Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) : The reasons and seven categories of criteria used for evaluations

a. Give four (4) reasons why the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) was established in The United States of America. b. Discuss briefly the seven (7) categories of criteria that are used for evaluations on organizations to be considered for MBNQA.

a.

As its name suggest, MBNQA ia a national award founded by then president, President Reagen in 1987, when the productivity in the States was declining. Refers to the USA Improvement Act 1987, four reasons why MBNQA was established are:

         i.           Helping to stimulate American companies to improve quality and productivity for the pride of recognition while obtaining a competitive edge through increased profits,

       ii.            Recognizing the achievements of those companies which improve the quality of their goods and services and providing an example to others,

      iii.            Establishing guidelines and criteria that can be used by business, industrial, governmental, and other organizations in evaluating their own quality improvement efforts, and

     iv.            Providing specific guidance for other American organizations that wish to learn how to manage for high quality by making available detailed information on how winning organizations were able to change their cultures and achieve eminence.

  

  b.

Seven categories of criteria that are used for evaluations on organizations to be considered for MBNQ are:

Category 1: Leadership

It refers to the leadership of the management in the organization, how they guide the organization to achieve quality and sustain it. The leadership also refers to the working orientation, culture and administration system on how to fulfill the organization’s responsibility to the employees, customers and the environment.

Category 2: Strategic Planning

This category evaluate on how the organization develop strategic plan, objectives and action plans. How the organization executes or implements the strategic plan and how the progress and development of the plan are assessed.

Category 3: Customer and Market Focus

This category looks at how the organizations has come up to the expectations of the customers, how the organization obtain input from the markets and customers on their needs and requirements.  This category will also examine the relationship among the organization, customers and suppliers in terms of satisfaction, attainment, loyalty and the opportunities and possibilities of improvement and business expansion.

  

Category 4: Measurement, Analysis and Knowledge Management

This category looks at how the organization collects, analyses, administers and uses its data, information and knowledge to improve its operation, as well as to support the organization’s key processes and performance management system. This also include in the improvement of its information technology.

Category 5: Human Resource or Workforce Focus

This category examine how the work system of an organization and its work culture or environment and HR practices direct to performance excellence and in the same time, parallel with the strategic objectives and action plans of the organization. This includes pinpointing the organization’s initiatives to build and maintain a work environment and employee support system conducive to high performance, capacity and high capability of the work force and also to personal and organizational growth. It also looks at the employer-employee relations of the organization, in terms of the development and engagement of the employees in the progress of achieving the organization’s mission, objectives, strategy and strategic plans.

Category 6: Process Management or Operation Focus

This category looks at key aspects of an organization’s process management and organizational design, including the key products, service, and operation or business process, work systems for creating customer and organizational value or delivers the value to the customers and key support system and processes involving all work units. This category also examines the readiness of the organization to face emergencies and how it improve its operations for sustainability, increasing competitiveness and success.

Category 7: Business Results

This category looks at overall performance of the organization and its improvement in its predetermined key business areas such as customer satisfaction, leadership and administration performance, product and services performance, process, human resource focus, financial performance, stability and sustainability and also the market results of the organization, compared to other organization which offered the similar product or services.

Characteristics of Service Quality

Service Quality has certain characteristics. Please chose four (4) characteristics and briefly discuss each of them. Service quality is to meet and exceed customer’s needs and requirement in term of the quality in the actual service delivered to the expected service performance.

Four characteristics of service quality are:

1.       Typically intangible: Once the service has been provided, there is no evidence to show the ‘service’. For example, a door man opens doors for hotel guest, there is no evidence of proof for his service, or to say his service is intangible. Contrary to this, a flower girl sells Roses to the hotel guest, the flower is the evidence of proof (a good), which is tangible. Thus, it is hard to evaluate the service after purchasing.

2.       Unable to store: Service is not like goods; service cannot be stored to meet up to the changes in customer’s demand, while goods like cars, can be stored to meet customer demand in future. For instance, a teacher’s advice to his students, the advice and the teacher’s time for giving advice cannot be stored like goods.

3.       Heterogeneity: Or in other word – variation. Service is not a good made by machine, which will result in almost zero defects or nil variability. Service is highly flexible and variable. Different labour input, or simply says, different employee performs differently from the other. For example, setting is a restaurant: Employee A may be prefer to seat his customer and provide a glass of cold water before hands on the menu for his customer to place order, but Employee B may thought he himself given the best service when he can seat his customer and taking order directly and serving his customer with cold drink afterwards. Either way, they both think they give their best service, and the manager also agreed with them both. This scenario implies that it is hard to be measure service quality through conventional quality standard.

