PurposeOnce the decision is taken to implement total quality management (TQM) in any organization, achieving TQM is a journey. It takes significant effort over an extended period of time. Seeks to propose a TQM performance index.Design/methodology/approachAn industry TQM performance index evaluates and ranks the various industries practicing TQM for a given period of time. Uses graph theory and a matrix approach.FindingsThe index is obtained from industry performance function, which is useful for identification and comparison of the different industries for their TQM performance. If the TQM evaluation is done correctly, the evaluation will present the profile of the organization to different audience, i.e. the customers, governments, other industries, funding agencies and public.Originality/valueThe model suggested for evaluation presents a logical approach to rank the industries and other organization practicing TQM or other quality program.

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Project Based Learning (PBL) is an instructional technique constructed upon learning activities and real problems that have brought challenges for students to solve. The PBL is an innovative approach learning that teaches students not just content, but also important skills for success in the 21st century. The attempt has been made to integrate the skills through to teaching and 21st-century PBL implemented to the course Kinematics of Machines. The PBL allows students to work on their own ideas/concepts and make decisions that affect project outcomes and the learning process. The main objective of PBL is to develop high quality and the authentic mechanism that fulfills the desired need. The research focused on developing 21st-century skills of Mechanical Engineering students in the second year of Engineering through PBL activity. The data was collected through observations, evolution rubrics, and student feedback. The results showed that students developed their creativity, communication and presentation, time management, self-assessment, group participation, leadership, critical thinking skills. PBL approach focuses on have and real-world problem-solving decision-making problems and challenges using, investigation and skills. The intention of this study is to investigate the effect of PBL on student's skills and learning outcomes.

Watershed as an entry point acts as a beginning to address the issues of sustainable rainwater management for improving livelihoods. Extraction of watershed parameters using Geographical Information System (GIS) and use of simulation models is the current trend for hydrologic evaluation of watersheds. In the present study, the open Source Tool Quantum GIS 2.

The present study reports the economic production of thermostable chitinase production from Oerskovia xanthineolytica NCIM 2839 by solid-state fermentation (SSF) technique and its application in fungal protoplasts formation. The Oerskovia xanthineolytica NCIM 2839 was found to produce thermostable chitinase 148 U g(-1) of solid substrate in SSF using wheat bran with colloidal chitin as base. Protoplasts of A. niger were formed by using crude chitinase produced in SSF and formed protoplasts were confirmed by using scanning electron microscopy. This is the simple and economical method for protoplast formation which makes it possible applications in strain improvement of various fungi by protoplasts fusion in Biotechnological industries.