Doctorate Research Proposal: Evaluating Business Excellence Framework

This Doctorate research proposal critically evaluates the effectiveness of the fourth-generation Business Excellence Model (BEM) within organizations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The study aims to understand the benefits, merits, and demerits of the 4th generation BEM compared to the 3rd generation, and enhance awareness among UAE businesses. The research employs an exploratory design with an inductive approach, utilizing qualitative methods and secondary data analysis. It reviews relevant literature on Total Quality Management (TQM) and BEM frameworks, comparing the 3rd and 4th generation models. The proposal outlines the research design, methodology, and expected outcomes, emphasizing the significance of understanding the 4th generation BEM for improving business performance and competitiveness in the UAE context. The research will identify the scope of further development, evolution, and upgrading of the BEM 4th Generation.

Running head: DOCTORATE RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Doctorate Research Proposal
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1DOCTORATE RESEARCH PROPOSAL
1. Project title
Critical Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Fourth generation framework on Business Excellence
of organizations in the United Arab Emirates
2. Overview and significance of the proposed study
Business excellence is referred to a systematic usage of quality management principles
and tools aim of which is to improve performance based on the principles of consumer
orientation, process management as well as stakeholder valuation and management. The crucial
aspect of business excellence is focused on the functional areas within an organization that
includes continuous breakthrough improvements as well as preventive, fact-based management
(Calvo-Mora et al. 2015). Business excellence incorporates exceptional applications associated
with both managing an institution as well as achieving result based on concepts like leadership,
strategic goals, value-creating processes and others. In order to ensure effective business
excellence, the third generation business framework is used as the basis of National business
excellence and Quality award across Europe. The fourth generation framework for quality
management is exclusively designed for UAE for the quality management for business
excellence. During the last decade, the total Quality Management and Business Excellence
Model (BEMs) has been attracting business organizations across the world as an improvement
strategy. The steady push from the government of UAE to encourage this trend in both public as
well as private sector organizations through the development of national quality awards is
another reason behind the implementation of BEM (Calvo-Mora et al. 2015). However, during
the implementation of the 3rd generation BEM several issues had been encountered. As a result of
this the interest for implication the 4th generation framework has got reduced to a great extent.

2DOCTORATE RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Moreover, since it has only been a year since the fourth generation framework has been
implemented, both private as well as public organization of the United Arab Emirates are not
able to obtain anything tangible to assess the effectiveness of the fourth generation framework.
Hence the significance of this proposal is to enhance the knowledge and awareness of
both the public and private organizations of UAE about the efficiency of 4th Generation
framework of business excellence. This research will be conducted to make the business
organizations of UAE the benefits of the 4th generation framework of business over the 3rd
generation framework so that more and more organization can develop the interest of
implementing the same. Along with that, through this study, the researcher will evaluate both
the merits as well as demerits of the mentioned framework when it is implemented on business
organizations. Finally, the research paper will provide in-depth assessment which can b utilized
to identify the scope of further development, evolution an upgrading of the BEM 4th Generation.
3. Aim and Objectives
The chief goal of the research is to evaluate the effectiveness of fourth generation BEM in
the United Arab Emirates. The chief objectives of the research are as follows:
1. To understand the benefits of the 4th generation BEM over the 3rd Generation BEM.
2. To understand the merits and demerits of the fourth generation BEM
3. To enhance the awareness of the business organizations of UAE about the benefits of the
Fourth Generation BEM
4. Finally, to provide an in-depth assessment which can be utilized by the future researchers
4. Relevant literature

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4.1. Strategic overview of Total Quality Management
The worldwide momentum of marketing as well as consumer service competition has
increased to a commendable level in the first few decades. In order to gain competitive
advantages over their competitors as well a to survive in the global market, majority of the
organizations located at UAE are being found to be adopting improvements in la the aspects of
their activities. As per Suárezet al. (2017) Total Quality Management (TQM) has been
recognized and regarded as a superior strategy that maintain improvement in the performance of
the organization. Gómez et al. ( 2017) suggested that organization should implement
management systems like TQM in order to achieve superiority in all aspects of business
operation within the organization. He also stated that TQM should be regarded as a strategy
whose principles as well as concepts are for any institution n any sector. However as per the
opinion of Martins, Suárez et al. (2017), organizations should consider both cultural as well as
contextual features of their environment before implementing Total Quality management in
order to enhance their revenue. In a nutshell, the researcher stated that TQM implementation
should be flexible enough to be applied in any situation.
4.2. Philosophy and definition of quality
According to Calvo-Mora, Domínguez and Criado ( 2018 )the quality management can be
defined as a system of practices with the intention of enhancing the quality o performance within
the organization. The definition of quality varies with respect to different time and business
scenarios. When it comes to describing the quality of management . Escrig and de Menezes
(2016 )defines the same as the efficiency of the management when it comes to organizational
issues like conflict within the organization and non-work friendly environment. Heaton (2016)