4.       Perishability: It refers to the duration of the service provided to the customer, which the duration is vanish-able and have a definite period. For example, the cold drink served to customer A, once served and drank by the customer, the drink vanished once the customer drank it,  that particular drink from that same glass cannot be serve to the other customer again at the same time.  Service also have definite period, if one customer did not request and consume the service at the time given, it will not be performed. 

"Customer Care," a 20x30-inch inspirational color poster photograph of two hands cradling a rose, created by the 31st Communications Squadron (CS), Visual Information, Aviano Air Base (AB), Italy. Subtitle:"Customer care must be nurtured from beginning to end." (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Barriers to TQM Implementation

road_block.jpg (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The 6 barriers to TQM implemantation are as follow:

1. Lack of constancy of purpose. In succession of TQM, a predetermined purpose or objective is very important not only to established but to make sure all members of the organization (the stakeholders, top managers and ground staff) were acknowledged about the objective so that everyone would have the same goal to work for. If the purpose or objective of the TQM Implemantation in an organization is not constant, the mission to achieve by the members is vague, no standard or process to indicate at what level the goods should be produced and the service to be provided and wastages, errors or delays would likely to occur at the production period. Thus, it is far from possible to achieve total quality.

2.Lack of a holistic (yang menyeluruh) view of quality. Meaning to say that the organization focus only on certain sector and neglect on others in quality management process or implementaion of total quality. For example,quality is commonly known as goods or certain features that met customers' needs. Wiith producing the goods of that certain features, the customer is happy and thus the quality, which will generate more profit to the organization. In this case, the quality is only focus on the product, the sales department may be proud of the numbers of sales they made. But the human resource department may face the music due to workers at the production line complains of long working hours, low wages and benefits and so on. In this case, in the same organization, the sales department achieved its quality indicator but the human resource is not. if this situation prolonged, the company would loses its workers and thus lowering production and profit, lastly facing the doomday.  

3.Lack of alignment between components of organization; not working as a system. Refers to Deming's System of Profound Knowledge, a system involved the suppliers, producers (management and the staff) and customers or recepients of goods and services. In order to achieve total quality, the organization should understand the process involving the system and how to system works together to achieve the aim of the system. Lack of alignment between components of organization, would lead to the fall of an organization, as if a three-legged stool, cut one leg short, the stool would tip and fall. A good system is in which the management would select the supplier and working on long-term relationship with the supplier to ensure the supplier provide the best supply at the most reasonable price, getting the best supply, the staff should also be train on how to use the machinery to produce the best products, the customers are also educated on the products usage and encouraged to giving feedbacks on the products, and the management should at all time monitoring the process of the system.

(.... Kekeringan idea......)

4.Lack of management commitment, which may happened of various causes. For example, the term of TQM Implementation is short in the organization, the management are not taught of the implementation, how is TQm implemented, lack of resources or fund to implement TQM. Of all the reasons, the management might thought of 'to hold' their efforts in TQM implementation till the day the organization is ready to implement TQM, but they do not know that TQM should be implemented since the birth of an organization to ensure the brand of the organization is well trusted and known by its customers.

5.Rewards not linked to performance. To ensure TQM is achieved in an organization, the members would work hard and all wanted to be recognised and appreciate of their efforts. Lacks of effective measurement of quality improvement, not recognised by the output but seniority and level would surely demotivate the workers. Hence, lowered their spirit and faith in implementing TQM in the organization.

6.Regarded as an overtime program. Resulted from the lack of exposure to the members of the organization and education on the implementation of TQM in an organization. TQM is just one of the programme of the organization, but not the main aim of the organization, it is not regarded as one of the main objectives of the organization. Hence, the members of the organization would pay less attention to it and the implementation of TQm face its constraint to succeed. 

Total Quality Management (TQM) in Public Sector in Malaysia

There are five basic concepts of implementing Total Quality Management (TQM) in the public sector in Malaysia. The concepts are:

1. Meeting customers’ requirement

Total quality management is smart management which does not only include producing product with using efficient resource, but it is a continuous management process to produce goods that meet up and exceeds customers’satisfaction. TQM requires the organization to identify their customers, their needs and expectations, and translate those needs and expectations into standards of quality output to be produced. Aimed at customer focused, TQM establish the appropriate processes involved in producing the quality goods and services and implement the process effectively and efficiently in order to meet up and exceeds customers’ expectations.

