Implementing TQM in Event Management: A Case Study of Julia Charles

This report provides an analysis of Total Quality Management (TQM) within the context of event management, using Julia Charles Event Management as a case study. The report begins with an introduction to TQM and its importance in achieving long-term business success through customer satisfaction. It explores the application of TQM principles within Julia Charles, an international event management company, and examines various strategies employed to ensure quality in corporate events. These strategies include Kaizen, SCOR, PDCA, Quality Circles, Six Sigma, employee engagement, effective communication, regular meetings and documentation, and benchmarking. Furthermore, the report delves into how Julia Charles applies TQM to manage its human resources through training and development and performance management. The report concludes by highlighting the significance of these TQM approaches in maintaining high-quality event services and achieving customer satisfaction. The report also emphasizes the importance of interpreting both qualitative and quantitative data for effective event management and continuous improvement.

TOTAL
QUALITY
MANAGEME
NT

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION TO THE ORGANIZATION.............................................................................1
DEVELOPMENT OF TQM............................................................................................................2
Strategies used to manage quality of corporate event.................................................................2
TQM approach for the management of human resources...........................................................5
The Interpretation of Quantitative and Qualitative data to manage the events...........................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Quality products and services have developed huge demand in the market which helps
the companies in developing well managed and effective measures of working. Total quality
management is an effective approach developed by the companies which focuses on developing
long term success of the business unit through consumer satisfaction (Zu, 2009). The present
report focuses on analyzing the impact of quality management on working of a business unit. It
will develop a deep insight of various measures and strategies used by the company in order to
infuse the system of total quality management. To attain the purpose of and analyze the impact
on quality on organizational working, a large scale event company Julia Charles will be taken
into consideration. The study will evaluate the methods that the company has adopted at various
functional levels to attain high quality of results. It will analyze the impact of interpreting the
qualitative and quantitative data sources to manage the event and attain high consumer
satisfaction.
INTRODUCTION TO THE ORGANIZATION
Julia Charles is an internationally renowned event management organization based in
UK. It deals in organizing all kinds of public or private events such as corporate meetings,
weddings, conferences, birthday, intimate parties, international events etc. The company is
offering its services at national as well as international level (Julia Charles Event Management,
2015). It has gained many awards for its outstanding contribution to the Event Industry as well
the UK economy. The mission is to offer top quality event services to their customers and to
design services as per their budget and requirements. Julia Charles has its own in-house
production team which is capable of organizing any kind of affairs and business (Quality
management. 2015).
The purpose of this report is to examine how the organization makes use of TQM
approach in order to manage a particular event that is a corporate affair. The study will show
how it uses TQM approach in order to maintain quality within a corporate affair. Further it will
show its use in the management of human resources.
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DEVELOPMENT OF TQM
TQM is a kind of management approach to long term success through customer
satisfaction. The effectiveness of the approach is dependent on all the employees of the company
who are participating in making improvements in the processes, products, services and the
culture under which they work (Griffin, 2013). The approach was originated in 1950s and
gradually it became more popular since the early 1980s. By applying it, management and
employees can become involved in continuous improvement of the production of goods and
services. It is related with making a combination of quality and management tools in order to
enhance the profits and reduce losses (Hendry, 2010). It also brings integration in all the
organizational functions such as marketing, design, finance, engineering, production, customer
service etc. The aim is to focus on achieving the customer needs and business objectives. Overall
it can be said that Total Quality Management is about maintain a quality environment within the
company so that high amount of effectiveness can be achieved from all the activities.
Strategies used to manage quality of corporate event
Different types of strategies can be used to manage the quality of the corporate event
organized by the Julia Charles Company. These are as follows:
 Kaizen – This term stands for “improvement”. It is about making continuous
improvements in all the functions and involves all level of employees’ right from the
CEO to assembly line staff (Huczynski, 2012). By applying Kaizen within the event,
many big results could arise from many small changes accumulated over time. The
changes are made for the betterment and high effectiveness. If this technique is applied,
continuous improvement becomes the responsibility of every employee not just a few of
them (Oakland, 2012). It can also be segmented into four parts which includes assess,
plan, implement and evaluate.
