Reports on the introduction of a quality culture to Mercury Communications in order to help the company control and direct its growth. Examines the reasons why the quality Customer services programme which was implemented did not succeed as well as expected. Observes how the quality culture was...

Reflects on a new scheme at British Airways which aims to improve process management in a number of customer contact areas ‐ in this case, the “arrivals” process at Heathrow Airport. Describes the process of benchmarking the nearest competitors in order to ascertain their service levels,...

States that the TQM approach to quality is going out of fashion, takes as evidence of this the fact that examiners for the Baldrige Award are looking for evidence of customer focus and effective leadership rather than merely a rigid application of TQM methods. Compares the decline of TQM to that...

Asks whether cost benefits from TQM can be substantiated, and what period of time is needed for them to impact on business performance. Presents the results of a recent survey which aimed to discover how the cost benefits of TQM programmes were measured by companies. Reveals that experienced...

Offers the authors′ predictions of how TQM will develop in the near future: states that an increased number of quality key figures will be presented at board meetings; predicts an increase in public access to comparisons of company quality; believes there will be a rise in numbers of ISO 9000...

Examines the commitment of Milliken Contract Carpets in the United Kingdom to improve the quality of product and service as perceived by the customer. Describes the background to the adoption of TQM by the parent company, which has defined its approach as “pursuit of excellence”, and which...

Comments on the changes in attitude of sales personnel now that customers wield more power; customer satisfaction, customer care and quality are priorities now that companies cannot afford to lose existing customers and have to work hard to attract new ones. Studies examples of how sales staff...

Addresses the question of whether registration is appropriate for the sales and marketing divisions within companies in the light of Kodak Ltd′s experience of registering the marketing, sales and Customer service department of their Health Sciences Division to Marketing Quality Assurance....

Describes how focusing on total product quality (TPQ) can provide a new form of competitive differentiation, bearing in mind the move towards product parity. Considers that the role of marketing is vitally important in building TPQ, as a good quality product can be so easily let down by poor...

Describes the pressures on public sector services to become more profitable and competitive as well as increasing Service quality to their customers. Details the particular characteristics that define “customer” and “service”. Provides a method of managing for quality, including the...