Omvattende kwaliteit : 'n inleiding en raamwerk vir implementering

Abstract

Recognising the growing importance of total quality as a management philosophy, this introductory study aims to develop a framework from which total quality can be implemented as a business strategy for the purpose of creating and maintaining an competitive advantage . The study is an attempt to ( 1 l understand the reasons why total quality became an important business strategy; (2) develop a framework from which the relationship between customer satisfaction, quality, quality assurance and quality control can be discussed; and (3) to provide a guide for the implementation of total quality. The first basic assumption of this study is: satisfied customers are the only permanent source of income for an organization. Therefore the focus should be on the identification of all the dimensions that determine customer satisfaction. The second assumption is: customer satisfaction stems from a customer's dealings with the total organization. This implies a systems approach towards the management of the various components of an organization to create structures for the maximum co-ordination of activities in terms of all the dimensions of customer satisfaction. The study begins with a preliminary investigation into the relevance of total quality as a business strategy. It is followed by a conceptualisation of the concept of customer satisfaction and the discussion of various dimensions of customer satisfaction . These are then extended towards a holistic model in which the place and role of various quality technologies are explained. These lead to a new premiss: the basic assumptions, beliefs and values of managers regarding quality are to be re-evaluated before total quality can be adopted. This necessitates a prelimanary study on organizational quality culture. Continuous improvement leads to the permanant continuance of an organization, and an improvement guide is proposed by which this can be achieve.