Quality Management and Beyond: the Current Situation and Future Perspectives

Book excerpt: The dissemination of the quality movement has been an unprecedented success in terms of the number of both management standards and total quality management models that have been implemented worldwide. \nTo complement these quality management systems, other related business practices have also been introduced, such as, for example, specific management systems in the fields of the environment, occupational hazards, health & safety and social responsibility. Recent trends that seem certain to continue in the near future point toward the implementation of more sectorally-focused management systems and the introduction of integrated management systems as a means of encouraging innovation, and thus of gaining in competitive advantage. \nThe long-term future of quality paradigms remains uncertain, but the impact they have had on business organizations and their contribution to improving their competitiveness are beyond dispute for both academia and business practitioners alike. \n\n