Ramkrishna Bajaj was the younger son of an Indian freedom fighter who was brought up under the guidance of Gandhi and Vinoba Bhave. He participated in the freedom struggle and spent over three years in jail. After his elder brother passed away, he became the head of the Bajaj Group. He was concerned with ethics in business and social responsibilities. He established various foundations for social welfare and Gandhian activities. The IMC Ramkrishna Bajaj National Quality Awards were instituted in 1996 to recognize organizational excellence.

1. HISTORY
The younger son of Jamnalal and Jankidevi Bajaj, Ramkrishna
Bajaj was essentially a product of the freedom movement.
Brought up under the personal guidance of Mahatma Gandhi
and Acharya Vinoba Bhave since his childhood, he participated
in the freedom struggle and spent more than three years in jail.
He became the Head of the Bajaj Group after the passing away
of his elder brother, Kamalnayan Bajaj. He was more of a
business leader than a businessman. For him, being a part of the
nation-building process was as important as running his
business. Concerned about the morality in public life, he
concentrated on
making businessman aware of the need to fulfil their larger social responsibilities. He was also known for his deep
involvement in social work and philanthropy.
Apart from his socio-economic activities at the national and international levels, he established various foundations and
institutions for promoting social welfare and Gandhian constructive activities. He was particularly concerned with ethics
in business, business self-regulation, and consumer welfare. He was the President of FICCI, Indian National Committee
of the International Chamber of Commerce and IMC. He was the Chairman and Founder of various industry and trade
organizations such as the Council for Fair Business Practices and the National Center for Quality Management.
The IMC Ramkrishna Bajaj National Quality Awards was instituted in 1996 to give special recognition to excellence in
organizations.
Applying for the IMC Ramkrishna Bajaj National Quality Award Program has been an effective way for hundreds of
Indian organizations to accomplish these goals since 1996. The Award Criteria emphasize : openness and
transparency in governance and ethics: the need to create value for customers and the business: and the challenges of
rapid innovation and capitalizing on your knowledge assets.
Whether your business is small or large, is involved in service, manufacturing, health care, education, or has one office
or multiple sites across the globe, the Criteria provide a valuable framework that can help you plan in an uncertain
environment. The Criteria can also help you align resources and approaches such as ISO 9000, Six Sigma, Lean
Enterprise System and International Quality Maturity Model, improve communication, productivity, quality, effectiveness
and customer satisfaction ; and achieve strategic goals on the journey to the vision.
If you are ready to take the full IMC Ramkrishna Bajaj National Quality Award challenge, you can perform a self-
assessment as an internal improvement effort, or you can use your self-assessment as a basis for an Award application.
Even if you don’t expect to receive the Award, submitting an Award application has valuable benefits. Every applicant
receives a detailed feedback report based on an independent, external assessment conducted by a panel of specially

2. trained and recognized experts.
IMC RBNQA > Criteria with Guidelines
<< back
Criteria Framework and Categories
Leadership
The Leadership Category examines HOW your organization’s SENIOR LEADERS
personal action guide and sustain your organization. Also examined are your
organization’s GOVERNANCE system and HOW your organization fulfills its legal,
ethical and societal responsibilities and support its KEY communities.
Strategic Planning

