Dubai: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, presented the Dubai Quality Award (DQA) to 19 organisations representing diverse economic sectors.

Five organisations were also honoured with the Dubai Human Development Award and the Dubai Human Development Appreciation Programme for their commitment to empowering UAE nationals at the workplace.

At a ceremony held at Grand Hyatt Dubai, the winners in the 2008 cycle of the Dubai Quality Award were honoured in two categories - the Dubai Quality Award and the Dubai Quality Appreciation Programme (DQAP).

A special appreciation certificate for 'Achieving Excellence in the Leadership Criteria' was also presented.

Sharjah Islamic Bank (finance), Abu Dhabi Gas Liquefaction Company Ltd (ADGAS) (manufacturing), Dubai Properties LLC (real estate) and Dubai Healthcare City (healthcare) were the winners of the Dubai Quality Award.

FedEx Express International Inc. (Dubai Branch) received the special certificate for 'Achieving Excellence in the Leadership Criteria'.

The winners of the Dubai Quality Appreciation Programme were: Associated Constructions and Investments Co LLC (ASCON), Amana Steel Buildings Contracting Co. LLC (Construction), DAMAS LLC, Joy Alukkas Jewellery LLC (Trade), Jumeirah BAB Al Shams Desert Resort and Spa, India Club, Al Jawhara Gardens Hotel - member of S.S.Lootah Group (Tourism), OTIS L.L.C, Emirates Marketing and Promotion, 3i Infotech Limited (Services), Zulekha Hospital (Healthcare), National Fire Fighting Manufacturing FZCO (NAFFCO) (Manufacturing), The Kanoo Group-Power and Industrial Projects Division (Professional) and Al Rostamani International Exchange (Finance).

The winners in the 2008 cycle of the Dubai Human Development Award were honoured in two categories: The Dubai Human Development Award and the Dubai Human Development Appreciation Programme (DHDAP).

The Dubai Human Development Award category was presented to Dubai Ports World - DP World and Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) (Service Sector), while Mawarid Finance, UAE Exchange (Finance sector) and Dubai Properties Group (Real Estate Sector) were awarded Dubai Human Development Appreciation Programme, for their contribution to national human development within their organisations.

"Dubai is committed to strengthening the culture of quality and excellence in performance, and developing the means and policies to achieving this. This calls for enabling companies in the Emirate to align their performance and services in line with international quality standards," said Sami Daen Al Qamzi, Director General, DED, in his opening speech at the ceremony.

"Commitment to applying international quality standards is a must to preserve the accomplishments of Dubai across all sectors. These achievements are our pride and glory. Through the Dubai Quality Award, the concept of quality becomes an incentive for continuous development," added Al Qamzi.

Each submission for the DQA is reviewed by assessors according to procedures laid down by the Business Excellence Centre at DED that are modelled on the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) excellence. After the entries are reviewed, a panel of jury members interviews the teams that assess the applicant companies to select potential winners.

The Dubai Human Development Award covers eight economic sectors: trading, construction, professional, services, tourism, finance, manufacturing and government. Applications are evaluated by a team of assessors who conduct site visits and prepare detailed assessment reports highlighting existing best practices and areas for improvement in each company. The examiners evaluate applications on the basis of four criteria - commitment (20 per cent), process (45 per cent), results (29 per cent) and contribution to society (6 per cent).

Al Qamzi praised the assessors and jury members who contributed valuable time to review and assess the applications professionally and in detail. He also praised the efforts of the Business Excellence Centre at DED, the organizers of the Award ceremony.