Regardless of the organizations type some form of quality management is in effect. "At the end of the 20th century, changes in demographic patterns and employee expectations, shifts in societal demands, increased competition and fiscal constraints, and the requirements of adopting new technologies have made many traditional business practices obsolete." (Andrel, 1994) Focus was shifted principles of quality to help increase customer and employees satisfaction, reduce cost, and improve productivity. Three selected business types to be compared are the not for profit, manufacturing, and governmental, and how total quality management (TQM) effects each. The American Red Cross will be used as the example of the not for profit organization, Bridgestone will represent the manufacturing, and public transportation represent the governmental agency.
BridgestoneAmerican Red CrossPublic TransportationContinuous improvementXXXEmployee empowermentXXSound planningXXXSensitivity to benchmarkingXProductivity, cost reduction, profitability enhancementsXXxStrong LeadershipXXXPublic transportation like business in the privet sector has the goal of maximize revenues while providing a safe, clean, and reliable service while managing cost.
Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross
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"French mutilé before being fitted with a mask by...Some ways of doing this have been improving vehicle maintenance to increase service reliability, modifying bus schedules to increase on-time performance, improved communications, and marketing to increase customer satisfaction. To help accomplish this public transit system must first put the customer first, a principal that is the basis for all quality management programs. While public transporting is a service provided by governments, there is still competition against privet sector transportation services such as taxi's, and trains.
By using market research transportation agencies can determine who is the target customer, customer expectations and perceptions, and competitive alternatives. This will help to answer the question "What do our customers really want to achieve when purchasing our service?" In many cities public transportation authorities have added bicycle racks to the front of the busses for the continence of those riders who...