Quality is imperative to Hong Kong businesses competing with mainland-based enterprises and multinationals with expansion in their sights. In recognition of this, the Hong Kong Management Association organises the annual Quality Award to acknowledge the efforts made in areas such as leadership, process management or services to customers and the markets. 'We judge a company with an overall approach, including looking into its culture and systems,' said examining board member Cliff Cheung Kam-pui, who is a senior network support manager with Hang Seng Bank. The award has grown in popularity since it was launched in 1991, with more multinationals entering this year. 'We see an improving international perspective among the candidates,' said board of examiner chairman, Matthew Yuen Ming-fai. 'Deciding who should win was a difficult task for us,' said Professor Yuen, who is also the director of the Technology Transfer Centre at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. 'The applicants were very competitive, many were of good quality. We were impressed.' The board's deliberation process was divided into several stages. Eligible applicants were shortlisted in the preliminary screening and then required to give a 30-minute presentation and be interviewed by the examiners. To better understand how their quality management was implemented, examiners visited the companies which passed the interview stage. 'During the site visits, the judges had better ideas how the companies operated,' said examiner Leung Ping-him, technical training manager of Hong Kong and China Gas. 'We could see how the company actually worked. We could talk to the staff and see whether they understood the company's direction.' Examiner Jenny Wan Mei-fong, a manager business improvement at Cathay Pacific Airways, said the judges also reviewed financial results. 'We obtained results from the company so that we could have some objective measurement of how the companies were performing compared to counterparts in the industry,' she said. Finalists were then invited to attend the last round of the adjudication - a Q&A session with the judges before the final decision. This year's gold award went to Langham Place Hotel, which defied the sceptics to create a popular high-end hotel in the heart of Mong Kok. 'No one could have thought they would be so successful,' Professor Yuen said. 'The whole company was united in turning this seemingly impossible concept into a reality.' Examiner Katherine Lau Kam-lan, quality and customer satisfaction manager at Fuji Xerox, said Langham did a great job in involving the art world in its project. 'They have in-house artists to display their art works and paintings in the hotel.' Mr Cheung, who examined the Langham's corporate culture, said: 'The hotel puts a strong emphasis on staff experiences and is an example of how a family enterprise turned into an enterprise family. This is a very important step forward for a local company facing international challenges.' The Silver Award went to Citic Ka Wah Bank, which Professor Yuen described as having broken the mould. 'As a China corporation, it hires many Hong Kong management professionals and does not follow the traditional mainland bank practice. Their management rises to international standards. It's a role model for mainland banks.' Ms Lau said she was able to judge from personal experience. 'As a customer, I am very satisfied with their sincere service.' China State Construction International Holdings was honoured with bronze for successfully gaining market share as far away as Dubai and India. 'It's a company with a vision,' Professor Yuen said. Ms Lam said: 'They managed their construction sites so well that on the day of our visit I could walk around on my high heels without difficulty.' The Hong Kong Society for the Aged was also given the Bronze Award. 'We were impressed at how well they built up their management system as a non-government organisation under an extremely tight budget,' Professor Yuen said. 'In fact, most management people are volunteers who run the elderly centres professionally.' Examiner Shea Tin-chung, quality assurance manager at telecoms and IT infrastructure firm Casdae, said the charity emphasised client satisfaction. The Small and Medium Enterprises special award went to Richform Holdings, a distributor of drinking water dispensers. Mr Shea said: 'We are impressed by how they deliberately kept the company small. They refused to go into the bigger markets because they wanted the company to grow healthily. The company is small but beautiful.'
