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The popular reflow day was repeated at Henley and commenced with Mike Judd giving an overview of current reflow techniques.

Examines TNT, the first winner of the UK Quality Award in 1994, and provides details of its operations. Examines the three main challenges which the company faces (innovation, quality and marketing) and discusses how the company has overcome them. Concludes by providing results and details of TNT’s success.

The purpose of this paper is to seek comment on a proposed new model for measuring and monitoring the sustainability of corporate governance.

The unprecedented combination of the scarcity of finance, low growth, and environmental pressures, together with new attitudes to employment, makes an extremely challenging environment that demands a more comprehensive concept of sustainability. It is redefined here to encompass the management of all resources, whether they be natural, human, environmental financial or social, and “Sustainable Governance^©” is a framework that creates and monitors a structure that husbands the way that all resources are managed for today and for a long term sustainable future. To meet the challenge of the changing world, a 12‐point management model is proposed, together with a comprehensive rating system employed to analyse progress and benchmark competitive performance.

Corporate governance cannot be left to chance in the business climate of the twenty‐first century. Public trust has been lost and boards will need to be seen to be in control not only of the present but also of the future. All resources will have to be treated as finite and accountability will be a byword in all corporations. To be sustainable, corporate governance must cover all aspects of corporate resources and activities and it must also be measured in a more formal and transparent manner. This article outlines a model that could be used for this purpose. It is taking measurement beyond the simplistic “scorecard” approach favoured in the past. It is a seed from which the authors expect to see a fertile growth and all comments are welcome to further the model and the process.

The choice facing organizations in the twenty‐first century is either to react to each set of pressures that come along as they arise, or to take a hard look at the economic, environmental and social context in which they operate, and create a framework that will give them the ability to manage in a long‐term sustainable structure.

This supersedes the scorecard approach for monitoring corporate governance. It is new and untried but the authors seek input and comments from readers.

Things seem to be going desperately wrong with the concept of the “brave new world” predicted by the starry‐eyed optimists after the Second World War finally came to an end. To those who listen only to what they want to hear, see everything, not as it is, but as they would like it to be, a new society could be initiated and the lusty infant would emerge as a paragon for all the world to follow. The new society in truth never really got off the ground the biggest mistake of all was to cushion millions of people against the results of their own folly; to shelter them from the blasts of the ensuing economic climate. The sheltered ones were not necessarily the ordinary mass of people; many in fact were the victims and suffered the consequences. And now that the state has reached a massive crescendo, many are suffering profoundly. The big nationalised industries and vast services, such as the national health service, education, where losses in the case of the first are met by Government millions, requests to trim the extravagant spending is akin to sacrilege in the latter, have removed such terms as thrift, careful spending, value for money from the vocabulary.

Focuses on TNT Express (UK), part of the worldwide transportation group. Notes that TNT was joint winner of the inaugural 1994 UK Quality Award. Considers the role of quality at TNT and how it is achieved. Features the role of elements such as benchmarking surveys and performance league tables. Concludes that the momentum for continuous improvement within the company is ongoing and stems from enthusiasm and teamwork.

Design for manufacture and testability seems to be a very hot topic. This seminar organised by Bob Willis was over‐subscribed within the first two weeks of announcement, and the standby places were already sufficient to warrant a repeat seminar during September. This will be held in Chelmsford on 9 September.