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argued that quality management also includes effective management of both inbound and
outbound logistic and other managerial activities. He described quality in terms of conformance
to needs, a concept which is commonly accepted in the manufacturing environment. The term is
referred to the requirements to produce goods in order to serve the requirements of the market
and hence assigning no role to the design aspect of the product. Gómez-López et al. (2017) on
the other hand, has portrayed quality as a subject which n be achieved through the reduction of
investment cost and enhancement in early revenue as well as the productivity and competitive
advantage of an organization in the global market. According to Bolboli and Reiche (2015)
quality management is a philosophy where things are expected to be accomplished precisely,
implemented effectively and finally measured to ensure the prevalence of an excellent level of
performance. Myers and Montgomery (2013) however, argued that quality management is all
about developing, enhancing and maintaining the satisfaction of the consumers. The researchers
stated that the reputation as well as the revenue of the business is highly dependent on the
satisfaction level of the consumers. hence in order to enhance the quality of the business, the
business institution of UAE should concentrate on enhancing the satisfaction of their target
consumer.
4.3. BEM as TQM Framework
Three prevails a widely share belief that BEM should consist of a set of quality principles as well
as practices. From its origins as a theoretical approach to quality enhancement, TQM has become
a practical and reliable framework used by EFQM, MBNQA and other award models. Within the
pat decade, a good number of both private as well as public organizations have implemented
BEM in order to enhance the managerial quality of the organization. According to the findings of
the research conducted by Raharjo and Eriksson (2017 ) total Quality management fits well

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within the concept of BEM when it comes to comprehensiveness and reliability. Sallis (2014)
defined the 4th generation BEM as a special form of TQM model. The reason stated by the
researcher behind this is that the fourth generation Busies Excellence management model
provide essential measures of organizational activities and identify the contributions of such
activities to overall organizational performance.
4.4. Comparison between the 3rd Generation BEM and the 4th Generation BEM
Regardless of time and features o the mentioned model, there prevails common denominator
amongst the two mentioned framework, that is the 3rd Generation Framework as well as the 4rth
Generation framework aims to enhance the quality awareness as well as the competitive position
of the organizations in the global market. Thus both the models offers contiguous improvement
initiative to retain their position as benchmark quality systems as well as the principles in the
formulations of global quality models. While there are several advantages of the 3rd generation
framework of business excellence, several disadvantages have been pointed out. According to
Eriksson et al. (2016) there is a scheme of award recognization in the 3rd generation framework
of business excellence which posses the risk of being too costly for Small and Medium
enterprises (Escrig and de Menezes 2016). Along with that, there prevails no appropriate
accreditation as well as marking for this model. As a result of this the mentioned model is not
identifiable oe prominent to the stakeholders, service users, funders as well as consumers. Along
with this, the mentioned framewook posses no concept of offering awards to the organization by
this model which posses the potential to illustrate the winners o the networks and through
internet (Aboelmaged and Hashem 2018). Considering the fact that the basic purpose of
development of the mentioned model is commercial sectors, the some of the principles of this
EFQM model are not easily comprehendible by voluntary and social enterprises organizations.

