Quality is often associated with expense. We expect to pay more for a gold-nibbed fountain pen, for example, than a regular pall-point pen. A five star hotel is considerably more expensive than a private guesthouse. Even comparing like with like, consumers are often willing to pay for better quality. What pleases a customer most, however, is superior quality for the same amount of money, or even better, for less money. Although some products and services …showed first 75 words of 1049 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1049 total…the competition. If customer satisfaction is maintained, competitors are irrelevant. Continuous improvement is a cycle that begins by managers identifying the objectives. Stage two is experimental in which tests are made or the change is implemented in a small scale. The results are then studied and analyzed using quality control charts. What is learned? What can be predicted? If the cycle is repeated, it is a sure sign that the organization is committed to quality.