2. Maintain through prevention 

TQM main aim it to identifyactivities which will cause wastage in the operating process to produce quality goods and services to the customers, through strategic quality planning. It prevents errors and problems from occurring, rather than simply fixing problems or correcting errors. TQM aims on continuous improvement and problem solving to meet up to customer’s requirements. TQM’s important strategy is the 3 Qs, which are quality planning quality assurance and quality control. These 3 Qs are the prevention technique which will ensure the goods and services produced are in conformance with the needs and requirements of the customers. For example, quality planning is the early stage of error-prevention. Through careful planning, customers of all categories are identified, their needs are recognized, the process to produce the goods are determined, and a set of process controls are designed to ensure that quality can be achieved through the operational activities.

3.Standard of performance is zero defect

As TQM aims at doing things right the first time, all the time, it targeted at providing customers to their full satisfaction by producing defect-free goods and error-free services that conform to the expectations of the customers.

4. Cost of quality is non-conformance of standards

In order to produce goods and services efficiently, TQM always focuses on control of the cost of quality. Quality planning plays an important roles at controlling cost, as at his stage, all cost involved in producing the quality goods and services are estimated and well-planned, any cost incurred as a result of wastage of resources, manufactured of low quality goods, errors at servicing or work or non-value added activities are avoided. Extra cost incurred which does not as predetermined in quality planning, could be reduced by prevention and improving work processes. Strategic planning will also ensure the cost incurred in the process of producing goods, are acknowledged to the production team and prevent unnecessary wastage of resources which will increase the cost of production. Cost of quality incurred is seen as non-conformance to the quality standard. Let say, If a book publishing company targeting at publishing quality storybooks for public libraries that each book contained of 100 stories in it, and estimated each book will cost less than RM 5 in the market, and make a profit of RM 2 out of each book, the publishing or production should plan the type of paper use, ink and numbers of coloured pictured used in each book to ensure the cost of production will be less than or equal to RM 3. That’s standard of total quality. If the production cost more than the estimated RM 3, and the company have to raise the price of the book, customers would not be happy, and that’s not total quality. Arrays in cost of quality are seen as non-conformance to the predetermined total quality standard.

5. Whole work is a process

TQM involved not only the goods produced, but also the people who produce the goods and services, the materials, environment and the work system itself. And TQM not only aimed at meeting customer’s expectations, but it aimed at exceeding them. Organization which practiced TQM like public organizations, implanted quality culture in the work process. The organization recognizes the whole organization as a system, and as a system, the organization has a lot of interacting parts in it. These interacting parts or work which involved everyone in the organization is called process. It affects one and another and it has a chain reaction throughout the system. TQM focus not only on one part of the system or organization, but it focused on the whole system, to optimize the output of the whole system and organization and to achieve total quality output. As TQM looking at the whole system, or organization, the actions of everyone in it will definitely affecting the outcome of the quality process in delivering quality service and goods to the customers. 

"Quality", "Quality Control" and "Total Quality"

Define "Quality", "Quality Control" and "Total Quality":

Quality refers to the standard of end-product or services provided has exceed the customer's expectation. In which the product offered or services provided is defect-free or error-free; the term of use for such products / services is long (tahan lama) and meet up to the requirement of the customers.

Quality Control is a process to ensure that the products are defect-free or error-free and has meet up to or exceed the expectation of the customers. Generally, QC involves 3 steps: evaluation of actual quality of the product manufactured, comparison of the actual products to the predetermined standards; and resolving the differences between the actual products and the predetermined standards. 

 

Total Quality refers not only to the quality of the product itself, but it covered all of the organization in terms of its approaches, policy, procedures, people, environment and process, which aimed to meet and exceed the customer's expectation.

Qualities (Photo credit: kool_skatkat)

PAD 252 Article Review 6 : Price hike of food upsets diners

Article:

UNJUSTIFIED: Customers who frequent a popular Chinese restaurant find that their food and drinks have increased by 50 sen

