Quality Management Excellence Research Articles

Human Capital Efficiency and Firm Performance of Quality-Certified Firms from EFQM Excellence Model: A Dynamic Panel Data Study

Abstract Purpose The study’s main purpose is to investigate the impacts of human capital efficiency (HCE) on the firm performance of non-certified and quality-certified firms from the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model. The study also examines the relationship between firm performance and quality-certificates from the European Foundation. Design/methodology/approach By using a sample of 282 non-certified and 22 quality-certified firms from 2017 to 2021, the current study employed a two-step system generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation to analyse the empirical data. The dummy variable is used to examine the relationship between quality-certificates and firm performance. The dummy interaction term is employed to quantify the impacts of HCE on the firm’s performance for quality-certified firms. Findings The results revealed that quality-certificates and firm performance have a positive relationship. Quality-certified firms perform better and earn more profits than non-certified firms. HCE has a positive impact on firm performance for both types of firms. Moreover, the quality-certified firms utilize HCE in an efficient way to earn more profits compared to the non-certified firms. Originality This is the first study to use a comprehensive analysis to emphasize the HCE for non-certified and quality-certified firms separately. The effects of quality-certificates on firm performance in the context of HCE are also being highlighted for the first time in this research. Practical implications The current study’s findings are fruitful for academics, managers, researchers, policymakers, and other firm management. The findings will encourage the management of the firms to implement the total quality management (TQM) approach within their firms.

A GPT-Aided literature review process for total quality management and business excellence (2020-2023)

ABSTRACTS In an era of rapid technological evolution and competitive pressures, Total Quality Management (TQM) requires up-to-date literature reviews to reflect its evolving nature. This study addresses this need through a comprehensive analysis of TQM&BE journal articles from 2020 to 2023 and by introducing the LitRev-GPT framework. The research data was collected from the Scopus database, specifically targeting articles published in the TQM&BE journal from 2020 to 2023. This LitRev-GPT framework employs the Generative Pretrained Transformer (GPT) for efficient categorization and summarization of academic papers, setting new standards for reproducibility and methodological soundness. We identified emergent themes such as ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’, intertwining TQM with ethical practices, and ‘Industry 4.0’, showcasing TQM's adaptability to technological advancements. Additionally, trend analysis highlighted a sustained interest in foundational TQM themes, with a growing emphasis on innovation management. The LitRev-GPT framework demonstrates significant methodological advancements, enhancing the efficiency and depth of literature reviews beyond traditional AI capabilities.

Evaluation of Quality and Equality in Education Using the European Foundation for Quality Management Excellence Model—A Literature Review

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model on education and its contribution to ensuring high-quality education equality. Design/Methodology/Approach: A systematic literature review was conducted based on data from three academic publishers (Taylor & Francis, Emerald, and Elsevier Science Direct). Of the 69 journal articles, 61 were published between 2003 and 2023 and documented the results of the EFQM quality tool, and 8 articles were removed. Findings: The study highlights the results of applying the EFQM Excellence Model in the educational sector. Based on the bibliographic review, the feasibility of using the model in primary, secondary, and tertiary education is identified. We examine the findings related to using the model to ensure equality in high-quality education and the challenges faced by educational systems, with the ultimate goal of meeting student expectations. Research limitations/Implications: An important limitation is that the data were only drawn from three major publishers and the authors did not have access to all the relevant databases, since the search for articles was carried out in English only. The search for articles was limited by the keywords, as the EFQM Excellence Model was originally designed for the private sector. Practical implications: The results and limitations recorded in the study and the presentation of the 88 articles motivate academic researchers to conduct further study and fill the gap left by the limited number of publications on the application of the EFQM Excellence Model in the educational sector. Originality/Value: The EFQM Excellence Model has not been widely implemented in the high-quality educational sector and the existing literature reviews are limited. More research in the field of education is needed to determine the contribution of the excellence model to the evaluation of high-quality education.

