RESEARCH TOPIC 6 final paper

 

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Research Project

Focus of the Research Project
The final version of your Research Project should be 10 to 12 double-spaced pages (not including the title page, reference page, tables, appendices, etc.). The paper will be an original business research project that tests a hypothesis of your choice.  The research can relate to your place of current/previous employment or other contexts of interest. Sample topics could include, but are not limited to:

  • Manufacturing quality/cost improvement
  • Service quality improvement
  • Systems design
  • Accounts receivable/billing/accounts receivable aging
  • Marketing/advertising Issues
  • Sales of goods
  • Investments
  • Product safety
  • Workplace safety
  • Labor pools
  • Human resources matters of broad concern
  • Population studies

For your Research Project, you will be combining all parts that you have worked on from Weeks One through Five. Your paper should be formatted as follows:

  • Part 1: Introduction

    Background information about your research project (Week One)
    Describe the management dilemma (Week One)
    Ethical Concerns (Week Two)
    Develop and explain your hypothesis (Week One)

  • Part 2: Literature review

    Background research on at least three scholarly sources (Week One)

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  • Part 3: Data

    Secondary data (Week Three)
    Measurement benchmark and scales (Week Three)
    Plans for using observations, focus groups, interviews, or surveys (Week Four)
    Plans for analyzing data (Week Five)
    Plans for how to analyze results (Week Five)

  • Part 4: Results

    Summarize and display the results of your research. Provide charts, graphs, tables, and so forth, as they might apply to your research.
    State whether you reject or fail to reject the null hypothesis based on your study; explain.

  • Part 5: Conclusion

    Summarize the entire study and reflect on it

    Consider the “take-home” message that management and other decision makers can use from this research to make informed business decisions.
    Include the strengths and weaknesses of the study and suggestions for future research.

  • Part 6: References

    Include a separate references page and cite all references within the text of the paper.

  • Part 7: Appendix

    If applicable

Writing the Research Project
The Research Project

  • Must be 10 to 12 double-spaced pages in length (not including the title page, reference page, tables, appendices, etc.) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
  • Must include a separate title page with the following:

    Title of paper
    Student’s name
    Course name and number
    Instructor’s name
    Date submitted

  • Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.
  • Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
  • Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.
  • Must use at least three scholarly sources from the Ashford University Library, in addition to the text.
  • Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
  • Must include a separate reference page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Runninghead:

SERVICE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

1

SERVICE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

9

Service Quality Improvement

Ryan Magana

BUS620 Business Research Method & Tools

Ashish Godbole

January 29, 2018

Service Quality Improvement

Introduction

There is an important role that service quality improvement plays in the field of business. It provides an opportunity for the management of proper sequence of business activities that ensures free flow of such activities to keep businesses running. Every business organization puts focus in satisfying the demands of their potential customers in different ways with an aim of keeping their loyalty. These different ways are generated by the help of service quality improvement programs that are mostly conducted and managed by the marketing department as well as Public Relations. Therefore, for any business organization, meeting the set objectives and goals, either long-term or short term, has to go hand in hand with business performance that is directly impacted by consumer’s taste and preference. This will ensure that whatever is supplied to the market will meet equal force of demand with sustainability that can only be achieved by involving service quality improvement program. This research paper provides detailed analysis on the various ways through which service quality management can be implemented by other business enterprises.

Background Information

Many business organizations have policies related to quality service provision that leads to business culture that is quality oriented. Such business organizations believe that there is importance in putting quality first before any other attribute of a good business. In the current era, consumers are more concerned about what levels of different ingredients or other components are in the final product they are about to consume. They do this to confirm whether the product meets the standards they expect such that there health will not be compromised in any way. The notion has been 100% healthy consumption. This does not only involve food products alone but also other products such as electronic devices like cell phones among others. The consumption trend has been focusing in the management of human health first before what the product can do (Goetsch & Davis , 2014).

The above trend of consumption that has emerged in the current era has changed the way in which business organizations manage their production. This means that most of them have been able to portray the fundamental importance of service quality management. Therefore, many organization managers are seeking the most appropriate ways through which a service quality management program can be implemented in their business organizations. This is what this research project focuses on to be able to provide various business organizations in different industries a universal solution to this implementation. According to Goetsch & Davis, 2014, formation of processes for successful quality improvement in an enterprise is focused ensuring that there is continuous improvement, proper management plan, satisfaction of customers, proper quality determination means, and organizational support.

