The Application of Total Quality System in Universities. The Law Schools as Quality Services Providers

• Author: Associate Professor Andy Pusca, PhD - Professor Constantin Falticeanu, PhD
• Position: "Danubius" University of Galati
• Pages: 13-21

Page 13

1. Introduction

The academic performance is a complex concept that depends on many factors. In today's society it is characterized by the change dynamics, in which information is perceived by most people as something normal, daily, the university multiplies its capacities, being the main place where innovative ideas are born and where the development of humanity is "processed", but it is also the "provider of careers" for both the community and the individual.

Nowadays, in the world there are thousands of universities and law schools and the young people eager for knowledge prefer the most famous universities around the world, which created over time, a reputation through the quality of practiced educational act.

In the recent years, Romania also aims, increasingly, at the idea of implementing quality in all areas of activity. It is absolutely necessary to submit thePage 14implementation of quality, because, at this stage, no organization, of any type, can survive and develop unless it is competitive. This becomes a reality because the customer generally becomes every day more and more demanding, his requirements being on a dynamic spiral going upward, this is due to the information possibilities offered by the actual society, which was unimaginable only 10 years ago. In this context, the offers have multiplied in geometric progression and the offertory are in a continuous and tough competition, the one who does not withstand, disappears. This race continues forcing rivals to withstand, in other words, to become competitive. Competitiveness is obtained by implementing the most appropriate management policies and technical solutions, among which it stands out conspicuously, the quality.

The quality is not a new notion, it appeared with the human work awareness and acquiring in time, different approaches. Currently, under the new approach as total quality, the customer is the main actor in the context of informational society and competitive market, so the quality takes new meanings. An organization in which processes are conducted after the concept of total quality, the organizational culture is a quality culture that becomes an efficient organization in its activity domain, and the relationship with the client will be competitive. (Falticeanu, 2000) The quality of education focuses on three sides of university management: scientific research, didactical and administrative activities. The scientific research represents the main component of the university management because it is based and it develops the other two components. This is why many studies are undertaken in the management of university scientific research. (Institutional prestige and reputation among research universities, 2006)

2. Quality, Performance and Competitiveness

In today's society, under the market economy, the university is an educational service provider. Appropriating this role, it competes with other offertory in the market of educational services and it will withstand, only if it becomes efficient, regarding the activities and competitiveness on the educational services market. Acquiring these attributes may be achieved through the implementation of those technical solutions and management policies that have been mentioned above, among which the quality is highlighted; ultimately the "final mark" is given by the customer, that is the society which is the ultimate beneficiary of services. In connection to this subject there are pros and cons, each author having their ownPage 15arguments. Thus, the author Gutu A. (Gutu), making a review of these pros and cons on the assimilation of the university with a company, quotes: "... it is very important to correctly interpret the concept of competitiveness for the university. To be competitive for a university is not to compete on the land acquisition of a hypothetical market segment, but it means to assert and implement the experiences and distinctive characters of each professor". The same author, quoting the Magna Carta Universitarum, says: "... there can be no teaching without research, and the quality of research on its own cannot fully define the quality of the offered education. Thus, only research and teaching represent a single corpus, on the base of which each professor builds its academic doctrine.

The above-quoted remarks show that faculty management is more complex than the general management of an...