Total quality management is a principle that has become very important in modern management practices. This has a major influence on how internal operations and systems within an organization are structured. Quality management practices are implemented so as to provide customers with high-quality products which satisfy their needs and expectations. This paper will discuss quality management approaches that will be introduced in Proficient Inc. and their impacts on the firm.
Proficient Inc. is involved in the manufacture of food products such as cereals, beverages, confectionaries, and snacks. The company has 400 employees who work in its four divisions. Proficient Inc. has formulated several quality practices which are intended to improve the value of its products in the market. These quality practices will be implemented in all four divisions and are meant to improve work processes and systems within the company. The company seeks to establish a firm presence in the market which has shifting consumer needs and expectations (Rahman, 2001, p. 201). The company intends to set quality benchmarks that all employees are expected to observe whenever they are performing their duties and responsibilities.
The firm’s total quality management strategy is comprehensive and will be used to evaluate the impact of its internal processes on market performance. The quality management approaches will be used to assess the quality of production and manufacturing in the organization. Production and manufacturing systems will be monitored to determine their faults and how they can be improved for greater efficiency (Rahman, 2001, p. 202 ). Other areas which will be assessed in line with the TQM strategy include customer service, employee commitment, administrative functions, supervision, and brand perceptions in the market.
The foundation of the strategy will involve the initiation and implementation of quality standards in the organization. This is necessary to ensure that quality systems which are introduced are responsive to the needs of the organization. The standards implemented will be used to assess the quality of crucial functions done in the organization to ensure that business objectives are achieved. All stakeholders in the organization will be made aware of the new quality systems to make them appreciate the importance of quality assurance (Rahman, 2001, p. 204). All workers and customers will be consulted to gather more information on what needs to be improved in the organization. The company intends to revolutionize the way it does its operations to ensure they conform to modern market trends.
The company will specify the specific size of products that are to be sold in the market to ensure they comply with the set regulations. The company will ensure that the products that are manufactured comply with the specified industry standards in the market. The packaging and design of manufactured products will be done in strict accordance with industry standards to ensure that they satisfy all the requirements (Raju, 2001, p. 54). All production teams will have to observe established quality benchmarks to ensure that all manufactured products satisfy the company’s internal checks and processes. Products will be taken through various measures and controls to determine their suitability for clients.
Any products that do not meet the set safety standards will not be released into the market. The company sells food products and they need to be certified as safe and healthy before they are released to the market. All products will be packaged with labels that show their contents to ensure consumers are aware of what they are taking. The company will also work with a team of external inspectors who will monitor the products manufactured to establish if they meet the required safety and quality standards. Health inspectors will be invited after every three months to assess whether the company’s operations satisfy required health regulations (Raju, 2001, p. 57). This will help the company to improve the value of its internal systems to ensure workers perform their duties in a less hazardous working environment.
The packaging design of products sold will be responsive to customers’ tastes and preferences. However, the most important issue to be observed will be the type of materials used for packaging products. The company’s manufactured products will be packaged in biodegradable containers to ensure that they do not pollute the environment. The company will seek to depart from common practice where many products in the market are wrapped in plastic bags and containers. This will be in line with the company’s commitment to the environment (Raju, 2001, p. 62). Biodegradable containers can be easily recycled and do not pose problems for waste disposal and management.
The company will make its manufacturing operations more environmentally friendly. The company will recycle wastewater to ensure that less toxic substances are discharged in the surrounding water systems. The company will purchase efficient manufacturing equipment which emits less poisonous substances to the atmosphere. The company intends to make all aspects of its operations less harmful to the environment. This will ensure that internal processes do not degrade the surrounding environment (Raju, 2001, p. 65). This will help the company to play an important role in conserving the environment.
The company also seeks to reduce the energy costs it incurs in production. The company targets to reduce the high electricity bills it incurs to make its operations more efficient. The company uses electricity and diesel to power its manufacturing systems. These forms of power have become expensive for the company to sustain and the introduction of alternative energy sources will reduce these expenses. The company will purchase bio-ethanol engines that are more environmentally friendly and less costly to run. The firm will utilize waste products from raw materials used to manufacture goods to produce its own power. This will limit expenses incurred as a result of high energy costs. The company plans to construct its own power plant to eliminate the need for external power sources (Raju, 2001, p. 67). The extra power generated will be sold to institutions and residents living close to the firm which will provide additional revenue to the firm.
The firm seeks to introduce quality labor practices which are in line with its overall business strategies. The company will implement policies that target to improve the quality of its workforce to ensure that all workers have valuable skills and expertise. Human resource policies will be improved to ensure that they are in line with new quality management practices. Workers will be made aware of all policy changes that are introduced to ensure that they perform their duties and responsibilities effectively. The firm will restructure several workplace functions to improve performance outcomes and efficiency (Raju, 2001, p. 70). This will involve the merging of old departments and the introduction of new ones to streamline internal operations. Internal labor operations need to be improved for the company to achieve the high standards of quality being implemented.