The Management Dilemma

Even though there is the determination of the fact that the quality of services is a key determinant of the success of a business organization, there is a reality that many business managers still way quality with resultant costs that will be incurred. Since many business organizations focus on maximization of profit, they tend to fix their way to the top of the management process by avoiding certain requirements that will cost them. This is the beginning of the vulnerability of any business organization in maintaining their pace towards achieving success in a stiff competitive Industry. This research paper focuses on the fact that there is need for different business organizations to prioritize their quality service provision not just to meet the legal standards but also to maintain as well as gain consumer loyalty.

It is important to understand that improvement of service quality is not only a duty for the manager but also equally the duty of their employees. In fact, quality service management should be incorporated as a means of prosperity to be able to understand the evaluation of different components that form a complete business environment. This is to say that quality service management should be an organization’s culture rather than objective or goal. This means that quality of services will start to be considered right from the beginning of a production process to the end of sales. This research will also put focus on the contribution of employees towards achieving a competitive quality service management programs for business organizations. A good example of quality management tool that will be employee oriented is the Shewhart model of quality assurance; PDCA which means Plan, Do, Check, and Act. Ultimately, the research will address the different stages and phases in a company’s quality management system and propose on the best practice to enhance each of these stages (Vasconcellos, 2004).

Research Question

What appropriate quality measures can business organizations put in place to meet their customers’ taste and preferences?

Hypothesis

Null hypothesis: Monitoring of quality standards as well as customers’ taste and preference has no significant influence in quality service improvement.

Alternative hypothesis: Monitoring of quality standards as well as customers’ taste and preference has significant influence in quality service improvement.

Research Design and Sampling Data

From the approach of the hypotheses above, it is clear that this research project focuses on qualitative approach in analyzing and interpreting data. The data acquisition in this case is done through access to diary entries of potential sources as well as conducting of interviews. Therefore the data sourcing here is done from both primary data (interviews) as well as secondary data (diary). Both of these data sources have an integrative advantage to the consolidation of the findings and coming up with an appropriate solution to the research question. Qualitative research is important in this case because instead of being more of a proof of fact oriented like quantitative research, it focuses more on argumentative proof. Argumentative proof provides more reasoning why the null hypothesis will be rejected or fail to be rejected. This makes qualitative approach more important; there is determination and comparison of facts that allows the flow of information non-biased by just providing the final decision.

To be able to compile a reasonable solution of this research project, there is need to analyze the tests of hypotheses statistically. This statistical analysis will relay the development of the various relationships that are brought about among the different parameters. This will justify the final value obtained from the statistical analysis that will confirm whether the comparison between the critical value and the tabulated value of‘t’ in the t-table allows us to pick either null hypothesis or alternative hypothesis. According to Kim, et al, 2012, the Kart’s scale is best suitable for quantifying the response from the study subjects.

Ethical Issues

Privacy and protecting respondents’ right is the most important thing to consider before conducting a field research (Goetsch & Davis , 2014). Since this research study requires both primary and secondary data sources, ethical challenges are inevitable. In the case of obtaining primary data through conducting interviews, there will be need to acquire IRB approval. Another concern is protecting the privacy and confidentiality of the respondents who agree to participate in the interview. There is critical information such as age, name, and working designation among others that has to be kept and never disclosed during and after the survey. This is assured by the researcher just before the actual study begins. A final concern for this research is the fact that selection and involvement of respondents in the study will be done solely based on the willingness and ability of the respondents to take part in the survey and respond to the research questions provided in the interview session.

Secondary Data Plan

In the event, the research would not have managed to cover most of the data collection that is required for the work to kick a secondary data plan would come into use. The data plan would help us to come to conclusions quickly from the data that we would have collected. The plan consists of using data from that has already been used. The information that has been collected by the organization during its yearly review can be used to come up with the same conclusions if interpreted well.

Measurements Scale

They are several measurements scales that are always used in the data analysis and collections. The scales are ordinal, nominal, ratio and interval. With the type of data that we are expecting to collect it would be hard for us to be able to utilize nominal, ratio and interval data type. The kind of measurement scale that would be used in this research would, therefore, be the ordinal scale.

