MG 311 – TOTAL QUALITY

MANAGEMENT

Major group Assignment

Organization: Fiji Airways

Group members: Navitalai Edura Narisia s11110143

Abstract
The information technology along with employees are important business assists because they
contribute to valuable knowledge in organization operations. With regards in any of the
company’s reputation and public image locally and internationally, the employees play an
important role in offering quality service and representing the organization itself to its customers.
Fiji Airways is the chosen organization in this major assignment. Fiji airways prides itself as the
friendliest airlines and the home to Gold medalists of Rio Olympics 7s winners. The organization
does not includes itself on airline services but aims to promote and showcase Fiji, its unique
culture and its people to the world. The organization however has owned debts from a few
lenders. Yet, in 2013 there was a massive change in the overall production of the airline when it
re-branded itself from Air Pacific to Fiji Airways.
The commitment of the staff members has enabled Fiji airways to achieve profits. Through
technology, the organization has been able to function properly and also satisfying customer
needs and expectations. Limitations tend to also exist in every organizations. Thus, this
assignment tries to evaluate and study the things that limits Fiji Airways from offering quality
service.
Introduction
“Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two
doubles.” – Steve Jobs
Total quality management is the management system which is based on the principle that every
staff member must be somehow committed to try and maintain high standards of work in every
aspects of an organizations operations. [ CITATION Ben93 \l 1033 ] When quality becomes the core
of an organization, this tends to create an enticement within customers the urge to come back. It
is a major challenge for organization to maintain both quality service and customer service thus
meeting or exceeding customer satisfaction or expectation. Organization tend to relook at how
they progress within the phases of their businesses as well as the impacts of their employees and
their contributions and approaches to customer service and the information technology as
well[ CITATION Fel01 \l 1033 ].
Furthermore, employees in an organization play a very important role because their performance
will somehow determine the organization success or even failure. Speedy development of
information technology brings in more complexed changes and competition as well.
Thus, this report will be based on the importance of information technology and employee
contribution within Fiji Airways and how they are able to maintain quality service.
Fiji airways has been a company that has been progressing over the past few years since its
change from Air Pacific. Their quality of service and customer satisfaction has tremendously
improved since 2013. With a purpose to connect Fiji with the outside world, Fiji Airways has
tried to improve their quality of services by using and implementing different strategies.
Background Information on Fiji Airways
Fiji Airways has ten to grow into Fiji’s proud flag carrier. From flying De Havilland Dragon
Rapide in those days to the new Airbus 330-200 jets of today, the airline has truly come of age. It
boasts a strong position within the region, and is often ranked among the region’s top carriers.
On May 2012, it re-announced itself from AIR PACIFIC to FIJI AIRWAYS and thus reinforcing
its role as the proud national airline of the Fiji Islands. Fiji Airways greatest asset is its people.
From the maintenance and grounds crew, to the pilots and flight attendants, to the schedulers and
administrative staffs. Fiji Airways is rising to new challenges and competitions in an ever
changing world thus creating a strong legacy.
By 2014, Fiji Airways announced its 5 year strategic master plan which was to focus on network
and fleet expansion, growth of 35% in available seats, increasing passenger numbers and
operating profits above $100m (FJD). Stefan Pichler, who was the Managing Director and CEO
of Fiji Airways, says that this was the first time that a strategic plan for the airline was developed
bottom up from the management and with input from its customers, people and stakeholders.
Fiji airways operates in International and domestic services to 10 countries and 17cities around
the Pacific Ocean.
Literature Review
As the new millennium quickly approaches, the private and the public organizations locally and
internationally are struggling with far reaching changes. Organizations now have the advantage
of having new flexible technology in which they have the ability to pursue, on a global scale
while new range of competitive options. In addition, many organizations are finding that their
technology investments have quietly given birth to cross-functional operating processes that their
information and planning processes now stretch across their enterprise [ CITATION Jer96 \l 1033 ].
Thus, there is a free flow of information together with the introduction of total quality processes
and employee motivation and empowerment. Therefore, this has created new working
relationships, exposing many activities as redundant and superfluous. Quality improvement
which is continuous improvement and customer satisfaction and employee involvement are
generally accepted as the basic elements of total quality management [ CITATION Ste98 \l 1033 ]
the role of information technologies has been boarded in organizations for quality of service
delivery and the satisfaction of customers. [ CITATION Har05 \l 1033 ]
In order for an organization to be a ‘Quality Company’, there should be an integration of a
complete set of factors or components that must be included. These are:
 Customers
 Processors
 Suppliers
 Leadership
 Empowerment
 Measurement
 Training
 Information technology
 Strategies
Employees and frontline workers need education about the economy, about all activities on their
organization and about their own work activities. Few approaches were made such as the
“Bottoms up” approach whereby project groups were formed in which they chose an area to
work on. Some other efforts were “Top down”, with the management telling the workers what
was happening. Neither of this approaches has worked [ CITATION Gil95 \l 1033 ].
An organization should continuously improve its quality of services. The gurus: Edward
Demings, who is the father of the modern quality movement. His 14 points has a recognition on
processes and systems, special and common causes, with consequent focus on management
rather that the workers. Deming was usually criticized because the word customer did not appear
in any of his 14 points. However, Joseph Juran, focused on the continuous improvement but was
also criticized for not mentioning customers in his 10 points. However, the first element of his
three element management trilogy, the planning processes, identify the customers and the
processes necessary to satisfy these requirements.
Methodology
There were different ways and methods used in order to compile this group assignment.

