We have four interesting articles in this issue of the Quality Management Journal. We begin with “Conceptual Foundations of Strategic Planning in the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence,” in which Matthew Ford and James Evans, both of the University of Cincinnati, tackle the question of whether the Baldrige Award criteria are valid from the perspective of scholarly research. Although the criteria have been widely embraced in practice, they have received considerably less attention in the world of academic research. Ford and Evans survey a wide body of cross-disciplinary academic research and find a considerable amount of support for the concepts embodied in the framework, which focuses on the strategic planning category only. Thus, they suggest that this category, and perhaps the entire framework, is based on sound theoretical principles.
Anders Gustafsson, of the University of Karlstad and Linköping University (Sweden), Fredrik Ekdahl of Linköping University, Kurt Falk of Volvo Car Corporation, and Michael Johnson, of the University of Michigan, develop a case study of a model that Gustafsson and Johnson described in an earlier article published in the Quality Management Journal (volume 4, number 3). This model integrates quality function deployment (QFD) and customer satisfaction modeling (CSM). This current author group illustrates the model through a detailed examination of operations at Volvo. Like many organizations, Volvo monitors customer satisfaction. The article illustrates the way in which Volvo then uses this information to set priorities, improve product designs, track the effects of changes on subsequent customer satisfaction ratings, and identify weaknesses in the current process, thus, illustrating the principles of the model.
William Hartman, of Pennsylvania State University, and Priscilla Feir, of Perkiomen Valley School District, examine customer-supplier relationships in higher education in “Preparation for College: A Customer-Supplier Framework.” College seniors majoring in business and engineering were surveyed to determine how well their high school work prepared them for college. The authors use a quality framework to discuss ways in which high school and colleges can work together to improve the quality of incoming students.
We close with a discussion of the theory of constraints applied to the problem of selecting quality improvement projects. Rexford Draman, of St. Edwards University, and Satya Chakravorty, of Kennesaw State University, examine sequencing of quality improvement projects in “An Evaluation of Quality Improvement Project Selection Alternatives.” They present a description of application of the principles of the theory of constraints to quality improvement project selection, comparing it with other approaches using an example scenario.
Finally, please keep sending us your comments on articles and issues facing the quality management community for Discussion, Debate, Dialogue.
Barbara B. Flynn
Editor
Quality Management Journal
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Barbara B. Flynn
Wake Forest University
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APEX, Inc.David Luther
Luther Quality AssociatesRam Narasimhan
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Sanjay Ahire
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Anjard International ConsultantsAsbjorn Aune*
Norwegian University of Science and TechnologyKimberly A. Bates*
University of TorontoMarcos E. J. Bertin*
Gaspar CamposMichael Beyerlein
University of North TexasPaul M. Bobrowski
Syracuse UniversityKenneth Boyer
DePaul UniversityKenneth E. Case
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Arizona State UniversityBarrie Dale*
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Department of the NavyKevin Dooley
Arizona State UniversityEdward Duplaga
Bowling Green State UniversityMaling Ebrahimpour
University of Rhode IslandSusan West Engelkemeyer
Babson CollegeMichael Faigen
Dispensing Technologies International Corp.Byron Finch
Miami UniversityMark D. Finster
University of WisconsinLaura Forker
Boston UniversityMiflora Minoza Gatchalian*
Quality Consultants International Inc.Soumen Ghosh
Georgia Institute of TechnologyGlenn H. Gilbreath
Virginia Commonwealth UniversityJohn M. Groocock*
TRW (Retired)Robert Handfield
Michigan State UniversityH. James Harrington
Ernst and YoungSandra J. Hartman
University of New OrleansMarilyn Helms
University of TennesseeMary Collins Holcomb
University of TennesseeAnn Jordan
University of North TexasDeborah Kellogg
University of ColoradoGary Kern
Indiana UniversityJill Phelps Kern
Digital SemiconductorDavid Kerridge*
Aberdeen UniversityHarvey Klein
Global Strategies Group L.C.Ray A. Klotz
Qualcomm Inc.Franklin Knight
DeVilbiss CompanyPeter Kolesar
Columbia UniversityThomas M. Kubiak
Honeywell, Inc.Ronald D. Kurtzmann
Brewer and AssociatesKeong Leong
Ohio State UniversityA. Magid Mazen
Suffolk UniversitySatish Mehra
University of MemphisKim I. Melton
North Georgia College and State UniversityHenry R. Neave*
British Deming AssociationYoram Neumann
California State UniversityWilliam Newman
Miami UniversityGeoffrey O. Okogbaa
University of South FloridaThomas Pyzdek
Quality Publishing Inc.Gary Ragatz
Michigan State UniversityJohn Ramberg
University of ArizonaGipsie B. Ranney
Belmont UniversityJames J. Rooney
JBF Associates Inc.Richard N. Rosett
Rochester Institute of TechnologyManus Rungtusanatham
Arizona State UniversityBrooke Saladin
Wake Forest UniversityMark V. Schimelonis
Xerox Business ServicesHelmut Schneider
Louisiana State UniversityNirmal Sethia
California State Polytechnic UniversityChristine Shea
University of New HampshireSue Siferd
Arizona State UniversityVinod Singhal
Georgia Institute of TechnologyMadhav N. Sinha*
Government of ManitobaJohn G. Surak
Clemson UniversityWilliam Tallon
Northern Illinois UniversityMichael D. Tveite
The Tetrad GroupF. Leroy Walser
University of OklahomaPeter Ward
Ohio State UniversityL. David Weller
University of GeorgiaTed Weston
Colorado State UniversityCarolyn Woo
Notre Dame University*International reviewer
