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The aim of this study is to develop a framework for measuring of service supply chain (SSC) maturity process.

The main framework of the SSC maturity was developed by reviewing the concepts and models of SSC, business excellence, maturity and supply chain performance evaluation. Then, the maturity level of each excellence criterion was defined in the proposed model by using the excellence criteria for SSC and the concept of Plan, Do, Check and Act (PDCA) cycle in combination with the process survey tools maturity model. Based on the excellence criteria and their maturity levels, a questionnaire was designed to practically measure the proposed framework.

The concepts and features of maturity levels defined for each of the excellence criteria were used to implement and operationalize the proposed framework and evaluate the SSC processes.

Through the assessment of the existing status of SSC processes, the findings allow managers to reach a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of such processes. Then, some opportunities are provided for improving each excellence criterion to enhance the performance of each process.

In fact, this study provides guidelines for organizations to measure their progress and performance and improve their management systems. The main advantages of the proposed SSC measurement framework include self-assessment facilitation, calculation of criteria scores and development of uses. The proposed model, like quality and productivity awards, can pave the way for increased competitiveness of the service industry.

The purpose of this study is to enhance the understanding of the complete process of framing and implementing operational excellence in the pharmaceutical industry to ensure higher regulatory compliance.

A literature search was conducted using preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines. Strategies were set with different keywords and certain assessment criteria for the inclusion and exclusion of articles. A total of 46 articles were considered for a full review.

This study describes the impact of implementing operational excellence in day-to-day operations and the driving forces to achieve the same. Seven commonly used enablers are described can be used in combination to develop and validate an assessment model. Case studies are summarized to schematize operational excellence programs for the scope of their industry.

This study is limited to Indian pharmaceutical manufacturers. It is implied toward small-scale manufacturers. It can be further extended to manufacturers from other regions.

This study guides quality assurance managers, regulatory agencies and other top management to implement operational excellence to ensure higher regulatory compliance. It guides to develop a roadmap to operational excellence in their scope. This study is applicable to any manufacturing industry bound to comply with pharmaceutical regulatory standards.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, at the time of publication, there are regulatory guidelines and some articles on various key enablers to achieve operational excellence. There is no published systematic review on achieving regulatory compliance by using operational excellence.

With the introduction of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), the status of teaching has been moved towards the centre of concerns in the UK higher education (HE) sector. This interest develops further the notion of teaching excellence created through various institutional and sectoral schemes such as the Higher Education Academy (HEA) fellowship. Whilst excellence schemes and the TEF all highlight the importance of teaching, they also run the danger of reducing it to lists and simplified proxies.

This chapter argues that reductive characterisations of teaching, through metrics supporting the TEF, such as the national student survey, or ‘idealised’ descriptions of the foundational aspects of ‘excellent practice’, all lead to partial accounts of the teaching process. Such characterisations might lead to creeping performativity and increasing organisational attempts to control. An alternative account of teaching is proposed based on complexity theory. This sees teaching as emergent, multifaceted and contextually based. It refutes notions of ‘best practice’ and argues that any attempt to capture ‘excellent practice’ is to reduce the holistic nature of the processes that bring teaching, learning, curriculum and assessment together.

This paper describes World Vision ' s motivation, context, experience, and learning in improving processes in East Africa. It demonstrates that Lean and Six Sigma TQM approaches apply to an international non-governmental organisation (INGO) operating in East Africa, and that they can deliver significant process improvements.

The findings come from initiating process improvement in World Vision in East Africa, observing and reflecting on this experience, and measuring improvements achieved through process improvement projects conducted by World Vision East African staff.

The INGO and East African contexts provide unique challenges to and demonstrate a strong need for process excellence. However, a standard process improvement approach can be used. A key segment of World Vision staff in East Africa has caught the vision of process excellence, understood and applied TQM concepts and tools, and significantly improved key processes, for example, reduced by 40-80 per cent the average time to procure items and recruit new staff. We have reduced annual expenses by nearly $1,000,000. Such improvements help World Vision to achieve better outcomes with existing funding, people, and other resources.

This paper demonstrates that Lean and Six Sigma apply to and are vital for both NGOs and the East African context. It describes World Vision Process Excellence and improvements achieved. It presents challenges faced and lessons learned along the way. Finally, it calls on others to join the Lean Six Sigma TQM journey in NGOs and East Africa.

This study investigates the quantitative aspect of the various strains of operational excellence (OE) and competitive-potential (CP) in the SME sector. It has five steps, i.e., identifying the key performance constructs of OE and their hypothesized relationship pattern from literature, validating these constructs through factor analysis, formalizing their empirical relationships by structural-equation-modeling (SEM), path analysis of performance constructs with the empirical results, and lastly proposing a framework for OE deployment in SMEs.

