Thursday, August 13, 2009

is quality management still fashionable?...



August 4 recently, I was chairing the 2009 Quality Management Symposium at the posh new signature hotel, Royale Chulan (owned by the Boustead Group). The annual symposium, led by Nuclear Malaysia together with other bodies like the Standards dept, SIRIM, SMIDEC and supported by MOSTI (Ministry of Science) has been an annual affair.
I have been invited consecutively over the last four years. Have presented a paper, moderated, chaired and gave a keynote presentation but this year, I told my friends at Nuclear Malaysia (The DG and the Training Manager that this year if they want me to contribute again, no papers please... penatlah (tired) hahaha, just chairing the conference on day one (hehe). That's why you see me in all the four photos above. Giving away momentos to speakers. The topmost, to none other than YBhg Tan Sri Ali Hashim, Group Chief Executive of Johor Corporation. He shared the trials and tribulations, business cycles (the ups and downs) of Johor Corp, his passion for Islamic business-jihad and his notion of 'westoxification' a word, I believe, he invented. My old friend Dr Ranjit Singh Malhi (Sadarji) during the days of MSTD, also gave a keynote address. Another old friend Mansoor, President and CEO of AVON ASEAN 'passionately' shared AVON's adaptation of quality management practices in their business model and strategies.
You probably notice that the last 2 fotos were taken with...yes you are right..none other than YBhg Datuk Arumugam of the iconic malaysian band 'Alleycats'. They are performing at Royale Chulan now (check them out hehe). Quality Management is a culture, a cult if you like. Breathing and living quality in your everyday lives be it the personal or business level...is certainly the bedrock of a winning strategy, as manifested by Alleycats...after more than 30 years...their survival owes to, among other variables, quality performance, always evergreen...always the alleycats and their music as you have heard them a long time ago, and still the same...
So, is quality management still fashionable? Despite some ethical issues raised and lamented during the symposium, I believe it is here to stay. It worked for Alleycats and thousands of other organisations globally, it certainly will work for yours....

2 comments:

reenazack said...

how do u find my hotel? Next time u wanna book a room at any boustead hotels, lemme know.. i got the loyalty cards. we can give u VIP treatment. ;)

Khaeruddin Sudharmin said...

i find both the royale bintang at the curve and the royale chulan absolutely tasteful. of course lar the royale chulan...hehe..n u get to see n listen to alleycats as well..hehe. so bile u nak bg i loyalty card n d VIP treatment? (wink)