The diffusion of quality in Australian manufacturing

Abstract

Previous surveys on quality management have shown that increasingly firms in Australia are adopting and implementing quality control tools and a total quality management philosophy. This paper attempts to determine the effectiveness of quality initiatives that have been implemented and integrated within Australian manufacturing firms. The authors used a combination of questionnaire surveys and interviews to gather information from quality professionals about the different types of quality tools being implemented by firms. The findings of this study are compared with other national and international surveys. A major finding of this study is that the trend of quality initiatives being implemented has been increasing since the early 1980s and the increase is observed in all functional areas of manufacturing. In addition, it reported that manufacturing firms are more conscious about quality and customer satisfaction than ever before. This paper attempts to establish relationships between the adoption of quality initiatives and its benefits with respect to reducing rejects and labour disputes, and increasing revenue.