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This article has been withdrawn as it was published elsewhere and accidentally duplicated. The original article can be seen here: 10.1108/02656719410074260. When citing the article, please cite: Samuel K.M. Ho, (1994), “Is the ISO 9000 Series for Total Quality Management?”, International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, Vol. 11 Iss: 9, pp. 74 - 89.

The fundamentals of total quality management (TQM) are revisited for providing a relevant perspective on business excellence. Judging from the experience of the Japanese TQM movement, there is a need for a step‐by‐step approach towards TQ. As a result of exploratory research, a model called TQMEX, standing for TQM Excellence Model, has been developed based on sound TQM practices. Both the theoretical background, personal experience, and results of an intensive questionnaire survey conducted in Hong Kong, Japan, and the UK have highlighted the importance of the Japanese 5‐S, DPR, QCC, ISO 9000 and TPM on TQM practice. The findings are useful for firms wanting to benchmark against the business excellence of leading firms which have survived and grown despite the two global oil crises and the recent Asian financial turmoil.

It has been recognised that Japanese firms are clean and orderly. The same is true for high quality western firms. Over the last two decades, the Japanese have formalised the technique and name it as 5‐S practice. The author has developed the world’s first 5‐S audit worksheet and used it for training in Hong Kong, Malaysia and the UK since 1994. As the name is new to most western societies, the objective of this paper is to explain the intricacy of the 5‐S so that it can be understood easily and adopted readily by those who may find the tool useful. 5‐S is also an important tool for action learning and the corner stone of a new paradigm for quality culture. In 1994, the Hong Kong Government Industry Department started promoting the 5‐S practice in Hong Kong. Many seminars and workshops have been conducted and they were all very popular and well‐received by the business community. As a result of the success, the Department commissioned a “5‐S practice workbook” with ten successful case studies from the manufacturing, services and public sectors. Further, a grant has been given to the authors to train up 2,500 5‐S lead auditors, the first of its kind in the world. The experience will also be shared in this article.

The fundamentals of learning organisations are revisited to provide a relevant perspective for achieving world‐class performance. A new concept termed the ‘total learning organisation’ is created and developed based on the theoretical background and the author’s consultancy experience. Three important World Cup matches are used as case examples to illustrate the application of innovation through the conceptual framework of the total learning organisation. The findings are useful for firms wanting to benchmark against the experience of leading firms which have survived and grown despite the two global oil crises and the recent Asian financial turmoil.

A problem is usually a result of “changes”. However, not all changes are the cause of problems. The search for the cause of a problem narrows down to the search for that change which should produce the precise effect observed through some area of distinction. This change may consist of several elements and conditions taken together as a complex change, which can produce the exact effect observed. This change will be found through analysing the facts used in specifying the problem. The process of analysis requires co‐operative brain‐storming among different parties concerned. Analysis of these facts is thus the crux of problem solving. Outlines an effective method of solving problems in manufacturing and demonstrates its success with practical case studies from Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and the UK.

Presents the Japanese initiative of total integrated management and identifies the multiple factors which can influence management quality and business performance in organisations. Explores the UK/European model for business excellence and the process of self‐assessment that can be applied by organisations in all sectors to improve their business results and competitive superiority. Compares the main features of the Japanese and the European frameworks and notes their differences together with their benefits and possible downsides. Uses case examples to demonstrate the application and the implications of these initiatives to practising managers. Concludes that for organisations to be effective they should use the dynamics of the integrated business excellence tools and value the quality level of the management policies and strategies as key success factors

Suggests that, with quality being vital to maintaining a competitive edge, total quality management and the international quality management standard, ISO 9000, are of increasing importance. Aims to find out what is so special about TQM and ISO 9000 and why it is necessary for organizations to acquire them. Summarizes current thinking and developments in this area; discusses the relationships between TQM and ISO 9000; finally, suggests a framework for implementing either scheme.

The purpose of this paper is to explore an integrated total quality management (TQM) model for global sustainability.

It has been well‐recognised that Japanese firms compete in quality, cost and speed of delivery. Over the last century, the Japanese have formalised the technique and call it “5S” Practice. Through his research in Japan under the “Oshikawa Fellowship” of the Asian Productivity Organisation in 1988, the author has re‐defined the name as “the 5‐S” and developed the world's first 5‐S Audit Checklist. Recently, in the wake of the soaring oil prices, the author developed another Checklist on Lean 5‐S, aiming at minimising wastage of all kinds. Thus, the author adds another dimension to the Japanese competitiveness trio above – environment. Since 1993, the author has used the proprietary 5‐S Checklist for training and consultancy in no less than ten countries with over 100,000 persons from around 8,000 organisations worldwide. On the other hand, HKSAR takes the lead in the global oil energy consumption/GPD. The experience is shared in this paper.

On entering into year 2008, the price of oil soared to US$148/barrel, and kept rising. This calls for the pressing need for lean, the most important word for any organisation in the contemporary world. By now, the oil crisis seems to be over. Unfortunately, it has ignited the financial tsunami, a much bigger problem than the oil crisis, which we can live with. The lean management model proposed in this paper has shown some evidence to help organisations overcome the damages caused by the financial tsunami.

As the Integrated Lean TQM Model has only been tested in HKSAR, China and Japan, interested academics and related parties are invited to join in to validate this model for the global sustainability and competitiveness.

The greatest contribution to the field of TQM in this paper are the two checklists created, each of them with 50 checkpoints, and tested by the author. When used properly, these two checklists are the corner stones for competitiveness and global sustainability in resources management.

It has been recognised that Japanese firms are clean and orderly. The same is true for high quality Western firms. Over the last two decades, the Japanese have formalised the technique and named it as 5‐S practice. They believe that it is the base‐line for industrial management. As the name is new to most Western societies, the objective of this paper is to explain the intricacy of the 5‐S so that it can be understood easily and adopted readily by those who may find the tool useful. In Hong Kong, the government industry department has promoted the 5‐S practice since 1994. Many seminars and workshops have been conducted and they were all very well received by the business community. As a result of the success, the department invited the author to commission a 5‐S practice workbook with ten successful case studies from the manufacturing, services and public sectors. The experience will also be shared in this article.

It has been recognised that Japanese firms are clean and orderly. The same is true for high quality western firms. Over the last two decades, the Japanese have formalised the technique and named it 5‐S practice. As the name is new to most western societies, the objective of this paper is to explain the intricacy of the 5‐S so that it can be understood easily and adopted readily by those who may find the tool useful. Based on the Japanese experience, the author has developed the world’s first 5‐S audit checklist. Apparently, spearheaded by the ISO 9000 auditing, the 5‐S auditing approach has been easily and readily accepted by businesses and industries. As a result of the success, the Hong Kong Government invited the author to commission a 5‐S Practice Workbook with ten successful case studies from the manufacturing, services and public sectors. Further, a grant has been given to the author to train up 2,500 5‐S lead auditors, the first of its kind in the world. The experience will also be shared in this article.