The ordinal scale fits well with the type of data that would be collected. Since we would be collecting data based on the satisfaction of clients. The data would be mostly open-ended and can not be classified as either ratio or interval. The ordinal scale would help in getting the accurate results that we would be looking for giving us the most important answers for data interpretation. It has a higher range of significance, and it does not limit the collection of data since open-ended questions can be used.

Data Analysis.

After collection of data, the data would be analyzed through the use of a statistical software program SPSS. This would help us in coming up with a suitable interpretation of the data. Several statistical tests would be implemented to be thorough and make sure that everything is running smoothly as it is supposed to be.

Pearson correlation and regression are the methods that will be used to work out the data. The correlation would be testing on how the data is related and to what extent with the research topic (Norušis, 2006). It would be a basis for the interpretation of the data. It would be able to identify how the quality of goods and services are related to what happens in the organization, such as unsatisfied and under-motivated employees.

Regression, on the other hand, would help in coming up with meaningful ways to improve the quality of service. It shows variations when different type of variables are changed (Beck, 1995). Thus, we would know what variations we could change to be able to have a variation in the quality of goods and services. We would also be able to know which type of variations are needed. It helps in testing theories in the paper which when applied give out the required results.

To be able to come up with an optimal solution and maximize profits correlation and regression would be the tool at use. Maximizing profits would mean that the operating costs would be minimized. Also, some process and stages would be changed for the better. The management would also be able to know what to do in case of a different situation if it arises in future.

Data representation

After analysis of data, the data must be represented in a way which would be easier to read and comprehend what it means. Data well represented is a data well interpreted. It is a crucial step in every research process. It gives an individual a clue of what is going on. Data representation takes the mind away from the hard work of interpreting data all by itself and figuring out the conclusions.

Data would be represented in the form of graphs and charts that are easy to read and interpret. The graphs and chart would be followed up by the required keys, and different colors and representation would also be used.

Summary

Any business organization has to generate the key concern for the variability and development of quality service management issues. As already outlined above, there are specific ways through which any business organization can implement quality service management programs. This research project focuses on finding ‘universal’ measures through which all business organizations can incorporate to sustain quality service management programs. ISO 9000:2000 is a quality management system that benefits a company in improving the quality of products as well as boost employee performance. This is a basic tool for any company which wishes to develop its quality management system. There is belief that by using this tool (among others suggested in this research paper), a company can adequately examine the different processes and incorporate some of the ISO 9000 approaches to correct the different management and quality challenges.

References

Beck, M. (1995). Data analysis : an introduction. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications.

Goetsch, L. D., & Davis , B. S. (2014). Quality management for organizational excellence. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Kim, Y. D., Kumar, V., & Kumar, U. (2012). Relationship between quality management practices and innovation. Journal of operations management, 30(4), 295-315.

Norušis, M. J. (2006). SPSS 14.0 guide to data analysis. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Vasconcellos, J. (2004). Quality assurance for the food industry: a practical approach. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

RunningHead: SERVICE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT 1

SERVICE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT 6

Service Quality Improvement

Ryan Magana

BUS 642 Business Research Methods & Tools

Ashish Godbole

January 15, 2018

Service Quality Improvement

Introduction

Service quality management plays critical roles in the general management and the overall success of the business organizations. Provision of customer-centered services is at the heart of satisfaction of the business customers which has positive impact on the profitability of the business enterprise. Due to the current dynamics in the market demands, customers’ tastes and preferences form the basis under which the provision of services should be anchored on. In other words, service quality management aims at aligning the organization goals and the satisfaction of the customers in the long-run profitability and sustainability. Therefore, this research paper will discuss how business enterprises can put in place measures that help in the enhancement of quality management systems (Goetsch & Davis , 2014).

Background Information

Quality management is one of the most common organizational philosophy that functions to promote the long-term success and sustainability of an organization as a result of customer satisfaction. This is only possible through the establishment of effective quality management systems as well as processes which are able to continuously improve the quality and economic values of goods and services provided by the business enterprise (Goetsch & Davis , 2014).

Additionally, the quality management also significantly improve customer experience as far as the provision of goods and services are concerned. This is particularly important in maintaining brand loyalty. Similarly, the improvement of customer experience also helps in countering the impact of stiff competition from the rival firms. Normally, the formation of processes for successful quality improvement in an enterprise is focused on: continuous improvement, managerial involvement, customer satisfaction, measurability and recording of quality, and organizational support (Goetsch & Davis , 2014).

