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Employee participation is now considered a key element in the successful implementation of new management strategies in manufacturing industry. Relevant literature on the various forms of employee participation is reviewed with emphasis on its role in Total Quality Control (TQC). The complexity of the relationship between employee participation and satisfaction and some of the change processes associated with the introduction of TQC are also discussed. This information provides the background for a subsequent article, also published in this special issue of IJQRM, which presents a longitudinal study of the effects on employee participation and job satisfaction when TQC was implemented in a large Australian manufacturing organisation.

The outcome of the implementation of a Total Quality Control (TQC) programme in a large manufacturing enterprise in Australia is described. Emphasis is given to the effects of TQC on employees′ perceived participation in the programme and concomitant employees′ job satisfaction. An extensive discussion of the relationships between these variables and TQC is contained in the preceding article. The results obtained from this study show that job satisfaction is related to employee participation, but to varying degrees at different job levels. Surprisingly, it was also found that there was a low increase in perceived employee participation following the implementation of TQC. The need for further research in the area is clearly shown. Future research should be based on more comprehensive research designs that incorporate longitudinal studies and investigate the differential effects of TQC at various job levels within an organisation. This approach will facilitate a better understanding of the complex dynamics within organisations when such programmes are implemented.

Discusses the Indonesian government’s strategy to upgrade higher education in the country through various development programs, the Engineering Education Development Project (EEDP) being one of them. Underlying all these, Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement in all aspects of higher education are paramount. This article also identifies a number of fundamental changes to the education system that need to happen in order to successfully implement these various programs

Carries out a literature review of the practices in applying quality concepts to education around the world. While reasons for the implementation of these concepts to education vary from one part of the world to another, quality in education is here to stay. Looks at the various rationales for both introducing and adopting these concepts in educational institutions. Like quality itself, much of the rationale derived appears to differ from institution to institution. Claims exposure to these will assist in choosing the most appropriate approach to implementing quality concepts in New Zealand educational institutions.