Quality Management Systems Case Studies: The Caribbean Experience.

1. by Errol F. Samuel Doctoral Fellow and PhD Candidate (ABD) Technology Systems Department Bowling Green State University Dr. John W. Sinn Professor Technology Systems Department Bowling Green State University Quality Management Systems Case Studies: The Caribbean Experience. National Industrial Technology Convention Nashville, Tennessee November 21, 2003.

2. At this time, the world is witnessing an unprecedented thrust to trade liberalization and globalization of markets. INTRODUCTION Most developing countries now realize that in order to prosper in the present economic situation they need to implement more international standards for management systems such as ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 and participate in internationally conformity assessment arrangements.

3. Though developing countries may see the need in the development of strong standards and conformity assessment infrastructure, in reality, the ISO’s statistics suggest that this is not happening. INTRODUCTION

4. This presentation will: INTRODUCTION • Examine Caribbean Standard Initiatives. • Explore two Case Studies – one national & one regional. • Provide observations and conclusions. • Discuss a proposed Quality Management System Model.

5. Caribbean Standards Initiatives The countries of the Caribbean that make up the Caribbean Common Market (CARICOM) include Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.

6. Caribbean Standards Initiatives The Caribbean Common Market Standards Council (CCMSC) was set up in 1976 to advise the Council of Ministers (now Council for Trade and Economic Development – COTED) of the Caribbean Community on matters relating to Standards and Technical Regulations.

7. The Bureau of Standards: Caribbean Standards Initiatives • Are statutory bodies established by acts of governments. • Develop and enforce technical regulations for commodities and safety practices. • Ensures industrial efficiency and development. • Promulgate, promote and implement standards. • Promote quality systems in the production and importation of goods and services.

8. CASE STUDY: Antigua-Barbuda Initiative • Cable & Wireless (Antigua) Ltd sort and received ISO 9000 certification in 1998. • The Customer Service Center (CSC) received a three year ANSI/ISO/ASQC Q9000-1994 – Model for Quality Assurance in Production, Installation and Service.

9. CASE STUDY: Antigua-Barbuda Initiative • The company sort ISO certification in its effort of attracting International Business Corporations for its products including: • International Financial Services. • Internet Gaming. • Telephone 800 Toll Free Services. • Internet and Data Services.

10. CASE STUDY: Antigua-Barbuda Initiative • The process expanded the duration of two years and cost approximately US $200,000. • The company was however able to maintain certification for two years. • This was due to external and internal forces.

11. CASE STUDY: Regional Initiative – Quality Tourism for the Caribbean (QTC). • The Quality Tourism for the Caribbean (QTC) is a joint venture between: • The Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST). • The environmental regional subsidiary for the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA). • The Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC), a specialized agency of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/World Health Organization (WHO).

12. CASE STUDY: Regional Initiative – Quality Tourism for the Caribbean (QTC). The program seeks to strengthen the overall quality and competitiveness of the tourism industry in the Caribbean through the establishment and promotion of quality standards and systems designed to ensure healthy, safe and environmentally conscious products and services.

13. CASE STUDY: Regional Initiative – Quality Tourism for the Caribbean (QTC). • Results and follow-up: The QTC standards are very comprehensive and deal primarily with infrastructural quality management. The development of the standards constitutes a three-year program whose purpose is to strengthen the overall quality and competitiveness of the tourism industry in the Caribbean.

14. CASE STUDY: Regional Initiative – Quality Tourism for the Caribbean (QTC). • The implementation stage (outstanding) includes: • To make these quality standards the benchmark by all practicing tourism establishments in the region. • Identifying or developing a third party independent agency to assess, monitor and grant QTC certification.

15. ISO 9000, 14000 and other international quality standards are prohibitive to developing countries at this time in their industrial, economic, and social development. This is especially acute in the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Observations and Conclusions

16. The two case studies illustrate the experiences and challenges that developing countries encounter as they sort to conform and establish quality management standards that are required for continual existence and competition in the global market place. Observations and Conclusions

17. PROPOSED QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM MODEL

18. Cable & Wireless Antigua and Barbuda. InsideInfo, August1998 Volume 3 Issue 9. Cable & Wireless Antigua and Barbuda. InsideInfo, November 1998 Volume 3 Issue 9. International Organization for Standardization. Retrieve February 28, 2003 from http://www.iso.ch/iso/en/ISOOnline.openerpage. International Standard ISO 14000, Quality Network. . Retrieve February 28, 2003 from http://www.quality.co.uk/iso14000.htm#gendescript. Hutchinson, G. (1998). The needs of developing countries in the area of standardization. ISO Bulletin 12 (10). Quality Systems – Model for quality assurance in production, installation, and servicing American National Standard, ANSI/ISO/ASQC/ Q9002-1994, American Society for Quality Control Approved on July 19, 1994. QTC 101:2001 – QTC 106:2001. Quality Tourism for the Caribbean, 2001. The Antigua and Barbuda Bureau Standards Info, 1999. References:

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