First launched in 1991 by The Hong Kong Management Association, the annual HKMA Quality Award has entered into its 10th Anniversary. All companies from the fields of service, manufacturing and small business, whose principal activities are in Hong Kong are eligible to apply for this prestigious Award. The deadline for application will be 3 November 2000.

As all top managers realize, the search for QUALITY has become the single most important force leading to organizational success and growth in both national and international markets in the new millennium. The organizations which will succeed are those that can maintain a dedication to Quality in each and every organizational function.

The Award is the Association`s most prestigious business accolade. It is based on the American Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award judging criteria, and is the Hong Kong equivalent to the Japanese Deming Prize and the European Quality Award.

The purpose of the Award is not just to reward commitment in an age of change, but also to bring public recognition to those organizations that have achieved outstanding standards of quality and made a lasting commitment to the process of quality management.

Past winners of the Award are all successful companies with company-wide commitment to quality. They include Xerox (Hong Kong) Ltd (1991), Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group (1992), Integrated Solutions Ltd (1994), Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (1995), Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong (1997), MTR Corporation (1998), McDonald`s Restaurants (Hong Kong) Ltd (1998), Glorious Sun Enterprises Ltd (1999), The Hong Kong and China Gas Co Ltd (1999) and PARKnSHOP (2000).

After completing the Entry Form (on or before 3 November 2000), participating companies will be invited to submit an Initial Submission (on or before 10 November 2000). They will then be screened and evaluated until a list of shortlist is drawn up. Shortlisted entries will be requested to submit a final submission write-up (on or before 5 January 2001). They will then be invited to deliver a 30-minute presentation before the Board of Examiners.

The Board of Examiners will present their findings and recommendations on the shortlisted entries to the Panel of Judges. The Award Presentation Ceremony will be held in June 2001.

The examiners and judges may conduct on-site verification of claims made in submissions of shortlisted entries.

The Award`s Board of Examiners stress that TQM is customer-led, features strong involvement of a company`s top management and calls upon the whole staff for its successful implementation. Continuous improvement is the essence in order to meet customers` demands. It is these key elements which make TQM differ from the International Standards Organization "ISO 9000" certificate.

To win the Award there should be evidence of a comprehensive and co-ordinated quality plan and strategy beyond that required for the ISO 9000 series certification, the Examiners stressed.

The Award`s Panel of Judges include Mr Giovanni Angelini, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts; Mr Alfred Chan, Managing Director, The Hong Kong and China Gas Co Ltd; Dr The Hon David K P Li JP, Chairman and Chief Executive, The Bank of East Asia Ltd; Mr Liang Xiaoting, First Deputy General Manager, Bank of China, Hong Kong Branch; Mr Banio Mok, Managing Director, Xerox (Hong Kong) Ltd; Mr John Steward, Vice President and General Manager, Hong Kong, American Express International, Inc and Dr Lawrence Wong, Chief Executive, The Hong Kong Jockey Club.

The Board of Examiners comprises Dr T Y Lee (Chairman), Director, Technology Support Centre, The University of Hong Kong; Mr Y K Chan, Safety and Quality Development Manager, MTR Corporation; Mr H K Leung, Director - SDPC for Enterprise Excellence, Motorola (China) Electronics Inc; Mr Sidney Leung, Assistant Vice President, Private Trust Services, HSBC Republic; Mr Iain S Wink, Group Quality Systems Manager, Gammon Construction Ltd; Mr Isaac Yeung, Finance Manager, The Hong Kong and China Gas Co Ltd and Mr Aaron Yim, Chief Operating Officer, Gilman Office Automation.

Members of Organizing Committee include Mr Alfred Chan (Chairman), Managing Director, The Hong Kong and China Gas Co Ltd; Mr T C Chu, Director and Managing Partner, McKinsey & Co Inc; Ms Yolanda Lo, General Manager, Hong Kong Economic Times; Mr Steve Loo, Director and Senior Vice President, Asia Television Ltd; Mr Howie Ng, Chief Executive, Hong Kong Quality Assurance Agency; Mr David Turnbull, Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive, Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd and Ms Lily Wan, Director, Public Affairs and Communications, East Asia, American Express International, Inc.

The Award is co-sponsored by American Express International, Inc; Bank of China, Hong Kong Branch; Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd; Glorious Sun Enterprises Ltd; The Hong Kong and China Gas Co Ltd; The Hong Kong Jockey Club; HSBC International Trustee Ltd; The Kowloon Motor Bus Co (1933) Ltd; Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation; Luen Thai International Group; McDonald`s Restaurants (Hong Kong) Ltd; PARKnSHOP; Ricoh Hong Kong Ltd and Xerox (Hong Kong) Ltd. In addition, Media sponsors of the Award are Asia Television Ltd and Hong Kong Economic Times and Web Site Sponsor is Computer Associates International Ltd.

For more information, please visit the website of the HKMA Quality Award at: www.hkma.org.hk/qa.

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Issued by The Hong Kong Management Association on 27 October 2000.
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