Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the
Master's Degree in Technology: Quality
in the Department of Operations and Quality Management,
Durban University of Technology, 2009. / Over the past ten years, intense global competition, changing customer needs and the
changing business environment have forced many organisations to examine their
organisational goals and to re-evaluate how to meet their challenges. Extreme global
competition has forced many organisations to develop action plans to respond to an
increasingly competitive market. One such action plan identified was the integration of
quality practices and principles with strategic planning of the organisation. This research
investigated the importance and usefulness of integrating quality practices in the
strategic management process of organisations in the Printing and Packaging industry
in the Ethekweni Municipality.
This study included a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods. The
review of literature represented the qualitative research method, acknowledged the
importance of, and advantages and disadvantages of integrating quality practices with
the strategic management process. It also identified selected quality practices that can
improve the strategic planning process. The quantitative method included a preliminary
study and a main study. The preliminary study was conducted using questionnaires and
interviews consisting of 10 and 5 organisations respectively. The main study consisted
of questionnaires administered to 30 organisations.
The results of the pilot study showed that although many organisations were aware of
the integration, they did not have the support from employees, nor the time to
implement it. The main study indicated that the majority of the organisations integrated
the two practices. 97% of the organisations found that this integration was difficult
initially, but with some perseverance achieved success, while 3% of the organisations
did not implement the integration. The latter are now considering the integration
process.
Hence, it can be accepted that the integration of quality practices within the strategic
management process has directed the organisation toward continuous improvement, a
competitive advantage, a greater market share and sustainability, greater customer
satisfaction and increased profitability and sales.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:dut/oai:ir.dut.ac.za:10321/426 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | Sukdeo, Nita |
| Contributors | Singh, Shalini |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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