Cruising to Success: Unveiling the Financial Harmony of Container Shipping Firms through Total Quality Management and Service Excellence

Background: This paper revolves around a meticulous exploration aimed at discerning the impact of total quality management (TQM) and service quality (SQ) practices upon the financial performance (FP) of firms within the container shipping industry. Our pursuit extends further, delving into the intricacies of SQ as a potential mediating factor in the TQM–FP relationship. This distinctive study investigated six TQM practices in conjunction with five SQ factors, analyzing their impact on firm FP. Methods: This study used a quantitative research approach. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire from logistics specialists and experts in the shipping field. Results: The findings were interesting and showed that two TQM practices—managerial leadership and employee involvement—have a significant positive effect on SQ levels, and one SQ dimension, namely responsiveness, has the biggest and most significant effect on the FP of container shipping companies. Furthermore, SQ mediates the relationship between TQM and FP. Conclusions: This study provides a theoretical contribution by developing a conceptual model that elucidates the correlation between TQM practices and the degree of SQ on the FP of container shipping firms. Moreover, this study provides managers with a tool for identifying, prioritizing, and improving key TQM and SQ practices that contribute significantly to financial success.

Determinants of working capital management for noncertified and certified firms from the EFQM Excellence Model

The study’s main aim is to examine the important determinants that affect working capital (WRC) for non-quality-certified and quality-certified firms from the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model and to explore the impacts of quality certificates on WRC. The study is conducted using the secondary data of 328 firms, including 21 quality-certified firms. The secondary data were retrieved from the Albertina database from 2017 to 2021. The two-step system generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation was employed to test the hypotheses. The empirical findings indicate that firm size and operating cash flow have a positive impact on WRC. On the other hand, financial leverage and profitability have a negative relationship with WRC. The quality certificates from the European Foundation have a positive impact on both types of WRC. The findings of this study will be beneficial to the firms’ directors, managers, academics, and leaders to sustain the optimum level and forecast future WRC requirements.

Sustainable Development and Implementation of Quality Management Excellence Models in Public Organizations: A Systematic Literature Review

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the European Foundation for Quality Management Excellence Model and Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma approaches in public organizations. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic literature review was conducted based on articles from three academic publishers (Emerald, Elsevier/Science Direct and Taylor & Francis). The 88 selected journal articles were published between 2004 and 2022 and documented the results of the quality tools. Findings: The effects of applying the models in the public sector are presented. From the literature review, specific findings were identified regarding the motivations of all areas of education and services and the challenges they face in applying the qualitative tool methodologies. The main topics discussed are the human factors involved in implementing quality tools. Research limitations/implications: An important limitation is that data were drawn from only three major journals and the authors did not always have access to all databases and peer-reviewed journals or to any review articles in languages other than English. Multiple keywords limited the article search, as qualitative tools have been widely used in the private sector but less so in the public sector. Practical implications: The results and limitations detailed in the study and presentation of the 88 articles will motivate academic researchers to further study the application of qualitative tools in the public sector and fill the knowledge gap caused by the limited publications on this topic. Originality/value: The European Foundation for Quality Management Excellence Model and the Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma approaches have not been widely implemented in the public sector, and literature reviews are limited despite the increasing trend of their use in the sector in recent years. More future research in public administration is needed to determine the effects and limitations of implementing qualitative tools.

Analysing 20 years of the TQM&BE journal: a bibliometric approach

The study is an attempt to recognise the contributions of the Total Quality Management & Business Excellence journal and its editorial team toward the development of the field of quality management. The authors performed a bibliometric analysis on the Scopus-indexed publications of the journal from 2003 to 2022 using the VOSviewer software package. This study outlines the findings through various analyses of bibliographic data relating to citations, contributing authors, country-wise contributions, and keywords used. The research found that the journal has a solid reputation among researchers across the globe, with publications coming from all continents. The average number of citations per document is approximately 24, which portrays the quality and recognition of the works published in the journal. The journal consistently accepted and published research articles relevant to the scope, as reflected through the keyword analysis. The top three contributors to the journal in terms of documents and total citations are Dahlgaard, Dahlgaard-Park, and Antony. The journal’s editorial board has made a very noteworthy contribution to the growth of the journal and the development of the field of quality management.

