The Hong Kong Management Association is proud to announce that the 2002 HKMA Quality Award has attracted a satisfactory number of entries this year. Around 100 companies have shown keen interest in entering the Award. Among them, 20 companies have already taken their first step towards this prestigious award of quality and excellence by submitting entry forms for initial assessment.

After preliminary screening, several high quality companies are shortlisted to submit a final detailed write-up and will give presentations plus a Question and Answer Session before the Board of Examiners on Friday, 8 February 2002. The Examiners will conduct on-site verification of claims made in submissions of shortlisted entries and recommend potential winner to the Panel of Judges who will then make the ultimate decision. Results will be announced at the Award Presentation Ceremony to be held on Tuesday, 11 June 2002

Dr T Y Lee, Chairman of The Board of Examiners stated that "The Award provides an invaluable opportunity for companies to obtain professional advice from some of the most experienced and respected quality experts in Hong Kong. Moreover, participating companies can benchmark against the experience of other high quality companies so as to explore ways for improvements." said Dr Lee. "This year, all the participants are of very high standard. Their efforts and sincerity in entering the competition further reflects the increasing importance of quality management in all kinds of industry." Dr Lee continued.

As in previous years, the participating companies come from a wide range of industries such as hotel, property management, business services, insurance, manufacturing, financial services, and so forth. It is encouraging that there is an increase in the number of small and medium sized enterprises entered into the Award this year which is indeed a valid proof of the importance of quality management irrespective of company sizes and nature. All entries will be evaluated according
to the seven major Award Criteria: Leadership, Strategic Planning, Customer and Market Focus, Information and Analysis, Human Resource Focus, Process Management and Business Results.

The Association introduced the annual Quality Award in 1991 to give recognition to those companies in Hong Kong which have made a lasting commitment to quality and also to provide an opportunity for companies to share with one another their experience in Total Quality Management. The Award is based on the American Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award judging criteria, and is the Hong Kong equivalent to the Japanese Deming Prize and the European Quality Award.

Past winners of the Award include Fuji Xerox (Hong Kong) Ltd (1991), Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group (1992), Integrated Solutions Ltd (1994), Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (1995), Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong (1997), McDonald`s Restaurants (Hong Kong) Ltd (1998), MTR Corporation (1998), Glorious Sun Enterprises Ltd (1999), The Hong Kong and China Gas Co Ltd (1999), PARKnSHOP (2000), COSCO (HK) Shipping Co Ltd (2001), Hsin Chong Real Estate Management Ltd (2001) and The Kowloon Motor Bus Co (1933) Ltd (2001).

The Award`s Panel of Judges include Dr The Hon David K P Li GBS JP, Chairman and Chief Executive, The Bank of East Asia Ltd (Chairman); Mr Giovanni Angelini, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts; Mr Alfred Chan, Managing Director, The Hong Kong and China Gas Co Ltd; Mr David Cronin, Vice President and General Manager, Hong Kong, American Express International Inc; Mr Or Man Ah, First Deputy General Manager, Bank of China (Hong Kong) Ltd; Mr Ramagopal Rao, Deputy Managing Director, Fuji Xerox (Hong Kong) Ltd; and Dr Lawrence Wong, Chief Executive, The Hong Kong Jockey Club.

The Board of Examiners comprises Dr T Y Lee, Director, Technology Support Centre, The University of Hong Kong (Chairman); Mr Cheung Chi Wah, Director - Quality and Efficiency, Pacific Century CyberWorks - HKT; Mr Cliff Cheung, Senior Quality Assurance Manager, Hang Seng Bank Ltd; Mr Edmond Chow, Quality and Customer Satisfaction Director, Fuji Xerox (Hong Kong) Ltd; Mr Victor Hui, Quality Manager, Philips Electronics (HK) Ltd; Mr Ray Lau, Assistant Administration Director, Glorious Sun Enterprises Ltd; and Mr Leung Ping Him, Manager - Quality Management & Technical Training, The Hong Kong and China Gas Co Ltd.

Members of Organizing Committee include Mr Alfred Chan, Managing Director, The Hong Kong and China Gas Co Ltd (Chairman); Mr T C Chu, Director and Managing Partner, McKinsey & Co Inc; Ms Susanna Hui, Director, Public Affairs & Communications East Asia, American Express International Inc; Mr Liu Guo Yuan, Executive Vice Chairman and President, COSCO (Hong Kong) Group Ltd; Mr Perry Mak, Publisher and Group Managing Director, Hong Kong Economic Times (Holding) Ltd; Mr David Turnbull, Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive, Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd; and Mr Alan Wong, Vice President - Marketing & Sales, Asia Television Ltd.

The Award is sponsored by American Express International Inc; Bank of China (Hong Kong) Ltd; Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd; Chevalier International Holdings Ltd; COSCO (HK) Shipping Co Ltd; Glorious Sun Enterprises Ltd; The Hong Kong and China Gas Co Ltd; The Hong Kong Jockey Club; Hong Kong LP Gas (Holdings) Ltd; HSBC International Trustee Ltd; Hsin Chong Real Estate Management Ltd; Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation; The Kowloon Motor Bus Co (1933) Ltd; McDonald`s Restaurants (Hong Kong) Ltd; Ricoh Hong Kong Ltd; and Fuji Xerox (Hong Kong) Ltd. Asia Television Ltd and Hong Kong Economic Times are the Media Sponsors of the Award and the Web Site Sponsor is Computer Associates International Ltd.

For more information, please visit the website of the HKMA Quality Award at: www.hkma.org.hk/qa. For enquiries on the Award, please contact Ms Victoria Lo on 2774 8528 or Ms Helen Li on 2774 8547.

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Issued by The Hong Kong Management Association on 5 February 2002. For press enquiries, please contact Ms Titania Woo on 2826 0535/7383 5116 or Ms Sunnie Ma on 2826 0532.