Competing on Quality and Environment

Citation

Kuei, C. (2003), "Competing on Quality and Environment", International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, Vol. 20 No. 8, pp. 980-990. https://doi.org/10.1108/02656710310493670

Madu, an eminent academic and quality practitioner, approaches the problem of quality management from both the traditional high quality and the environmental quality perspectives. His thoughts have now been collected in one volume, “Competing on Quality and Environment.”

This book adopts a much broader view of quality and quality management. For example, Madu argues fervently that quality is a reflection of the overall performance of an organization, which includes products, integrity, social responsibility, and environmental quality. With regards to meeting challenges in the growing e‐economy, e‐quality is introduced. Dimensions of e‐quality include performance, features, structure, aesthetics, reliability, storage capability, serviceability, security, responsiveness, customization, assurance, empathy, and system integrity. The evolution of both quality and environmental quality management and how both contribute to making high quality and achieving long‐term success are also emphasized. Quality and environmental standards such as ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 series are fully reviewed and discussed. This book adds to the body of knowledge by providing a better introduction on how to use renewable resources and adopt strategies such as inverse manufacturing, reverse logistics, and environmentally conscious manufacturing to minimize environmental burden. Strategic environmental management is also discussed from a society‐wide, managerial point of view. A system transformation process, based on the cycle of plan‐do‐check‐act, is also proposed to facilitate system‐wide changes. The ultimate success of environmental quality management is when stakeholders learn the ethos of environmental quality and learn to practice environmental quality at everything they do. This book broadens and amplifies traditional quality approaches through insightful discussions on the quality of technology and structure foundations. These requirements for effective quality and environmental quality management are reflected in Madu's discussions on issues such as enterprise resource planning (ERP), supply chain management (SCM), and quality management in the new economy. As noted by Madu, resources can be conserved through ERP applications because of reduced costs to customers through paperless services and the timely use of accurate information. SCM, if properly implemented, will meet the needs of customers correctly and rapidly. This book also emphasizes the basic tools. In this area, Madu adopts a more holistic view of product and process developments. Quality function deployment (QFD), for example, is used in the book to provide a better understanding of how to convert customer requirements into specific operational standards. Statistical approaches such as acceptance sampling and control charts are also stressed to ensure the process capability and product quality. Customers and societies are thus listened to in a more proactive way, responded to with adequate initiatives, and satisfied with the least environmental burden. This book adopts a totality perspective toward quality. An organization's quality is therefore measured by its performance on the following critical dimensions – resource conservation, protection of the environment, and creation of value to the customer. Practicing managers and every member of the organization need to cooperate in these three critical areas with an emphasis on operational excellence and environmental quality. This book also focuses on the influences of globalization, Internet, manufacturing strategies (agile, lean and flow manufacturing), environmentally conscious manufacturing, and social responsibility functions. Top management needs to know how that have affected the operating environments of organizations and helped to shape the future of the environment. Business executives need to ensure conditions that encourage operational excellence and environmental quality.

Madu concluded that there is a need for a firm to lay emphasis on quality and environment to achieve competitiveness. Organizations exist to meet such a need and fulfill such a mission. All in all, the purpose of this book is to extend and enrich further our knowledge of quality and quality management. Through this review, it has become clear to me that Madu achieved a major feat again. It is not an easy feat to accomplish given the complexity of issues. This book can help establish the conceptual as well as the operational bases for quality management in the growing digital age. Any member of the organization who takes the responsibility for ensuring product quality, operational efficiency, and environmental quality should read this book to form a conceptual basis and develop more efficient means to deliver high quality and environment‐friendly products on time and at reasonable costs to customers and societies.