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Additionally, very few example have been provided when it comes to usage of the model by the
third sector organization. In order to eradicate all these issues mentioned above, the 4rth
generation framework of business excellence has been developed. According to Lasrado (2017)
considering the fact that the chief aim of the 4th generation business excellence system Is to
upgrade the system of business work on innovation ad standard basis , the mentioned system will
bring about better revenue and reputation for the organizations (Al Kabi, Hussain and Khan
2017). The fourth generation framework for quality management is exclusively designed for
UAE for the quality management for business excellence. During the last decade, the total
Quality Management and Business Excellence Model (BEMs) has been attracting business
organizations across the world as an improvement strategy.
5. Research Design
Considering the fact that through this research, the researcher will explore the effectiveness of
the 4th generation BEM, the research design that will be followed by the researcher for this
research design includes the exploratory research design. The Exploratory research design is
chiefly conducted when the research lacks enough past data and evidence for reference. This
type of research design serves as a tool for initial research that provides a hypothetical idea of the
research problem (Mackey and Gass 2015). Exploratory research is flexible and provides the
initial groundwork for future research.
The research approach that will be followed for the study is inductive research approach.
Research approach can be divided into three types namely deductive research approach,
inductive research approach and abductive research approach (Taylor, Bogdan and DeVault
2015). Considering the fact that the mentioned research does not posses any hypothesis or

7DOCTORATE RESEARCH PROPOSAL
formulation and initiates with research questions and aims and objectives that need to be
achieved during the research process, the inductive research approach will be followed.
6. Methodology
The type of the research will be qualitative. Qualitative research is primarily exploratory
research. This research methodology will be followed in order to gain an understanding of
underlying opinions, reasons a well as motivation.
When it comes to research philosophy, the positivism philosophy will be followed by the
researchers. The research philosophy of a research can be defined as the belief about the way in
which data on a particular phenomenon should be gathered. According to the theory of
positivism, the reality is stable and can be observed and described from the viewpoint of an
object (Lewis 2015). The mentioned research philosophy will allow the researcher to predict the
effectiveness of the 4th generation BEM on the basis of the previously observed realities.
In order to conduct the research, secondary data will be collected. Considering the fact that the
4rth Generation Framework has only been implemented by 1 year, it is tough to obtain primary
data based on the research topic. As the source of secondary data, 20 scholarly literatures

8DOCTORATE RESEARCH PROPOSAL
relevant to the research issue will be selected. The data analysis method that will be followed by
the researcher includes Qualitative data analysis. The qualitative data analysis method can be
defined as the range of processes and procedures that has been collected from some source of
explanation. With the help of the qualitative data analysis method the researcher will be able to
gain an in-depth understanding of the research issue and possible solution for the research.
7.Ethical issues
Ethical consideration in a research is highly crucial since it enhances the authenticity as well as
trustworthiness of the research. While conducting the research the following ethical
consideration will be followed by the researcher:
1. All the journals that will be selected as the source of secondary data collection should be
peer reviewed scholarly articles so that the authenticity and the feasibility of the research
can be maintained (Flick 2015).
2. The information that will be provided through the study will be dynamic and non-linear.
Not only that , the research paper will have multiple perspective in order to ensure the
trust worthiness and efficiently of the research.
3. Finally, the research will abide by the copyright rules and regulations and will confirm
that the information that has been collected for the research is not being used fr any other
purpose.
8. Assumed Outcomes
The assumed outcome of the research paper is that the 4rth generation BEM is much
efficient than that of the 3rd generation BEM. The features of the 4th generation BEM pose the
potential to enhance the efficiency of the business organization in Arab. Considering the fact that

9DOCTORATE RESEARCH PROPOSAL
the chief aim of the 4th generation business excellence system Is to upgrade the system of
business work on innovation ad standard basis , the mentioned system will bring about better
revenue and reputation for the organizations. Since, currently, the major issue of majority of
Private and public organization in Arab is the lack of appropriate organizational structure and
leadership, the mentioned business management framework will be able to focus on the problem
areas and eradicate the same. Thus the organizations will be able to evidence an enhancement in
the revenue after implementation of 4th Generation BEM.
9. Implications
Since the concept of the research topic that is the 4th Generation business framework is new and
lacks adequate research and awareness, only relevant literatures will be reviewed. Considering
the fact that the research will be conducted based on only the secondary data collection that is
relevant literature, one of the limitation of the research paper will be lack of adequate data
sources. Hence in future, the researcher will be concentrate on collecting more evidences,
primary as well as secondary in order to enhance the feasibility of the research. The research
itself will provide new information about the neglected area. The knowledge obtained from the
mentioned research will be helpful for conducting further research on this topic.
10. Expected Timescale
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Selection o the
research topic
Setting up objectives

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Developing research
design
Secondary data
collection
Reviewing literature
Selecting Method
Analyzing Data
Discussion of
findings
Developing
Conclusion
First Draft
Final Submission

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