Total Quality Management Analysis

Most companies, no matter what sector they fall under, have an obligation to provide the best product and service to their customers as possible. Whether the company is a non-profit organization, a manufacturer that specializes in a specific product or products, or a company that specializes in serving people, the customer must be the prime focus in order for the company to succeed.

This paper will examine three companies from three different sectors of industry; service, non-profit, and manufacturing. The Marriott Hotel Corporation, LC Industries, and the Bubel/Aiken Foundation will all be discussed, each looking at whether or not quality is customer driven and how leadership plays a role in quality.

Bubel Aiken Foundation

The Bubel Aiken foundation is a non-profit organization that helps mainstream special needs children in to normal activities with non special needs children. Primarily this is done in schools and summer camps, and the goal is to get these children to be able to interact easily with normal children.

The Bubel/Aiken foundation was created in 2003 by Clay Aiken, runner up on season two of American Idol, and Diane Bubel, mother of then 13 year old autistic Mike Bubel. Clay worked with Mike when Clay was pursuing a career in special education. (2008)

The Bubel/Aiken foundation operates fundraisers throughout the year to raise money, and the service of the volunteers could be a determining factor in the amount of the donation the customer gives; therefore service is crucial to reaching the goals the foundation has set forth.

One of the most popular services offered by the Bubel/Aiken Foundation is called wrapping for inclusion. The event, which takes places in the months prior to Christmas, offers gift wrapping services in exchange for a donation to the foundation. Wrapping sites are normally located next to larger shopping malls to receive the most traffic. Wrappers consist of volunteers only, so the employees must be truly dedicated to the cause, or it is likely they will not put in their best efforts.

Bubel/Aiken strives for the best quality from its volunteers; such as in service to customers and quality of the wrapping itself, as customer donations are what keep the foundation and its mission alive. Strong leadership is very important, especially in managing volunteers who can come and go as they please and do not have to make a formal commitment. The volunteers working during wrapping for inclusion, including the leadership team, all worked extremely hard and showed endless care and dedication to the cause.

The most important "customers" of the Bubel/Aiken Foundation are the children the foundation provides for. One of the programs most recently expanded is the "Lets All Play" program. "For the summer camp season of 2008, TBAF seeks to support 100 recreational programs in implementing inclusive camps by providing a program model, funding, and training. Programs will participate in a grant process to receive funding. TBAF is looking for quality programs like the ones they have worked with to develop the Let's ALL Play model." (2007)

Marriott

Marriott is one of the largest and most well known hotel chains, as well as the one with the reputation for the highest and most consistent quality. Marriott has an extensive and formalized Total Quality Management training program geared towards offering the highest levels of customer service to its guests.

Every area of the hotel requires quality that is customer driven. The hotel industry is a service industry, so the number one focus is making the customer happy. When customers are satisfied, they will share their experiences with others, but customers are even more likely to share their experiences if they are dissatisfied. This alone makes it crucial to provide the best service possible, as the reputation of the hotel and of the brand is at stake, otherwise. Total Quality Management is the best way to insure customer satisfaction.

The two areas of the hotel that will be criticized the most by guests are the rooms and the check in experience. The front desk clerk is, most likely, the first real contact the guest will have with the hotel and the first impression made. As the saying goes, "you never get a second change to make a first impression" and this is very true of any service industry. If the front desk clerk is friendly and accommodating, this will set the stage for the rest of the experience and give the guest something positive to look forward to. However, if the check in experience is negative, starting with a long wait time, an unfriendly front desk associate, or a price concern, this could very well give the guest a negative impression that will last throughout their stay at the hotel.

Almost anything in a hotel can be forgiven as long as the room is clean. If a guest walks in to a room to find a hair in the bed (or something worse), a dirty desk, or sticky carpet, the likelihood of the guest staying at all, much less having a good experience is slim. Excellent housekeeping services are a must when speaking of quality in a hotel. Marriott has always been one of the most consistent brands when it comes to cleanliness, and its reputation reflects this.

Marriott provides extensive training to managers upon hire, as leadership is crucial to providing quality. Managers are sent, within the first few months of hire, to a week-long training program where they are taught the best way to provide service to customers, and in turn to teach the staff of the hotel how to do the same.

LC Industries

LC Industries, located in Durham, North Carolina, is a manufacturer of all different types of products ranging from silverware to mattresses. The company is also one of the leading employers in the country of people with visual impairments. With such a base of compassion for providing jobs to the blind, it would stand to reason that LC Industries would have a strong focus on customer service. Currently the company provides products and services with a concentration on military bases. "Today LC Industries operates 28 base supply locations throughout the United States providing customers purchasing options of more than 650,000 items, allowing for a true one stop shopping experience that includes office supplies, technology, furniture, cleaning supplies and tactical gear." (2008)

Quality is of extreme importance, especially with so many of LC Industry's customer base being military, because the resources for many military bases are limited, not to mention limitations in time. However, it is more the employee that defines quality than the customer. As an industry leader in providing jobs to the blind, LC Industries must have extensive and detailed training programs to help employees in learning policies and procedures that may not come so easily to them. There is a level of pride and dedication that might easily be lacking in some who do not face such daily challenges. Additionally, leadership is crucial in quality, as mangers must have a higher level of patience and understanding in training many of the employees, as it could prove to be difficult to perform certain tasks.

LC Industries provides an excellent work environment which offers employees training, mentoring, coaching and counseling, and rewards programs, all of which give the employee a sense of belonging and accomplishment which is in turn passed on to the customer in the product they receive and the service given.

Bubel/Aiken Foundation

Marriott

LC Industries

Quality Certifications

?

Yes

?

TQM type of training

Yes

Yes

Yes

Customer Driven Quality

Yes

Yes

No

Leadership relationship to quality

Yes

Yes

Yes

As the information in this paper indicates, regardless of the type of company, customer service is always crucial to success, and the only way to provide good customer service is by incorporating quality in to every day operations. Whether the company is manufacturing a product, providing a service, or helping people to achieve a better quality of life, quality is key to success. Each of the company's discussed operates very differently from the next and provides a very different service; however what each has in common is a strong focus on using quality to provide the best service possible.

References

(2007) The Bubel/Aiken Foundation Excited about Expansion of Let's ALL Play Program

New Product Releases, American Camp Association. Retrieved on August 3^rd

From http://www.acacamps.org/vendors/product070814.php

(2008) LC Industries Retrieved on August 2^nd from http://www.buylci.com/index.htm

(2008) Marriott Hotels Corporation Retrieved on August 2^nd from

http://www.marriott.com