The application of the radar approach in the European Foundation Quality Management (EFQM)

In managing today's dynamic and challenging business environment, managers want to show that their firms stand apart. The most common way to do this is to raise performance levels consistently. An organization's progress toward organizational excellence can be measured using the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model, which is the most accurate and relevant method. The EFQM model is used in this research to provide a novel integrated strategy for improving overall organizational Performance. RADAR's approach and the proposed technique based on fuzzy Logic were used in a case study at the Iraqi Oil Tanker Company to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method, which was demonstrated by using the European Foundation for Quality Management framework to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement ( EFQM). The Matlab software was used to implement the recommended strategy.

Working capital management efficiency: a study of certified firms from the EFQM excellence model

Abstract Working capital management (WCM) plays an important role in a firm’s value, financial risk, and firm profitability. WCM requires continuous management to maintain a certain level of the numerous components of working capital (WC). The main aim of this study is to estimate the efficiency of WCM of certified firms from the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model. The study also tests the speed to attain each firm’s target level of efficiency using industry norms as the target level of efficiency. The financial data of the Czech certified firms from the manufacturing sector was derived from the CRIBIS database from 2015 to 2020. The efficiency of WCM is measured by utilization index (UI), performance index (PI), and efficiency index (EI). The findings revealed that Gerresheimer Horsovsky Tyn Spol., Miele Technika, and Koyo Bearings Česká Republika efficiently managed WC, as their indexes are greater than 1. The number of efficient firms was the lowest in 2020 based on the year-wise comparison which means that the efficiency of WCM of the firms was severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). All the β values are lower than one, which signifies that none of the selected firms outperform the manufacturing industry as a whole. The findings of the current research are useful to the management of the firms and recommends that they give importance to the different indexes of WCM and efficiently use the current assets to generate sales.

Improving the model of the European Foundation for Quality Management by applying the radar and fuzzy logic approaches

In the present day's fast-paced and competitive business world, managers attempt to distinguish their firms from the competition. The most common strategy for accomplishing this objective is consistently increasing performance standards. The European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model is the most reliable and relevant tool for monitoring a company's progress towards organizational excellence. The European Foundation for Quality Management established this notion. This study employs the EFQM model to provide a novel, unified strategy for boosting the firm's overall performance. The Iraqi Oil Tanker Company conducted a case study to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed technique. This significance was proved by identifying strengths and development opportunities using a European Foundation for Quality Management technique. In the case study, the RADAR method and the proposed fuzzy logic technique were applied ( EFQM). Matlab software was utilized to execute the proposed design

Managing Knowledge About Future of Work: A Model for Higher Education Institutions

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is causing considerable changes to the world of work. The interaction between technology and work, which takes many forms such as digitalization, automation, and augmentation, is happening quickly and broadly, impacting economic sectors left almost untouched by previous industrial revolutions. In this scenario, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) must be able to foresee changes to prepare future professionals to match the needs of this new digital age. The professionals that are being prepared today need to learn a new set of skills related to emerging and disruptive technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, and Big Data. In this paper, we propose a Knowledge Management model to help manage the HEIs’ teaching staff knowledge about the future of work, specifically, the expected skills and competencies to be highly demanded from professionals in the future. Therefore, we performed a brief review of related work about Knowledge Management in the context of HEIs, Management of Future-oriented Knowledge, and the application of the Delphi method to studies concerning the Future of Work. Considering this previous work, we propose a Knowledge Management model that combines the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model framework with a Delphi process that is used during the Knowledge Generation step of the Knowledge Management process. The proposed model considers that professors are experts in their areas of concentration and, as such, are capable of helping their HEIs with their knowledge that can be used to improve the courses’ curricula. The model also considers that HEIs can help professors make this knowledge explicit, then store, transfer, and apply it. We provide detailed information about how to apply the model, how to deal with potential application problems and the model limitations. The proposed Knowledge Management model can help HEIs to keep up with the trends of demands of the labor market.

