturing sector in Kuwait. Findings from this study confirmed that leaders and managers of the manufacturing sector in Kuwait are actively engaged with customers. However, they lack the process of delegating tasks and empowering of people. Findings further suggest that firms’ strategy must focus on appreciating cultural aspects such organisational culture, investing in employees, developing training programmes, and addressing community and social responsibility. This study contributes to the body of knowledge on QMS and provides a viable framework (model) that was over time developed through an iterative series of revisions, literature review, a case study and expert views. The new model designed and proposed in this thesis is called the Kuwait Quality Culture Model (KQCM). This model portrays the importance of culture along with other factors in the initiation and the implementation of QMS, particularly in Arabic culture. Overall findings confirm the researcher expectation that QMS performance (managing people, policy & strategy, partnerships & resources, and culture) is positively associated to commitment and leadership of top management and those managers at different levels stress on the importance and necessity of internal communication channels. Moreover, employees’ empowerment and relevant processes (people, policy & strategy, partnerships & resources, and culture) are crucial in implementing any quality practices. Furthermore, culture was found to be a vital factor as it plays an important role in the implementation of QMS in Kuwait. Finally, when implemented, the study confirmed that KQCM results (people, customers and society) would lead to better organisational performance.

This study investigated the effects of light quality, culture density, and carbon dioxide aeration on the biomass production, lipid accumulation, elemental contents, and photosynthetic pigment production of microalgae. The microalgae Chlorella vulgaris and Gloeothece membranacea were cultivated either in static (flask) or aerated and mixed (photobioreactor) cultivation modes. The highest biomass productivities in the static mode for both microalgae strains were achieved using violet luminescent filters which emitted the photosynthetic active radiation ranges. In the static mode, red wavelength ranges had a major influence on pigmentation of C.vulgaris, although they were the least efficient light condition for cultivation of G.membranacea. Red light was particularly inefficient to support growth in static cultures. Luminescent bubble column photobioreactors (PBRs) were constructed and used for the aerated mode in the blue, green, yellow, orange, and red wavelength-emitting ranges. Biomass production in both strains was enhanced in the red PBR. Lipid accumulation was significantly enhanced in high culture density groups, low light intensity, and 15% CO2 aeration conditions which all represented a form of stress to the culture. The highest biomass density of 2.12 and 2.52 g L-1 were achieved at high light intensity in the red PBR for C.vulgaris and G.membranacea respectively. The blue PBR was the least efficient light condition for biopigment production, whilst it improved lipid accumulation. Chlorophyll production in C.vulgaris was promoted by the green PBR, although it was less influenced by the light condition or culture density in G.membranacea cultures. Phycobiliproteins were the dominant pigments in G.membranacea and red light favoured synthesis of these pigments. Compared to C.vulgaris, the G.membranacea cells showed higher tolerance to 15% CO2 aeration by growing in this condition over a period of two weeks. At the 15% CO2 aeration condition G.membranacea accumulated the highest lipid content of 36.6% in the blue PBR. However, due to their lower carbon content and biomass productivity, G.membranacea was less efficient than C.vulgaris in sequestrating carbon dioxide. C.vulgaris sequestrated carbon dioxide up to 363 mg L-1 day-1 in the red PBR when aerated with 15% CO2. These results have significant implications for improved photobioreactor design for cultivation of microalgae under natural light. The proposed photobioreactor design can also tailor and improve the composition of lipids and photosynthetic compounds, using variation in light.

This research examined the differences in the views of staff regarding the Quality Assurance system in the Colleges of Technology in Oman, not only in a general way but also according to job classification: academics, trainers/technicians and administrators. A critical analysis of staff views was conducted by employing a single holistic case study and a large-scale survey, in the form of distributed questionnaires that consisted of 889 participants. A critical review of literature on the quality movement in the higher education sector, the Omani higher education sector and the quality movement in the Colleges of Technology provided background information whilst a comprehensive questionnaire was designed to collect quantitative and qualitative data. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS versions 19-22) was used to store the collected data. A descriptive analysis was applied to the quantitative data and a content analysis applied to the qualitative data. Additionally, a document analysis review of the Quality Assurance Department and college documentation was done. The thesis depth came from applying cross tabulation analysis among the results of the 670 academics, 149 trainers/technicians and 70 administrators. The analysis of the findings shows that the differing staff groups in the Omani Colleges of Technology hold different perceptions of the meaning of quality but their varied understanding of the concept is the same as the formal meaning of quality used in the colleges, that is “fitness for purpose”. Moreover, staff understand the quality assurance system to be about accountability and continuous improvement and are aware of the role of the quality assurance system in the colleges. The Colleges of Technology in Oman have become better working environments where there is a greater emphasis on quality assurance and the work has become more organised. Furthermore, staff perceive the implementation of the quality assurance system as having led to awareness among themselves of the processes, roles and participation required in quality assurance if Oman's Colleges of Technology wish to achieve quality culture benchmarks. Regretfully, the findings also show that staff believe that they are overloaded with quality management activities which prevents them from performing their main duties. Implications for gaining staff efficient participation in the quality assurance system are highlighted and a model is proposed for developing staff ownership of the quality assurance system in the colleges of technology to ensure their positive participation in the quality management activities.