 SCOR – It stands for Supply Chain Operations Reference. It is a model for supply chain
management. It will help the company to identify, improve and communicate supply
chain management practices within the corporate event (Sallis, 2014). It paddles across
from the supplier’s supplier to the customer’s customer. Company using this model will
have to deal with 3 major pillars which included process modeling & re-engineering,
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performance measurements and best practices (Continuous improvement. 2015). It will
assist in managing the issues related to the event through standardized language,
standardized metrics and standardized practices which controls business change and also
improves the performance.
 PDCA - The term stands for Plan Do Check Act. It is an iterative four step management
approach which is used for control and continuous improvement of processes and
products (Armstrong and Taylor, 2014). Under the phase PLAN, essential objectives and
processes are established to offer results in respect with the expected outputs. Under DO,
the plan is implemented, process is executed and the outcome is reached. The data is
collected for charting and analysis. Under CHECK, actual results are studied and
compared against the expected results in order to identify differences (Benavides-
Velasco, Quintana-García and Marchante-Lara, 2014). Charting data helps in identifying
the trends over several PDCA cycles and also converts the collected data into
information. ACT is related with adopting a action in response to the errors and mistakes.
It involves making adjustments and taking corrective actions.
 Quality Circle – It is the most widely adopted intervention of employee involvement
(Heidari, and Loucopoulos, 2014). In order to manage the corporate event, Julia Charles
can develop group of people who are similar in nature, perform similar work and meet on
regular intervals to identify, analyze and solve work related problems. It is done because
people having a similar type of work are well familiar with the issues faced by them
(McNeil, Frey and Embrechts, 2015). It will bring motivation among the staff and they
will try to contribute in the best manner possible towards the event.
 Six Sigma - Julia Charles can also apply six sigma approaches which is a set of
techniques and tools again used for process improvements. In the present context, it is
extensively used in many industrial sectors (Sallis, 2014). It improves the quality of the
output recognizing and removing the causes of defects. It uses a set of quality
management instruments such as statistical tools, empirical tools etc. The project is then
carried out in a defined sequence of steps and in specific value targets (Hansson, 2003).
 Employee engagement – It is another qualitative technique for maintaining the quality.
Employees are the assets for the business and they are most capable of understanding the
importance of quality for the company (Talib, Rahman and Qureshi, 2012). In order to
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organize this corporate event, company can make of employee engagement strategy.
Under this approach, different types of techniques of engagement can be used. Workers
can be invited to give their valuable suggestions regarding the success of the event (Mok,
Sparks and Kadampully, 2013). They can be given some important roles and duties so
that they can realize how important they are for the company. This will motivate them to
give their maximum contribution towards the success of the event. Different kinds of
motivational techniques can be used for their engagement (Garengo and Biazzo, 2013).
All these things will help in maintaining quality at all the business levels.
 Good Communication – Another strategy which can be adopted by the organization for
the purpose of quality is to maintain sound communication all around. Good
communication brings good outcomes (Escrig-Tena and et. al., 2012). It aids in making
some good and effective decisions. Quality can also be promoted at all the levels through
keep a complete check and control on the basis of effective communication. For that
purpose, Julia Charles can maintain a common communication platform for the passing
of all the messages and conversation during the event in appropriate manner (Charles,
2009). It brings flexibility and smoothness in all the event activities
 Regular meetings and documentation – Another approach which can be adopted to
maintain the quality is to perform regular meetings. Before the happening of the event,
meetings related to each and every aspect is to be taken by the management (Continuous
improvement. 2015). Through meetings many important critical points can be discussed
and evaluated. It assists in identifying different types of errors and mistakes. Further
documentation is necessary to keep all the records and details. If records are kept in
appropriate manner, it is easier to reach to the stage where the fault has arisen.
