Quality Management in Business - Assignment Example

TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN BUSINESS Executive summary This essay is composed to reflect on quality management in a selected company. The essay includes a background study and descriptions of different elements in total quality management. The reports include different approaches to quality management appropriate to commercial operations and a range of quality controls and how customer service can be. Company background The Company selected is Zizzi restaurant. Zizzi is a group of restaurants located in the United Kingdom Shafer et al., (2000). Zizzi was founded in 1999 by the Gondola group, a chain café owner in the United Kingdom. Zizzi currently operates 135 restaurants located in different strategic locations across the United Kingdom. The group has a net operating cash flow of £125.5 million. In the year 2014, Zizzi managed to sell products worth £594.7 million. Depicting a 5.6% increase in total sales from the previous year. Zizzi’s earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization accumulated to £119.1 million. There have been significant improvements in food perceptions among Zizzi customers according to The Big Restaurant survey in 2014. Zizzi restaurant is ISO certified (Woodhouse, 2014). I. Understanding the various quality management strategies/techniques that are suitable for commercial operations Zizzi restaurant is perceived to offer services of high quality. Zizzi demonstrates quality by striving to provide the best possible services to its customers. This is offered by Zizzi’s highly trained and talented chefs who cook very delicious Italian and local meals. The design of every restaurant is performed by local artists to ensure the restaurant entails local people’s tastes and preferences. The restaurant utilizes the following dimensions when measuring the quality of services to its customers (McCormick, 2002): · Features – Zizzi examines the features of different dishes offered in its menu to measure the quality of the services it provides. Dish features include special recipes desserts and spices. · Performance – The restaurant also scrutinizes financial reports to assess the quality of service it offers. The Increase in total sales indicates a rise in the quality of service provided. Alternatively, a decrease in total sales will imply a reduction in quality. · Conformity – Zizzi measures the degree to which customer’s demands and preferences are met to quantify the level of quality offered by its employees. · Aesthetics – the restaurant is creatively designed to appeal and satisfy its customer’s tastes and preferences. Inspection and quality assurance processes Zizzi utilizes the following techniques to ensure the quality of service to its customers (Communications, 2015). Quality control – this is the process of testing completed products to reveal defects and report the result to the relevant authority McCormick, (2002). Zizzi has deployed taste experts to taste dishes particularly after they are cooked to ascertain in the quality requirements of the recipe have been achieved. If the dish does not reach the required standards, it is returned to the cooking process, and necessary changes applied to it until the dish is proofed fit by the experts (Kapiki, 2012). Quality assurance – this entails a combination of various quality aspects engrained into the production process of a product or service McCormick, (2002). Zizzi ensures quality in its final product by upgrading the quality of inputs or raw materials put into the production process. The ingredients of dishes served at Zizzi are of high quality. For example, Zizzi only uses the finest Pizza flour and fine sugar. Highly trained chefs supervise the cooking process inspecting every stage that the dish goes through to ensure quality in the finished product (Talib, 2013). Both quality assurance and quality control serve the same purpose of checking the quality of products before being provided to customers. Quality assurance is more concerned with the process of production while quality control is with the finished product. Quality control and how customer service is Zizzi uses the following key performance indicators (KPI). See figure 2. Meal purchases – the restaurant examines the number of meals bought by customers to determine its overall performance. Increasing meal sales implies an increase in Zizzi’s performance. Tables’ turnover – Zizzi analyzes the frequency at which its tables are served to determine its performance. The more frequently tables are served proper standards. Alternatively, if tables are not often, then the performance is low. Bookings and take away orders – the restaurant also examines the number of bookings and takeaway orders are made to analyze its performance. The higher the number of orders the better the performance. The meal sales KPI is related to the performance dimension of measuring quality. Bookings and take away orders are with the aesthetics method of measuring quality. Tables’ turnover is to the conformity technique of ascertaining quality (Basu, 2004). Benefits of user and non-user surveys Customer surveys are necessary because they help businesses detect flaws and defects in their products hence improving the quality of their product. Customer surveys also increase customer satisfaction. Employee surveys help companies improve their production processes and consequently the level of quality of their products. Employee surveys help keep employees committed and highly motivated. It also ensures efficient use of resources. Zizzi outsources survey services from external market research organizations like moral consulting. Using an organization that specializes in surveys guarantees reliability and validity of the survey techniques employed. Zizzi offers a social media platform for its customers to encourage participation non-represented groups. Complaint procedures help organizations identify weaknesses of defects in products. Complaints facilitate renovation and help upgrade a company’s products (Talib, 2013). Reference list Wang, C. H., Chen, K. Y., and Chen, S. C. (2012). Total quality management, market orientation and hotel performance: The moderating effects of external environmental factors. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 31(1), 119-129. Pereira-Moliner, J., Claver-Cortés, E., Molina-Azorín, J. F., and Tarí, J. J. (2012). Quality management, environmental management and firm performance: direct and mediating effects in the hotel industry. Journal of Cleaner Production, 37, 82-92. Talib, F., Rahman, Z., and Qureshi, M. N. (2012). Total quality management in service sector: a literature review. International Journal of Business Innovation and Research, 6(3), 259-301. Talib, F. (2013). An overview of total quality management: Understanding the fundamentals in service organization. International Journal of Advanced Quality Management, 1(1), pp-1. Kapiki, S. T. (2012). Quality Management in Tourism and Hospitality: an Exploratory Study among Tourism Stakeholders. International Journal of Economic Practices and Theories, 2(2). McCormick, K. (2002). Quality. Oxford Boston: Butterworth Heinemann. Basu, R. (2004). Implementing quality: a practical guide to tools and techniques: enabling the power of operational excellence. London: Thomson Learning. Owen, F. and Maidment, D. (1996). Quality assurance: a guide to the application of ISO 9001 to process plant projects. Rugby: Institution of Chemical Engineers. Communications, P. (2015). Zizzi Ristorante | Fresh, Local Italian Food Restaurants. [Online] Zizzi.co.uk. Available at: http://Zizzi.co.uk [Accessed 26 Mar. 2015]. Woodhouse, C. (2014). Gindola Group limited: Annual Report. 1st ed. [eBook] Available at: http://www.cinven.com [Accessed 26 Mar. 2015] Shafer, M. A., Fiebrich, C. A., Arndt, D. S., Fredrickson, S. E., & Hughes, T. W. (2000). Quality assurance procedures in the Oklahoma Mesonetwork. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 17(4), 474-494. Appendix Survey link. http://www.morarconsulting.com Figure 1 Figure 2 Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Cause Effect Table turnover Poor service Declining table turnover Meal purchases High food prices Declining sales Bookings and Take away orders Poor service Declining bookings and orders Figure 3 Fishbone Diagram with effects, causes and recommendations. Source: Author Recommendations Zizzi restaurant should readjust its prices to curb the reduction of meal sales. Zizzi should also improve food quality to induce the customer numbers to improve. The restaurant can outsource delivery service to a delivery company to improve its delivery service. Zizzi should provide advanced hospitality training to improve the quality of services provided to its customers. Read More