In recent years, Total Quality Management (TQM) has received worldwide attention and been adopted in many educational institutions, particularly in developed countries. However, in developing countries this field has received little attention with little research conducted into successful implementation of TQM approach in these countries. This research assessed the adoption of TQM factors in the Libyan Higher Education institutions(LHEIs) identified the main obstacles to successful adoption. The main aim of the study is to propose a model for effective Total Quality Management (TQM) implementation in Higher Education (HE) applicable to the Libyan context. A theoretical framework of the Critical Success Factors(CSFs)for implementing TQM was developed from the literature and endorsed by practitioners and experiences from other universities around the world. Also, because the current climate in higher education places students as primary consumers, this study adopts the SERVQUAL instrument to assess the quality services from the point view of the students in the LHEIs. In order to achieve the aim and objectives of this study, a case study approach was adopted, with the Academy of Graduate Studies (AGS) representing the private sector, and the El-fath University (FU) representing the public sector. Both questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were utilised to fulfill the study objectives. The questionnaire aimed to investigate the implementation of TQM in both case studies, while the semi-structured interviews with top management aimed to achieve an understanding of subjects which had emerged from the questionnaire .In order to fully understand and assess the quality of services, the questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were conducted with the students. The research indicates a low level of critical TQM success factors within the Libyan universities, mostly caused by minimal awareness of quality culture and it role in implementing TQM successfully. It also indicates that quality initiatives and practices in Libyan higher education institutions are still in the early stages and most of the universities are dealing with quality as a secondary issue. Based on these results, the original TQM framework was modified for use within Libyan higher education institutions. It prescribes guidelines for introducing TQM in three stages, and is designed to help LHEIs get started and move step-by-step towards TQM culture.

This study sets to investigate the use of self-evaluation mechanisms and processes as a device for improving quality in higher education. The study presents a single, longitudinal case study of a private university in the Dominican Republic and provides an account of how two self-evaluation processes helped in shaping a culture of self-reflection, quality awareness and actually improved some aspects of institutional performance. Most existing studies self-evaluations to date are grounded in the context of developed nations. This study therefore, aims to contribute to the existing literature on self-evaluation in higher education by exploring the experience of a private university in a developing nation. The findings show that the self-evaluation processes acted as triggers of positive change and improved the quality of a number of institutional functions as well as helped develop an evaluation culture in the university. The study recommends a model for Self-evaluation Quality Culture as well as a framework for successful self-evaluation as a trigger of positive change.

The objective of this research is to investigate the applications of TQM in the Saudi University Information Centres (ICs). Through this study, data were gathered in two phases, namely quantitative and qualitative. In the quantitative phase, six university information centres were investigated through a questionnaire that was developed based on the European Foundation for Quality Management excellence model (EFQM). This questionnaire aims to identify the quality issues in the six ICs. In the qualitative phase, the information centre managers and staff were interviewed in three selected cases due to access, time and distance considerations. The two sets of data were combined in an attempt to reach a deep understanding of the actual applications of TQM in the Saudi ICs. This study revealed that the applications of TQM in the ICs under investigation are located at three levels on a five-step scale. The first level, Absent, is where the IC failed in terms of establishing a framework to implement the quality concept, which affected the quality of services. At the second level, Managed is where the IC implemented most of the quality principles in its operations, but failed in implementing at least one of these principles and the services to a sufficient level of quality. At the third level, Continuous, the IC implemented all of the quality requirements, and its services have a high level of quality. Several factors were found to be critical in implementing TQM. These factors are quality culture, management commitment, professional awareness, staff empowerment, training, teamwork, user focus, process management and quality unit. This study contributes to the knowledge of TQM as it helps to understand TQM implementation in Saudi university ICs. Some recommendations for further research have been derived from this research, such as socio-cultural influences; need to be investigated in more depth to discover how this culture affects the process of implementing TQM. Replication of this study at all the Saudi university ICs over a longer period of time can confirm the validity of the findings and lead to more valid findings. Moreover, the benchmarking tool and critical success factors provided in this study need to be applied in further studies to ensure their validity and effectiveness in TQM implementation. User satisfaction needs to be investigated in more depth to discover users' perceptions towards Saudi IC services.

