ABSTRACT
Total quality management is far more than shifting the responsibility of detection of problems from the customer to the producer. It requires a comprehensive approach that must first be recognized and then implemented if the rewards are to be realized. Today’s business environment is such that managers must plan strategically to maintain a hold on market share, let alone increase it. We have known for years that consumers place a higher value on quality than on loyalty to suppliers, and price is often not the major determining factor in consumer choice. Price has been replaced by quality, and this is true in industrial, service, hospitality, and many other markets.
