Introduction
According to Larry English, the principles and strategies for information quality management have been in existence for decades. Any quality management process begins and ends with the consumers.
It starts with understanding consumers’ needs for the product, initiating quality parameters to attain them and culminates with assessing whether consumers’ requirements are attained (English, 2004). I will discuss how quality management systems are used to improve the quality of a product/service and satisfy customer needs.
I will evaluate how the Toyota Motor Corporation has employed quality management systems to improve the quality of their Corolla products. I will also talk about how the Australian Airline use its modern mobile messaging system to provide quality services to passengers at affordable prices.
Quality management system used by Toyota Motor Corporation
The Toyota Motor Corporation is the biggest car producer in Japan. It has been the largest automobile producer in the world since 2004 (Leney, 2004). Since 1999, Toyota has made aggressive marketing campaigns to encroach into the European Market (Bodevin 2010). The company hired European designers to develop cars that matched the needs customers from Europe (Vries 2001). Toyota also aimed to expand its production capacity in Europe.
For example, it launched two new manufacturing plants in 2004: the Polish plant for manufacturing manual transmissions for Avensis, Corolla and Yaris; and the Valenciennes plant in France for producing Yaris. In 2002, the company set up Toyota Motor Manufacturing Turkey, to produce Corolla sedans for export purposes (Prebil 2010).
Toyota Corolla has many competitive advantages when compared to other automobile competitors. For example, the 1998 Corolla model offered superior power with admirable economy, a comfy interior and reliability. The current model is evolutionary, fixing shortfalls without reducing Corolla’s strengths.
For instance, it is now easier to handle Corolla S than the previous Corolla LE model because it offers a well-cushioned ride. The poor air condition system has been enhanced especially in the 2004 models compared to the 2003 generations.
The interior space has been enlarged to accommodate five passengers comfortably. In addition, the current model has a superior acceleration with an automatic transmission. The gas mileage is also very efficient (about 38 for highway and 29 when driving in the city). Even the small irritations seen in previous Corolla have been rectified.
For instance, the fragile-feeling door handles have been swapped with pull and it opens handles to enable people with gloves or bigger hands open the door easily. Moreover, the exterior of the Corolla S model has been upgraded with a European-bulbous appearance. The back has smart tail-lights with assimilated amber turn indicators for safety (Zatz, 2008)
The S model has a superior rpm range when compared to other competitors. The model has an efficiently-designed pedal-to-fuel curve that makes Corolla stronger even in city traffic.
In addition, the engine is not extremely noisy under hard acceleration. Generally, the S model is easier to handle than other cars. Majority of drivers will discover that Corolla S will swiftly attend to their needs. The S model feels lively and fast even if the tires appear to complain under stress (Zatz, 2008).
Quality management system in Australian airline
Quality management system is a combination of work ethics and practices for enhancing passenger safety and upgrading boarding services in aviation industry (Smith, 2002). For example, Australian airline has upgraded its mobile messaging system to provide quality services at affordable prices (Mulholland, 2005).
The airline has launched an SMS-based boarding pass and also installed novel self-service check-in reception desks at airports to provide customers with an efficient and swift check-in services. Under this new system, all passengers receive their flight pass via email or text messages.
For those passengers who do not have check-in luggage, they immediately board the plane using the pass sent to them through email or SMS. Passengers are also allowed to select their preferred seats at the check-in reception desk. The entire process takes about 13 seconds for each passenger, compared to the previous process which took over 60 seconds (Milojkovic, 2011).
The major aspect of this messaging system is the novel scanning technology that scrutinizes the text message conveyed to a passenger’s cell phone via the boarding code SMS platform. The new mobile messaging system is able to analyze a message transmitted to any type of cell phone, including smartphones.
This represents a major technological advancement that has enabled Australian airline to issue boarding passes for all passengers. As a result, the airline recorded over 9% increase in the volume of passengers who used this service (Smith, 2002).
It is worth to note that both Toyota Motor Corporation and Australian airline have integrated quality management systems in their operations to improve the quality of their products and services respectively. These efforts mirror David Garvin’s eight dimensions of quality which he observes that consumers have diverse opinions on quality compared to that of a producer.
Garvin defines quality in relation to costs and prices. He states that a quality product (service) is one that offers performance, reliability and serviceability at an affordable price (Das 2007).
As noted above, safety management systems play crucial role in any airline operations. Experience has revealed that quality management systems enhance productivity of any organization. Given the current economic status and stiff competition in the global market, it is paramount that top-level management and employees play active roles in implementing quality management systems to provide superior products/services to meet customer needs.
Reference
Bodevin, L. 2010, ‘While Detroit Slept: Toyota Invaded the American Car Market’. Web.
Das, S. 2007, ‘Quest for Quality: Thoughts, Ideas, Concepts, Views on Quality and Process Improvement in the Information technology’. Web.
English, L. 2004, putting Quality Process in Place to Exploit Technology. DataFlux Corporation, Cary, NC.
Leney, A. 2004, ‘Vehicle Recycling on South Tawara’. Web.
Milojkovic, D. 2011, ‘Australian airline introduces SMS boarding passes’. Web.
Mulholland, K. 2005, ‘Aerospace Standard’. Web.
Prebil, S. 2010, ‘The international expansion of a company into a foreign market’. Web.
Smith, M. 2002, ‘Safety Management Systems: What’s in it for you’. Web.
Vries, W. 2001, ‘Performance, quality, Management’. Web.
Zatz, D. 2008, ‘Introduction: 2004 Toyota Corolla Reviews’. Web.