The number of organisations worldwide certified with the ISO 9001:2000 QMS has increased dramatically in the last decade. Malaysia, as many other developing nations, had also experienced a rapid growth in the number of ISO 9000 certified organisations in the late 1990s. The growth of ISO 9000 certifications worldwide suggests that there is a widespread belief in the benefits gained from the certification. However, the benefits achieved from the QMS are surrounded by many controversies and disagreements. There were also serious doubts and reservations again concerning the degree to which the ISO 9001:2000 will really boost companies' performance more than the previous one. The analysis of the literature showed that the effect of the QMS on an organisation's internal practices and performance seem uncertain. The research aim of this study is to investigate the effects of the ISO 9001:2000 certification on the internal organisational processes within the Malaysian Local Government. Although the experiences of the QMS implementation in different countries have been explored, limited empirical research has been carried out in developing country. Most of the research have been conducted on the private sector organisations and very limited research focused on the public sector organisations. And to date, no research on investigating the effects of the ISO 9001:2000 on the internal organisational processes within the local government in Malaysia has been conducted. Based on the nature of this research. Interpret!vism philosophy. Qualitative approach and the Case Study strategy, the multiple case design and the use of interview as the main tool for data collection in this research. Semi-structured interviews have been adopted to gain an in depth understanding, and this was triangulated with other sources of relevant data such as documents review, archival records and direct observation. Finally, the data gathered have been analysed using the Grounded theory and the Explanation Building method. The primary contribution of this research is to present an in-depth understanding of the effects of the ISO 9001:2000 certification on the internal organisational processes within the Malaysian Local Government. Amongst the major findings of this research are new effects of the QMS certification on the internal organisational processes. The researcher has also found that organisations can effectively use ISO certification as a means of promoting and facilitating a quality culture, where the Top Management is the important player in the implementation and certification process. This research has found that organisations decided to implement ISO 9001:2000 and this is motivated only by external causes had gained most of the benefits and improvements achieved by organisations which implemented the QMS based on internal motives. This finding contradicts with findings by many authors who found that companies decide to implement ISO 9000 motivated only by external motives will get fewer results than companies that implement them motivated by internal motives. This is a contribution to the body of knowledge regarding the ISO 9001:2000 QMS. Another contribution is that the findings of the research also confirmed that ISO 9001:2000 QMS has been effective in not only manufacturing organisations but also in the public service organisation i.e. the local government organisations.

Chinese higher education (HE) has been through a process of profound restructuring, decentralisation, introduction of market incentives, university mergers, internationalisation, and enlarging student enrolment in the past two decades. Along with the expansion of Chinese HE, the issue of quality has become a concern and has attracted a lot of attention in the Chinese HE sector. Developing quality assurance (QA) systems has been given priority in the agenda of most Chinese higher education institutions (HEIs). The nationwide implementation of quality evaluation since 2002 is the main means used by the Chinese government to address the potential quality decline and to realise a macro level control of quality over Chinese HEIs. This study is conducted against the background of the prevailing quality culture, and focuses on student learning rather than the widely adopted top-down scrutiny of teaching as the main component of QA schemes. The purpose of this study is to explore how student learning experiences can be integrated into the QA systems in Chinese HEIs for continuous quality improvement. A qualitative case study approach is adopted in this study. Document analysis, focus groups, and in-depth interviews are used to achieve a comprehensive qualitative inquiry into student learning experiences, HEIs’ QA practice, and the integration of student learning experiences into QA system. Through this study, we find that Chinese universities generally use regulations, teaching inspection/evaluation, and student feedback as the main approaches to manage their QA practice. There is great emphasis on the institutional management and teaching management, but little attention given to what students are actually doing. The analysis of the key issues in student learning experiences, the concept of quality learning, and the analysis of the objectives, control, areas, procedures and uses in the current Chinese QA systems suggest a discrepancy between student quality learning and what the current Chinese QA assures. The findings of this study imply that the current top-down QA has great limitations in addressing key issues in student learning and accordingly plays a limited role in generating educational quality. As the conclusion of this study, a learning-focused QA is proposed to offer insights into integrating student learning generically into the QA process for the purpose of the continuous improvement of HE quality.

This research explores the possibility of adopting quality approach for the United Arab Emirates Public Sector Institutions (UAEPSI), aiming to improve their performance and enable them to provide quality standard services for customers and other stakeholders. The research was based on a literature study of the quality advocators for a better understanding in the field of TQM. A triangulation research method of quantitative (survey questionnaires) designed, evaluated the reliability and the concurrent validity of the questions. The gathered data were subjected to a series of correlation and regression analysis. The results demonstrated a wide gap between TQM principles and the actual practices of the UAEPSI. Certain aspects were found inhibiting proper implementation of TQM. Based on the research theoretical and empirical evidences a Quality Appraisal Model (QAM) emerged as a self assessment instrument against the U.A.E. Government Excellence Program (UAEGEP) criteria's. The QAM comprises of four core quality critical factors: people, leadership, processes and system, and resources and facilities, in which fragmented to twenty sub-factors. The framework model divides the TQM implementation into five sequential phases namely; identification, appraisal, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. A weighting scoring scale was also formulated as a measurement tool, to facilitate the measurement of quality quotient in the UAEPSI. Furthermore the QAM was benchmarked against widely adopted quality and excellence models and its contribution to the development of TQM knowledge. Two focus groups of top and senior management in the UAEPSI were formulated to validate the QAM viability as a performance assessment vehicle that is in alignment with the UAEGEP quality criteria's. The model provides a model for creating awareness and understanding of TQM concepts and techniques and their impact on developing a quality culture. It is hoped that this in the long run, may encourage the Government of United Arab Emirates to adopt quality strategy in alignment with its corporate strategy. The thesis reveals that there is a paucity of research in this area and this research study makes a contribution towards filling this gap and for further research in future.

