Background of the Research
This research is a critical assessment of how total quality management (TQM) impacts staff productivity. The research is based on Walmart US from 2010 to 2020. The main prompt is how TQM can have an outcome when conducted by using various measures to eliminate errors in doing work. By reading the paper, the audience will understand key concepts such as gaining a competitive advantage and profitability for companies that engage in TQM (Dirhamsyah, 2021). Walmart US is a company in the United States that is indulged in the retail and wholesale business in almost all areas.
The firm operates as a merchandiser for fast-moving products in the market. Many works of literature have been done concerning the impact of TQM on quality and customer satisfaction. This research seeks to fill the gap left by many scholars about the direct link between TQM and its impact on employee performance, targeting Walmart US. Comprehensive total quality management at Walmart US impacted exemplary employee productivity due to the advanced metrics to guide business operations and other processes.
Problem Statement/Rationale
The problem that is being addressed in this research is waste. There has been massive disposal of materials at the end of their use, making it hard to have a circular economy. Walmart US has been affected by the waste issues, and there is a need to research how the problem can be combatted by achieving zero waste in its operations in the US. The key area of concern that has necessitated the problem is packaging habits, the lack of design for recyclability, and poor waste reduction system.
Research Aim and Objectives
The first objective is to examine the concept of TQM concerning Walmart’s US waste management. This means that the company must work tirelessly by using relevant frameworks that can help eliminate non-recyclable packaging. The other objective is to determine the importance of employee productivity in a company. This aims at revealing the importance of being eco-sensitive by enlightening all the stakeholders about the importance of the initiative. This aims at knowledge on maximum employee productivity by establishing relevant measures that can be followed to suitably reach the company’s goals. These objectives will be achieved by clearly defining the metrics to follow concerning the problem being addressed. Thus, reviewing other literature about the possible way concerning waste management is important in this case.
Literature Review: How TQM Impacts Employee Productivity
It is important to examine and analyze other authors’ written concerning the TQM perspective. By keenly reviewing the literature, it is easy to establish the concept of TQM and its impact on employee productivity. At this point, there needs to be a concise guideline about how Walmart US can reduce waste during the sales and other business operations (Shafiq, Lasrado, and Hafeez, 2017). This means there will be ideas that call for the institutionalization of change in the firm’s operations. Employee productivity can be determined significantly by the quality of management that a company invests in, eliminating stumbling blocks on the success of their business in society.
The concept of TQM
As indicated in the research background, TQM is a framework that assists in gaining productivity through quality operations that result in improved performance. The main goal for Walmart US, in this case, is to reduce waste. This objective determines employees’ productivity and can be leveraged by applying TQM. Between 2010 and 2020, Walmart US has been undertaking proper quality management on waste by reviewing ways the consumables can be packaged without probing environmental damage (Walmart, 2022). By 2020, the company had diverted more than 81% of the unsold items, packaging, and other products from burning and landfill globally (Walmart, 2022). By keenly evaluating this matter, a reader understands that the move was to eliminate processes that contribute to environmental distortion.
Through the TQM, the company commenced labeling all its packed products with recycling instructions. The key aim was to ensure there is efficacy in production lines, whereby employees learn alternative ways of developing eco-friendly products (Walmart, 2022). Employee productivity is impacted in several ways, such as advanced technology while engaging in sales and packaging (Mushtaq and Peng, 2020). Also, the productivity is boosted by establishing an expertise line in the working grounds which can be useful in maintaining the company’s reputation hence, profitability.
Addressing the waste issue in Walmart US is important because it will develop ways in which materials will not be incinerated or put in a landfill. That can be achieved by committing to 100% recycling, reusability, and industrially compostable means of packaging (Walmart, 2022). If the problem is addressed properly, there will be low chances of waste, which means pollution will be minimized, creating an eco-friendly environment. At this point, the conservative nature of the processes at Walmart US will promote the company’s values on social responsibility, accountability, and ethical consumption (Shafiq, Lasrado, and Hafeez, 2017). Thus, this research will help the company be a socially responsible organization in terms of protecting fauna and flora.