 Primary Research
-It is carried out in order to answer specific questions or issues

Questionnaires
-Questionnaires were distributed.
Interview
- There was interview conducted

Observation 
-Observation market research was done in terms of watching potential customers and
their behaviors in action in relation to customer satisfaction and loyalty.

 Secondary Research
- Use of information that is somehow readily available

Internet sources
- The access to journal articles and specific websites in order to help in the compilation of
this project.
Discussion of Results
Profits
With the quality of service being provided by the staffs, Fiji airways has been able to make
profits. On 2014, a total number of 810 non-management staffs received $1, 400 each from a
profit share that Fiji Airways achieved. Figure 1.1 below shows the amount of profits that Fiji
Airways has achieved.
Figure 1.1

Profi ts ($m)
8%
3%

15%

58%
16%

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Before its change to Fiji Airways, Air Pacific were making a loss of -91.8m. When Stefan
Pichler became the CEO, he decided to re-brans Air Pacific as Fiji Airways. Within these
changes, by the year ending December 2014, Fiji airways has made a tremendous profit of
$65.2m
The role of the I.T technicians:
With the questionnaire that has been distributed, one of the I.T technicians were able to answer
the questions in which what were their roles in their organization on trying to promote quality of
service. They mentioned that it was their responsibility to:
 Formulate and implement world class standards and processes
 Ensuring that the developments of I.T within the organization were fit for purpose,
resilient and perform.
 Ensure that systems documentation for all sites is accurate, complete and workable.
 Monitor the ongoing technical performance of commercial systems
 Implement systems and network monitoring and ensure that alerting processes are
accurate and reasonable.
The Quality of services and the employees
Employees represent the organizations to the customers. Fiji airways is regarded to have
one of the best friendliest airlines in the world. Employing over 900+ staffs, the company
has been driven to provide quality service. According to my organization of interest, Fiji
Airways, they cover many services with a variety of categories to ensure that there is
faster, reliable and more efficient travel and flight satisfaction. Customers and passengers
are the most vulnerable people in the organization, and thus it is important to employ
workers with high quality standards, better customer understanding and also employees
with shared interest on how to serve a number of customers or passengers. Employees
who do not perform well are either terminated or assigned to further training and
development. Customer orientation is one of the important strategies in Fiji Airways in
which they learn to value the customers, passengers and stakeholders. Also firmly
believing that customer voice counts. With the research “employees are encouraged to
understand customers from the every aspects of life, races, and age” in order for
customers to gained confidence and trust Fiji Airways.
Employees therefore, are trained not only to serve quality inflight services but to ensure
that passengers give a good review of Fiji Airways.
Information Technology and Quality of service.
In order to achieve organization goals and objectives, every organizations in this 21st century
should use information technology. Technologies in Fiji Airways has reduced human errors. As a
service provider, Fiji Airways tries their best to keep in pace with the new and modern
technologies to deliver the best services. Fiji Airways has a circuit of interconnected that they are
to operate in terms of information, flight times, complaints, emails and others. For customers or
passengers, they have access to the Fiji Airways Global Reservations Center. Fiji Airways has
become very convenient that their web-site is accessible to anyone.
https://www.fijiairways.com/
Through their web page, customers are able to:
 Do flight bookings
 Flight Information
 Special Offers
 Inspirations of Fiji
 Information about the Tabua Class
 History of the airlines
 Duty free
 Route maps
 Different fare types and rules
 Fiji visitor information
Fiji Airways media services has been so easy that customers can call the offices in Nadi or Suva
with 24hrs a day.

