Critical success factors for sustainable improvement in technical education excellence

'College choice' under the COVID-19 pandemic: Sustainability of engineering campuses for future enrollments

Engineering profession for students and diverse students for Engineering Campuses (ECs) is the prestige to have for both. Worldwide higher education has been impacted by COVID-19 pandemic, but particularly pulling padlocked doors of Indian engineering campuses (ECs) down. Students' attitudes regarding choice, liking, and preferences were also affected. Knowing how tough 'college choice' was before the pandemic, one can guess how difficult it will be today. The objective of this study was to explore students' perceptions of choice characteristics related to ECs and diverse students enabling choice decisions under the COVID-19 situation, and to discover any possible relationships among them. Research questions were qualitatively examined with the statistical confirmation of related hypothesizes by utilizing ANOVA and Regression analysis. A self-reported quantitative survey composed of a closed-ended structured questionnaire was administered on the students of first-year engineering who had recently enrolled in ECs of North Maharashtra Region of India, after pandemic hitting India. According to the study, ECs have several characteristics impacting students' selection of ECs under pandemic. The influence of proximity, image and reputation, educational quality, and curriculum delivery was significant in contributing sustainability of ECs. This influence was significant across students' psychological and behavioural biases on likes, choices, and preferences. Furthermore, multiple relationships were noted within the sub-groups of demographic, geographic, socioeconomic, academic performance, and psychological and behavioural traits due to the impact of ECs' characteristics on sustainability. The study has provided a framework for policymakers and administrators to strengthen repositioning towards sustainability while capturing potentially diverse enrolments. Even if we have to coexist with pandemic forever or with more similar pandemics, the findings of this study may undergo a fundamental transformation for ECs (existing and forthcoming). On the other hand, by understanding the importance and relations of choice characteristics may smoothen the complex nature of "college choice" for prospective students.

Transformational leadership in development of transformative education in nursing: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Regarding the dynamic and increasing needs of communities, changes in the education system are essential to train competent healthcare professionals. The study aimed to explore the experience of educational directors, teachers, and students to gain insight into the implementation of educational transformative programs.

METHOD

A qualitative approach with the grounded theory method was applied in this study. Twenty-four participants were selected by using a purposive and theoretical sampling method. The data were collected from April 2019 to May 2020 in nursing schools of Tehran, through in-depth semi-structured individual face-to-face interviews and field notes. Collected data were analyzed by Corbin and Strauss's (2015) approach.

RESULTS

In this study, transformational leadership was extracted as the core concept. The core concept emerged from four sub-concepts including transformative management; educational policy requirements; providing a platform and community-centered education.

CONCLUSIONS

Nurse educational directors need to achieve some competencies and capabilities for implementing transformative education in nursing schools. Also, achieving a transformative perspective by educational directors is essential.

The mediating role of employee commitment between quality of work-life and job performance of the faculty

Purpose

This study aims to examine the mediating role of employee commitment between the quality of work-life (QWL) and job performance among the faculty of technical institutions established in the province of Punjab (India).

Design/methodology/approach

The data collected from 434 faculty members with a response rate of 72% is analyzed and the mediation effect of employee commitment between the QWL and job performance of the faculty is modeled through partial least square-structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results indicate that employee commitment partially mediates between QWL and job performance. To strengthen the result, mediation of employee commitment is also tested for each dimension of the QWL with job performance. All the factors of QWL also supported a partial mediation effect.

Practical implications

The findings of the study may help the policymakers to understand, frame and implement appropriate policies for improving the work-life quality and commitment among the faculty. This may further assist in augmenting the overall performance of the faculty amidst a crisis in the sector.

Originality/value

The study highlights the role of employee commitment as a mediator between the QWL and job performance of the faculty in the technical education sector which is one of its kind and possibly not yet explored. Besides, the study proposes some measures in improving the work-life quality and job performance of the faculty.