The Importance of Employee’s Productivity
Employee productivity is important for any company indulging in a competitive business. There is fulfillment when employees are productive since they can be purposeful in the company (Dirhamsyah, 2021). Additionally, high levels of employee productivity usually translate into improved customer service. In the case of Walmart US, having a productive worker means that consumers will get a first-class experience when shopping at the company, which they will return hence, creating customer loyalty. Also, employee productivity determines the company’s culture. For example, if Walmart US has a comprehensive plan for reducing waste in the operations, employees will be innovative in ways that can supplement the initiative (Dirhamsyah, 2021). Thus, from the above points, it is true to say that employee productivity shapes a company’s values in the area of operation.
Protection Motivation Theory on Sustainable Waste Management
Protection motivation theory (PMT) advocates for sustainable waste management habits. The behaviors include waste avoidance, green purchasing, reuse, recycling, and waste disposal formulas (Janmaimool, 2017). The theory explains that it is important for human beings to reduce environmental damage by preventing pollution from wastage. This theory justifies that if there is correct utilization of sustainable waste management, the perceived threats to environmental contamination can be lowered significantly (Janmaimool, 2017). Walmart US has been on its toes to ensure sustainable waste management through plastic and food waste prevention.
The company has applied PMT to avoid food waste by increasing the sell-through of food items. Through the TQM, the company established an improved inventory flow to boost product turnover (Shafiq, Lasrado, and Hafeez, 2017). That has led to enhanced distribution before the expiration date, reducing food waste by 57 million units in 2019 (Walmart, 2022). Therefore, the theoretical perspective has enabled productivity through increased chances of improving the products to customers.
Methods of Analysis
Data will be collected using self-completion questionnaires (SCQs) and semi-structured interviews (SSI). The research will gather both qualitative and quantitative data with the help of questions that will be administered to respondents (Dennis et al., 2019). The people involved will answer questions to themselves. There should be both open and closed questions about Walmart’s effort to combat wastage through its SQM perspective between 2010 and 2020. SSIs will gain the respondent’s perspectives on how SQM determines employee productivity by referring to the issue of waste in Walmart US (Dennis et al., 2019). Questions adaptive to the interviewee can be asked in a more relevant way to capture the details, presenting reliable information in this research.
Data will be grouped into clusters for analysis before presenting the results for review and publication. The use of cluster samples is important since it gives determined feedback with evenly distributed responses from different people with vast diversity in terms of expertise and other demographics (Dennis et al., 2019). Clusters will pick a response from all respondents but retain the most relevant from different genders and levels of experience on the subject matter. The samples will be compared to get similar feedback that answers the problem being addressed. The results should make a reader understand how employee productivity can be determined by SQM perspectives (Dennis et al., 2019). The study will be based on the problem of waste at Walmart US; hence, the research is likely to provide answers to the subject being covered.
Reference List
Dennis, S., Yim, H., Garrett, P., Sreekumar, V. and Stone, B. (2019) “A system for collecting and analyzing experience-sampling data”, Behavior Research Methods, 51(4), pp.1824-1838.
Dirhamsyah, S. (2021) “The influence of work environment and leadership style on employee productivity”, International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Analysis, 04(02), pp.11-12.
Janmaimool, P. (2017) “Application of protection motivation theory to investigate sustainable waste management behaviors”, Sustainability, 9(7), p.1079.
Mushtaq, N. and Peng, W. (2020) “Can TQM act as stimulus to elevate firms’ innovation performance? Empirical evidence from the manufacturing sector of Pakistan”, SAGE Open, 10(4), pp.21-58.
Shafiq, M., Lasrado, F. and Hafeez, K. (2017) “The effect of TQM on organizational performance: empirical evidence from the textile sector of a developing country using SEM”, Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 30(1-2), pp.31-52.
Walmart (2022) Plastic and food waste. (online). Web.