Sustainability and Quality Management: has EFQM fostered a Sustainability Orientation that delivers to stakeholders?

PurposeAs a Quality Management (QM) framework, the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model has stakeholder management at its core. In EFQM (2012), based on which assessments were made until 2021, “creating a sustainable future” was a fundamental principle, but how it translated to a Sustainability Orientation and delivered to stakeholders remains questionable. This study aims to investigates the Sustainability Orientation within EFQM (2012) and its associations with Results for stakeholders.Design/methodology/approachLongitudinal assessments of recognized-for-excellence organizations by a partner of EFQM are considered. Using factor analysis, scores on the sub-criteria that defined “creating a sustainable future” are investigated, and a Sustainability Orientation is inferred. Panel regressions and structural equation modeling assess the correlations between Sustainability Orientation and Results. A qualitative analysis follows, where sustainability reports from role-models within this population are text mined to examine whether and how they reflected the guidance in EFQM (2012) concerning “creating a sustainable future”.FindingsDirect and indirect positive associations between the Sustainability Orientation implied by EFQM (2012) and stakeholder-performance are confirmed. Yet, inferences from text mining of reported priorities of role-models of excellence illustrate that EFQM (2012) might have driven different strategies towards sustainability.Originality/valueDespite conceptualizations that the EFQM model embeds a Sustainability Orientation, to the best of the researchers’ knowledge, its existence and likely impact remain to be examined. By combining longitudinal statistical analysis, structural equation models and text mining, consistent insights on the link between Sustainability Orientation and organizational performance are obtained.

Forecasting the Future Excellence: 30 Years of Evaluating Service Organizations in Slovakia

The aim of this paper is to model and interpret the results obtained from the assessment of the Level of Excellence of Slovak service organizations using the criteria of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) excellence model. The Gompertz logistic function is effectively employed to fit the incremental improvement and predict the values of future Levels of Excellence. The EFQM model is usually used to improve organizational development and performance. The study focuses on the problem of the slow growth or even stagnation of Slovak service organizations towards Excellence. The questionnaire method was used to assess the Level of Excellence of the selected organizations, and the approach of measuring efficiency as a ratio of results and enablers was used to evaluate the organization’s ability to transform inputs into outputs. Data were collected from 30 service organizations over a period of 20 years. The first finding of the study is the demonstration of the applicability of the Gompertz function to model the evolution of the Level of Excellence. The accuracy of the model is very high, and this predisposes this function to be used to forecast the scores of organizations over time. Examining efficiency yielded a second finding, that organizations were failing to capitalize on the effort put into translating it into results. After the first few years of growth, efficiency stagnates and then even declines. This suggests that the application of the original EFQM excellence model has reached the end of its ability to improve the effectiveness of organizations as a whole. Individual firms may have been growing or declining, but the average service score across the country had no longer the capacity to improve anymore.

Conceptual structure of balanced scorecard research: A co-word analysis

The present research aims to examine the conceptual structure of balanced scorecard (BSC) research from its inception (1992) to the end of 2020. After a review of the BSC literature, co-word analysis and social network analysis are used to analyze the data. The results show that 3742 documents have been published between 1992 and 2020 with 2638 distinctive keywords. The most frequently used keywords are “Balanced Scorecard”, “Management”, “Performance”, “Framework” and “Strategy”. Moreover, the article “The Balanced Scorecard: Measures That Drive Performance” with 4253 citations, was the most frequently cited article and “Robert Kaplan” with 16 documents and 8063 citations was the top author in terms of citation count and the number of documents. The United States is the top country with 486 documents and 18,805 citations. In addition, the journal “Total Quality Management and Business Excellence” is the most prolific journal with 50 articles, and the journal “Harvard Business Review” with 7778 citations, is the top journal in the number of citations. “Islamic Azad University of Iran” is the top university in the world with 57 documents. The most common keyword in Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and Oceania is “Balanced Scorecard”. The results of this study provide an overview of the state of BSC literature and can enable researchers to identify and develop ideas for future research.

