Quality management practices in Hong Kong industries: A comparison between electronics and toys manufacturing industries

In order to maintain competitiveness in a global market, more Hong Kong manufacturers are continuing the pursuit of quality management after being certified to ISO 9000. They strive for other quality management practices/approaches for continuous improvement such as the total quality management (TQM). Successful implementation of the TQM generates impressive performance measures such as improved product quality, increased productivity, improved cycle time, increased customer satisfaction, improved supplier performance, stronger employee relations, and increased return on investment and market share, etc. In view of this demand, organizations need to understand and study the important issues that incorporate them in successfully implementing the TQM‐based quality systems. A survey with questions associated with the seven core elements of strategic quality management identified by Tummala et al. was conducted in 2001 in order to investigate the current quality management practices towards the implementation of TQM in Hong Kong electronics and toys products manufacturing industries. The results of the survey from both industries are compared and the key findings are summarized in this paper.