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This research aims to investigate the negative aspects of digital transformation (DT) impacting various segments of society in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, one of the seven Emirates comprising the United Arab Emirates. Specifically, it focuses on perceptions of participants to well-being: social connections and activities, physical health, mental health, the impact on the younger generation, and security/cybercrime.

Using data from the 3rd Abu Dhabi Quality of Life Survey, which is an annual large-scale survey, this study employs analysis of variance and regression analysis to explore the associations between the perceived negative impact of DT and various well-being indicators.

The study reveals that the perceived negative impact of digital transformation on the younger generation is of the highest concern, followed by concerns about mental health and social relationships. Results also show significant variations among different demographic categories. Among the perceived negative impacts, mental health, social trust, and happiness emerge as the most affected well-being indicators.

The originality and value of this study lie in its large social survey sample of over 80,000 participants. The findings suggest that the negative effects of DT are not uniformly experienced across different segments of the population. The study highlights the need for further research on the adverse effects of DT and recommends that policymakers develop targeted strategies to address the specific needs of different community segments, particularly vulnerable groups. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of adaptive policies for younger age groups to prepare them for a digital future.

This study investigates the effect of total quality management (TQM) on customer satisfaction, personnel satisfaction and company reputation.

The study results rely on a structured survey conducted among an extensive sample of Finnish SMEs. In addition to the examination of the relationship between TQM and company performance in terms of customer satisfaction, personnel satisfaction and company reputation, the study takes a view on the possible effects of the industry, the company size and the certified quality system.

The results reveal that two TQM dimensions, namely Customer Focus and Product Management, were related to companies' customer satisfaction, whereas four TQM dimensions, namely Management/leadership, Customer Focus, Personnel Management and Risk Management, were related to personnel satisfaction. None of the TQM dimensions were related to company reputation. The control variables – the industry, the company size and the certified quality system – were not found to affect customer satisfaction, personnel satisfaction or company reputation.

Most previous studies have been based on traditional TQM classification and have not shown the effects of the latest TQM-related dimensions. Compared to previous studies, this work integrates risk management, digitization, system deployment efficiency and stakeholder management into TQM, which has not been implemented in any previous study. The roles of hard and soft TQM factors have been carefully considered in this study; thus, the study does not place too much emphasis on either direction but provides a balanced picture of the performance of the management systems studied. Although there are studies on the effects of TQM on personnel satisfaction, customer satisfaction and reputation, they are based on a much narrower definition of TQM than that in this study. The business environment is constantly changing, but only a few studies have been conducted to extend the TQM approach. This has led to duplication of studies, and the effects of performance-relevant procedures have not been extensively studied in the past as part of TQM. Therefore, the concept of this study brings significant added value to TQM research and returns the TQM concept to the overall level while considering the requirements of the ISO 9001: 2015 and EFQM 2019 quality standards. The study also considers the effects of ISO 9001 certification and EFQM requirements.