Quality and Business Excellence Programs Comparison

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Table of Contents

Summary
Key Learning Points
Relevant Statements to the Session
Critical Analysis
Practical Implications
Learning Reflections
Works Cited

Summary

Provide a narrative summary in your own words of the article that you are requested to read. There is no particular word count for the summary; however, it should not be longer than one page. As with all summaries, yours should offer an overview of the paper in a way to help anyone who reads it to understand what it is all about without having to read it himself/herself.

The article by Paulo Augusto Cauchick Miguel is devoted to the analysis of quality and business excellence awards (QBEAs). To complement the previous works on the topic, this one analyzes and compares 39 QBEAs worldwide. The methodology consists of qualitative analysis with elements of quantitative data usage.

The results show that there are core similarities between QBEAs, even though fluctuations do take place. The pattern or framework of most QBEAs is the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The mission and values are typically similar for all QBEAs, even though they may be termed differently. It is possible to describe a QBEA’s mission as “facilitating business excellence” (Miguel 39). The leading sector of the mission turned out to be the recognition of the achievements in the field. The values, principles, and concepts of the QBEAs are aimed at a total of twenty-nine dimensions, the top three of them being people involved (customer, leadership, social responsibility), the process of improvement (innovation, learning), and the results as well as “management by facts” (Miguel 41).

Both profit and non-profit organizations can participate in most QBEAs (58%); there are separate awards for businesses of different sizes. Half of QBEAs have only one level of recognition. The common criteria for victory include customer satisfaction, people and leadership, processes, strategies and policies, and results. The rarest criterion is the performance measurement system. The author concludes that the key differences between QBEAs consist in the way the ideas of knowledge, technology, and innovation are managed by them. The work is finished by the suggestions of further research, including future changes, development of a global QBEAs framework, and customization of QBEAs for particular countries.

Key Learning Points

Identify the key learning points in the read and analyze assigned activity. With key learning points, we mean the key ideas or concepts that are addressed in the document at hand. A list of keywords is not sufficient. Two articles may be very similar in their list of keywords (example: TQM and employee satisfaction) however they may have totally different if not opposing key learning points (one addresses how TQM leads to better employee satisfaction, while the other targets the impact of employee satisfaction levels on the implementation of TQM in a given company).

The key learning points identified by the author include the following aspects. First of all, the author emphasizes that the analyzed QBEAs are similar in terms of core values and mission, which brings forward the idea of a global QBEA framework. At the same time, another learning point consists of the differences that exist between QBEAs. The author suggests that different countries may have unique needs in terms of such awards. Also, the author emphasizes the fact that the differences are primarily concerned with new trends, which demonstrates the differences in development and the adoption of innovation that appear to exist between the analyzed countries.

Apart from the conclusions about the QBEAs, the work also contains a couple of learning points that are not so explicitly stated. From the analysis of varied QBEAs, it becomes obvious that the idea of business excellence is simultaneously similar and different all over the world. Still, the comparable aspects demonstrate that the global business and scientific societies consider business excellence to depend on people, continuous improvement (including innovation), and new trends in management, business, and technology.

Relevant Statements to the Session

While you are reading, identify the relevant concepts to the session/s and insert them in the following space. Please do not limit yourself to specific quotes, rather try to extract the ideas from the article that relate to the topics and issues discussed in our sessions, and list them in your own words.

Critical Analysis

This is the most important section in your analysis. To complete it successfully, the learner is to consider the following guiding steps:

Present arguments coherently, supported by evidence and facts to substantiate on why you may take a particular stance and/ or position towards a particular approach whether against or in support of it;
Capable of bridging the gap between the theory and conceptual work with the application under consideration.

In other words, offer your critical analysis, assessment, and evaluation of the different ideas or arguments presented in the document while offering an argument in support of your position.

The article by Paulo Augusto Cauchick Miguel does not offer any controversial arguments and ideas: it presents the results of research that are accompanied by the author’s logical comments. The author does not provide any definition of the core concepts (quality and business excellence), but the aim of the paper does not consist in defining them.

Instead, the author appears to attempt to describe the way the concepts are understood on the global level. Individual attempts at providing the information about the local levels (countries) are also made, primarily through the figures and tables like the one found on page 41 that demonstrates the distribution of core values and concepts dimensions. Still, these attempts do not appear to be the aim of the work, and the attention of the author seems to be focusing the attention on the most popular trends. As a result, the idea of developing a global framework appears in the paper before the concept of customized QBEAs for various countries.

The differences, which are minor on the level of values, but become more significant and noticeable at the level of criteria, demonstrate that different nations either have distinct perceptions of the details of business excellence or distinct needs due to the specifics of their economic development. Varied level of development on the global scale is a fact that speaks in favor of customized decisions for national QBEAs. Still, it would not be correct to insist that the two suggestions (standardization and customization) are not compatible. In fact, when generalized, the missions of QBEAs are identical: the whole phenomenon is created to promote quality and business excellence.

The creation of a global framework would help to define the position of individual countries in the field of business excellence and identify the difficulties that they face, which would be in line with the mission of QBEAs (the promotion of excellence). If the framework is based primarily on values, missions (that are already almost identical), and procedures, it will not prevent countries from making individual changes to suit their needs.

As for the fact that countries do need QBEAs, the article provides sufficient evidence to it. The author demonstrates that QBEAs promote quality and business excellence. While the key part of their mission is recognition, the author proves, that incentives for development are not the only way QBEAs have an impact on global excellence. Other aspects include the accumulation and distribution of theoretical and practical knowledge, popularization of best trends, and communication encouragement. Due to these arguments, the issue of standardizing or globalizing QBEAs appears to be especially worth consideration.

Practical Implications

How could you apply the subject matter from the article in a real business case? This may be related to your own work environment, but does not have to.

The key aspect of the article that I would consider practically applicable is the globally accepted notion of quality and business excellence, its criteria, and its fundamental elements. Here, I would pay the most attention to the first criteria which I had always considered the most important: people and public relations. This aspect includes customers as well as employees and is connected to the concept of corporate social responsibility. Similarly, the second most important aspect (innovation and improvement) is also shown as a universally accepted pillar of excellence. In other words, the article provides evidence to the significance of these aspects, which can be regarded as a guide for practical situations: for example, the evaluation of a business’s success and correction of its focus.

Learning Reflections

What have you learned? Critical thinking is about lessons learned to be drawn from the analysis.

I have to admit that I tended to overlook the significance of various awards (not only in the field of business). The article provides proof of the fact that they are indeed promoting excellence (or another aspect of human activity that they are devoted to), and, as I have already pointed out, incentives are not their only tool in this respect. Besides, apart from providing confirmation to my ideas concerning the important aspects of excellence, the article drew my attention to other aspects that are regarded as similarly significant by the modern business and scientific society. While I never regarded any of the mentioned criteria as unimportant, I considered them much more carefully due to the article.

Works Cited

Miguel, Paulo Augusto Cauchick. ” A Comparison of Quality and Business Excellence Programs in the World.” Revista de Ciencia y Tecnología 13.25 (2005): 35-46. Print.

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