The ICBM – 2016, organized for the 13^th consecutive year on the theme ‘Quality Management and Productivity’, focuses on broad issues and praxis of contemporary productivity and quality management. The purpose of this annual event is to extend the frontiers of current knowledge on a selected theme through the dissemination and discussion of research findings which will ultimately contribute to the betterment of society. The ICBM conferences have attracted academics, researchers, practitioners and policy makers from a wide range of disciplines and over a decade the ICBM has become the flagship research conference of the FMSC in its untiring effort to contribute towards the social development and prosperity of the region.

Turbulent global business environment coupled with unprecedented competition increasingly demands every organization to journey in search of never-ending excellence. The rapid advancements in information technology, ever-increasing scarcity of resources, and changing customer demands make the cost of a tiny mistake irredeemable and unaffordable not only in the private sector, but in the public and not-for-profit sectors as well. Mastery of every minute facet of organizational management through continuous productivity and quality improvement is a prerequisite to ensure organizational excellence, or if not, survival. In this backdrop, ICBM 2016 strives to revisit the importance of productivity and quality on the theme “Managing Productivity and Quality: The Path to Excellence“.