1.0 Introduction 2.0 Objectives 3.0 Main Content
3.1 What is Quality?
3.2 Why Manage Quality?
3.3 The Principles of Quality 4.0 Conclusion
5.0 Summary
6.0 Tutor-Marked Assignment 7.0 References/Further Reading 1.0 INTRODUCTION
In this unit, we shall be explaining quality and the need to manage it.
We shall also examine the principles of quality. One of the main roles of any hotel’s supervision system is to monitor the performance of its employees through their services. This monitoring is expected to have a positive impact on quality. As such, supervision forms part of an overall quality monitoring and improvement system, which includes other devices such as performance appraisals and tests/examinations.
Everywhere, policy documents stress the need for greater accountability, quality control, quality assurance, total quality management, quality development, quality monitoring, and so on. Although some distinction can be made between the different terms mentioned above, they more or less cover the same reality. Much attention will be given to the different interpretations of this concept, which lead to quite different supervision systems.
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2.0 OBJECTIVES
At the end of this unit, you should be able to:
• define quality
• describe the fundamentals of quality.
3.0 MAIN CONTENT 3.1 What is Quality?
Quality in hospitality business, engineering and manufacturing has a pragmatic interpretation as the non-inferiority or superiority of something; it connotes fitness for purpose. Quality is the standard of something as measured against other things of a similar kind.
Quality is a perceptual, conditional and somewhat subjective attribute and may be understood differently by different people. Consumers may focus on the specification quality of a product/service, or how it compares to competitors in the marketplace. Producers might measure the conformance quality, or degree to which the product/service was produced correctly.
Numerous definitions and methodologies have been created to assist in managing the quality affecting aspects of business operations. Many techniques and concepts have evolved to improve product or service quality. There are two common quality-related functions within a business. One is quality assurance, which is the prevention of defects, such as by the deployment of a quality management system and preventative activities like failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA).
The other is quality control, which is the detection of defects, most commonly associated with testing which takes place within a quality management system typically referred to as verification and validation.
Quality management is an organisation-wide approach to understanding precisely what customers need and consistently delivering accurate solutions within budget, on time and with the minimum loss to society.
Quality management will ensure the effective design of processes that verify customer needs, plan product life cycle and design, produce and deliver the product or service.
This also incorporates measuring all process elements, the analysis of performance and the continual improvement of the products, services and processes that deliver them to the customer. Quality management is also referred to as business management or integrated management.
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3.2 Why Manage Quality?
The effective management of quality not only creates value for an organisation and its stakeholders but also manages its exposure to risk and can make the difference between success and failure.
A properly implemented and effective business management system identifies and manages organisational risks to ensure that:
• the organisation consistently delivers the products and services that customers want, when they want them and to the quality they expect
• customer satisfaction and loyalty is improved
• organisational goals and objectives are achieved
• organisational risk is identified and effectively managed
• products, services and the processes that deliver them to customers are continually improved through innovation
• waste throughout the organisation is identified and eliminated
• partnerships and the supply chain deliver value to the parties involved.
If your business management system is not delivering these benefits then it is underperforming and may need a service.
Business management addresses risk by identifying and quantifying the risks, determining the likelihood of occurrence and thus the level of threat and providing appropriate approaches to mitigate these treats.
Whether your focus is on improving business efficiency, managing risk or understanding customer needs, the application of the fundamental principles of quality can help.
3.3 The Principles of Quality
Quality is everybody’s business, but cannot be left to just anyone. To get the best out of quality approaches and tools, organisations must make an investment to develop or employ the expertise of a quality professional.
Customer focus: Delivering customer value while anticipating future needs and potential markets
Leadership and business results: Providing vision and direction, gaining commitment and achieving collective results.
People and organisational culture: Delivering maximum value through development and involvement of individuals working in a productive organisational culture.
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Systems thinking: Managing interrelated processes with an integrated approach.
Business process management: Delivering results through business processes to increase efficiency
Fact-based decision-making: Ensuring good decision making by using accurate data and facts
Continual improvement: Making performance improvement a perpetual objective
Suppliers and partners
Maintaining mutually beneficial relationships to enable value creation SELF-ASSESSMENT EXERCISE
i. Define quality.
ii. Why should quality be managed?
4.0 CONCLUSION
As earlier stated, quality is everybody's business, but cannot be left to just anyone. Management should ensure that everybody is carried along to maintain quality in products and services for the organisation.
5.0 SUMMARY
Various definitions of quality were examined in this unit. We established that quality is about meeting the needs and expectations of customers. We also said that customers want quality that is appropriate to the price that they are prepared to pay and the level of competition in the market.
6.0 TUTOR-MARKED ASSIGNMENT 1. How would you define quality?
2. Why is it necessary to manage quality in the hospitality industry?
3. Discuss the fundamentals of quality within a business organisation.
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7.0 REFERENCES/FURTHER READING
Crosby, P. (1979). Quality is Free. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Crosby, Philip B. (1989). Let's Talk Quality: 96 Questions You Always Wanted to Ask. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Drucker, P. (1985). Innovation and Entrepreneurship. New York:
Harper & Row.
Ealey, L. A. (1988). Quality by Design: Taguchi Methods and U.S.
Industry. Dearborn, Mich: ASI Press.
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UNIT 2 IMPORTANCE OF QUALITY SYSTEMS