A measurement system for business excellence is introduced. In what follows the development of this index is described and the first results obtained in Denmark in 1998, 1999 and 2000 are shown. Data and results from a similar study done in Sweden in year 2000 are also described. The...

Noting the claim that 70 per cent of balanced scorecard implementations fail, sets out to explore the two main reasons for the failure of measurement systems – namely poor design and difficulty of implementation. Considers the measurement revolution over the past 20 years noting developments...

Presents the “BEST” model for sustainability built on the pillars of biophysical/environmental, economic, societal and technological principles. Attempts to relate this model to the principles and criteria of representative business excellence models with the goal of achieving business...

The concepts of joint optimization and socio‐technical systems have been in the literature for over 40 years. However, efforts to operationalize these concepts for managerial practice have not progressed at the same pace as the theory on joint optimization has advanced. This paper represents...

By almost every measure manufacturing quality has improved tremendously in the past decade; unfortunately, the same is not true for service. Yet, manufacturing processes represent less than 5 per cent of all business processes. Clearly, the opportunity area for the twenty‐first century is in the...

This deliberately provocative paper challenges the replacement of quality and total quality management by the term “excellence” in the EFQM excellence model. It also claims the current emphasis on “points scoring” is detracting from the fundamentals of quality management.

The international quality systems standard ISO 9000 is changing. Whilst much maligned, the standard has still done much to ensure basic quality requirements in world industry, commerce and the public sector. In November ISO 9001 is changing – dramatically – and ISO 9002 will no longer exist....

Provides a report of the official conference of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, held in Washington, 13‐15 March 2000. Gives an overview of the conference and specifically of the four recipients of the Baldrige Award. Notes that leadership in its many forms was a key factor for all...

As part of the UK’s major policy of constitutional devolution, the first Scottish Parliament in 300 years was established in Summer 1999. This paper examines how that decentralisation of political decision making is connected to organisational excellence in the Scottish public sector via...

Deming (1986) was quite adamant that any attempt to reward the individual for supposed personal contribution in the workplace was wrong. This flies in the face of the belief that it is right and proper to reward a person for work well done. It is totally counter‐intuitive to a boss who is...