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As international boundaries fade and financial pressures increase, universities are redefining the norm in educational models. The move from a synchronous classroom to a blended classroom or a completely asynchronous environment has forced faculty to be creative in delivery while overcoming complexities in the associated infrastructure. Furthermore, geographic boundaries have diminished, leaving universities seeking ways to reach out to growing student markets, such as South‐east Asia. However, this rapid international growth and nearly constant revision of delivery has raised serious questions regarding the maintenance of the quality and reputation of the institution. This is particularly challenging for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs requiring laboratory facilities, commercial software, and detailed, highly interactive theoretical analysis. The purpose of this paper is to describe the evolution, in the aforementioned environment, of a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)‐centric university.

This paper will examine an example of using a local provider in an international setting to deliver content originating from three universities collaborating to deliver a single STEM degree.

The question of quality of education is found to overshadow this entire process, particularly given the strict constraints placed by accrediting organizations.

The example under consideration has addressed these issues in a variety of means, that is examined through the course of this paper as a case analysis.

The success of implementing Deming's management method depends on the ability of managers to operationally define and measure Deming's 14 Points. Tamimi et al. developed a set of operational measures for these 14 Points. They tested the validity and reliability of their instrument using a sample of firms that were involved in implementing TQM practices from one to five years out from implementation. This paper aims to examine this issue.

In this study, which retested their measurement items, data were collected from over 100 manufacturing and service companies of all sizes across the USA and Canada. The data were analyzed using similar statistical analysis procedures and comparisons were made with the results of Tamimi et al.'s study.

The results replicated the study by Tamimi et al. and supported their operational definitions with two exceptions. The scales for “Eliminating slogans and targets”, and “Taking action to accomplish the transformation”, were not found to be reliable in either the original or the current study. These two scales need to be modified and new questions are suggested in the paper.

The response rate for this study was high. However, self‐selection to participate and self‐reported responses could lead to some bias in responses.

The resulting operational definitions should prove useful to organizations interested in adopting Deming's management method.

This paper aims to present an analysis of the effectiveness of lean techniques and their applications in the supply chain using a survey administered across multiple industries. The objective of this research is to assess the performance of lean based on the specific techniques and implementation methods used, analyze strategies for implementing lean into the supply chain, and to analyze the reasons for both their success or failure.

Through a survey administered across multiple industries to individuals familiar with lean concepts and techniques, lean performance is assessed both within the organization and their supply chain based on the specific techniques and strategies for implementation.

Organizations indicated that training their suppliers in lean methodologies provided significant time and financial benefits.

Some implications for deploying lean in the supply chain in a variety of industries are discussed. A more extensive survey with a larger respondent pool will provide greater insight and a more statistically significant quantitative analysis.

Prior research has focused mainly on the effect of continuous improvement practices on performance. In contrast, this research collected data through a survey administered across multiple industries and analyzed the effectiveness of specific lean techniques and their application in the supply chain.