KUALA LUMPUR: PATRONS of a restaurant in Kawasan Perindustrian Sungai Buloh, here, were shocked when told  to pay an extra 50 sen for their food and drinks. A popular haunt for those living in Sungai Buloh, some patrons, who have been frequenting the Chinese restaurant daily for years, said the hike was too steep.A loyal customer, C.H. Loh said he was told that the rent of the place had increased, therefore the price hike."The stall owners can easily get a minimum of 50 customers a day."A hike of 50 sen for a plate of noodles is just too much even if the rent has gone up," he said.Another customer of the same restaurant, however, said that he did not mind paying extra.P. Kamalavendan said that he did not really have the time to file an official complaint as he understands restaurant owners' predicament."If rents go up, so will food prices," said Kamalavendan.A Streets check around Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI), Mutiara Damansara and Kawasan Perindustrian Sungai Buloh showed that other restaurants had not increased their food and beverage prices, but some did indicate that they may do so soon.A mamak restaurant owner in TTDI said that although the prices of ingredients had increased in recent times, he had not increase the price of food to keep his customers happy.The restaurant owner, who declined to be named, said that he, may be forced to increase the price of food to at least make some profit.Although the restaurant denied hiking any price, the original prices on their menu did show some "updates" and some of the customers interviewed said that they have noticed a slight increase in prices.Mohd Nazrief Mohd Yunus said that he was often charged more than what was stated on the menu."For example, although the price of a glass of Teh O is stated as RM1, I was charged more," he said.A customer at a mamak restaurant in Mutiara Damansara, Muhammad Firdaus Abd Rahman, 24, said the staff always overcharged their customers."I usually go there with a few friends and when we paid, we noticed that they overcharged us about 20 or 30 sen," he said.However, the restaurant manager who did not want to be identified denied doing so."The price is still the same as last year. We can't simply increase the price of the drinks and food that we serve," he said.Four other restaurants that Streets visited said that they have no plans to hike prices at the moment.

Read more: Price hike of food upsets diners - Central - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/streets/central/price-hike-of-food-upsets-diners-1.197458#ixzz2mOgUqdBd

Healthy Berries are Good Food for Health (Photo credit: epSos.de)

ARTICLE REVIEW

The article shows that in a Streets check around Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Mutiara Damansara and Kawasan Perindustrian Sungai Buloh shows that some restaurant operators has increased the price of food and beverages served and a few indicated that they may raise the price of their food and beverages. Steep hike in price has also raised dissatisfaction of the customers, especially those who frequent the restaurant. On the other hand, some did not mind in the raise and stated their understanding of the owner’s decision. Taking a mamak restaurant in TTDI for instance, the owner claimed that in order to keep his customers happy, he had not increase the price of food, although the price of ingredients had increased recently. Even so, he may be forced to raise the price of food to at least make some profit. While the owner denied raising any price, the prices on their menu showed some rise in price, and the customers are aware of the changes. Some customer stated that he was often charged more than the price shown on menu; other customer in Mutiara Damansara expressing that the staff always overcharged their customers, however, the owner denied doing so.

ARTICLE RELATE TO QUALITY MANAGEMENT

Customer’s satisfaction is the ultimate aim of quality. As quality could be defined as meeting or exceeding customer expectations at a price that he is willing to pay to possess the product or services. In the article, most customers expressed their dissatisfaction due to the increased prices of food and beverages, even in the restaurant they frequently goes to. There is no quality system that serves a purpose to meet customer’s expectations and needs and increase profitability. The restaurant has no proper plan in implementing an approach to coupe with their issue of increased material cost and to obtained profit but at the same time, to win customer’s heart. The managers even in denial on customer’s claim. Service quality also absent in the restaurants observed. The service provided by the restaurant is differs from the customer’s view and the manager’s. As the customer complained about the workers who charged more on the food and beverages served. Service quality is comparison of expectation with service performance or achievement. As defined by Zeithami and Bitner (2003), service quality is a focused evaluation that reflects the customer’s perception of specific dimensions of service: reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, tangibles, competence, credibility, courtesy, communication, security, access and satisfaction. The restaurant owners should take the rising material costs, communicate with the customers to know what they feel about the increasing of prices in the restaurant, not to get the consent of the customers, but at least to acknowledge the customers, especially the one who frequent the restaurant, as a sense of appreciation. The communication can be done in various way, such as talking directly to the customers, or showing the increased prices to the customers while taking orders and explain to the customers why the price must be increased. No previous conformation of the price hiking and sudden overcharged will definitely dissatisfied the customers. Credibility of the restaurant and the owner is at doubt when the owner denied the price increased, but the price shown on the menu board clearly stated that the price has increased. No matter what the reason the owner might have, to ensure the restaurant would be a success, customer’s satisfaction is the most important thing to keep in mind. The owner should come up with quality planning, quality control and quality improvement as stated in Juran’s Quaity Trilogy. With proper quality planning, the owner would know what the customers want, what the organization is able to plan to achieve that needs; quality control could be apply to ensure that the cost in producing the goods or foods to the customer is adequate and could earn some profit from it, as to quality improvement, the owner should, from time to time, get customer’s comments on the services provided by the restaurant and making improvement out of it. 