A New Self-Assessment “TQM Hybrid MCDM Fuzzy Model” For Enhancing the KPIs in Mega Universities

The key performance indicators (KPIs) are an effective part of benchmarking for measuring the performance of universities aiming to raise the university quality services level. The problem is that there is no general standard analytical evaluation model for assessing KPIs criteria in higher education institutes for evaluating mega universities, and there are inadequacies in the treatment of specific current educational quality standards. In this paper, a hybrid fuzzy analytical model for TQM self-assessment to enhance KPIs in mega universities is proposed. The proposed model produces important weights for TQM-KPIs that are recommended for helping higher authorities at the university for enhancing the demanded total quality services and aid the university to achieve its strategic objectives and to be one of the highly ranked universities. In addition, the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) excellence model enabler criteria were modified and used. Two additional enabler criteria for representing the mega university and the world ranking were proposed. The “TQM Hybrid Fuzzy Model” proposed integrates three fuzzy multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) submodels including (1) the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP), (2) the fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (FDEMATEL), and (3) the fuzzy multiple criteria decision analysis (FVIKOR). Each of these submodels is computed and evaluated analytically. A comparison between them is achieved. Finally, the whole “TQM Hybrid F-MCDM Model” proposed is proved and evaluated analytically and programmed using Excel. Hence, by comparison, it is found that the proposed hybrid fuzzy model is the most effective model for evaluating the TQM-KPIs for enhancing mega universities’ organizational assessment. Results show that the subcriteria that occupied the first three positions are the managed and improved distance learning sources and materials, policy, and strategies that are based on the present and future needs and expectations of stakeholders.

An EFQM-Based Self-Assessment Method for Railway Transportation Service Quality: An Application with Intuitionistic Fuzzy AHP

Service quality is one of the most important issues in railway transportation because it is a concept that positively affects customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, corporate image, and intention to repurchase. The European Foundation of Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model provides an opportunity to facilitate the service quality-focused self-assessment efforts of the railway companies. This is the first study that integrates intuitionistic fuzzy theory in the application of the EFQM Model of railway industry in Turkey. As the main contribution, it is aimed to find a dedicatedly special weighting schema for the application of EFQM model in railway transportation. For this purpose, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is utilized with an integration of intuitionistic fuzzy sets that can reveal the decision-makers’ opinions, preferences, and expertise more comprehensively than traditional fuzzy sets can do. Consequently, it is found that the original model should be modified for the railway industry since the weights of all the criteria included in the model are found different than the original ones. The study provides new insights into the long-term benefits of applying the EFQM model as a framework in railway transportation and understanding the associations between the EFQM criteria and railway transportation.

Marketing Logistics in Reaching Organizational Excellence: Mediating Role of the European Foundation for Quality Management Excellence Model

This study is novel because it gathered between constructs of marketing logistics and reaching organizational excellence according to variables of the EFQM model. This hybrid gathering between constructs was not presented before – as far as the researcher knows – and it may help marketers and marketing managers in supporting marketing department efforts through the aid of excellence models, which may have the ability to increase the success factors of the marketing department. The current study aimed at examining the influence of marketing logistics dimensions (such as customer profiling, goods distribution, transportation, packaging & information, customer service, and reverse logistics) on organizational efforts in order to reach organizational excellence through the mediating influence of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) excellence model. The study adopted the quantitative approach through a questionnaire distributed to a total of 189 marketing managers or their representative within 591 food manufacturing and packaging organizations in Jordan. Through AMOS and SPSS, the study results accepted the central hypothesis. Therefore, it appeared that marketing logistics could aid organizational efforts to reach organizational excellence through the mediating influence of the EFQM excellence model. Among variables of marketing logistics adopted, the study referred that customer profiling was the most influential in supporting organizational efforts to reach excellence, followed directly by customer satisfaction. It indicated that all internal operations directed towards customers might help deliver the organization to excellence. In terms of mediating influence of EFQM excellence mode, the study indicated that marketing logistics unite with EFQM to support all sensitive areas of marketing strategies within an organization, which can develop results of EFQM efforts through supporting enablers. The study recommended the need for food manufacturing and packaging organization in Jordan to focus more on good distribution and transportation of their goods based on profiling their customer and locating high-demand areas.