Documentation is very important in rectifying the errors (Benavides-Velasco, Quintana-
García and Marchante-Lara, 2014). It adds suppleness to all the business operations
 Benchmarking – Company can also manage quality by adopting the practice of
standardization. This activity is related with keeping all the things in a consistent form.
The event can be done by setting standards for all the activities (Heidari and
Loucopoulos, 2014). For example, Julia Charles can make a warm welcome for its
corporate clients in order to make the event more pleasant for them. Further high quality
performance objectives can be placed for the employees so that they strive hard to make
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all the efforts. All the activities are to be performed in accordance with the standards
which are placed (McNeil, Frey and Embrechts, 2015).
TQM approach for the management of human resources
Julia Charles Event Management is a very creative and innovative brand. Company has a
great team of event planners which carries an extensive experience in managing corporate
events. It has always been a creative force behind some of its most prestigious events (Talib,
Rahman and Qureshi, 2012). It has a passion to offer high quality of service which is tailored to
suit the needs of the existing and potential clients. Company has all the expertise which can have
the potential to create a memorable event. Their strength lies within the depth of experience of its
outstanding event management team. The team is responsible for taking care of everything which
includes finding the venue, site planning, creative solutions, and seamless event delivery (Mok,
Sparks and Kadampully, 2013). For the management of the human resources, company also
adopts some effective TQM approaches. It is a way of thinking about the goals, companies,
processes and people to make sure that all right things are done in right manner for the first time.
 Training and development – Before going for this corporate event, it is important for
Julia Charles to render the right training and learning to its employees (Garengo and
Biazzo, 2013). Training helps in identifying the weak areas of the individuals and then
making them better in those areas so that better outcomes may arise. It prepares the
people for the event mentally as well as physically. Currently the company offers both on
the job as well as off the job training for its people. For the purpose of development, the
trainers provide top class and effective presentations to its staff (Escrig-Tena and et. al.,
2012). Talking about the quality, training and development are the utmost requirement.
There is a indirect relationship between both these variables. Training affects employee’s
performance and this further affects the quality within the business. Quality is needed at
all the levels and that can be attained through preparing the workers by the mode of
effective learning practices (Heidari and Loucopoulos, 2014).
 Performance management – Quality can also be management if performance of the
human resources are measured and evaluated. There is a need to measure the
performance because it helps in finding out the potential level of the workers (Armstrong
and Taylor, 2014). It identifies where they are standing and where they should proceed.
During the course of the event, performance of every employee can be measured and
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evaluated. They should be given feedback for their efforts whether it is negative or
positive. In case of negative feedback, attempt should be made to improve the
performance (Heidari and Loucopoulos, 2014). Appraisal is also an effective technique in
this context. Different types of rewards, perks and incentives can be given to motivate
them and inspire them to make good contribution towards the achievement of goals and
objectives. Rewards must be given whether it should in cash or kind.
 Participation in decision making - If employees are treated well, they will always show
great participation in all kinds of event. For instance, for this corporate event, company
can invite suggestions from its employees for doing things (McNeil, Frey and Embrechts,
2015). It promotes innovation and creativity within the organization opening the gates for
quality. However the participation depends upon the willingness of the management but
this could be way to manage quality. It also assists in making of sound business decisions
and also many new innovative ideas come in the front of the organization (Mok, Sparks,
and Kadampully, 2013).
 Leadership – Another great TQM approach to manage quality is to make use of effective
leadership. Leaders are the face of a company and business achieves success under their
supervision. In order manage the subordinates there is a need of leader who has the
potential to influence its followers and motivate them towards the goal of the event
(Escrig-Tena and et. al., 2012). It establishes unit of purpose, direction and the internal
environment of the company. It is about creating an environment under which people can
become completely involved in the process of achieving the business objectives. For this
corporate event, Julia Charles must appoint a leader who can arrange all the things and
who accepts the responsibility to make the event a success (Talib, Rahman and Qureshi,
2012). Good leadership influences the followers and takes out great work from them. It
not only motivates them but also manages quality at all the levels. It also facilitates good
management of resources.
