ISSN 1753-9439 Paper 6 Vol 1 No 1 Pages 163 – 179
'Quality Management' Tools & Techniques: Profiling SME use & Customer Expectations
The last decade of the 20th Century witnessed a wide variety of changes associated with two key issues: technology-based innovation and the growth of global commerce. This paper investigates the use by SME's of the tools and techniques of quality improvement, and considers the importance given by larger organizations within the SME's supply chain of the importance of the use of those tools / techniques. Innovations like the Internet and the worldwide web have enabled greater connectivity and expanded decision support while reducing the traditional barriers to operating a business in multiple locations.
Key Words: SME, Quality Improvement, Tools /Techniques of Quality, Supply Chain