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Unit 32: Quality Management in Business - QCF level 5
Credit value: 15 credits
Unit Aim
The aim of this unit is to enable learners to understand the concept of quality and quality management and define it in the context of business and service operations.
Unit abstract
Quality has a wide range of meanings and is a term that can be used in a variety of contexts, as a result it is hard to define. ‘Total Quality Management’ seeks to ensure that all processes relating to the production of goods and services are of the highest quality. Quality control is concerned with maintaining quality standards by monitoring and taking action when quality falls below those standards. ‘Quality assurance‘ is a term used where a supplier guarantees the quality of goods and allows the customer access during the production period.
Customer satisfaction is at the heart of quality management, but this, in itself, implies a different concept of quality. Customers are becoming more sophisticated and more demanding, requiring superior performance from goods or services and quicker responses from suppliers. Quality has been defined as ‘fitness for purpose‘ but needs to be aimed at the needs of the consumer, driven by what the consumer wants and will pay for.
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this unit a learner will:
1 Understand the different approaches to quality management appropriate to commercial operations
2 Understand the benefits of quality management in a business and services context
3 Understand a range of quality controls and how service to the customer can be improved
4 Be able to apply the principles of quality management to improve the performance of an organisation.
