The Definition of Quality
The report highlights the concept of quality and the manner in which it can be used to define the success of an organisation. The report analysis the role of quality control and quality assurance of an organisation and the manner in which approaches can be made to improve it. The effectiveness of customer satisfaction is also discussed along with the continuous improvement of managing the customers. Furthermore an assessment has been made that provides evidence about the type of information that is to be made available to the customers.
Over the years, various customers and managers all over the world have defined quality differently. Some of the definitions of quality that can be utilised are highlighted.
According to Dale (2015), quality is defined as a process or product that is fit for its purpose. This particular definition of quality is useful as it highlights the applicability of any process, service or product. For example, the purpose of an aircraft is to be fast along with providing efficiency and safe passage to the people boarding the passage. This definition provides a cornerstone for the formation of most quality management initiatives taken at the workplace.
ISO 9000 defines quality as the degree to which a set of characteristics are brought together to fulfil the requirements of the people and the organisation. In this particular definition, the standards set up by the ISO are mostly aimed at fulfilling the need and requirement of the customers. This is mainly because the customers are the main stakeholders of an organisation and it is necessary that the satisfaction of this group of stakeholders be maintained by providing good quality.
Sallis (2014) stated that quality perceived from the point of the customers can be defined as the process or product that conformance to requirements. At certain times, requirements are utilised for meeting the expectations of the sales system. The customers try to analyse the manner in which the requirements of the products have managed to be meet the requirement that had been expected by the customers. Meeting the requirements is defined as good quality from the perception of the customers.
Ross (2017) is of the opinion that quality is a combination of both qualitative as well as quantitative perspectives based on which each people provide their opinion and definition. Meeting the requirements of the customers along with living up to the type of service and products sold are termed as quality by many of the customers. At the same time, the pursuits of an ultimate solution that lead to success and fulfil the expectations of the customers are also considered as definitions of solutions. Thus, the role of quality control and quality assurance can be analysed.
Quality Control and Quality Assurance
Quality control can be considered as a process by which different entities make reviews about the type of quality that is served in an organisation. It is considered as a part of the quality management process that focuses on the fulfilment of the quality requirements (Goetsch and Davis 2014). Emphasis is put on three aspects that are necessary for maintaining the quality of services in an organisation. Quality assurance is a way of preventing any type of mistakes and defects that may occur while manufacturing products. This is also a part of quality management that is focused on encouraging in fulfilling the quality requirements. The defect prevention of quality management can be attributed to this particular assessment.
Oakland (2014) stated that industrial quality control is a common area of use in the workplace. Quality controls ensure that the specifications promised to the customers by the organisations are fulfilled. For example, in the case of mobile phones, the quality control can be that the phones need to have all types of requirements that are necessary for fulfilling the satisfaction of the customers. At the same time, the application of quality assurance can help in ensuring that defects are not made in the applying any type of new technologies in the mobiles. The mobile phones need to be checked so that customers do not have any problem in using the product and continuing being loyal to the company. Thus, the application of these two concepts can help organisations increase productivity and at the same time ensure customer satisfaction.
Accreditation marks such as ISO, Charter Mark can help customers understand the quality of products that have been purchased. ISO marks are trusted due to its reputation in the market (Jiménez-Jiménez et al. 2015). Any product that has been marked by ISO assures customers that the quality is guanine and can be trusted. The effectiveness of ISO is that it checks every product for any type of flaws before putting a label on it. Thus, the ISO or Charter Mark does not pass any product that does not meet the requirements of the customers or have any flaws in its process. This provides assurance to the customers about the quality of products that they are purchasing.
As observed by Aquilani et al. (2017) quality management gurus have provided the basis of the quality management philosophies that can help in understanding the manner in which quality can be managed in an organisation. In this regard, the philosophies of three gurus or philosophers in the field of total quality management can be considered. The three gurus that have been considered are Juran, Deming and Crosby. These three gurus have formed three different philosophies that help in understanding quality management in an organisation.
ISO and Accreditation Marks
Juran has explained the quality management model by focusing on three main processes that are required for improving quality management in an organisation. The processes that Juran have focused on include quality planning, quality control and quality improvement. According to Akgün et al. (2014), states that these three philosophies need to be maintained by the organisations so that compromise on quality cannot be made. The manner in which the three processes can be applied clearly help in understanding the quality that is required to be maintained and the target that need to be maintained by an organisation. For example, the quality improvement process is considered as a means of improving the level of performance of an organisation.
