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The case study takes place in the chemicals and pharmaceuticals industry in the Kingdom of Thailand. It poses the challenge to decide whether and how a quality assessment can be implemented. At the time of the case Mr Heinz Landau, Managing Director of Merck Thailand, has gained substantial experience on the topic through his participation in several quality assessments that were performed at this subsidiary. Unfortunately, the findings derived from the last assessments were unsatisfactory. Therefore, it is necessary to reconsider the procedure of quality assessments. The case study provides a detailed introduction to the quality management topic by highlighting three excellence models, namely the EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management) Model, the Malcolm Baldrige Model and the Thai Quality Award Model. All possess different characteristics and explain differences between the ''self-assessment'' and ''quality competition'' approach. While solving the case a plan for proper implementation and critical success factors need to be developed. Finally, based on the findings, an appropriate way to improve the organisation and to prioritise improvement projects should be identified. The case study is suited for operation classes covering the topic of quality management. Students working on the case should be enrolled in the senior year of a bachelor programme, MBA programme or other advanced courses of studies with a quality management focus. Due to the comprehensiveness of the case it could also be used in strategy classes, which focus on tools for the identification of key competencies. A teaching note supplement ''608-005-9'' is available to accompany the teaching note.