The Interpretation of Quantitative and Qualitative data to manage the events
The qualitative data can be interpreted by using the following techniques:
 Thematic analysis – The qualitative data collected from the event can be analyzed by
using the thematic technique. It focuses on pinpointing, examining and recording the
patterns within information (Heidari and Loucopoulos, 2014). The themes are established
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across the data sets and they become the categories for analysis. It is performed through
the process of coding in six phases for the purpose of creating some meaningful patterns
from the event.
 Content analysis – Another method which can be used for management is content
analysis. It is a method which summarizes every kind of content through recording
various aspects of the content (Escrig-Tena and et. al., 2012). It facilitates a more
objective kind of evaluation. The content can be found in medium such as print media,
broadcast media, live situations etc. After reading the content, opinion and evaluation are
made regarding it.
 Categorizing – It is a technique under which ideas and objectives are identified,
differentiated and understood. It helps in grouping of the data on basis of categories and
each category has its own purpose (Mok, Sparks and Kadampully, 2013). It is
fundamental in aspects like language, inference, decision making, prediction, etc.
 Case study approach – Another technique for the purpose of evaluating the qualitative
data is case study approach. Under this approach, a link is established between the subject
and case which is to be studied. Case study help carries a descriptive design and it helps
in qualitative data analysis (Escrig-Tena and et. al., 2012).
Different types of methods can also be used to perform quantitative analysis
 Statistical analysis – It is another effective instrument to do quantitative analysis. Under
this approach, different types of statistical tools are used to present the results in numbers
(Armstrong and Taylor, 2014). These tools are used to produce some meaningful results.
It involves collection and evaluation of every data sample is a set of items from which
the samples can be drawn. The objective of this analysis is to identify the trends. In this
way, structured and unstructured patterns can be created. This approach is fundamental
to all the aspects (Huczynski, 2012). Statistical analysis can prove to be very effective in
maintaining quality at all the levels.
 Graphs & figures – Different types of graphs such as histogram, pie charts, scatter
graph, etc can be used to present all the things in quantitative manner. It makes all the
things presentable (Talib, Rahman, and Qureshi, 2012). These things also reflect
patterns and trends in the numbers which derives some meaningful information. It also
identifies the areas which needs improvements and which has the scope for growth.
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 Rating – It is also a great technique which makes out the differentiation. Employee’s
performance can be measured on the basis of ratings. Ratings can be given on different
types of parameters on the basis of numbers. Further performance of different event
activities can be measured by using rating approach (Mok, Sparks and Kadampully,
2013). It identifies which area is lacking and which area has scope for improvements.
CONCLUSION
Quality management is one of the most important aspects that companies, regardless of
the market or industry that they may be a part of, need to pay a lot of attention to. If it is not
managed in a proper and effective manner, then it can bring catastrophic results to the firm.
Strength of the organization lies in within the depth of experience of its outstanding event
management team. During the present study it was observed that, Julia Charles Event
Management Company used a variety of approaches and techniques so as to manage quality of
the corporate event that it organized. Herein aspects such as Six Sigma, Benchmarking,
Employee Engagement, etc. were given preferences. Through these techniques the firm was able
to effectively organized the event and thus making it highly successful. Further on the basis it
can be said that the company would need to use various other techniques and approaches of
quality management as well. For the same it can hire a consultancy firm that would provide
guidance on ways to organizing such events with much more precision and thereby reducing
different kinds of risks.
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system: An implementation process in SME. Total Quality Management & Business
Excellence. 24(3-4). pp. 310-335.
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Mok, C. Sparks, B. and Kadampully, J., 2013. Service Quality Management in Hospitality
Tourism and Leisure.Routledge.
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