Any company entering a business world longs for high profit and customers’ recognition. Still, some of them fail to succeed, while the others approach their goal in quantum jumps. To assist the company’s pace on the market, Business Excellence organizations were started. Among these are the European Foundation for Quality Management in the EU, the Baldrige Excellence System in the USA, and the Singapore Business Excellence Framework.
The Business Excellence initiative started in 1994. Since then, it has been contributing to the world business excellence community. Together with the Asian Productivity Organization, it helps both private and public companies to start a business. Of course, Singapore could have followed one of the existing prominent excellence frameworks, EFQM for example. Still, I suppose that the creation of their framework was a proper choice. Singapore, as an Asian country, has some peculiarities both in cultural traditions and business organization. At the moment, it is very open to new ventures. Developing rapidly, it looks like a crucial business spot for many companies. Hence, a framework considering all the characteristic features was necessary.
SPRING Singapore helps the organizations that follow its principles to become more profitable and productive. More than 1000 organizations which employ 600000 people are applying the BE framework to improve their management methods. One of the companies using the BE Framework is Keppel Logistics. It is a big company with storage and transport facilities in six countries. Participation in BE Framework helped them to improve the employment conditions and increase productivity in the workplace. I consider their experience the most compelling for they give much attention to their employees. The company has a program aimed at the developing of workers’ skills and competencies, thus encouraging them to reveal their potential and suggesting a good salary. The employers tend to create a positive working environment. The emphasis is made on the employees’ health and safety. It is reached by creating secure work conditions and traditional sporting events for the staff. All those actions make workers energetic and motivated, which in its turn guarantees the improvement of work performance and, consequently, the success of the company.
If we compare the three systems, those of the European Foundation for Quality Management in the EU, the Baldrige Excellence System in the USA, and the Singapore Business Excellence Framework, it is evident that they have much in common. One of their key points is leadership, for an inspired leader sets the direction of any company’s development. Another important part of any business is its consumers, customers. The systems suggest that customers should be valued. One more point in the focus of the business development is introducing innovations, as they determine productivity. Much attention in BE systems is given to knowledge and learning, for the business world is constantly changing, and a successful company should be able to meet the new demands. Each of the frameworks has its peculiar strategies suitable for the companies they apply them in their work. Thus, every framework is better for the business environment in which it was created.
On the whole, the Business Excellence Framework is a possibility for companies to achieve outstanding and continuous results through constant improvement. The sign of recognition, the Singapore Quality Award, is the prize that companies desire. This challenge increases their competitiveness and, finally, leads to high-quality service delivery or goods production.