Deming has contributed by proposing a cycle that can help in a systematic analysis of the quality in an organisation. The cycle analysis four processes that include plan, check, do and act. In the words of Khanam, Siddiqui and Talib (2016), this cycle, known as the PDCA cycle helps in analysing the resources and the quality that can be provided by an organisation before implementing on the action. Checking the action is necessary at every step so that small mistakes can be identified and rectified in a prompt manner.
Crosby, on the other hand, suggested 14 steps to improve the quality of an organisation. These steps need to be followed so that a long-term quality management plan can be implemented for the success of an organisation. The 14 steps are systematic and every step needs to be fulfilled before continuing to the next step. The effectiveness of this philosophy is that the quality can be checked after every interval thereby, reducing the chances of error.
The analysis of the different philosophies has brought out certain similarities and dissimilarities in the approach. Fu et al. (2015) stated that the similarities are appropriate as the philosophies are aimed towards the continuous improvement of an organisation and the quality of work that they provide. On the other hand, the dissimilarities exist, as different people and the thought process along with the approach obtained by the philosophers are different. In this regard, it can be said that a comparison can be made between the philosophies so that the features can be distinguished and similarities can be identified. The philosophies of Juran and Deming can be considered to understand the similarities between the philosophies and the differences.
The similarity between the philosophies stated in Juran’s trilogy and Deming’s PDCA cycle is that both the philosophies focus on planning. In Deming’s PDCA cycle, the planning of quality is important so that the current process that exists in an organisation can be accessed. The planning helps in trying to improve the manner in which new processes in work can be improved. In the case of Juran, quality planning has been considered as a part of an exercise that needs to be adopted in the organisation (Talib and Rahman 2015). The quality planning is conducted in a systematic manner and help in providing a warning in the case of any debacle in the planning process. However, Kiran (2016) stated that the dissimilarities could be analysed to understand the varied thoughts of the philosophers.
Total Quality Management Philosophies
The dissimilarities between the two philosophies are that while Juran’s philosophy focuses more on three aspects of quality, Deming’s philosophy focuses on the manner on the application of a cautious approach towards implementing quality. The quality of the products needs to be checked at regular intervals so that any flaw that has been detected in the production can be rectified with immediate effect. Juran’s principle focuses on three different aspects that are universally accepted as a means of approach while trying to implement quality in the organisations. Thus, the application of both the philosophies can help in attaining customer satisfaction and ensure success for organisations.
Customer satisfaction can be defined as a marketing term that provides analysis of the manner in which products and services can be supplied to the customers as per their requirements (Curran, Zafar and Stewart 2015). The importance of customer satisfaction is that it provides organisations with an opportunity to improve and ensure that the productivity increases. The satisfaction of the customers can be attained by meeting requirements of the customers in an efficient manner.
Organisations can gain customer satisfaction by ensuring that the products promised to the customers are provided on time and with the specific requirements (Ahmad et al. 2014). This can help the organisations to remain in the good books of the customers and help in maintaining the loyalty of the customers. The satisfaction of the customers can be maintained by providing focus on other areas such as prices and the time at which the product is delivered to the customers. In this regard, it can be said that without customer satisfaction organisations cannot hope to maintain its success in the business organisations.
The benefits of customer satisfaction are that it provides an indication of the loyalty and the intention of the customers. Customer satisfaction is important for the growth of the organisations provide the difference in the type of work that is done by an organisation (Androniceanu 2017). At the same time, it helps in increasing the lifetime value of the customers and ensures that the promotion of a particular product or organisation is done by word of mouth. Hence, the extra cost of promotion can be reduced by the organisation with the help of customer satisfaction.
However, if the organisations do not focus on satisfying customers, it can be a problem for the organisations to retain customers. This is mainly because of the fact that the customers may spread a negative rumour about the products and the organisation. This can have a negative impact on the reputation of the organisations and it may be difficult for it to gain a competitive advantage. At the same time, the customers may look for substitutes that can affect the growth of a particular business. It can also be difficult for organisations to gain new customers, as the old customers pose comments for it.
Similarities and Dissimilarities Between Juran and Deming’s Philosophies
Continuous improvement also knows as Kaizen is a method that can be used to identify opportunities for streamlining the work and help in reducing wastage in the organisations. This particular process was made popular due to the existence of lean model and agile model. The popularity of the process has made it world famous and various organisations all over the world have managed to use it in an effective manner. Augusto, Lisboa and Yasin (2014) stated that it is considered as an ongoing effort to improve the products, services and process that is used by organisations to continue work and attain customer satisfaction.
