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" Total quality management applications in the Saudi University Information Centres "
Altamimi, Faisal
Sen, Barbara
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Latin Dissertation
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| Record Number
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830872
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TLets589356
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| Main Entry
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Altamimi, Faisal
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| Title & Author
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Total quality management applications in the Saudi University Information Centres\ Altamimi, FaisalSen, Barbara
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| College
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University of Sheffield
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| Date
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2013
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| student score
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2013
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| Degree
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Thesis (Ph.D.)
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| Abstract
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The objective of this research is to investigate the applications of TQM in the Saudi University Information Centres (ICs). Through this study, data were gathered in two phases, namely quantitative and qualitative. In the quantitative phase, six university information centres were investigated through a questionnaire that was developed based on the European Foundation for Quality Management excellence model (EFQM). This questionnaire aims to identify the quality issues in the six ICs. In the qualitative phase, the information centre managers and staff were interviewed in three selected cases due to access, time and distance considerations. The two sets of data were combined in an attempt to reach a deep understanding of the actual applications of TQM in the Saudi ICs. This study revealed that the applications of TQM in the ICs under investigation are located at three levels on a five-step scale. The first level, Absent, is where the IC failed in terms of establishing a framework to implement the quality concept, which affected the quality of services. At the second level, Managed is where the IC implemented most of the quality principles in its operations, but failed in implementing at least one of these principles and the services to a sufficient level of quality. At the third level, Continuous, the IC implemented all of the quality requirements, and its services have a high level of quality. Several factors were found to be critical in implementing TQM. These factors are quality culture, management commitment, professional awareness, staff empowerment, training, teamwork, user focus, process management and quality unit. This study contributes to the knowledge of TQM as it helps to understand TQM implementation in Saudi university ICs. Some recommendations for further research have been derived from this research, such as socio-cultural influences; need to be investigated in more depth to discover how this culture affects the process of implementing TQM. Replication of this study at all the Saudi university ICs over a longer period of time can confirm the validity of the findings and lead to more valid findings. Moreover, the benchmarking tool and critical success factors provided in this study need to be applied in further studies to ensure their validity and effectiveness in TQM implementation. User satisfaction needs to be investigated in more depth to discover users' perceptions towards Saudi IC services.
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Sen, Barbara
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University of Sheffield
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