Business Excellence
Contents Page
1. Question 1a Pg 3 – 7
2. Question 1b Pg 8
3. Question 2a Pg 9 – 13
4. Question 2b Pg 14 – 15
5. References Pg 16
Question 1(a)
Quality is one of the most complex concepts to be understood as there is no universal definition to it. Everyone views quality in their own subjective manner. Moreover, the views on quality very much depend on the different criteria used to evaluate it. For instance, Deming, a well-known and influential quality management guru, did not define or describe quality specifically. In one of his last books, he stated that ‘a product or a service possesses quality if it helps somebody and enjoys a good and sustainable market’.
Business excellence is often characterized by principles, practices and techniques in managing the organisation and achieving results, based on a set of fundamental concepts or values. Many countries have developed their own models and frameworks to evaluate and recognize organizations for their efforts in business excellence through awards programmes. In Singapore, for example, the Business Excellence (BE) initiative was started by Spring Singapore to assist organizations strengthen their management systems and processes for high performance through the adoption of the business excellence framework.
In my opinion, “Quality is a means to an end for business excellence.” essentially means that, ‘quality is a tool to achieve the objective of business excellence’. In this context, quality is marked by ‘a concentrated expenditure of involvement, concern, and commitment’. An example is the National Library Board (NLB) which oversees both the National Library Singapore (NLS) as well as the Public Libraries Singapore (PLS). By anchoring quality as one of its cornerstones, NLB has received numerous Business Excellence Awards from Spring Singapore.
The Business Excellence Framework consists of seven criteria categories such as Leadership, People,
1. Question 1a Pg 3 – 7
2. Question 1b Pg 8
3. Question 2a Pg 9 – 13
4. Question 2b Pg 14 – 15
5. References Pg 16
Question 1(a)
Quality is one of the most complex concepts to be understood as there is no universal definition to it. Everyone views quality in their own subjective manner. Moreover, the views on quality very much depend on the different criteria used to evaluate it. For instance, Deming, a well-known and influential quality management guru, did not define or describe quality specifically. In one of his last books, he stated that ‘a product or a service possesses quality if it helps somebody and enjoys a good and sustainable market’.
Business excellence is often characterized by principles, practices and techniques in managing the organisation and achieving results, based on a set of fundamental concepts or values. Many countries have developed their own models and frameworks to evaluate and recognize organizations for their efforts in business excellence through awards programmes. In Singapore, for example, the Business Excellence (BE) initiative was started by Spring Singapore to assist organizations strengthen their management systems and processes for high performance through the adoption of the business excellence framework.
In my opinion, “Quality is a means to an end for business excellence.” essentially means that, ‘quality is a tool to achieve the objective of business excellence’. In this context, quality is marked by ‘a concentrated expenditure of involvement, concern, and commitment’. An example is the National Library Board (NLB) which oversees both the National Library Singapore (NLS) as well as the Public Libraries Singapore (PLS). By anchoring quality as one of its cornerstones, NLB has received numerous Business Excellence Awards from Spring Singapore.
The Business Excellence Framework consists of seven criteria categories such as Leadership, People,
References: Berry, B., (2012), Business Process Improvement and Innovation, The link between Deming’s Theory of Profound Knowledge and Systems Thinking, Improvement & Innovation, http://www.improvementandinnovation.com/features/article/link-between-demings-theor y-profound-knowledge-and-systems-thinking/, accessed on 28 October 2012. Business Performance Improvement Resource (2012), Home, What is Business Excellence?, http://www.bpir.com/business-excellence-bpir.com.html, accessed on 28 October 2012. Evans, J.R., Linday, W.M., (2011), The Management and Control of Quality, Eight Edition, South-Western Cengage Learning, Cananda. Saad, I., (2011) Singapore News, North-South MRT Line breakdown hits thousands, MediaCorp Pte Ltd, http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1171573/1/.html, accessed on 28 October 2012. Singapore Management University (2012), Institute of Service Excellence at SMU (ISES), About CSISG, http://www2.smu.edu.sg/centres/ises/CSISG/about_csisg.asp, accessed on 28 October 2012. Spring Singapore (2012), Home, Business Excellence Initiative, http://www.spring.gov.sg/QualityStandards/be/Pages/Business-Excellence-Initiative.aspx, accessed on 28 October 2012.