Abstract The key issue in higher education quality is the significance of strategic quality initiatives in fulfilling the desire of our stakeholders who may have different perspective views on higher education. The most important issue is to have a direct understanding of quality initiatives, the attributes of quality being used for day to day operations, and the sort of performance driven indicators that are being developed to measure quality. Therefore it is imperative to identify the best practice as a holistic approach that supersedes individual's needs and desires. Touching on soft skills based on core values to sustain strategic quality initiatives plays a vital role. Quality management (QM) initiatives in service companies have been an ongoing effort whereby some have achieved considerable success while others have been less successful. This paper highlights the experience by UNITEN in its drive towards the vision of being a leading quality university.

Abstract The close attention paid to service quality by successful private companies has become part of the environment within which most public service organizations now operate. The ServQual model has been used with success to help companies quantify customers' expectations and perceptions of their service and to use this analysis as the basis for improvement. More recently, the ServQual approach has been applied in public service contexts with mixed reliability and validity. This paper reports on the application of the ServQual model to a conference and hospitality venue operated by a Scottish local authority. The study investigates five distinct customer segments: conferences, meetings, receptions, performances, and weddings. The expectations-perceptions gaps are assessed for each of these segments using the ServQual model and the size and antecedents of ServQual Gap 1 is also examined.

Abstract Considers the extent to which Standards Based Management Systems and best practices are being successfully implemented in Malaysian organizations. A survey on Malaysian organizations was conducted in June 2011 and has produced 143 positive responses. Highlights the findings of the survey such as the status of ISO 9000, TQM, 5-S, QCCs and quality tools & techniques, the benefits and difficulties, best practices most frequently used and the future trend of Malaysian quality improvement activities. Also highlights a model for the implementation of TQM for Malaysian organizations.

Abstract This article discusses the management of external validation exercises (academic audit). Such exercises are now seen as providing an important means for assessing the quality of education in self-funded Post Secondary Education Institutions in Hong Kong, and therefore careful preparation for them is essential. Relevant individual's implicit/tacit knowledge has been converted to explicit knowledge for organizational formal transfer. Ten implementation strategies for the achievement of key performance results are proposed, and a check list of twenty tasks is formulated, against which institutions might assess their level of achievement and evaluate their readiness for external validation.

Abstract This paper presents the findings of a study on the performance of the initial public offerings (IPO) of shares listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEx), which has been the largest IPO market in the world since 2009. One indicator of the success of an IPO is its subscription rate, which can be used as a proxy for the level of investor confidence in the stock being offered. This paper examines the relationship between the performance of an IPO and its subscription rate, and the corporate factors that may affect an investor's decision to subscribe to an IPO. The Hong Kong evidence can help shed light on the importance of agency cost in the pricing of IPOs.