Data for the deployment scores of operational excellence procedures (OEPs) were collected through a structured questionnaire survey. Nine hundred participants from a stratified random sample were approached for the survey, and 473 responses were received. Sample stratification was based on Gender, Education, Experience, Position, Department and Industry. Respondents had 5–30 years of experience managing manufacturing operations, holding the manager position and above.

The path analysis of the structural model provides unique insights into OE's practical aspects in SMEs (small and medium enterprises). For example, Contractual-conformance and Process-efficiency play pivotal roles as both have a significant positive impact on CP. Supplier efficacy, Consistency and Product-excellence do not improve CP unless mediated by Contractual-conformance or Process-efficiency.

The study provides important implications for academia, policymakers and managers. The study identifies and validates the operational excellence key performance practices and proposes a framework for manufacturing organizations. SME managers can follow the framework to develop effective operational excellence strategies to help them achieve their organizational goals. Additionally, the study emphasizes the need for continuous culture in SMEs, which will help to support operational excellence deployment. Overall, the implications presented in the study will help SMEs to enhance their competitiveness and operational performance.

The study explores the empirical investigation of the operational excellence deployment in SMEs. The study uses a mixed method approach for research design, including qualitative and quantitative approaches, and uses SEM to test the proposed framework. Validation of OE's six key performance constructs and establishing their empirical relation is an attempt to advance the Operations excellence theory. Unlike large enterprises, SMEs demonstrate an incohesive response to the practices pertaining to Supplier efficacy, Consistency and Product-excellence. This unique response pattern requires special treatment, which is incorporated into the proposed framework.

Current models of organizational excellence are appropriate for the private organizations. It is evident that if an appropriate model is not adopted, the process of excellence in the organizations fails and some dimensions of the organization get affected by unpredictable damages. This research aims to identify an appropriate excellence model for public organizations.

First, a comprehensive literature review was conducted to identify the excellence criteria and models. Second, the models were through an expert-oriented questionnaire, analyzed by the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) technique. Participants were experts in the two domains of excellence models and public sector management. A sample of 15 experts was selected using purposive sampling. In order to emphasize on reliability, 10 questionnaires were adopted for analysis.

The findings showed that the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) model is the most appropriate model for excellence measurement in the public organizations based on the five selected indices.

The identification of a model for measuring organizational excellence for public sector can significantly contribute to existing literature on excellence measurement.

This study aims to identify the approaches and strategies adopted by Pune auto-component small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to achieve excellence with an in-depth literature review and deep observation. SMEs’ contribution is acknowledged worldwide. Auto-component SMEs, a major sub-sector and largest feeder of automobile manufacturing, have placed India on the global map for excellence and innovation. Like the corporate, SMEs have also started adopting integrated approaches and strategies to face the competitive world, yet incidences of unproductive SMEs are rising. Business breakdown is attributed to capital deficiency and incompetent usage. Amidst this, Pune auto-component SMEs are thriving well.

This paper presents an in-depth literature review and deep observation.

Findings include identifying the approaches and strategies adopted by Pune auto-component SMEs to achieve excellence.

This paper identified the approaches and strategies for achieving excellence and the basis of innovation in SMEs.

To underestimate service quality is like saying goodbye to some of your hard‐earned profits. Even after revamping and upgrading products, many organizations continue to experience decline because they forget that people want to feel good. The feel‐good factor is espoused by politicians throughout the world to nurture votes. The fact that people want to feel good is often overlooked and ignores Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. How many times have you bought a product only to find there is a fault and the product needs replacing? This is normally something which is very irritating, but not ulcer‐inducing enough to get worked up about until, that is, the customer service department treats you as though it is your fault.

This paper aims to illustrate the application of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in higher education institutions (HEIs). A real-time case study presented as part of the paper highlights the value which LSS can bring to the higher education system.

The paper commences with an overview and the success of the LSS methodology. The uniqueness of the higher education system for imbibing quality excellence is elaborated, comparing it with the manufacturing industry. Various opportunities for LSS projects in HEIs are then discussed as part of the paper. The last section of the paper elaborates a real-time case study, explaining how LSS was leveraged to improve a university library process.

The study identified the key attributes of the higher education system, which need to be understood for imbibing quality excellence. The study also provided an insight into the upcoming application of LSS and the benefits it can bring to HEIs.

The introduction of LSS into the higher education setup could bring multifold organizational and social benefits

LSS has been successful in the past few decades in the manufacturing and service sector. However, its application in HEIs was very nascent. This study illustrates its importance and application to a highly responsible area of the service sector, for imbibing quality excellence, serving as an excellent resource for researchers and higher education professionals.

I once heard an employee say: “If this company would only treat me as well as they do their machine tools, I would be a happy camper. They are constantly spending money on testing, upgrading, monitoring and attempting to get the best they can from their machine tool investment. Their consistent objective is Six‐Sigma production quality.” An interesting thought …