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Suggests the quality in higher education (HE) debate is currently narrowly focussed, essentially around adapting industrial quality systems. Traditionally, the notion of academic freedom was seen as the requirement of excellence in education. In more recent times (pre 1990) measures of quality control were imposed on HE, but their adoption was superficial compared to industry. The post 1990 period saw the need for a considerable increase in the quality systems activity in HE, in view of the dynamism in the sector. The adoption of quality management (QM) was preferred, because of its extensive practice in industry. Presently, its practice in HE is deteriorating into managerialism in institutions, because of lack of development of a shared vision and lack of a match between QM techniques and educational processes. Proposes a new approach to quality systems in HE. QM can still be the broad management methodology but should be adapted to educational processes and be made to preserve the traditional values of academic freedom and collegial modes of operation.

Purpose -This paper aims to develop an overarching basis to consider issues of quality in higher education. Design/methodology/approach -An attempt is made to synthesise different approaches to management in higher education. Findings -The article concludes that it is possible to synthesise a model, based on existing literature, to uniquely address higher education.Research limitations/implications -The model developed is a conceptual one as emphasised by the title. Originality/value -Provides a thought framework for addressing the quality issues in higher education.

Local government in the UK is not immune from the pressures driving successful organizations towards top quality services that delight their customers. Outlines some of the special features of local government service provision and the way in which these might affect the assessment of service quality. Highlights some of the limitations of conventional customer satisfaction surveys which lead the authors to consider the SERVQUAL approach. This method, which has been the subject of considerable academic scrutiny and extensive private sector service application, merits serious consideration by local government managers as a robust, adaptable, diagnostic instrument to measure service quality.

Reviews literature from manufacturing strategy, flexibility, agile manufacturing, and aspects of industrial marketing and highlights fragmented and inadequate treatment of fundamental issues relating to product customisation. Through synthesis of the literature and the analysis of four case studies ± in the manufacture of fork-lift trucks, electro-mechanical devices, small telecommunications systems and stationery products respectively ± presents a novel model of the customisation process. Identifies typologies of customisation problem-solving situations and custom-build option types. Demonstrates the importance of the relationship between the degree of design activity and volume of manufacture, and of the distinction between products that are custom-built from options, and those that involve some custom-designed elements. Proposes a range of potential roles for customised products to support management decision making in the selection of appropriate business activities. IntroductionProduct customisation has recently attracted interest due to the emergence of`m ass customisation'' (Kotler, 1989;Pine, 1993;Kotha, 1995). In industrial markets, however, customisation is nothing new, and has always been significant. The treatment of this issue in the manufacturing strategy literature is sparse, however, and frameworks for linking customisation to broader manufacturing, marketing and organisational issues are lacking.The objective of this paper is to redress this to some extent, and it presents a model that accommodates product customisation, manufacturing strategy and aspects of industrial marketing. The paper begins by reviewing the treatment of customisation in the manufacturing strategy and industrial marketing literatures. It then reports case-study research carried out by the authors. The final two sections use a novel model to discuss important aspects of customisation identified from the research.