Does Chinese Quality Control Meet The Global Management Challenge

Abstract

China is not famous for its own school of management, or for having a process of continuous improvement, customer satisfaction, or quality circles.  Yet China has been one of the fastest growing economies in the world, hovering around ten percent in real terms, per year, for the last two decades. The challenge for the future is likely to be the extent to which Chinese operations can utilize modern management techniques to improve product and service quality in an increasingly global market.This paper explores some of the conceptual or theoretical problems that are affecting the management of quality within business organizations and private enterprises.  The paper argues that the sole provision of high technology and new machinery is not sufficient in itself to ensure the maintenance of quality standards.  What matters more and more in the new global economy is managing information, knowledge, inventions and total quality management, (TQM). These ingredients have to be coupled with continuous quality improvement and entrepreneurial innovation. Quality management in the West has become synonymous with increased employee involvement, total customer satisfaction and developing customer-oriented cultures.