The Management Dilemma

The most common form of ethical dilemma facing the management of most business enterprises; is the decision to choose between provision of high quality goods and services and the incurring increased spending on quality improvements. There has been constant challenge resulting from spending more on quality improvement such as liquidity crisis faced by the business organization. In this research paper, a lot of emphasis will be placed on how best practice can be incorporated by managers in quality management to improve the operations of an organization (Goetsch & Davis , 2014).

Furthermore, other than focusing on improved quality of products and services, improvement of products and service must be connected to the input of employees. The research paper will evaluate how employees contribute to the process. An example of quality management tools is the Shewhart model of quality assurance; PDCA which means Plan, Do, Check, and Act. Ultimately, the research will address the different stages and phases in a company’s quality management system and propose on the best practice to enhance each of these stages (Vasconcellos, 2004).

Research Question

1. What management measures should business organizations put in place to improve the quality of goods and services they provide to their customers?

Hypothesis

H0: The creation of management processes and procedures will significantly improve the quality of goods and services provided by the business enterprises to their customers.

H1: The creation of management processes and procedures will not significantly improve the quality of goods and services provided by the business enterprises to their customers

Research Design and Sampling Data

The research used qualitative method approach. This approach is participant friendly thus yields much in terms of research expectations. The research uses of interviews and diary entries. This was helpful in capturing raw data from the customers for purposes of conducting the scientific study research. Additionally, the qualitative approach is most appropriate in gaining of valuable insight into a theory, phenomenon or any other aspects of the research. Using the qualitative study approach will help in gaining useful insights into the quality management systems for improved product or service delivery. Since the qualitative interview is for different groups- employees, organizational managers and customers, sales and administrative employees, a stratified sampling strategy helps in achieving objective results. Testing of the hypotheses will be done thorough statistical approach based on the established relationships between different study parameters. The lie Kart’s scale will be used to quantify the response from the study subjects (Kim, Kumar, & Kumar, 2012).

Ethical Issues

There are ethical challenges or issues associated with conducting research especially in the case of collecting primary data from participants. Firstly, gaining IRB approval is key because respondents will be involved in gathering data. Secondly there is the issue of protecting the privacy and confidentiality of respondents who give primary data for the study. The personal information or details of the research participants, say name, age, work designation and other details cannot be disclosed in the survey. The respondents must be assured a great deal of confidentiality and privacy in the manner in which their data will be handled.

Thirdly, cultural competency is an important element in selecting research participants. Both gender should be equally represented in the study to ensure the gender bias is completely dealt with. Lastly, the selection of the respondents will solely be based on the ability and willingness to respond to the survey questions and not on ethnic backgrounds or culture and therefore this addresses the professional and ethical issues associated with collecting primary data (Goetsch & Davis , 2014).

Summary

ISO 9000:2000 is a quality management system which benefits a company in improving the quality of products as well boost employee performance. This is a basic tool for any company which wishes to develop its quality management system. I believe that by using this tool, a company can adequately examine the different processes and incorporate some of the ISO 9000 approaches to correct the different management and quality challenges.

References

Goetsch, L. D., & Davis , B. S. (2014). Quality management for organizational excellence. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Kim, Y. D., Kumar, V., & Kumar, U. (2012). Relationship between quality management practices and innovation. Journal of operations management, 30(4), 295-315.

Vasconcellos, J. (2004). Quality assurance for the food industry: a practical approach. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

RunningHead: Service Quality Improvement 1

Service Quality Improvement 7

Service Quality Improvement

Ryan Magana

BUS 642 Business Research Methods & Tools

Ashish Godbole

January 22, 2018

Service Quality Improvement

Introduction

There is an important role that service quality improvement plays in the field of business. It provides an opportunity for the management of proper sequence of business activities that ensures free flow of such activities to keep businesses running. Every business organization puts focus in satisfying the demands of their potential customers in different ways with an aim of keeping their loyalty. These different ways are generated by the help of service quality improvement programs that are mostly conducted and managed by the marketing department as well as Public Relations. Therefore, for any business organization, meeting the set objectives and goals, either long-term or short term, has to go hand in hand with business performance that is directly impacted by consumer’s taste and preference. This will ensure that whatever is supplied to the market will meet equal force of demand with sustainability that can only be achieved by involving service quality improvement program. This research paper provides detailed analysis on the various ways through which service quality management can be implemented by other business enterprises.

