UNIVERSITY TEAMS UP WITH SINGAPORE GOVERNMENT BODY

A Government body which helped to bring Singapore industry to its world-beating level of international competitiveness has teamed up with the University's School of Management.

Bradford's European Centre for Total Quality Management (ECTQM) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Singapore Productivity and Standards Board (PSB) - a non-profit-making government body set up to encourage the country's competitiveness and economic growth to provide a better quality of life for Singapore people.

The Dean of the School of Management, Professor Arthur Francis, was present at the recent signing of the agreement in Singapore. Professor Mohamed Zairi, ECTQM head and SABIC professor of best-practice management, said: "We are very excited by this because it means we are going to work globally with a like-minded organisation that has large resources and a great deal of competence in the field.

"This agreement will give us a big boost as our core expertise will be recognised more and more in that part of the world, which leads to great exposure and a lot of respect.

"The PSB looked all over the world for a suitable partner, so I am very proud that they selected us. Singapore is regarded as the regional hub for the Association of South-East Asian Nations and we believe that by working with a creative organisation like PSB we will gain access to around 12 other countries in that area.

"Our work has been recognised internationally for best practice, benchmarking, total quality management and a complete perspective on business enterprise. There is so much potential we can build on. We are not just an average University, but are arriving with a very good brand name."

ECTQM and PSB will develop joint initiatives in benchmarking and best-practice case studies by sharing their information, knowledge and expertise. PSB will allocate funds towards the cost of the joint initiatives as well as helping to ensure that reports are distributed in Singapore and printing and publishing costs are met.

Professor Francis said: "The Singapore Productivity and Standards Board has made a huge contribution to the development of Singapore industry, helping to bring it to its current world-beating level of international competitiveness. It has done this by promoting leading-edge techniques in total quality management and in the achievement of business excellence.

"That PSB has chosen to team up with the School of Management's European Centre for Total Quality Management in developing its research programme is a ringing endorsement for the work of Professor Zairi and his research team."

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