PAD 252 Article 5: 'Safety cert helps firm in branding'

Article:

KOTA KINABALU: Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) certification has become the key determinant for the future of industries.

National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said yesterday since 2004, the institute had issued Occupational Safety and Health Management System (MS 1722 and OHSAS 18001) certificates to 22 companies nationwide.

This includes certifying two Sabah oil palm companies -- Lahad Datu Edible Oils Sdn Bhd and TSH Wilmar Sdn Bhd, Kunak -- since Niosh Certification Sdn Bhd (NCSB) was established nine years ago.

"With this certification, we help companies to create branding and it is one way to make sure that industries in Malaysia becomes competent and productive."

He was speaking at the Media Appreciation Lunch 2013 at Pan Pacific Sutera, yesterday. Present were NCSB general manager Shamsul Zahrin Zainudin and Sabah and Labuan Niosh manager Mohd Hussin Abd Salam.

Lee said Sabah was moving towards industrialisation and it was important to comply with the safety standards regulations.

"If a company is certified, customers will be satisfied and they are confident this is a company which complies with safety standards."

This year, Niosh will be organising the Third Borneo Conference and Exhibition on Occupational Safety and Health 2013 in June, here.

Themed "A Global Strategy: Optimising Productivity Through Accident Prevention", the conference would allow participants (employers and employees) to gain knowledge and share information.

Read more: 'Safety cert helps firm in branding' - Letters to the Editor - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/safety-cert-helps-firm-in-branding-1.209294#ixzz2mOdJX06p

ARTICLE REVIEW

Speaking at the Media Appreciation Lunch 2013 at Pan Pacific Sutera, Kota Kinabalu, on January 28, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) chairman, Tan Sri Lee lam Thye said, with Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) certification, it could help companies create branding and ensure that Malaysia Industries become proficient and productive. Since Sabah was moving towards industrialisation, it is vital to conform to the safety standards regulations, he added that customers will be satisfied and confident if a company is certified, seeing that certified means the company complied with safety standards. Third Borneo Conference and Exhibition on Occupational Safety and Health 2013, themed “A Global Strategy: Optimising Productivity Through Accident Prevention” would be held in June at Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. This event would allow participants made up of employers and employees to gain knowledge and share information.

ARTICLE RELATE TO QUALITY MANAGEMENT

From the article, we could relate to Total Quality, in which total quality means not only the quality of the goods produced, but also the environment, process, and people that involved in the process of producing goods that meet up and exceeds the expectation of the customers. OSH certification, for instance, is a certification that certified the organization is compiled with the safety standards set by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health or Niosh. Why does OSH relate to total quality? It is related because not only the goods produced are produced in a safe environment, but it also serve as a guidelines and statement of proof that the organization is operating according to the rules and regulation established by Niosh, the customer could purchase goods or acquire services provided by the organization without worries. For example, if a food processing company has OSH certification, means it is recognized not only by Niosh, but should also be recognised by the customers, because the workers wear safety gears while processing the food, to prevent cut or injuries which may contaminate the food produced. And the machines used in producing such food are in good functioning condition, the package will have no leakage and the wholesaler could buy the products in bulk with no worries. In order to improve quality management and safety in workplace, Third Borneo Conference and Exhibition on Occupational Safety and Health 2013 would be held. It would involve all the employers and employees that participate to share information and gain knowledge from this expo. Via sharing knowledge, in my opinion, will help to increase the quality on producing goods and service of an employer or employees in the future. Bonus to that, the theme “ Optimising Productivity Through Accident Prevention”, would be a joy for all managers, as it may help to solve problems of productivity verses accident in the workplace, and hence, while improving quality product, the accident could be prevent, and the human resources of the organization could be save for more productions, the fund of the organization could also be saved due to less accident, less compensation. 

PAD 252 Article Review 4 : Kuching City South is handicapped-friendly

Article :

KUCHING: When Josh John lost the use of both his legs 17 years ago from acute transverse myelitis, one adjustment he had to make was how to move around and get on with life.