3. The Strategic Planning Category examines HOW your organization develops STRATEGIC
OBJECTIVES and ACTION PLANS. Also examined are HOW your chosen STRATEGIC
OBJECTIVES and ACTION PLANS are DEPLOYED and changed if circumstances
require and HOW progress is measured.
Customer Focus
The CUSTOMER Focus Category examines HOW your organization engages its
CUSTOMERS for long-term marketplace success. This ENGAGEMENT strategy includes
HOW your organization builds a CUSTOMER-focussed culture. Also examined is HOW
your organization listens to the VOICE OF ITS CUSTOMERS and uses this information to
improve and identify opportunities for INNOVATION.
Measurement, Analysis and Knowledge Management
The Measurement, ANALYSIS and Knowledge Management Category examines HOW
your organization selects, gathers, analyzes, manages and improves its data, information
and KNOWLEDGE ASSETS and HOW it manages its information technology. The
Category also examines HOW your organization reviews and uses reviews to improve its
PERFORMANCE.
Workforce Focus
The Workforce Focus Category examines HOW your organization engages, manages and
develops your WORKFORCE to utilize its full potential in ALIGNMENT with your
organization’s overall MISSION, strategy and ACTION PLANS. The Category examines
your ability to assess WORKFORCE CAPABILITY and CAPACITY needs and to build a
WORKFORCE environment conducive to HIGH PERFORMANCE.
Process Management
The PROCESS Management Category examines HOW your organization designs its

4. WORK SYSTEMS and HOW it designs, manages and improve its KEY PROCESSES for
implementing those WORK SYSTEMS to deliver CUSTOMER VALUE and achieve
organizational success and SUSTAINABILITY. Also examined is your readiness for
emergencies.
Results
The RESULTS Category examines your organization’s PERFORMANCE and
improvement in all KEY areas—product outcomes, CUSTOMER-focused outcomes,
financial and market outcomes, WORKFORCE-focused outcomes, PROCESS-
EFFECTIVENESS outcomes and leadership outcomes. PERFORMANCE LEVELS are
examined relative to those of competitors and other organizations providing similar
product offerings.
IMC RBNQA > Categories of Awards
There are six applicant categories for the IMC Ramkrishna Bajaj National Quality Award:
1. Manufacturing organizations
2. Service organizations
3. Small Businesses
4. Overseas Organizations
5. Education and
6. Health Care
Categories 1-4 come under Business Excellence
Business Excellence
Manufacturing, Service, Small Business and Overseas are the four categories under Business
Excellence. When we talk of Business Excellence we refer to excellence in any for-profit business
headquartered in India, including Indian subunits of foreign companies, as well as any for-profit
Indian owned business headquartered overseas. For-profit businesses include domestic or foreign-
owned companies, joint ventures, corporations, sole proprietorships, partnerships, and holding

5. companies-publicly or privately owned.
Manufacturing organizations –
Organizations and some subunits that produce and sell manufactured products or manufacturing
processes.
Companies that produce agricultural, mining, or construction products.
Service organizations
Organizations and some subunits that provide or sell services.
Note: Where an applicant is both a manufacturer and a service provider, the appropriate
eligibility category is the activity that provides the larger percentage of sales.
Small Businesses
Organizations with 200 or fewer employees that are engaged in manufacturing and/or the
provision of services.
Overseas organizations
Indian organizations that are engaged in manufacturing and /or the provision of services.
top
Excellence in Education
For-profit and non profit public, private, and government organizations and some subunits –
including Indian subunits of foreign organizations that provide education (teaching and
instructional) services to students in India, as well as Indian educational organizations located
overseas.
Note – For-profit education organizations may choose to apply under the service or small
business or overseas business category, as appropriate, using the Business Criteria, or under the
education category, suing the Education criteria.
top
Excellence in Health Care
For-profit and non profit public, private, and government organizations and some subunits –
including Indian subunits of foreign organizations located in India, as well as Indian healthcare
organizations located overseas. These organizations must be engaged primarily in providing
medical, surgical, or other health care services directly to people. Eligibility is intended to be as
open as possible. For example, eligible organizations include hospitals, health maintenance

6. organizations, long-term care facilities, health care practitioners’ offices, and dialysis and
ambulatory surgery centers.
Note – For-profit health care organizations may choose to apply under the service or small
business or overseas business category, as appropriate, using the Business Criteria, or under the
health care category, using the Health Care Criteria available at www.imcrbnqa.com. When an
applicant is both an education organization and a provider of health care services to people, the
appropriate eligibility category is the activity that represents the larger percentage of its budget.