Furthermore, in terms of technology, the company also has an information technology whereby
Human resource information are stored. This makes it easier for executives and managers to
access folders regarding the organization employees. Strategic information systems is where long
term strategic plans are saved. This includes the setting up of new offices, new markets.
Secondly, negotiations with crafts, maintenance, offices and unions. Limited function software
includes software that are used for training software, sales training software and micro-training
software.
Other technologies that are being used includes:
 Virtual meeting software
 Accounting software
 Customer management applications
New Services
Fiji Airways has initiated new services in order to improve customer service and service quality.
 The service of partner airlines
 Supporting Tourism Fiji
 Direct flights to San Francisco thus allowing more Americans to visit Fiji
 New Suva-Auckland service
 Baggage services (lost and found) in other countries
 Online Check in service
 Completion of a new and larger Fiji Airways lounge at the Nadi International Airport
 Prepaid checked luggage services
 Premium service teams for VIP’s, CIP’s and tabua class members
  I-pads for business class passengers

Limitations
Along with its success, Fiji airways may have some limitations:
 There is still cases of mis-directed luggage’s and bags
 Increase in flight delays
 Delay in reservations systems
 Staffs need more trainings in terms of using technologies
 Fiji airways still needs more technologies to meet overseas standards
 Since Nadi International airport has just finished its major renovations, staffs need more
training and enlightenment to new software’s that might have been installed for their own
benefits.
 There is complaints on inflight food services, passengers complain that is it is less and it
is not worth of what they are paying for.
 Some emails of staffs, or office numbers are not operating
 Some of the vacancies seen on the newspapers is not being posted or available on their
web page
Recommendations
 The organization should try and recruit more young and motivated employees.
 Retain and develop employees that are motivated, happy and productive
 The organization should implement and develop more approaches in order to boost
employment service quality
 Fiji Airways should update their information and news online
 They should also have international offices overseas.
Conclusion
After doing this project, I have come to learn that quality service is important for any
organization. Fiji Airways is known to be the friendliest airlines in the world. Referring back
to the report on information technologies in Fiji Airways, it can be proven that without such
technologies, the organization would not be able to properly and strategically function thus
not able to meet their desired organizational goals and objectives. When there is a problem
within the organization, Fiji Airways responds to it very quickly.
Furthermore, in the long run the employees and the information technology should be
integral in order to develop a successful and innovative working environment.
Appendix
1) What are some of the main goals of the organizations?

2) What helps you to be productive and offer quality service?

3) When there is a problem, does the organization respond to it quickly?

4) The technologies that you use in the workplace, are they very helpful?

5) What are some of the new services that you are offering?

6) What are some strategies used by the organization in order to achieve quality service?

7) What were some of the major changes in the organization that might have improved
quality of service?

8) Is the organization ISO-certified?

9) How do the employees adjust to new technologies that are being introduced?

10) Are there any relevant information that could help us in our assignment regarding
employee and information technology achieving quality service?
Vinaka!!! Thank you for your time. 

Bibliography
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Gilmour , P., & Hunt, R. A. (1995). Integrating Quality into design, operations and strategy. Melbourne:
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Harry , B., Hooff, v. B., & Wijngaert, v. L. (2005). Information and Communication Technology in
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Kumar. (2016, September 16). Fiji Airways.

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