Definition of Total Quality Management
To understand and appreciate Total Quality Management, one needs to first be given the definition. Claude W. Burnhill and Johannes Ledholter offer the following definition in their textbook “Achieving Quality through Continual Improvement” published in 1999:
“Total Quality Management is a [holistic] business management methodology that aligns the activities of all employees in an organization with the common focus of customer satisfaction [to be achieved] through continuous improvement in the quality of all activities [processes], goods and services. (Burnhill and Ledholter, 1999)
Impact of Globalization on Quality
To study the impact of globalization on quality is paramount to the success of an organization which wishes to expand into international markets, participate in international investment and/or utilize international resources to augment domestic production. A key resource to achieve international expansion is the concept of export management companies. For example, if a garment manufacturing company is located in Florida and wishes to expand internationally, it may use an export management company. If the owner of the garment company is focused on Total Quality Management, it would be wise of this owner to align themselves with like-minded export management companies. Additionally, the garment company owner may participate in Six-Sigma. “Six Sigma at many organizations simply means a measure of quality that strives for near perfection” (six sigma website) A characterizing mechanism to achieve this is by not producing “more than 3.4 defects per million” (six sigma website)
In the context of the garment business owner, the company wou ...