Applying Total Quality Management to Business Education

Abstract

Abstract There has been considerable discussion, both pro and con, about applying total quality management (TQM) to higher education. This article reports on the experience of gathering feedback from former students to implement TQM strategies in a collegiate business school. Research found that these customers want educators to consider their opinions about the overall educational experience, not just individual classes; the former students especially want us to consider what happens to students after they graduate, and they have great concern about students' professional preparation. Through the process of working with TQM, the faculty has found that it is useful for discovering quality improvement needs, focusing on improvement, and providing a useful set of tools to implement improvements.