Demands by higher education stakeholders in the late 1980s to early 1990s, led the higher education sector to focus on issues of effectiveness, accountability and efficiency. This was as true in the West Indies as elsewhere in the world. The University of the West Indies (UWI) reviewed its governance structure and established an academic quality assurance mechanism to respond to these challenges. More than a decade has passed since the implementation of this major initiative, and quality has since formed an integral part of the UWI’s strategic plans since 1997. Concerns have continually been raised however about the quality of the service provided. This is the focus of this study. This topic was explored and evaluated through the use of three units of analysis using a qualitative case study of the Mona campus. The methods used to gather data were essentially qualitative, using interviews, focus groups, and documentary research. The theoretical orientation was grounded in the quality literature, drawing on both the industrial literature as well as that in higher education. My findings paved the way for judgments which indicated that various quality procedures are employed in different parts of the UWI, Mona Campus. Some of these procedures do not seem to have produced the overall quality culture of excellence which was intended. Out of the information and commentaries produced by the respondents a unified quality framework has been produced that pays attention to effective procedures, processes, and systems. These criteria were assembled in a model to inform practice at the UWI and enhance the overall transformation process of the 2007-2012 Strategic Plan.

Quality programs are not new to Saudi hospitals. The first known quality program was started in ARAMCO Hospital in 1982. Besides the Ministry of Health, the main provider of health care, more than 15 providers share in the delivery of the health care in Saudi Arabia. Quality activities being sporadic, with no national control, the programs depend'heavily on the top management commitment and support. The success of quality programs varies among the different health care providers. Hence the need to investigate the knowledge, attitude and practice of the senior and middle managers (HSMM) towards quality programs. The findings of their investigation could throw some light on some incorrect concepts and explain the reasons behind the ineffective practice of quality. Two studies were conducted simultaneously for this research. A descriptive study to investigate the knowledge, attitude and practice of the HSMM, for which two data collecting tools were used. The HSMM self administered questionnaire was completed by the HSMM of 20 selected hospitals in the Eastern Saudi Arabia; 173 HSMM responded to the study giving response rate of 86.5%. The other tool used for the descriptive study was a check list completed by the researcher on each studied hospital. The other part of this research was the action research aimed at exploring the amount of the support HSMM extends to these activities in order to enhance quality services in their hospitals. The study revealed that a majority of senior and middle managers had enough knowledge to initiate very promising quality programs, but there seemed to be a problem with their attitude on quality which affected the implementation of the quality program. Attending training courses on quality subjects made a significant difference to the general information, factor enhancing quality program, causes of quality program failure and the ranking of HSMM towards quality programs. Combining all of these significant variables and classifying them based on their relation with the patient, quality program and staff gave a clear indication that most were related to attitude. The study concluded " that the input and the output of the hospital had less impact on quality programs compared to the process reflected by the knowledge, attitude and practice of the HSMM. Recommendations cover the input, output and the process of quality programs, with more emphasis on the process. The HSMM should pave the way for a quality culture in the hospital which pays proper attention to the development of the skills of the staff and their orientation to the quality environment.

Total quality management (TQM) has been recognized by many countries to be one of the keys to competitiveness. Organizations in other industries are increasingly using self-assessment instrument to drive continuous improvement and direct the TQM journey in moving the organizations towards business excellence. In Saudi Arabia, many organizations implementing TQM are in need for a self-assessment instrument to assist in implementing TQM properly. There is a clear need to evaluate or assess TQM practices as a key part of the TQM implementation strategy within the construction industry organizations using an appropriate self-assessment instrument. This thesis examined a novel approach for this problem through using Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) as the most suitable TQM model selected among 16 models used worldwide within the construction industry organizations. The developed TQM generic model is based on the selected TQM model with consideration for the Saudi organizational culture and the requirements of construction industry. The criteria in the developed TQM generic model were used as a framework that was translated into a multi-item questionnaire for assessing quality performance. Quality, Assessment Instrument for the Saudi Construction Industry or "QAISCI" was developed and it has the potential to assist in implementing and assessing TQM. It contains TQM generic model, self-assessment questionnaire, scoring system and achievement assessment graph. Statistical testing confirmed that the self-assessment instrument is valid and there is significant correlation between the scores obtained from survey and that obtained from TQM assessors. The research also describes the results of survey about the quality management practices carried out for 112 organizations consisting of clients, design consultants and construction organizations. The level of TQM awareness for construction client, consultant-design, and construction organizations were determined through QAISCL The general level of TQM awareness for the construction industry organizations in Saudi Arabia appears to be "Enlightenment" or exactly in the early stage of "Enlightenment" with a percentage of progress towards full TQM implementation equals to32%. The clients and contractors are realizing that continuous quality improvements have been made and some benefits in the business are visible. Design consultants are seeing the first signs of improvement but still in the early stage of TQM joumey. The research also highlights on benchmarking and provides essential data for organizations. Benchmarking process showed that 13.64% of the consultant-design organizations and 20.94% of the construction organizations could be benchmarked to create continuous improvement. Also, through the study, 57% of the participating organization indicated that the main benefit they found from implementing TQM in the business was "cost savings" and 39% stated that the major barrier was "changing the organization culture" towards a quality culture. In addition, 50% illustrated that "evaluation of performance by merit rating" was the main pitfall.