Background Information

Many business organizations have policies related to quality service provision that leads to business culture that is quality oriented. Such business organizations believe that there is importance in putting quality first before any other attribute of a good business. In the current era, consumers are more concerned about what levels of different ingredients or other components are in the final product they are about to consume. They do this to confirm whether the product meets the standards they expect such that there health will not be compromised in any way. The notion has been 100% healthy consumption. This does not only involve food products alone but also other products such as electronic devices like cell phones among others. The consumption trend has been focusing in the management of human health first before what the product can do (Goetsch & Davis , 2014).

The above trend of consumption that has emerged in the current era has changed the way in which business organizations manage their production. This means that most of them have been able to portray the fundamental importance of service quality management. Therefore, many organization managers are seeking the most appropriate ways through which a service quality management program can be implemented in their business organizations. This is what this research project focuses on to be able to provide various business organizations in different industries a universal solution to this implementation. According to Goetsch & Davis, 2014, formation of processes for successful quality improvement in an enterprise is focused ensuring that there is continuous improvement, proper management plan, satisfaction of customers, proper quality determination means, and organizational support.

The Management Dilemma

Even though there is the determination of the fact that the quality of services is a key determinant of the success of a business organization, there is a reality that many business managers still way quality with resultant costs that will be incurred. Since many business organizations focus on maximization of profit, they tend to fix their way to the top of the management process by avoiding certain requirements that will cost them. This is the beginning of the vulnerability of any business organization in maintaining their pace towards achieving success in a stiff competitive Industry. This research paper focuses on the fact that there is need for different business organizations to prioritize their quality service provision not just to meet the legal standards but also to maintain as well as gain consumer loyalty.

It is important to understand that improvement of service quality is not only a duty for the manager but also equally the duty of their employees. In fact, quality service management should be incorporated as a means of prosperity to be able to understand the evaluation of different components that form a complete business environment. This is to say that quality service management should be an organization’s culture rather than objective or goal. This means that quality of services will start to be considered right from the beginning of a production process to the end of sales. This research will also put focus on the contribution of employees towards achieving a competitive quality service management programs for business organizations. A good example of quality management tool that will be employee oriented is the Shewhart model of quality assurance; PDCA which means Plan, Do, Check, and Act. Ultimately, the research will address the different stages and phases in a company’s quality management system and propose on the best practice to enhance each of these stages (Vasconcellos, 2004).

Research Question

What appropriate quality measures can business organizations put in place to meet their customers’ taste and preferences?

Hypothesis

Null hypothesis: Monitoring of quality standards as well as customers’ taste and preference has no significant influence in quality service improvement.

Alternative hypothesis: Monitoring of quality standards as well as customers’ taste and preference has significant influence in quality service improvement.

Research Design and Sampling Data

From the approach of the hypotheses above, it is clear that this research project focuses on qualitative approach in analyzing and interpreting data. The data acquisition in this case is done through access to diary entries of potential sources as well as conducting of interviews. Therefore the data sourcing here is done from both primary data (interviews) as well as secondary data (diary). Both of these data sources have an integrative advantage to the consolidation of the findings and coming up with an appropriate solution to the research question. Qualitative research is important in this case because instead of being more of a proof of fact oriented like quantitative research, it focuses more on argumentative proof. Argumentative proof provides more reasoning why the null hypothesis will be rejected or fail to be rejected. This makes qualitative approach more important; there is determination and comparison of facts that allows the flow of information non-biased by just providing the final decision.

To be able to compile a reasonable solution of this research project, there is need to analyze the tests of hypotheses statistically. This statistical analysis will relay the development of the various relationships that are brought about among the different parameters. This will justify the final value obtained from the statistical analysis that will confirm whether the comparison between the critical value and the tabulated value of‘t’ in the t-table allows us to pick either null hypothesis or alternative hypothesis. According to Kim, et al, 2012, the Kart’s scale is best suitable for quantifying the response from the study subjects.