From quality control to TQM, service quality and service sciences: a 30-year review of TQM literature

PurposeThis paper aims to review total quality management (TQM) literature in the past three decades to identify the quality related key terms, to analyse their linkage among the identified key terms and their developmental trends.Design/methodology/approachBibliometric and statistical methods are used to analyse article titles published in the Total Quality Management and Business Excellence journal during 1990–2019. The current research is based on a search from the ProQuest academic database and the journal’s website, resulting in 2,452 articles collected. The VOSviewer and Microsoft Excel were then used for the analyses.FindingsA total of 52 key terms were extracted from the journal’s 2,452 article titles, the top three key terms in terms of occurrences were “quality,” “total quality management” and “service quality.” Five themes were then proposed from clustering the 52 key terms: “frameworks/models,” “essentials/enablers,” “methods/techniques,” “culture/characteristics” and “effects/results.” Trend analyses were also conducted regarding the five themes in an attempt to highlight the patterns of research publications from 1990 to 2019. It is found that the research publications for “essentials/enablers,” “methods and techniques” and “effects/results” have steadily increased during the analysis period, while “frameworks/models” and “culture/characteristic” have slightly decreased. These insights provide implication for the historical evolution of quality from “quality control,” “total quality management” and “service quality,” combining with the development of “service sciences.”Originality/valueThis paper highlights the concept of quality since its meaning has changed and evolved over time from quality control, TQM to service quality. And it is emerging in the present and future development of service sciences because of both of TQM and service sciences having the same nature of multidisciplinary background and characteristics. Also the authors can conclude that quality and service sciences are in fact two sides of the same coin because both of them having the same duality of “tangible-intangible” and “physical-virtual” faces which are the important topics that TQM should focus on.

Everything is Going Electronic, so do Services and Service Quality: Bibliometric Analysis of E-Services and E-Service Quality

The purpose of the study was to explore the developments in ‘e-services and e-service quality’ from 2000 to 2020. Data Source: Scopus database was used to conduct the bibliometric analysis of 404 documents. Method: VOSviewer soft-ware was used to analyse the research articles associated with ‘e-services and e-service quality’ research. Search was limited to keywords of ‘e-services OR e-service and e-service quality’. Findings: Results revealed that the field of ‘Busi-ness, Management and Accounting’ had the highest number of publications. To-tal Quality Management and Business Excellence was found at the top among the most productive journals in chosen search. Chang W.-I. and Yuan S.-T. from Taiwan were found to be the leading authors among top ten authors. United States and National Cheng Kung University of Taiwan were found to be the lead-ing country and institution in the selected search of e-service and e-service quali-ty. Originality/ Value: This study, to best of our knowledge, is the first of its kind in mapping the ‘e-services and e-service quality’ literature in Scopus. This will aid in shaping the central theme and set the future research directions for the researchers.

EFQM enablers and business performance relationship: Examining mediating role of organizational learning culture in Pakistani textile sector

Purpose This paper aims to determine the influence of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) excellence enablers on the financial, market and non-financial performance of the textile companies in Pakistan. Moreover, the mediating role of organizational learning culture is also tested in EFQM enablers and performance relationships. Design/methodology/approach Using a multi-respondent strategy, the data was collected from 254 textile firms registered with All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) using a highly structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling via AMOS v.22. Findings The results reveal that EFQM excellence enablers significantly influence financial, non-financial and market performance. Furthermore, organizational learning culture (OLC) significantly positively mediates the relationship between EFQM excellence enablers and business performance. Research limitations/implications This study enhances the literature of EFQM enablers and microfoundations of institutional theory in the textile industry of developing countries and proposes a way forward to the effective utilization of such enablers for higher performance. Originality/value This research is the first of its kind that empirically tests the microfoundations of institutional theory concerning EFQM, OLC and performance in the textile industry of Pakistan.