Making it normal for 'new' enrollments: effect of institutional and pandemic influence on selecting engineering institutions under the COVID-19 pandemic situation

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced Indian engineering institutions (EIs) to bring their previous half-shut shades completely down. Attracting new admissions to EI campuses during the pandemic have become a 'now or never' situation for EIs. During crisis situations, EIs have struggled to return to their normal track. The pandemic has drastically changed students' behavior and family preferences due to mental stress and the emotional life associated with it. Consequently, it has become the need of hour to examine the choice characteristics influencing the selection of EIs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study is to critically examine institutional influence and pandemic influence that affects students' choice about engineering institutions (EIs) during COVID-19 pandemic situation and consequently to study relationships between them. A quantitative research, conducted through a self-report survey composed by a closed-ended structured questionnaire was performed on the students who were recently enrolled in the EIs (academic year 2020-2021) belonging to North Maharashtra region of India during the pandemic. The findings of this study have revealed that institutional and pandemic influence have directed EI choice under the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also found that pandemic influence is positively affected by institutional influence. The study demonstrated that EIs can attract new enrollments by repositioning their institutional characteristics that regulate pandemic influence. The study can be a measuring tool for policy makers to attract new enrollments under pandemic situation.

Total Quality Management in higher education: a literature review on barriers, customers and accreditation

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the evolution of Total Quality Management (TQM) in terms of barriers, customers and accreditation in higher education (HE) over the last three decades (1991–2020) using literature review to establish the current state.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 137 articles across 55 journals were consolidated for this review specifically focused on TQM (barriers, customers and accreditation) in HE. The investigations were carried out to identify the chronological growth of articles, research streams and methodologies. The articles were classified based on four research approaches and three research streams which have been reviewed in detail.

Findings

Considering the rapid growth in the HE sector and the concerns over reduction in quality of education especially in developing countries, the importance of TQM in HE is immense. The findings include identification of the barriers to successful TQM implementation, the need for alignment of TQM objectives of higher educational institutions (HEIs) and identified target customer(s) with the selected model/framework and the impact of accreditation/certification in the attainment of TQM.

Originality/value

This study which tries to bring a perspective to the main trends in TQM application to HE with respect to barriers, customers and accreditation over the last three decades is expected to add to the body of knowledge in this area and help future researchers to focus on the relevant areas identified in this paper.

Modeling the critical barriers to implementation of AACSB accreditation in business schools

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify and model the key barriers to the issue of adoption and implementation of AACSB accreditation standards in business schools. Business school management can focus on removing the key barriers and implement accreditation standards and practices to improve the quality of programs offered by them.

Design/methodology/approach

The present study adopts the interpretive structural modeling (ISM) approach to develop a hierarchical-based model of the key barriers to implementation of Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation standards. It also depicts the mutual relationships among the key barriers.

Findings

The paper has identified the key barriers and presented an integrated model using ISM. Business schools need to pay maximum attention to diagnose and overcome these hindrances for effective implementation of AACSB accreditation standards.

Research limitations/implications

The model is based on the experts’ opinions, which may be biased, influencing the final output of the structural model. The developed model is to help the business school management in understanding the significance of the barriers, to prioritize or eliminate the same for the implementation of accreditation standards.

Originality/value

The depiction of barriers in the form of an ISM-based model is a new effort in the area of business school accreditation. The results will be useful to understand the barriers and overcome these for successful implementation of AACSB accreditation standards in business schools.

Human Resource Abilities and Skills in TQM for Sustainable Enterprises

Total quality management (TQM) is a lean manufacturing tool that focuses on ensuring the production of goods that meet design specifications and give customer satisfaction, both attractive benefits highly appreciated by managers. However, there are several factors involved in the success of TQM programs, many of which are cultural aspects associated with human resources (HR). This article presents a structural equation model that integrates three latent variables related to internal HR: “managerial commitment,” “employee integration,” and “training and education,” which are linked to the operational benefits of a manufacturing system. The variables are connected through six hypotheses that have been validated with information obtained from 398 responses of a questionnaire applied to manufacturing industry professionals. In addition, a sensitivity analysis was carried out to describe the probabilities of occurrence for the variables at low and high levels. The hypotheses were statistically validated with the partial least squared technique, where the results showed that human factors play an essential role in the success of TQM, since the direct, indirect, and total effects of managerial commitment, employee integration and training, and education processes on the benefits obtained from the implementation of TQM were statistically significant at 95% confidence.

