Dubai Quality Group unveils 2008-2009 strategy at annual general meeting

Dubai Quality Group has revealed a new strategy for 2008-2009 after the Group achieved a remarkable 75 per cent increase in membership of Investor Partners in 2007.

"The year 2007 had been a critical period in DQG's phased implementation of its strategy and business plan for the period 2007-2011. I am pleased to announce that our programs in 2007, which were primarily focused on building up DQG's reputation as the UAE's premier knowledge hub, generated overwhelming success, giving us the momentum to vigorously pursue our goals and aggressively implement our strategies in the next phase of our long-term action plan," said Marwan Al Sawaleh, DQG Chairman.

Incorporated in the event was a discussion on 'Performance Excellence through the art of Innovation' delivered by international speaker Dimis Michsrlides. There was also a video presentation about the achievements of the DQG Board for the year 2007, which was followed by a gala dinner.

In 2007, DQG successfully institutionalised a number of Subgroups, which target specific areas of business development such as Ideas Arabia Subgroup, Benchmarking Subgroup, Performance Management Subgroup, Banking & Finance Subgroup and Customer Care Subgroup.

DQG also organised the 2nd Ideas Arabia International Conference, which featured 15 international speakers and over 290 delegates; the highly popular Share Best Practice Conference, which had over 450 international delegates; the 2nd International Benchmarking Conference, which was held for the first time outside Europe; the Benchmarking Trip to the United Kingdom, which sent 10 delegates to two EFQM Award winning organizations to share business knowledge; the groundbreaking Emirates Energy Award; and the Emirates Business Women Awards, which was the biggest in four years.

"The major international events were on top of the numerous activities DQG organised for member organisations such as workshops and evening seminars. Another milestone in 2007 was the establishment of the DQG Consultancy Service, which offers training and consultancy on quality department development and training, and assessment for internal awards. DQG also introduced the Individual Coaching Service, which aids individuals in setting goals, decision-making and implementing new skills," said Al Sawaleh.

Among the key areas that DQG specifically worked on during the past year were finance perspective goals and objectives; customer perspective goals and objectives; internal processes perspective goals and objectives; and learning and growth perspective goals and objectives.

"The year 2008 ushers in another chapter in DQG's roadmap to success as we focus on a new strategy that aims to establish the Group as a regional leader in promoting quality and improvement in all aspects of business," said Al Sawaleh.

For its medium-term strategy from 2008-2009, DQG has developed a number of strategic choices that have been designed to strengthen its prominent status as a quality-oriented organisation in the region. Among the strategic choices that have been outlined are outsourcing of processes, augmenting revenue streams by co-branding, strengthening partnerships, IT-enabled services/processes, business need-based training, innovative practices, encouraging entrepreneurship, and developing and retaining internal staff.

DQG has been established to provide competitive advantages to members by offering value-added and cost-effective services; offer comprehensive quality service that exceed expectations of members; strive for continuous improvement in all aspects of business processes; and provide an environment that encourages learning and personal development.