University of Technology SydneyHandbook 2008

21743 Business Excellence

Faculty of Business: Management
Credit points: 6 cp

Subject level: Postgraduate

Result Type: Grade and marks

Handbook description

This subject develops an understanding of the practical and managerial aspects of quality, including the fundamentals of total quality management and its relationship to productivity and organisational performance. Topics include: the fundamentals of quality, productivity, and organisational performance; total quality management; traditional concepts and modern definitions of quality; quality management tools and techniques; quality standards; and performance measurement.

Subject objectives/outcomes

On successful completion of this subject students should be able to:

  1. Understand approaches to organisational design and business improvement based on models of quality e.g. organisational excellence models, ISO 9000.
  2. Understand the historical development of the quality movement.
  3. Understand the key principles for business excellence.
  4. Understand the systems approach to the design and improvement of business processes.
  5. Apply components of the organisational excellence frameworks to a business setting and various tools and techniques of quality.
  6. Interpret statistical process control data and design basic statistical control charts.
  7. Understand the various 'costs of quality'.
  8. Apply improvement tools and techniques.

Contribution to graduate profile

This subject provides an opportunity for participants to understand and apply a number of approaches to organisational change and business improvement using models that have evolved through the quality movement e.g. The Australian Business Excellence Framework, The Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award, The European Quality Award, ISO 9000 and related approaches such a Benchmarking and 6 Sigma. These approaches provide a systematic way in which to analyse new and existing business situations in order to provide superior organisational performance.

Teaching and learning strategies

The subject will be taught using a combination of lectures, case studies, video material and experiential exercises. These classes will be supplemented with both printed and electronic learning materials. The UTS web-based communication tool UTS Online will be used to facilitate learning.

Content

  • Introduction to quality and business excellence.
  • Activity to introduce the basic philosophy.
  • History of quality – definitions and fundamental concepts.
  • Australian Business Excellence Model – key principles and systems thinking
  • Comparison of various quality/excellence models.
  • Detailed analysis of concepts and application of the various components of Business Excellence Models, e.g. leadership, customer focus, planning, people, measurement, business results.
  • Understanding of variation.
  • Cost of quality.
  • Relationship to knowledge management.

Assessment

In-Class Quizzes (Individual)25%
These quizzes will assess students' understanding of readings that have been set for particular sessions. Addresses objectives 2, 4, 5 and 7.
Application of Framework (Individual)30%
This assignment will assess students' ability to understand and apply key elements of a business excellence framework to a business situation. The assignment is designed to encourage students to evaluate the business excellence frameworks, understand aspects of the frameworks in some depth and to prompt wider reading of relevant literature. Addresses objectives 4 and 6.
Examination (Individual)45%
The exam, consisting of short answer questions and some longer questions requiring an essay or quantitative answer is designed to assess the students' understanding of theory and its application across the subject. Addresses objectives 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8.

Recommended text(s)

Evans, R. and Lindsay, W.M. (2002) The Management and Control of Quality, (5th ed.), South-Western, Cincinnati.

Indicative references

Australian Quality Council (2002), The Australian Business Excellence Framework: The Proven Vehicle to Drive Measurable Performance, Business Excellence Australia.

Deming, W.E. (1986), Out of the Crisis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Centre for Advanced Engineering Study, Cambridge, Mass.

Loch, C.H. and Loch, C. (2003), Industrial Excellence: Management Quality in Manufacturing, Springer, Berlin and New York.

Pande, P.S., Neuman, R.P. and Cavanagh, R.R. (2000), The 6 Sigma Way: How GE, Motorola, and other Top Companies are Honing their Performance, McGraw-Hill, New York, London.

Redman, T. and Grieves, J. (1999), Managing strategic change through TQM: learning from failure, New Technology, Work and Employment, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp.45-61.

Schlickman, J. (2003), ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management System Design, Artech House, Boston.