In the last decade, the rapid development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has forced its government to implement modern management styles such as Total Quality Management (TQM) to ensure continuous improvement in the provision of healthcare. There is a considerable body of literature that shows the benefits of implementing TQM in hospitals, but there are few empirical studies that show TQM implementation efforts in the healthcare sector. Furthermore, the healthcare literature did not explore the implementation of TQM in a context of gender segregated environment such as the case in KSA. This research project is an exploratory investigation assessing the impact of TQM in a gender segregated healthcare environment such as KSA. The research design used triangulation methods to investigate the problem at hand. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methodologies were used through field-work and external comparisons. The approach was based on the following: (1) Assessing the level of perception and understanding of TQM principles in several KSA hospitals, taking into account the differences and similarities between the different gender population, (2) Examining the approach to TQM implementation and its degree of effectiveness in four Saudi hospitals to highlight critical factors for effective implementations using the Baldrige assessment method; (3) Benchmarking the Saudi hospital experiences to UK and USA hospitals to highlight key facilitating and inhibiting factors; (4) Using key findings from the previous steps to identify the critical factors and propose a model for TQM implementations in a segregated healthcare environment such as the case in the KSA. The survey research findings show a weak appreciation, awareness and understanding of TQM in managing healthcare organisations by the respondents in the KSA. It clearly shows that many employees in the organisations do riot understand TQM. The degree of emphasis for each quality activity varied and thus more research needs to be done to investigate the importance of each quality activity to a TQM implementation process, as there are varying degrees of emphasis across the board. The KSA case studies show that in implementing organisations, TQM intentions and TQM policy frameworks are generally acceptable. However, the implementation process is generally weak and lacks coordination in the majority of these organisations. It is clear that the majority of the KSA cases have not succeeded in total commitment towards a total quality culture. When compared to the UK and USA hospitals, the majority of the KSA cases show deficiencies in most of the critical activities that form the foundation of a successful quality process. Furthermore, the study indicates three critical factors in KSA hospitals that either did not exist or were not given full attention. The importance of these factors were further validated in the literature. The factors were continuous top management commitment, continuous education and training, and culture awareness. These factors were then used to develop a model for TQM implementation for a segregated healthcare environment.

The research described in this Executive Summary starts from the premise that the implementation of TQM in Hong Kong is primarily focused on the use of individual tools for improvement. However, since 1991, more interest has developed in the holistic approaches, such as ISO 9000. Information gathered for this research supports the hypothesis that there is a missing quality dimension, namely, that of quality culture, which must obviously be of paramount importance if sustained quality performance is to be achieved. The second hypothesis explored in this research is that quality philosophies developed in the industrialised West can be better understood and appreciated if they can be explained in terms familiar to Chinese workers and managers, i. e., interpreted in terms of Chinese culture. This should lead to better integration of tools, techniques, holistic quality systems, and general philosophies concerning quality. All this should result in better and more effective implementation of TQM in Hong Kong. This study can be divided into two parts, A and B. Section A is mainly concerned with the exploration and understanding of the existing Hong Kong situation in terms of quality management implementation. Section B is concerned with the cultural aspects that were identified as being relevant to quality management. These cover Chinese values, Confucian principles, and how these are related to the principles of TQM. Several behavioural models were studied and the Connor/England model was selected and used to measure the relationship between cultural values and attitudes towards quality behaviour. The work of Professor Michael Bond on Chinese values was combined with the author's own interpretation of Chinese attitudes as expressed in Confucian Principles. This was to better understand quality behaviour intention when viewed from the point of the British Standard 7850 definitions of Total Quality elements. The Fishbein Behavioural model was also used as part of the survey instrument to measure Chinese attitudes in the implementing of TQM. A computer statistical package was used to analyse the survey data collected from local companies. The statistical factor analysis identified the working principles which best support TQM implementation in terms of the roles of both the leaders and the supporting staff of a company. The analysis also identified the role of Confucian Principles in terms of helping junior, middle, and senior management to better understand each others' working principles, and thereby promoting harmony and teamwork.