Ethical Issues

Privacy and protecting respondents’ right is the most important thing to consider before conducting a field research (Goetsch & Davis , 2014). Since this research study requires both primary and secondary data sources, ethical challenges are inevitable. In the case of obtaining primary data through conducting interviews, there will be need to acquire IRB approval. Another concern is protecting the privacy and confidentiality of the respondents who agree to participate in the interview. There is critical information such as age, name, and working designation among others that has to be kept and never disclosed during and after the survey. This is assured by the researcher just before the actual study begins. A final concern for this research is the fact that selection and involvement of respondents in the study will be done solely based on the willingness and ability of the respondents to take part in the survey and respond to the research questions provided in the interview session.

Summary

Any business organization has to generate the key concern for the variability and development of quality service management issues. As already outlined above, there are specific ways through which any business organization can implement quality service management programs. This research project focuses on finding ‘universal’ measures through which all business organizations can incorporate to sustain quality service management programs. ISO 9000:2000 is a quality management system that benefits a company in improving the quality of products as well as boost employee performance. This is a basic tool for any company which wishes to develop its quality management system. There is belief that by using this tool (among others suggested in this research paper), a company can adequately examine the different processes and incorporate some of the ISO 9000 approaches to correct the different management and quality challenges.

References

Goetsch, L. D., & Davis , B. S. (2014). Quality management for organizational excellence. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Kim, Y. D., Kumar, V., & Kumar, U. (2012). Relationship between quality management practices and innovation. Journal of operations management, 30(4), 295-315.

Vasconcellos, J. (2004). Quality assurance for the food industry: a practical approach. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

Running head: SERVICE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT 1

SERVICE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT 6

Service Quality Improvement

Ryan Magana

BUS 642 Business Research Methods & Tools

Ashish Godbole

January 8, 2018

Introduction

There is little if no doubt on the significance of service quality. Service delivery is continuously. Providing the highest customer service level and high quality products is imperative to compete aggressively and successfully against corporations promoting the same products or services. In the highly competitive markets, customers are continuously expecting excellent products and services from any company. This research paper investigates how a company or business enterprise can adopt and develop processes to enhance quality management systems. The processes in the investigation are cycles used by a company or an enterprise in enhancing its weaknesses and limit the number of risks and errors in the organization’s operations.

Research Question and Hypothesis

What can an organization or business enterprise do to improve the quality of products and services offered to its customers? Primarily, the research question focuses on the quality management systems or processes that can be employed by an organization to improve the quality of services and products offered to the clientele. The focus is not only meeting the expectations of the customers but also increasing market share and keeping up with the competition. What systems should be implemented or adopted to improve quality management?

Hypothesis: By investing in improved quality management systems and processes, the company will not only improve the services and products offered to the customers but also keep up with increasing competition and increase its market share in the fast-paced business environment.

Background Information

Quality management at its core is the enterprise philosophy that advances the ideas that the long –term success and sustainability of an organization comes from customer satisfaction. According to Goetsch and Davis (2014), the cornerstone of a quality organization is an effective system of quality management. Effective quality management systems should be rigorous systems and processes which are able to continuously increase the quality and economic value of products and services.

For any organization, Kim, Kumar and Kumar (2012) stress that quality management systems work to enhance the experience of the customers, which is essential in ensuring that customers are retained and prospects attracted. According to Kim, Kumar and Kumar (2012), the formation of processes for successful quality improvement in an enterprise is focused on: continuous improvement, managerial involvement, customer satisfaction, measurability and recording of quality, and organizational support.

The Management Dilemma

Most managers want their customers to get the best products or services from their organizations. The dilemma is how to improve the quality of products or services offered to their customers and prospects without spending large sums of money or spending a lot of time implementing quality management systems. In this research paper, a lot of focus is put on how best practice can be incorporated by managers in quality management to improve the operations of an organization.

Apart from focusing on improved quality of products and services, improvement of products and service must be connected to the input of employees. The research paper will evaluate how employees contribute to the process. An example of quality management tools is the Shewhart model of quality assurance; PDCA which means Plan, Do, Check, and Act (Konieczka, & Namiesnik, 2016). Ultimately, the research will address the different stages and phases in a company’s quality management system and propose on the best practice to enhance each of these stages.

Research Design and Sampling Data

In conducting the research, qualitative strategy will be used. Primarily, the study will be using qualitative interviews to gather valuable data that will be used both presenting the findings of the study and interpreting the results for an insightful report. The qualitative research strategy is used in the research because it is very useful in gaining insight into a theory, phenomenon or an issue. In this case, using the qualitative study approach will help in gaining useful insights into the quality management systems for improved product or service delivery.