The application of continuous improvement can be in two forms. The efforts put in for managing the continuous improvement can either be the incremental improvement that can be formulated with the time period and can bring about a breakthrough improvement for an organisation all at the same time. As stated by Blut et al. (2015) the delivery of the products needs to be evaluated on a continuous basis so that improvement in the effectiveness and flexibility can be obtained. Continuous improvement is also defined as a never-ending change that is gradually maintained by focusing on the policies and objectives of an organisation. It helps in improving the business strategies and business results that are important for the growth of an organisation.
As such, the objectives or goals of continuous improvement can be analysed. According to Hill and Brierley (2017), continuous improvement aims to create a streamlined workflow so that time and effort can be preserved in reducing the operating overhead costs. For example, the projects that involve the extension of deadlines provide opportunities for improvement. However, the opportunities have not been utilised by the organisations.
Apart from this, continuous improvement reduces the project cost and reduces the overhead expenses. This is one area in which continuous improvement help managers of an organisation. Continuous improvement helps in preventing excess cost by forecasting the costs that may be required for the success of an organisation. This can be done by using Forecasting Software.
Yoon et al. (2016) stated that in a business, the difference between the sale price and the production cost provide the value that needs to be added to a product. However, in economics, the application and definition of value-added changes. In economic terms, the sum of the profit of the unit, the depreciation cost along with the labour cost is the unit value that is added to a product. The total value added can be defined as the sum of all value added per unit, which is relevant to the revenue less consumption that is done intermittently. However, outside of economics, the term of value added can be referred to as the addition of features that provide a growing interest in the minds of the people.
According to Eisingerich et al. (2016), the value that is added to a particular product is the bonus features that help in attracting the interests of the consumers. These features are added beyond the expectations of the people and provide an opportunity for the customers to continue expecting good quality products from the organisations. However, one of the drawbacks of the value added is the fact that the cost of the product may be high. The application of any new technology or feature automatically increases the cost of a product. Thus, it can be said that the value-added can provide a competitive advantage to an organisation and hope to gain more profits in the market.
Thereby, the benefits of value added can be understood so that its effectiveness can be understood in a proper manner. According to Hutchins (2016), one such benefit that can be obtained from value added is the fact that it increases the expectations of the customers. The customers can be surprised with the extra features thereby; it improves the rating of the product or organisations. Recommendations provided by the customers can help an organisation to provide a guarantee to the product. This helps in retaining the customers and consequently improves their loyalty towards the organisation. It also allows customers to gain full optimisation of products and services so that they can appreciate the effort of the organisations. At the same time, competitive advantage is provided to the organisation as the addition of new features can help improve the popularity of the organisations.
According to Fryer, Antony and Douglas (2015), organisations need to provide some type of information to the customers so that they can identify a product or organisation. The information that is to be given to the customers needs to be the basic and at the same time necessary for gaining the trust of the customers. Strategic records do not need to be provided as these are the information that organisations tend to maintain its benefit. However, it can provide information based on the location of the organisation and the place from which the products can be obtained. This is important as the physical presence of the stores can help customers gain a proper idea about the type of product that they are purchasing.
As stated by Ylänen (2017), the most important information that organisations need to provide to the customers is the price. Every customer wants to gain knowledge about the price of products to understand if it can be afforded by them. Hiding the price of the products is a disadvantage of the customers, as the products may not be sold. Hence, this information has to be shared by the organisations so that the conscience of the customers can be proved and the customers can be attracted to purchase the products.
According to Fukuda (2018), other information that needs to be provided to the customers is the opening time of a physical store. This information can help customers plan a time for the purchase of a product. In events that provide seasonal sale, knowledge about the opening time of a physical store that sells a particular item can help in the increased sale of the items. This can also be beneficial to the customers as they can purchase more a product for themselves. Apart from this, other important information that needs to be provided is the procedure to lodge complaints. In the modern world, this can be done by lodging complaints in the website so that it can reach the organisations. This can help in improving the products so that the satisfaction of the customers can be attained.
Conclusion
It can be concluded that every organisation need to maintain the quality of products and services so that it can satisfy the customers. The link between the two ideas is established in the report keeping in mind the process required for the continuous improvement of organisations. The application of the various models of quality management can help the companies gain customer satisfaction and in turn can maintain proper services and products.
Reference
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