ADVANTAGES OF IMPLEMENTIG QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

INTRODUCTION:In response to globalization and due to the standardization and requisite of quality objective, there is a pervasive interest in the ISO 9001:2000. In particular, it focuses on the benefits and success factors in adopting ISO 9001:2000. It is trusted that the study findings may contribute to the constant debate on this area and, thus, may help other colleges, universities and teachers to maximize benefits, anticipate issues and develop strategies towards a firm implementation of this standard.The QMS has become a common choice of strategic management tools in the higher education setting. Consequently, implementation of QMS is critical in confirming the effective and efficient implementation of work processes and procedures to achieve the college goal to provide the educational services to various stakeholders.The education and educational organizations are experiencing extraordinary changes in established systems and delivery technologies, customer needs, and also government prospects (Prabhu, Appleby, Yarrow, & Mitchell, 2000); (Piskar & Dolinsek, 2006). In the perspective of higher education, a perceptible trend is in place i.e., increasing competition among universities and higher education institutions are attracting students across the globe. 'Quality' has risen as a theme employed as they compete with each other (Sohail, Rajadurai, & Abdul-Rahman, 2003).LITERATURE REVIEW:Previous research on the implementation of ISO 9000 in education can be classified under four categories: the significance of ISO 9000 to education (Welch, 1998); (Peters, 1999); (Waks & Frank, 1999); (Mc Adam & Welsh, 2000) benefits and limitations of ISO 9000 (van den Berghe, 1997); (Moreland & Clark, 1998); (Peters, 1999); (Waks & Frank, 1999); (Zuckerman & Rhodes, 2000); (Ayudhya, 2001); (Chan & Lai, 2002); (Mc Adam & Welsh, 2000); (Sohail, Rajadurai, & Abdul-Rahman, 2003); (Stimson, 2003); (Bevans-Gonzales & Nair, 2004); (Singh & Sareen, 2006) implementation issues of ISO 9000 (van den Berghe, 1997); (Moreland & Clark, 1998); (Peters, 1999); (Zuckerman & Rhodes, 2000).Generally, there is a paucity of empirical studies about the implementation of ISO 9000 in educational institutions. Moreover, most of the existing empirical studies refer to the 1994 version of this standard, although there are a few exceptions (Singels, Ruel, & Van De Water, 2001); (Thonhauser & Passmore, 2006). This research is a further progress to understand the benefits and success factors of ISO 9000 in educational institutions.Motivation for ISO 9000 Certification and Implementation Effort of ISO 9000 QMS:Motivation for ISO 9000 certification is one of the factors that can impact the implementation of ISO 9000 QMS and the performance of ISO 9000 certified organizations (Sun, 2000); (Huarng, Horng, & Chen, 1999); (Singels, Ruel, & Van De Water, 2001); (Gotzamani & Tsiotras, 2002); (Tsinidou, Gerogiannis, & Fitsilis, 2010); (Prajogo, 2011). Some researchers (Escanciano, Fernandez, & Vazquez, 2001); (Zaramdini, 2007); (Dissanayaka, Kumaraswamy, Karim, & Marosszeky, 2001) listed all the necessary inspiration factors in their studies.The two main motivating factors to implement ISO-9000 in a college's business department in the United Arab Emirates are the need to maintain consistent delivery despite high rate of faculty turnover and; to comply the face of frequent changes in policies and regulations. The QMS provided a platform for easy updating and accessing the latest rules and regulations.As a result of high faculty turnover (Gulf Talent Report, 2015), groups of new faculty join the department every term. There is a need to familiarize the newcomers with the processes as well as providing them with teaching material that has been used in previous terms to help them update the existing and create new material for teaching and assessment. …