ABSTRACT
Total quality management (TQM) is an international phenomenon. Its philosophical routes originated in the West. The Japanese subsequently developed techniques to implement the philosophies. Organizations in Western countries and other regions have since implemented these techniques to catch up. This chapter considers the history of the QM movement and a few of its major contributors by examining some of the different approaches to quality and looking at different measurements of quality assurance. It is through these initiatives that extended enterprises (Davis and spekman 2004) and customers of the international supply chains can benefit from assured quality performance.