ISO 9001 has been world widely implemented in both manufacturing and service organizations. A lot of studies have been conducted to investigate the effects of ISO 9001 implementation on the performance of these organizations. Most of these studies show that ISO 9001 implementation realized positive operational improvements and financial success. Building on the merits of successful implementation of ISO 9001 quality management system in manufacturing and service, educational institutions have been attempted to adopt it in their operations. Even though there are studies relating ISO implementation to education, no research has been done to investigate the effects of ISO 9001 at the individual level. The objective of this research is to investigate the effects of ISO 9001 quality management implementation on the performance of administrators and teachers. The Indonesian vocational education system is selected as a case example as there is a significant number of such institutions in Indonesia that attempt to achieve ISO certification and there is a national need to improve the performance of vocational education. It is a challenge to assess objectively the degree of ISO 9001 implementation in this specific educational context because of the size and diversity. This study relies on survey that measures the respondents’ perception. Hence, this study applies a self-reported survey based performance measurement. The questionnaires are developed based on extensive literature review. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLSSEM) has been used to examine the relationships between the different elements of quality management systems, quality culture; administrator and teacher performances. The study is able to examine multiple interrelated dependence and subsequent relationships simultaneously among examined factors such as teacher and administrator performance, existing iv quality culture and ISO principles; and to incorporate variables that cannot be directly measured, such as leadership, for example. The findings of this study show that ISO 9001 implementation has positive significant effect on the performance of the vocational school administrator and teacher. The study also identifies key influencing elements of the ISO quality management system and examines their direct and indirect relationships with teacher and administrator performances. This study is expected to improve the current practices in implementing ISO and quality culture in any educational settings, specifically in the case of vocational educational system.

This study examines the improvement effort and issues of Malaysian organizations. A total of nine organizations, involved in different types of business activities, became the sample cases of this study. There were two phases of fieldwork conducted in this study: A three month period (May - July 1993) trip to Malaysia was undertaken in order to allow the researcher to gain a close 'first hand' knowledge with regard to quality issues in Malaysian organizations. A series of interviews were conducted with quality and senior managers of the organizations involved in the study. 2. The second fieldwork trip also covered a three month period (December 1994 - February 1995). This trip focused on the administration of the questionnaire survey to members in organizations. Five organizations (UTEL, UTEN, OPET, OSEDC and SLUTH), with a total of 210 respondents, participated in this survey. Some interviews with senior officials of these organizations were also carried out during this period. The analysis of data obtained in this study was conducted in two stages: (i) an overall qualitative analysis of the quality and improvement issues in organizations, and (ii) an analysis of the survey data obtained in the above five organizations. The main findings of this study are as follows: In the Malaysian context, the nation's social and economic objectives seemed to exert significant influence over the emphasized aspects of improvement to organizations. Specifically, it was found that the organizations in this study were particularly concerned with the 'improvement' process which would reduce the imbalance of racial participation in economic activities. 2. A stress on values, especially those related to ethics and human relationship, was found to be instrumental in shaping the 'quality' culture of organizations. They include the values of honesty, responsibility, friendship, politeness, courage, love and helpfulness. 3. Quality and improvement issues in organizations are intricately complex. They evolve and are influenced by internal and external contextual factors.

