Application of business quality management tools in higher education: an exploratory literature review

The purpose of the study is to explore existing literature on quality management tools applicable in higher education and identify major critical factors of TQM adapted from the business sector. A major part of the research focuses on an exploratory literature review of the most well-known existing business quality management tools applicable to higher education.
Design/methodology/approach – An exploratory literature review was conducted using a well-known, highly respected database “Web of Science Core Collection”.
Findings – The presented study offers a deep literature analysis of effective practices for implementing quality management tools in higher education.
The practical value of the paper is university administrators and quality managers can apply it as guidelines in selecting the best cases of quality techniques applicable in their organizations for strategic development, university performance and quality improvement.
The originality of the paper - is it can serve as a theoretical guideline for regional academics, scholars and university managers and administrators to define an appropriate quality management tool to meet requirements of external stakeholders (employers).

1. Elham S. Hasham. (2018). Academic Institutions Are No Different to Any Other: Total Quality Management Does Enhance Performance. International Journal of Organizational Leadership, 7, 348-373.

2. Redding P. (2005). The evolving interpretations of customers in higher education: empowering the elusive. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 29, 409-417.

3. Nasim K., Sikander A., Tian X. (2019). Twenty years of research on total quality management in Higher Education: A systematic literature review. Higher Education Quarterly, Early View.

4. Temple P. (2005). The EFQM Excellence Model: Higher Education’s Latest Management Fad? Higher Education Quarterly, 59, 261-274.

5. Allen J. Ramaekers G., van der Velden R. (2005). Measuring competencies of higher education graduates. Special Issue: Enhancing Alumni Research: European and American Perspectives, 126, 49-59.

6. James D. T. Tannock. (1992). A New Approach to Quality Assurance for Higher Education. Higher Education Quarterly, 46, 108-123.

7. Bemowski K. (1992). The quality glossary. Quality Progress, 25(2), 19-29.

8. Holly Sh. Buchanan. (1995). The Quality movement in higher education in the United States. Health Libraries Review, 12, 141-146.

9. Gopal K. Kanji, Abdul Malek and Bin A. Tambi. (2010). Total quality management in UK higher education institutions. Total Quality Management, 10, 129-153.

10. Koch J.V. and Fisher J.L. (1998). Higher Education and Total Quality Management. Total Quality Management, 9, 659-668.

11. Cruickshank M. (2003). Total Quality Management in the higher education sector: a literature review from an international and Australian perspective. Total quality management & business excellence, 14, 1159-1167

12. Mergen E., Grant D., Widrick S.M. (2000). Quality management applied to higher education. Total quality management, 11, 345-352.

13. Matej Z., Maletic M., Damjan Bostjan G. (2012). Quality management systems as a link between management and employees. Total Quality Management, 11, 345-352

14. Willis T.H., Taylor A.J. (1999). Total quality management and higher education: the employers› perspective. Total Quality Management, 10, 997-1007.

15. Sangeeta S. (2016). Use of multiple methodologies for developing a customer-oriented model of total quality management in higher education. International journal of educational management, 30, 326-353.

16. Sirvanci M.B. (2004). Critical issues for TQM implementation in higher education. TQM Magazine, 16, 382–386.

17. Quinn A., Lemay G., Larsen P., Johnson D.M. (2009). Service quality in higher education. Total Quality Management Business Excellence, 20, 139–152.

18. Venkatraman S. (2007). A framework for implementing TQM in higher education programs. Quality Assurance Education, 15, 92–112.

19. Owlia M.S., Aspinwall E.M. (1997). TQM in higher education—a review. International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, 14, 527– 543.

20. Lawrence J.J. & McCollough M.A. (2004). Implementing Total Quality Management in the Classroom by Means of Student Satisfaction Guarantees. Total quality management & business excellence, 15, 235-254.

21. Sakthivel P.B. & Raju R. (2006). Conceptualizing total quality management in engineering education and developing a TQM educational excellence model. Total quality management & business excellence, 17, 913-934.

22. Namish M., Prakash V. & Nitin S. (2014). Total quality management implementation in engineering education in India: an interpretive structural modelling approach. Total quality management & business excellence, 25, 124-140.

23. Shams S.M. Riad. (2017). Transnational education and total quality management: a stakeholder-centred model. Journal of management development, 36, 376-389.

24. Habbal F.M.N. & Jreisat A. (2018). Implications of Successful Implementation of Total Quality Management in UAE Universities. Qualityaccess to success, 19, 56-62.

25. Sarah J.V., P. George Benson, Roger G. Schroeder (1989). An Instrument for Measuring the Critical Factors of Quality Management. Decision Sciences, 20(4), 810-829.

26. Anderson Eugene W., Claes Fornell, Donald R. Lehmann. 1994.Customer satisfaction, market share, and profitability.J. Mar-keting58(3) 53–66

27. Flynn B.B., Schroeder R.G., & Sakakibara S. A framework for quality man- agement research and an associated measurement instrument. Journal of Operations Management, 1994, 11, 339-366.

28. Black A.S. and Porter L.J. (1996) Identification of the Critical Factors of TQM. Journal of Decision Sciences, 27, 1-21.

29. S.L. Ahire, D. Golhar, Y.M.A. Waller. (1996). Development and Validation of TQM Implementation Constructs. Decision Sciences, 27 (1), 23-56.

30. Rao S.S., Raghunathan T.S., & Solis L.E. (1999). The best commonly followed practices in the human resource dimension of quality management in new industrializing countries: the case of China, India and Mexico. International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management, 16(3), 215-226.

31. E. Bayraktar, E. Tatoglu, S. Zaim. (2008). An instrument for measuring the critical factors of TQM in Turkish higher education. Total Quality Management and Business Excellence, 19(6), 551-574.