This document discusses the implementation of total quality management (TQM) in higher education institutions. It explores factors to consider in applying TQM to satisfy stakeholders like students, parents, industry, and society. The authors analyze approaches to TQM in higher education and discuss challenges of implementation, like leadership, customer identification, and cultural transformation. They propose that TQM can help address issues of productivity and financing if adopted properly in universities.

1. SUMMARY
This article written by Murad Ali and Rajesh Kumar, 2010 in bring out the clear status of higher
education to enhance the quality of the institution. The tertiary education producing manpower to
promising the quality products to fill the market demands. The authors were trying to come out
with several factors that can be considered in implementing the total quality management and
how its application in higher education institutions can satisfy the various stake holders such as
students, parents, industry and society as a whole. As stated in the article, globalization of higher
educational services has become a key focus for many countries. They also associate the
leadership factor into this study. The study was exploratory in nature and findings were analyzed
inductively. The authors studied the traditional approaches while doing this study. The three
fundamentals functions in higher educational services are teaching, research and extension. The
purpose of research is to explore new knowledge whereas the function of extension focuses on
developing the application of the developed knowledge for addressing the common problems of
the society. Because this study is exploratory in nature, results of this study provide insights into
the implementation of total quality management and its application in higher education
institutions. However, in interpreting the findings, several limitations must be considered.
DISCUSSION
As we aware that definitions of quality are vary, it is hard to clearly define in what terms we can
use in defining the quality in education context. According to Boeing, 2009 defines quality as
“providing our customers with products and services that consistently meet their needs and
expectations.” In education context, customers presumed as students, parents, industry and
society as a whole as high lightened by the authors in the article. The authors were stressed the
important factors which can be put into the implementation of total quality management and how
its application can boost this tertiary education. They also mentioned most of work of quality and
total quality management can be traced to the work of gurus W. Edward Deming and Joseph
Jurans’ teachings and statistics in Japan and the revolution that followed in the USA to meet or
exceed customer expectations. The new economic growth theories have emphasized the role of
human capital as the key of economic growth and development. As authors gathered reports

2. from UNESCO and World Bank, it stated that social and private returns of the higher education
are less than those primary and secondary educations. It stressed the three generic approaches to
TQM in higher education by Harris, 1994. There are customer focus, which idea of service to
students is fostered through staff training and development. Second approach is staff focus which
concerned to value and enhance the contribution of all members of staff to the effectiveness of an
institution’s operation. The third approach focuses on service agreements stance and seeks to
ensure conformity to specification at certain key measurable points of the educational processes.
The authors also stated a proposal by Lawrence and Mc. Collough (2001) who’s proposed a
system of guarantees designed to accommodate multiple stakeholders and the various and
changing roles of students in the educational process. Another point highlighted is from
Durlabhji and Fusilier (1999) states that customer empowerment in education requires greater
input from students as well as from business community that will eventually employ them and
this in term will streamline education and eliminate any vestiges of the ivory tower that exist in
business school coursework. The authors also stated the points from Gregory (1996) saying that
distributed leadership for managing change in higher educational institutions. He was suggested
the four dimensions of institutional leadership which are symbolic, political, managerial and
academic. The authors also pointed out a view from Iven (1995) saying that in managing
educational change there has been general criticism that government initiatives are being pushed
by a “narrow, employer-driven strategy”. He was saying that policy makers do have an
obligation to set policy, establish standards and monitor performance. This in line with Fullan
(1993) which stated the policy makers must articulate important educational goals. The authors
clearly defined their one of the objectives of the study which is the quality and social relevance
of higher education imparted in developing nations remain quite low and deteriorating due to
paucity of funds. The authors stating the challenges in TQM implementation in higher
educational institutions mentioned by Srivanci (2004) the critical issues in implementing it
includes leadership, customer identification, cultural and organizational transformation.
However, the authors were not given any example countries which completely or successfully
implementing the TQM in their higher education institutions. It is good for us to make them as a
good example on what are the approaches used and how they make it into a success. The authors
doing this study by analyzing the case study and using a strategic Model for Implementing Total
Quality Management in Higher Education Services.

3. IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The authors write on issues of TQM are being addressed in higher education institution,
particularly as they relate to productivity and financing. Those adopting TQM in higher
education have varying perspectives on the approach. Some presumed TQM as a management
system with customer and student satisfaction as the crucial element. Others see TQM as a
philosophy fostering change in an organization or the educational institutions. Both approaches
have been used by academic institutions in applying TQM in higher education settings. Quality
of education takes into account external environment in which institutions operate and internal
environment where teaching learning takes place and home environment of learners. The authors
defining process as a series of actions or operations concluding to an end which transforms
measurable inputs into measurable outputs under a value adding operation. Process in the
education system includes teaching, learning, research, administrative activities and knowledge
transformation. Changes in global educational landscape have forced the institutions of higher
learning to revolutionize its operation. The competitive business environment drove the
stakeholders of the educational sector to demand for more reliable, creative, and multi skilled &
knowledged work force. These have stipulated the higher education institutions to be more
concern on quality educational system. According to Kanji (1999) the effectiveness of TQM
implementation in the manufacturing sectors gave the momentum for higher education
institutions to adapt this concept and practice it in their own domain. TQM is a suitable concept
that is able to fulfill the needs to revolutionize the Higher Education Institutions. Kanji also
stated that TQM initiatives in higher institutions include the implementation of ISO 9001:2000
and quality assurance (QA) as both are intended to form the base for effective TQM culture
across the universities. Declining quality of graduates, increasing competition and growing
mandates for accountability by accreditation associations, legislatures, and funding bodies are
among the factors that have “forced” higher education institutions to focus on quality. In
Australia for instance, a senate inquiry has shown a dramatic fall in the quality of teaching
standards, student entry -level qualifications, campus conditions and quality of learning
experience. Smart, Sim and McMahon (2001) were stating that the inquiry has also shown

4. increases in problems such as student plagiarism, grade inflation and ‘soft’ marking. All the
Australian Universities have developed the so called shared features of implementing Quality
Assurance in all aspects of higher education business. In Malaysia, recently several employers
complained about the quality of local universities’ graduate. The graduate were said to lack the
generic skills and unable to adapt and communicate effectively especially in English.
Nevertheless they were found to have excellent technical skills and knowledgeable in their area
of expertise. In this concern, the general unease among academics that instituting a quality
system with the guidelines and procedures (program specification) been determined by the ruler
would lead to restrictions. It gave less freedom to the program owner to develop their area of
academic inquiry, scholarship and teaching. Another concern was the misfit between focuses and
the decision to be taken whether the management of the quality system should be centralized or
decentralized. These cases show the need of quality in the higher education systems. The
introduction of quality assurance criteria and standard, the utilization of ISO 9000 quality
management systems and the interest in cross-national analyses are among examples of such
interest. The initiative for ensuring quality of higher education has also been influenced by
changes that take place in the governmental policy and customers’ expectations (in this case was
employer). According to Idrus (2001) the successful acceptance and implementation of quality
system in higher education is often influenced by the external factors such as favorable
government regulations, economic climate, confident leaderships and a certain level of stress to
initiate the need for change. In our country itself, TQM initiatives at the universities include the
implementation of ISO 9001:2000, Total Quality Organization and Total Quality Education
models, and more recently the Quality Assurance (QA). QA is a program that recently been
initiated by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE). It is to ensure the quality of higher
public institutions whilst National Accreditation Board (LAN) looks after the quality of private
institutes and universities.
CONCLUSION
This article highlights about the development of higher education institutions require increase
funds and even more for its maintenance. On the other words, it means the development of it is
correlated with the economic development. Given current environmental trends, the priority now
must be to achieve greater harmonization between the two approaches (leaner and meaner) in

5. higher education quality management practices. Rather than disregard the benefits of TQM, there
appears to be a need to find another approach that puts teaching and learning at the core but does
not neglect the efficiency and effectiveness of administrative and service functions.

6. higher education quality management practices. Rather than disregard the benefits of TQM, there
appears to be a need to find another approach that puts teaching and learning at the core but does
not neglect the efficiency and effectiveness of administrative and service functions.