It is imperative that issues that lead to poor implementation of quality programs be addressed effectively to enable Australian companies to compete more effectively in highly competitive global markets. The development of a methodology to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the quality system in an organisation could thus be of value to organisations to enable them to rectify weaknesses and compete more effectively on the basis of customer value creation through quality enhancement. Creating value for the customer through quality is accepted as an important component of the competitive strategy of organisations throughout the world. Its relevance and significance is well reflected by the importance attached to the “quality imperative” not only by organisations but also by governments, international agencies, and business associations. The breakthrough gains that can be made through a well-implemented Total Quality Management (TQM) program have prompted the development of award systems such as the Deming Prize, the Baldrige Award, the European Quality Award the Japanese Quality Award, and the Australian Quality Award, which also serve as frameworks for self assessment and improvement. The purpose of this study is to establish pathways to achieve optimum business outcomes using the Quality Management Assessment Framework (QMAF) model with ICT as an enabler and to formulate guidelines for managers. The main research question is as follows. How do the categories which contain the TQM elements including information communication technology (ICT) in the model of the Quality Management Assessment Framework (QMAF) directly and indirectly affect the performance outputs of an organisation, namely business outcomes (business results and customer and stakeholder value)? Based on a study of popular quality frameworks, an integrated approach for assessing quality management practices at the organisation level is proposed. Explicit attention is then paid to the role that information and communication technology (ICT) can play in upgrading quality management practices. ICT is seen as an enabler that, through its influence on the elements of the proposed framework, can accelerate the movement of an organisation towards ICT supported quality management and strengthen an organisation’s operative technological capability. The model consists of the following major TQM elements: leadership; strategy; quality culture; benchmarking; customer focus; partnering; education and training; empowerment; total quality tools; continuous improvement; business processes; information/knowledge/communication; business results plus feedback; and customer value plus feedback. The major TQM elements are classified into nine categories in the model, namely leadership, quality culture, information/knowledge/communication, strategy, human resources management, partnering focus, improvement methods, business processes and business outcomes (business results, customer and stakeholder value and feedback).The model is referred to as the Quality Management Assessment Framework (QMAF). Based on a comprehensive review of the literature, a detailed checklist has been developed for each of these elements so that, through its administration, a quick assessment could be made of the status of the quality system of an organisation. The delineation of these elements and their further elaboration through the checklist is an attempt to understand the complex interactions of these factors on business results and customer value creation. The framework also pays special attention to the role that ICT can play in upgrading quality systems. Here, ICT is seen as an enabler that, together with the major elements of TQM, can revolutionise people management, technology management, knowledge management and business management in the pursuit of organisational excellence. This research involved a questionnaire-based survey of small, medium and large manufacturing organisations in the Western Sydney Region. A total of 60 useable questionnaires were received from organisations who received the questionnaire by mail. The management information from the data was treated with the appropriate statistical tools in order to attain secure and minimally biased conclusions. A clear methodological path for assessing the quality management systems of organisations with the use of the Quality Management Assessment Framework (QMAF) model is presented. It introduces the concepts evaluated by the QMAF model and provides an assessment of the quality management capabilities of the industries in the Western Sydney Region of New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The assessment is based on distribution of scores of the various categories in the QMAF model, using a benchmarking process. Furthermore, it detected significant differences between large, medium and small organisations and the various ANZSIC industry codes with regard to measures of the TQM categories of the QMAF model using ANOVA and multiple comparison with the best (MCB). The analysis verified the general reliability of the QMAF model. The QMAF model assessment has also identified many of the Western Sydney Region manufacturing industries’ shortcomings that merit further investigation. The results of this analysis can serve as valuable feedback to the managers of the industries considered in this study aiming at bettering their business processes in many ways, including benchmarking their performance against the best case scores of the QMAF. Multiple regression and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) - path analysis were further used to study the strengths and the relationships between the constructs in the QMAF model. The causal relationships between the various constructs in the model were used to establish optimum pathways in achieving business outcomes encompassing business results, customer and stakeholder value were established for the manufacturing industries in the Western Sydney Region. The results of the analysis validate the QMAF model. The significance of information communication technology (ICT) as an enabler through its influence on the constructs of the proposed framework as represented by the information, knowledge and communication (IKC) construct is affirmed. Several hypotheses are substantiated establishing direct and indirect causal relationships among the constructs of the QMAF model. The impact of the traditional Total Quality Management (TQM) constructs on business outcomes using a Quality Management Assessment Framework (QMAF) without considering the Information/Knowledge/Communication (IKC) construct was also studied. Multiple regression and SEM - path analysis (recursive) were also used to study the strengths and the relationships between these constructs. In order to validate and reinforce the strengths of the relationships between traditional TQM constructs, several hypotheses are substantiated among the traditional TQM constructs establishing direct and indirect causal relationships among the constructs and their significance. Finally the one-to-one direct effect of IKC on the other categories of the QMAF model was determined using regression analysis. The quality assessment analysis using descriptive statistics, ANOVA, Hsu’s MCB along with (SEM) recursive path analysis study provides vital guidelines to managers in the manufacturing industries of the Western Sydney Region in formulating strategies towards achieving business excellence through TQM using ICT as an enabler. The one-to-one direct effect of IKC provides a more holistic picture of the important role ICT plays in obtaining optimum business outcomes. The above findings supported by the QMAF assessment tool can be used to foster continual improvement and achieve business excellence. This research concludes by pointing out the implications, strengths and limitations of the study and suggestions for future research.

The aim of the research is to determine the best practices for supplier quality management (SQM) in the construction industry that ensure that the supplied materials and equipment for construction projects are within the quality requirements. The research is based on three main objectives. The first objective is to describe and assess the process of assuring supplier quality inside and outside the construction industry. The second objective is to develop a framework for the supplier quality process based on the collection of SQM practices from multiple data sources. The third objective is to assess the SQM practices within the developed framework of supplier quality process, and to discuss the development of strategic leadership for SQM. The contribution of this research can be used by stakeholders in the construction industry to improve SQM within their organizations. Researchers can also benefit from this research to better understand SQM practices within the construction industry. The findings of the research show that SQM practices outside the construction industry appear to be similar to the existing practices within the construction industry. However, construction organizations with highly effective SQM systems implement the SQM practices more consistently, as compared to the other organizations. Also, construction organizations with highly effective SQM systems focus on quality when selecting their suppliers, and hold joint quality planning with their suppliers because these practices have high impact on quality and are easy to implement. Finally, the research shows that having a quality director that helps create a quality culture for SQM is very important to strategically lead SQM within construction organizations.

