A critical analysis of quality management systems: a logistics perspective.
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Date
2021
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Abstract
The management of quality in any organisation is critical to its success. The premise on which
any organisation is built, is to satisfy the needs of its customers. Regardless of whether the
organisation’s offering product is a product or a service, the former remains true. No matter the
industry or the sector, organisations need to ensure they meet these needs.
The management of quality in an organisation is difficult to measure, and it is for this reason,
that organisations introduce Quality Management Systems. Organisations then need to
determine what customers consider quality to be, and more importantly how they can measure
quality.
The aim of this study was to uncover the dimensions customers use to measure quality
management. The theoretical framework used was the SERVQUAL model, which assumes the
customer measures quality using five dimensions. These dimensions formed the basis of and
influenced the development of the two data collection instruments used to determine whether
Company A’s management of quality met the expectations of their customers. Therefore, the
aim of the study was to determine whether Company A, in the transport and logistics industry
in KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa, was aware of its customer needs and to establish
whether the organisation’s usual method of managing quality was sufficient.
Part of the aim of this study included determining customer perceptions of quality based on the
five dimensions presented to them. The data was collected from a sample that included both
customers and employees of Company A using survey questionnaires and semi-structured
interviews, analysed using Gap analysis.
The study showed areas where the employees’ and the customers’ perceptions of quality were
similar or differed and provided clarity as to where the organisation should focus its
improvements. The gaps identified can assist the company in reaching the level of quality
expected by customers, and ultimately to exceed these expectations. The study also revealed
that only certain dimensions contained these gaps and this meant that Company A could
implement a targeted strategy aimed at improving their service quality.
The recommendations generated from the results of this study provide insight into how
managers of Company A can improve quality management and service quality in the
organisation, which will ultimately lead to greater company success.
Description
Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.