The qualitative research approach helps in building a narrative about a phenomenon or issue, in this case, quality management systems. According to Ritchie, Lewis, Nicholls and Ormston (2013), the qualitative research strategy builds a strong narrative about an issue and helps in understanding the reasons behind the phenomenon being investigated. For data collection, a stratified sample will be used (Ritchie, Lewis, Nicholls and Ormston, 2013). Since the qualitative interview is for different groups- employees, organizational managers and customers, sales and administrative employees, a stratified sampling strategy helps in achieving objective results.

Ethical Issues

There are ethical challenges or issues associated with conducting research especially in the case of collecting primary data from participants. Firstly, gaining IRB approval is key because respondents will be involved in gathering data. Secondly there is the issue of protecting the privacy and confidentiality of respondents who give primary data for the study. The personal information or details of the research participants, say name, age, work designation and other details cannot be disclosed in the survey. The respondents must be assured a great deal of confidentiality and privacy in the manner in which their data will be handled.

Thirdly, cultural competency is an important element in selecting research participants. Both gender should be equally represented in the study to ensure the gender bias is completely dealt with (Ritchie, Lewis, Nicholls and Ormston 2013). Lastly, the selection of the respondents will solely be based on the ability and willingness to respond to the survey questions and not on ethnic backgrounds or culture and therefore this addresses the professional and ethical issues associated with collecting primary data.

Summary

ISO 9000:2000 is a quality management system which benefits a company in improving the quality of products as well boost employee performance (Kim, Kumar, & Kumar, 2012). This is a basic tool for any company which wishes to develop its quality management system. I believe that by using this tool, a company can adequately examine the different processes and incorporate some of the ISO 9000 approaches to correct the different management and quality challenges.

References

Goetsch, D. L., & Davis, S. B. (2014). Quality management for organizational excellence. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Kim, D. Y., Kumar, V., & Kumar, U. (2012). Relationship between quality management practices and innovation. Journal of operations management, 30(4), 295-315.

Konieczka, P., & Namiesnik, J. (2016). Quality assurance and quality control in the analytical chemical laboratory: a practical approach. CRC Press.

Ritchie, J., Lewis, J., Nicholls, C. M., & Ormston, R. (Eds.). (2013). Qualitative research practice: A guide for social science students and researchers. Sage.

Running head: SERVICE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

1

SERVICE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

2

Service Quality Improvement

Ryan Magana

BUS642 Business Research & Tools

Ashish Godbole

December 18, 2017

Service Quality Improvement

Background information

Quality management is considered as an essential aspect of an organization that ensures consistency of services and productions. This research investigates on how an organization can develop and adopt processes to enhance its quality management systems. These processes are cycles that an organization can use to fix some of its shortcomings and reduce the number of errors and risks in the organization’s operations. The formulation of processes and procedure for a successful quality improvement in an organization should consider five significant sectors. They are; continuous improvement, managerial involvement, customer satisfaction, measurability and recording of quality, and organizational support.

The management dilemma

This research addresses how one can incorporate the best practice to improve an organization’s operation and how it relates to its employees and customers. Some of the processes have described by different individuals and institutions, and they have been practically proven to bring positive results towards quality improvement. An example is the Shewhart model of quality assurance; PDCA which means Plan, Do, Check, and Act (Vasconcellos, 2004). Ultimately, the research will address the different stages and phases in a company’s quality management system and propose on the best practice to enhance each of these stages.

Research questions and hypothesis

Research question: How can you improve the quality and service of goods and services provided to consumers?

Hypothesis: By creating processes and procedures it will allow for better over management of the company’s ability to produce or service the customer.

Summary

ISO 9000:2000 is a quality management system which benefits a company in improving the quality of products as well boost employee performance (Evans, & Lindsay, 2008). This is a basic tool for any company which wishes to develop its quality management system. I believe that by using this tool, a company can adequately examine the different processes and incorporate some of the ISO 9000 approaches to correct the different management and quality challenges.

References

Evans, J. & Lindsay, W. (2008). Managing for quality and performance excellence. Mason, OH: Thomson/South-Western.

Vasconcellos, J. (2004). Quality assurance for the food industry: a practical approach. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

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