Since it's release in Dec 2000, there has been a slow movement towards the new version of ISO 9001:2000 by ISO 9000:1994 certified organizations. Of the 561,747 ISO 9000 certified businesses, 167,210 are certified under the new ISO 9001:2000, which is less than 30 % of the total ISO 9000 certified companies. Although many studies have been conducted to understand and assess the practices of ISO 9000:1994 standards, no research has been done to investigate the practices of ISO 9001:2000 in Saudi Arabia. This study is designed to investigate the implementation practices of the new ISO 9001:2000 standard in Saudi business organizations. The main objectives of this study are to identify the critical factors that lead to successful implementation of the new standard, to determine what barriers have been encountered during implementation, and to identify the most difficult parts of the standard to comply with. It investigates the perceived benefits that Saudi firms have gained from implementing the system and examines the level of knowledge about ISO 9001:2000 and the perceptions of the new standard among the management teams and staff of ISO registered firms. It determines the level of integration between ISO 9001:2000 and other implemented systems. Furthermore, this study aims to investigate the factors that may explain the Saudi organizations' decisions to implement ISO 9001:2000 in their businesses. To accomplish these research objectives, a questionnaire was developed based on an extensive review of related literature and tested for validity and reliability. The target sample for the study was made up of all ISO 9001:2000 registered sites in Saudi Arabia up to 31 Dec. 2002, which comprised 131 organizations. A total of 89 completed surveys were received, for a response rate of 72%. Descriptive statistics, measurement of variation, and association, and factor analysis were used in the interpretation of collected data. The major findings are as follows: 86.5% of the total respondents had implemented ISO 9001:2000 as a transition process from previous ISO 9000 standards. 68.5% of the certified sites took less than one year to implement the standard. Most of them were previously certified in one of the ISO 9000:1994 standards. This high percentage indicates that ISO 9001:2000 can be easily implemented in a short time frame. Most of the companies in the study reported the use of external consultants (70.8%), but overall there was a low level of reliance on them, with 64.0% of registered organizations having documented less than 10% participation of external consultants in implementing the ISO 9001:2000 system. The top five critical success factors in implementing the ISO 9001:2000 quality management system, in descending order, are as follows: commitment of management, effective internal auditing, commitment of middle management, employee motivation and involvement, resource allocation, and existence of appropriate communication routes. The major hindrances during the implementation of ISO 9001:2000, in descending order, were as follows: lack of employee involvement, difficulties in co-operation among middle managers over quality problems, lack of training programs related to quality, insufficient project time, and lack of customer co-operation. The most significant reasons for Saudi organizations to implement the system, in descending order, are as follows: top management initiative, quality improvement of internal operations and processes, customers requirements, part of the overall quality policy of the organization. The highest perceived benefits, in descending order, were as follows: development of quality culture, improved customer satisfaction, better communication with customers, increased management commitment, and use of data as a business management tool. Most respondents are highly satisfied with the standard, believe that it is cost effective and would strongly recommend the standard to other firms. Top managers were the most knowledgeable about the ISO 9001:2000 standard, followed by middle managers, then employees. Findings reveal that level of knowledge about ISO 9001:2000 among organization's people is positively correlated with most of the attainable benefits from implementing the standard. Based on the findings of this study, many conclusions and recommendations were drawn. In summary, for a successful implementation of ISO 9001:2000 standard, organizations must give great consideration to the people involvement factor, particularly top and middle management s involvement and commitment to quality, employees motivation and involvement, quality awareness, and ISO 9001:2000 training.

Examining customer service systems and values can be helpful in promoting service quality culture. By comparing the perceptions of different levels of organizations, companies can determine if their corporate cultures are filtering to all levels. Continual evaluation can predict cultural trends and allow for corrective action. To assist in the examination, a model of corporate culture was discussed. Two service organizations participated in the development of a tool to examine customer service issues within culture.

This dissertation studies quality and manufacturing practices in color picture tube plants all over the world: of 53 plants that exist in the non-ex-communist world, we have collected detailed data on 48. We use a three-phase methodology for our research: in-depth study of one plant, field interviews with managers at ten factories, and a mail survey of four senior managers (plant, production, quality, and engineering) at each of the 48 color picture tube plants. Our key findings for the color picture tube industry pertain to the significance of "managing technology" and "managing the organization". For technology management issues, we find that the quality and productivity of factories is higher when: process and material handling automation are high, automation implementation practices ensure transfer of knowledge, there is cross-functional participation in product design, and product designs are implemented on the factory floor through consistent design release procedures. Key organizational issues include task orientation of workers through broad skills and knowledge, knowledge orientation of engineers through knowledge sharing and learning, and understanding of process interactions through error-analysis and analysis of process information. We also address secondary research issues pertaining to various strategic elements of quality management. First, our research suggests how a manufacturing organization can go from being cost-focused to becoming a "sandcone" organization (Ferdows and DeMeyer 1990). Another finding that has not been consistently observed in other studies, is that financial incentives for quality are correlated with superior quality performance. Our field observations and analysis suggest that the development of a quality culture in an organization can have a strategic impact, and thus, should be the responsibility of top management. Our research also indicates that process complexity influences the kinds of quality and manufacturing practices that lead to superior quality performance. This contingent framework suggests that more complex processes should emphasize knowledge-supporting and enhancing activities. Production and quality managers can use such a framework to help organize their factories. Such a framework also enriches the existing literature that links technology and organizations (Collins et al. 1988; others). In future research, we intend to test this framework more exhaustively.