Total quality assurance will be emphasized in other operations that have crucial impacts on the company’s operations. All workers, management, and suppliers will be monitored on their performance. This will ensure that the value of each stakeholder is assessed based on the level of his or her contribution to the firm’s output. The assessment criteria will focus on the quality as well as the quantity of output each stakeholder is able to contribute to the firm within a particular period (Raju, 2001, p. 79). The best-performing stakeholders will be rewarded while those who do not perform well will be encouraged to improve. This will help the company to evaluate the quality of all stakeholders and their contribution to its performance.
The firm will also establish quality monitoring systems for external distributors and marketers to evaluate their contribution to the bottom line. Distributors will have to show positive sales figures for products before they are allowed to transact any business on behalf of the firm. The firm will ensure that supply chain processes are improved so that products are easily delivered into the market. This will streamline the firm’s delivery operations in the market (Raju, 2001, p. 84). The company needs to improve its distribution systems in the market to ensure that its products have a wider reach. Quality systems that will be introduced will be intended to make the firm’s products more accessible to customers in the market. This will strengthen the brand appeal of the firm’s products among targeted consumers.
The company’s supply chain functions need to be overhauled for it to have a big impact on the market. The firm will seek to improve the speed with which its goods are supplied in the market. This approach will help the firm to spread its distribution networks to cater to the main consumer segments that consume the firm’s products. This is intended to serve the needs of customers better to ensure they can easily access the firm’s products whenever they want to. The firm will be motivated to improve supply chain integration processes in the market (Dahlgaard, Kristensen & Kanji, 2005, p. 76). Supply chain integration will make it possible for the firm to deliver its products on time to eliminate any delays in its internal processes. This will help the firm to be more competitive in its operations.
The company will be involved in various campaigns intended to encourage healthy eating habits among school-going children. Teenage obesity is a big problem in society that needs to be tackled effectively. The company will carry out sensitization drives in schools and colleges to encourage school-going children to consume healthy diets. This is intended to make children aware of the negative health effects that result from obesity (Dahlgaard, Kristensen & Kanji, 2005, p. 80). The firm will partner with schools to implement programs that support weight loss in children through participation in sports and consumption of healthy diets. This is part of the corporate social responsibility activities which the firm will be taking part in to improve its image and reputation in the market.
The company will seek to strengthen its relationships with customers in the market. Customer satisfaction will influence the firm’s operations to ensure that the expectations of clients are served better in the market. The firm will carry out market surveys to determine the profiles of its clients in order to implement effective strategies that serve their needs better. Employees who are in constant contact with customers will be trained to serve them better. This will ensure customers appreciate the quality of service they get. The firm will encourage these employees to reply to customers’ queries promptly to ensure clients’ time is not wasted (Dahlgaard, Kristensen & Kanji, 2005, p. 92). This will help to strengthen the relationship the firm has with its clients.
Customer relationship management will be one of the key aspects of quality assurance adopted by the firm. The company will open up communication channels to ensure that customers can easily reach customer care staff and other employees regarding any issue they have. The firm will target to improve the experiences of customers to be more pleasant. The firm intends to make consumer perceptions and attitudes towards its products more positive, to win their loyalty. This will make the company’s products more competitive in the market (Dahlgaard, Kristensen & Kanji, 2005, p. 97). The company seeks to strengthen its corporate image as well as the image of its individual products in the market. This is intended to improve the brand appeal of its products among consumers in the market.
The company will conduct market surveys to gather information about the level of customer satisfaction in the market. This will help the firm to gather crucial opinions and feedback from clients on how it needs to improve its internal systems. The information gathered will help the firm to improve various aspects of its operations such as production, human resource management, distribution, and packaging. The firm will use the collected data to improve overall efficiency (Dahlgaard, Kristensen & Kanji, 2005, p. 102). This information will also be used by the firm to determine the viability of new products in the market. Market surveys are reliable tools that will guide the firm on how to implement its business strategy. This will sustain positive performance in the market.
Customer satisfaction surveys will be used to evaluate clients’ perceptions regarding the quality of the firm’s products in the market. These surveys will be done through questionnaires which will gather crucial information based on clients’ responses. This will give the firm market insight into the value of manufactured products in the market (Dahlgaard, Kristensen & Kanji, 2005, p. 104). The firm will rely on customer satisfaction surveys to implement crucial changes in management and production operations to ensure they attain the desired quality. This will help the company to maintain positive performance in the market.
The firm will use Six Sigma tools to guide its quality assurance activities. These tools will be used to make employees aware of the firm’s expectations regarding their input in achieving the desired quality standards. The firm will link quality assurance systems with its business values to ensure clients’ needs are met and satisfied. The firm will improve teamwork in the organization to encourage workers to collaborate with each other more (Dahlgaard, Kristensen & Kanji, 2005, p. 109). All operations will have benchmarks to evaluate if they are satisfying the quality systems that have been put in place by the organization. The focus on total quality management is intended to improve internal efficiency in the firm to improve its image in the market.
References
Dahlgaard, J.J., Kristensen, K. , & Kanji, K.K. (2005). Fundamentals of total quality management: Process analysis and improvement. London: Routledge.
Rahman, S. (2001). Total quality management practices and business outcome: Evidence from small and medium enterprises in western Australia. Total Quality Management, 12(2) 201-210.
Raju, S. (2001). Total quality management. New Delhi: Tata McGraw –Hill Education.