Bridging the needs and provisions of quality education and training: an empirical study in Hong Kong industries Available to Purchase

Recently, significant shifts of competitive edge in industry have been sharpening the needs for quality education and training (QET). “Quality” is conformance to requirements and customer satisfaction. In this context, the authors initiated a two‐stage empirical study to investigate the managerial views about the requirements and provision status of QET in Hong Kong. A random sample of 130 organizations was selected. Through a focus group study, 30 QET elements were consolidated under four categories of customer value and market focus, quality engineering and management, process analysis and improvement, and human resource focus. A subsequent mass survey examined the hypothesized links between the QET needs and provisions, and investigated specific QET requirements of top management, middle management and front‐line personnel. This paper contributes to identifying the needs of, assessing the provision of, and garnering company‐wide support and commitment towards QET in relation to sustaining organizational performance and competitiveness.