John, an accountant, suffered a viral attack on his spinal cord that eventually left him paralysed from the chest down."Seventeen years on, I'm still trying to find my way around."There are not many places where wheelchair-bound people like me can go to. Most public buildings, including government offices, are difficult for us to get into without help from someone else to literally haul us in."However, John said in the last five years, he found some improvement and there are some shopping complexes he could go to without worrying his wife, Hilda, too much.What John failed to notice was that these shopping complexes are found in the "south" side of the city, within the administration of Kuching City South (MBKS) until he read a news report that MBKS is now recognised as a handicapped friendly city.MBKS was bestowed the "Appreciation for Caring Local Authority" award at last year's National Disabled Day for its efforts in improving infrastructure and providing accessible amenities for the disabled and physically challenged.John found he could get into these malls without having to call to anyone for help and they quickly got into his list of places he could go to.John, who drives a modified Proton Saga, said there even parking spaces specially reserved for physically challenged people like him at these shopping complexes -- a move forward from what it was even two years ago.Kuching City South mayor Datuk James Chan said since taking over office in 2007 he had made it mandatory for all new building plans submitted to city hall for approval to be compliant of the building by-law to have facilities for the handicapped.He said MBKS had started requiring all new building plans install handicapped facilities mandatory back in 2004.Apart from ramps, facilities that have to be handicapped friendly are the lifts and the toilets.Toilets for the handicapped have wider doors to accommodate a wheelchair, handrails and a lower sink.While some efforts are made to look into the needs of the city's small population of handicapped, John said more could be done.He said the car parks reserved for the handicapped are normally taken by inconsiderate motorists and the ramps blocked by other vehicles."That's what irked us most, inconsiderate people who give no thought to the handicapped."

Read more: Kuching City South is handicapped-friendly - Nation - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/nation/kuching-city-south-is-handicapped-friendly-1.209296#ixzz2mObK3ZSA

ARTICLE REVIEW

Kuching South City Council Cat Statue (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Many years ago in Kuching, most public buildings, including government offices, are difficult for the disabled to get in without help, there are not many places where wheelchair-bound people can go too. Kuching City South (MBKS) is now known as a handicapped-friendly city. At 2012 National Disabled Day, MBKS was given the “Appreciation for Caring Local Authority” award for improving infrastructure and providing accessible amenities for the disabled and physically challenged. Since year 2007, Kuching City South mayor has made it mandatory for all new building plans submitted to city hall for approval to be compliant of the building by-law to have facilities for the handicapped. Facilities such as ramps, lifts and toilets were built since. Toilets were designed to have wider doors to accommodate a wheelchair, handrails and a lower sink. There are even parking spaces specially reserved for physically challenged people. The mayor emphasized that more could be done to improve to meet the needs of the handicapped, though, there were inconsiderate people who violated and misused the facilities for the handicapped.

ARTICLE RELATE TO QUALITY MANAGEMENT

The article reminds us the Juran’s Quality Trilogy, which consists of three basic quality oriented process management, which are: quality planning, quality control and quality improvement. Many years ago, there is not much building; including the government offices has facilities to provide the disabled and handicapped access to the building. Concerned with the needs of the disabled and handicapped customers, MBKS came up with plans to ensure the quality lifestyle in Kuching, especially in the South, can also be enjoyed by the disabled. Quality planning focuses on ensuring that the goals of quality can be achieved within and through operational activities. In order to do that MBKS identify their customers, the physically challenged and has determined their needs and demand of more handicapped-friendly facilities. Hence, MBKS mayor came up with a plan, which he thought could be used and developed to meet the needs of the people under and through actual process. Quality control involved execution of plans and to operate the process to meet the established quality goals, besides monitoring operations that performs with optimal effectiveness. Quality Control executed by MBKS which is to make it mandatory for all new building plans submitted to city hall for approval to be compliant of the building by-law to have facilities for the handicapped. Though there were inconsiderate people who misused the facilities built for the disabled and handicapped, the mayor keep it positive and hoping for quality improvement in the future. Quality improvement could be defined as to take the established process to a newer and better level in order to produced goods and services of better qualities by using the resources efficiently. But, for the disabled people in Kuching, the mayor has done so much to make Kuching a much better city for them to move around. For the disabled like John, the city as improved and making his life better, and that’s quality improvement. For the MBKS’s quality management and improving infrastructure and providing accessible amenities for the disabled and physically challenged, MBKS has been awarded “Appreciation for Caring Local Authority”, it is recognition and also an encouragement for the organization to perform better and produce better goods and services for the people, especially the disabled in Kuching. Recognition is an aspect that helps to ensure effective quality standards expected by organizations and their customer. Although this award is not stated in the syllabus, but yet, it is also a noble award, which recognized MBKS as a quality organization that not only provide the best service to its customers but also exceeds the expectation of all people to be so considerate and firm on its objectives.