Article ID: | iaor19962311 |
Country: | United States |
Volume: | 26 |
Issue: | 3 |
Start Page Number: | 107 |
End Page Number: | 113 |
Publication Date: | May 1996 |
Journal: | Interfaces |
Authors: | Young Scott T., Seawright Kristie W. |
Keywords: | quality & reliability, measurement |
Managers have recognized the strategic importance of quality in current competitive markets. With no universally accepted definition of quality, managers, customers, and researchers communicate with difficulty. The authors describe and organize sets of quality definitions into a continuum, illustrating the relationships between definitions. They describe the impact of each of these descriptions upon the attainment of a sustainable competitive advantage for the firm. The quality definition continuum can serve as the basis for understanding some principles of total quality management implementation and success.