Analyzing Lean Six Sigma enablers: a hybrid ISM-fuzzy MICMAC approach

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify Lean Six Sigma enablers (LSSEs) and analyse the interaction among the enablers via a hierarchical model developed by employing interpretive structural modelling (ISM) and determine the driving and dependence power of enablers through fuzzy MICMAC (Matriced’ Impacts Croise´s Multiplication Applique´ea´un Classement) analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

An expert group of industry professionals and academicians is consulted at the initial stage as an input for ISM methodology to explore the paired relationship among LSSEs for each parameter of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) implementation. The outcome of ISM is further utilized by fuzzy MICMAC analysis to discover the enablers that are strong drivers and highly dependent. Fuzzy set is included in MICMAC analysis in order to obtain more precise output and effective model.

Findings

In total, 20 key enablers are identified through a literature review and expert opinion that emerged as the most significant factors towards LSS implementation. The identified enablers are portrayed into a structural form representing as input and output variables. Later, the driving and the dependence power of each enabler is presented in cluster form.

Research limitations/implications

The paired relationships among LSSEs are obtained through the interpretation made by the experts. The judgments of experts are subjective and may be biased; as difference in expert opinion may influence the final outcome. Conducting a large-scale survey may provide a better catch for interactions of LSSEs.

Practical implications

This study provides strong practical implications for researchers as well as industry practitioners. The industry professionals must deliberately focus on the identified LSSEs more conservatively during LSS implementation and the top management should plan strategically to avoid any implementation failure.

Originality/value

The present study identifies 20 crucial enablers of integrated LSS and presents them in a hierarchical form which will be beneficial for researchers and practitioners. The interactions among the enablers shown in cluster form will help in better execution of LSS.

Transnational education and total quality management: a stakeholder-centred model

Purpose

Quality assurance is a key concern in higher education, which is more complex in offshore transnational education (TNE), compared to onshore provision of education service. However, higher education quality assurance is an established research domain; there is very limited work on the efficacy of industry-based total quality management (TQM) considerations to uphold quality in higher education, particularly in TNE. From this context, the purpose of this paper is to develop new insights in this under-researched area.

Design/methodology/approach

An inductive constructivist approach is followed to analyse extant scholarly views in relevant disciplinary areas to develop new insights, in relation to the significance of industry-based TQM in TNEs’ quality assurance.

Findings

Stakeholder orientation is recognised, as a significant consideration to uphold quality in TNE. Different stakeholders are identified, who would have substantial influence on TNEs’ TQM. How these stakeholders could influence the TQM process is clarified. Some empirical insights are also developed, in support of the arguments of the paper.

Practical implications

These insights will be useful for education administrators to better align their stakeholder relationships to underpin TQM. Academics will be able to use these insights as a basis for future research towards the significance of industry-based TQM in higher education.

Originality/value

Based on a stakeholder-focussed TNE TQM model, the findings represent an innovative strategic direction towards a better understanding of the significance of stakeholder relationships, pertaining to TQM in the contemporary higher education system.

Critical success factors for Lean Six Sigma in SMEs (small and medium enterprises)

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to identify and list critical success factors (CSFs) of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) framework affecting and influencing quality, operational and financial performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). It also intends to guide researchers and practitioners in selecting appropriate set of CSFs for empirical studies, developing frameworks and to ensure effective implementation experience of LSS.

Design/methodology/approach

– It systematically reviews literature on CSFs and Indian experience regarding LSS. It uses exploratory approach for data collection and documents various studies depicting both manufacturing and service experiences by using time tested statistical tools to prioritize CSFs, which critically influence LSS implementation.

Findings

– The study guides and facilitates researchers and practitioners in using the most appropriate set of CSFs for empirical studies and in developing/modifying/reviewing application frameworks. It also guides implementation experience regarding LSS, which can be beneficiary for both developing and developed country contexts. Industries can accelerate implementation by understanding and using most important CSFs, which influence LSS framework.

Research limitations/implications

– The study mainly remains confined to the CSFs for LSS implementation in SMEs from Indian subcontinent.

Originality/value

– The value lies in documenting, and prioritizing CSFs influencing LSS in a meaningful manner so that researchers/companies take advantage of Indian experience in prioritizing CSFs for framework. The study drastically reduces implementation hassles and simplifies execution for empirical studies. The findings are not restricted to India but are generalizable and can globally utilized in deciding determinants of LSS framework.