In a time of constant change, sometimes it is worthwhile to ruminate on the future and how things ought to be. "Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship" wanted to capture some of these ruminations from around the field in a new column called "E-Opinions from the Field" where readers are asked to send in their thoughts on a topic and respond…

The arrival of the Total Quality Management (TQM) approach in higher education has brought both support and skepticism. Although consultants are busy selling tool-driven, seven-step workshops, it is not yet clear what the academic version of the approach will be or how it will evolve. (MSE)

Chronicles development and implementation of a performance-management system for nonfaculty employees at Wittenberg University (Ohio). The initiative featured principles of continuous quality improvement. Seven key lessons learned are presented for other institutions, including selection of the design team, changing the status quo, defining and…

This booklet presents information on how total quality management can be applied to school systems to create educational improvement. Total quality management offers education a systemic approach and a new set of assessment tools. Chapter 1 provides a definition and historical overview of total quality management. Chapter 2 views the school…

This article argues that a sound performance evaluation system benefits the employee, supervisor, and organization by providing a written record of efforts, by motivating employees, and by maximizing employee growth potential. It proposes that such performance evaluations are compatible with the Total Quality Management approach. Principles of…

This paper discusses the increasing interest in quality assurance in British education including its measurement and management through the introduction of a quality assurance system. The reasons and benefits of beginning a quality assurance system are discussed, and questions of what constitutes quality, whether it is quality in fact…

Total Quality (TQ), is a customer-oriented philosophy of management that utilizes total employee involvement in the relentless, daily search for improvement of product and service quality, through the use of statistical methods, employee teams, and performance management. In the TQ framework, "internal" customers are individuals within the…

Provides an overview of the criticism leveled at the use of Total Quality Management (TQM) in teaching economics. Proposes an alternative use of TQM that relies more on traditional student-teacher interaction. The alternative TQM uses quality circles, one-minute papers, and quality check sheets. (MJP)