Kristina Zgodavova

ABOUT THE PRESENTATION
Situation awareness for renaissance of the same production quality
The mission of the paper is to present the results of cognitive assessment of the situation in Slovak Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) using the EFQM excellence model and also findings regarding the factors into which individual organizations should intervene to achieve success. Basis of the research is previous results of Slovak SMEs from the years 1998 to 2002 and outcomes obtained through the self-assessment within the National Quality Award (NQA) from the years 2000 to 2012. The questionnaire method was used at the survey, supplemented by the statements of the respondents, and also the method of simulation the European Quality Award (EQA). The goal of the study was to find the main factors affecting the success of Slovak SMEs and to analyse why they are lagging behind of awarded European organizations. Interesting findings, that the intervention into the factors 'strategy' and 'processes and products' could lead to the renaissance of quality in Slovak SMEs even in times of economic stagnation or financial crisis. Stagnation can be reversed in particular with extensive promotion of the model and training of SMEs people.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Prof. Kristina Zgodavova, PhD. is one of the leading Slovak experts in the field of quality engineering and management. She served as vice-rector for strategy and development at the Alexander Dubček University in Trenčín in the years 2007 – 2010. She is the author of two monographs, several university textbooks, and teaching aids. Led several domestic and foreign projects and participated in the development of curricula and textbooks for courses in various fields of the industry and services. She attended a number of invited lectures in a speech to foreign universities, conferences, symposia and seminars. In the present, she serves as the guarantor of Integrated Management Systems and Quality Engineering study programs at the Technical University of Kosice, member of the working group of the Slovak Accreditation Commission established by government of Slovak Republic for monitoring and independent evaluation of the quality of education, research, development, artistic and other creative activity of the universities. In the present, she deals mainly with improving the education quality and healthcare quality.