Quality and economic theory. In this first chapter the problem of quality is considered from the economic theory point of view and the intention of the chapter is to provide students with the theoretical connection between the concept of quality and its economic origin.
History and evolution in the meaning of quality: the chapter furnishes a brief survey about the historical evolution of the concept of quality, starting just before the industrializing process, throughout the market changing, toward the role of the “pioneers of quality” and the appearance of the Company Wide Quality Control in Japan. The aim of the chapter is to help the students to place the quality concept and its evolution inside a correct geographical and historical location.
Total Quality Management, principles and tools: in this chapter the principles of the Total Quality Management are examined and some technical tools are considered. The goal is to give the students the basis to recognize quality and its related instruments as a strategic method to manage both the particular company processes and the organization as a whole.
The way to excellence - the self-assessment approach. The chapter considers some models that implement the concept of excellence in their principles. The aim of this section is to give students a valid suggestion about the developments forward the quality question, with particular attention towards the European context. Focus and case studies are dealt with along with theoretical aspects. The purpose is to allow students to better value what has been experienced before by studying some typical models and some practical cases.
