Other Methodological Approaches

Abstract

Over the years, several definitions of quality have been proposed and the concept of quality has been radically evolved (Reeves and Bednar, 1994). Most of the early studies were developed in the context of manufacturing firms and quality was essentially defined as conformance to specifications (Muffatto and Panizzolo, 1995). The early efforts for measuring and analyzing quality in a business environment were focused on the inspection of tangible attributes and characteristics of the product, using statistical/process quality control techniques. The study of employee attitude, the development of motivation theories and techniques, and the research of human behavior (employees or customers) were developed in parallel, but independently from the product control process. In addition, marketing research, new product development methodologies, and customer service approaches were developed without any direct relation with the quality processes within business organizations.