Monday, December 13th, 2004
Asian Productivity Organization Launches Four-day TQM Seminar
Delivering one of the APO's flagship programs via the GDLN
APO Secretary-General Shigeo Takenaka delivering opening remarks
The Asian Productivity Organization (APO) today launched a four-day distance-learning-based seminar on Total Quality Management (TQM) via the Global Distance Learning Network. The seminar involves participants in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Japan who represent a broad cross section of private and public sector officers.
Today's opening ceremony began with APO Secretary-General, Shigeo Takenaka welcoming participants. Mr. Takenaka emphasized that TQM has evolved into a strong set of recognized practices and that Asian countries should design and pursue sound comprehensive quality strategies to achieve full customer satisfaction and thus long-term advantage in the regional and international marketplaces.
The World Bank's Yukio Yoshimura, Vice President and Special Representative for Japan, then welcomed participants to the GDLN, noting that the conference was not only a milestone for the APO, but for the TDLC as well. Mr. Yoshimura spoke of how organizations such as the APO will develop and validate the information communications technology platform and distance learning methodologies of the GDLN to establish more efficient and effective delivery mechanisms not just for capacity building projects but for a wide range of development initiatives.
The seminar, jointly facilitated by the APO and the TDLC, highlights work from one of the APO's flagship programs, and features a number of productivity and management experts from Japan lecturing and presenting case studies on TQM, applied methodologies, and statistical analyses. The seminar is also significant for the TDLC in that it represents one of the first and certainly the largest structured training course that the center has facilitated to date.
The seminar runs over four days, three of which will be conducted via the GDLN. On the second day of the seminar, participants will make field trips to observe approaches to TQM at companies in their respective countries. The two subsequent days will be spent analyzing and discussing the findings of these visits and on additional lectures and exercises.
Dr. Kosaku Yoshida delivers the keynote lecture, "TQM and Its Concepts"
The keynote lecture - "TQM and Its Concepts" - was provided by Dr. Kosaku Yoshida. A Professor of Management in the Graduate School of International Management at Aoyama Gakuin University and Professor Emeritus of California State University, where he taught for 25 years until 1999, Dr. Yoshida was the first Japanese to study under Dr. W. Edwards Deming in the United States and earned his Ph.D. under Deming at New York University in 1975. He has facilitated Deming's workshops in many countries and has acted as consultant to companies, organizations, and governments.
In the afternoon session, Mr. Keizo Ninomiya, a consultant with Furukawa Techno Research, presented a detailed case study on Japanese companies' TQM activities, leading participants through analytical exercises with particular emphasis on problem solving at the various stages of the TQM cycle. Mr. Ninomiya also discussed aspects of his study with remote participants in Q&A sessions.
The TDLC is very pleased to see such large and highly focused structured learning events being conducted via the GDLN, and congratulates the APO on a superb start to what promises to be a very comprehensive and successful seminar.
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