Examination of excellence in Azerbaijan Tourism and Business University in the context of EFQM excellence model criteria

Value and importance given to quality management in organizations is increasing day by day. Nowadays quality is a major requirement of the organization's management system and plays an important role in institutional performance improvements. When the results of scientific researches are examined,in organizations that implement quality applications, it can be seen that there is an increase in employee and customer satisfaction and loyalty, increase of product quality, improvement of cooperation and satisfaction with stakeholders, increase in market share and profitability, increase in internal and external performance indicators and financial improvements. It should be pointed out here that all organizations need a practical tool to be able to examine their management approach. At this point, the EFQM Excellence Model is becoming a viable practical tool to answer this need. EFQM Model allows managers / leaders to understand the cause-and-effect relationships of what their organization does and what results they achieve. With the EFQM Model it is possible to assess the level of corporate excellence that any organization has in a healthy way. The aim of the thesis is to evaluate the existing sense of quality according to the criteria of Excellence Model in Azerbaijan Tourism and Management University (ATMU). Thus, according to criteria of EFQM Excellence Model, it is determined where ATMU is what criteria are needed to be developed, strengths and clear areas for improvement are determined. Thus, according to the EFQM Excellence Model criteria of Azerbaijan Tourism and Management University, it is determined where it is, what criteria are needed to be developed, strengths and open areas for improvement. With this thesis inputs and outputs have been determined, realistic strategies have been put forward to improve the development in the results of examination of activity of Azerbaijan Tourism and ManagementUniversity and the quality of the education system. It is believed that the results obtained can be applied to the Azerbaijan Tourism and Management University and its stakeholders to guide the change and manage the improvement projects. xi In this study, mixed research method was used. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used in the research together to provide more effective suggestions and reliable information about the research problem. Findings obtained from both quantitative and qualitative data were combined and interpreted by means of mixed method, the aspects of the ATMU which should be developed according to the items have been put forward and the suggestions have been presented. According to the findings, it has been determined that in terms of EFQM model criteria Azerbaijan Tourism and Managment University has a value not below the average. In this context, it has been found that the university has an understanding of leadership based on improvements in all aspects throughout the institution that supportes and promotes excellence. Azerbaijan Tourism and Managment University is close to the EFQM Excellence Model in its entirety, but in the course of service development it has been determined that aspects such as considering social, legal, and environmental data, establishing plan policies and strategies for human resources, evaluating the performances of customers (student, collective) and employees and obtaining performance indicators and values should be developed.