[Identifying Best Quality Management Practices for Achieving Quality and Innovation Performance]

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ABSTRACT

Best quality management (QM) practices supports production efficiency and quality. It is also core to competitive advantage; however, there is concern that QM's inherent structure does not support a company's innovative capabilities well. This study is very effective to identify the best quality management practices for achieving quality and innovation performance. The main aim of the research is to explain the conception and application of quality management in Cadbury plc research identifies different ways for achieving quality and innovation performance in Cadbury plc the next section of the research discusses the best quality management practices for achieving quality and innovation performance in Cadbury plc. A stratified sampling technique was used to obtain data from different sizes of UK chocolate companies the survey questionnaire is distributed in Cadbury Plc. Questionnaires is e-mailed to the people in UK chocolate company for a period of a month, and data from the first 50 respondents is selected. Finally, research concludes that all QM practices are interrelated with each other, influencing innovation directly or indirectly.

Contents

ABSTRACTII

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Background of the study:1

Problem Statement:2

Research Aims and Objectives:2

Significance of the Study:3

Rationale:3

Research Question:3

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW5

Innovation:5

Developing and maintaining Competitive Advantage:6

TQM and Competitive Advantage:7

Product versus process innovation:8

Characteristics of Innovation:9

Professional Practice and enterprise:11

Product Innovation and Service:12

Impacts of QM practices on innovation:12

Role of Leadership Management in Assurance of Quality Measures:14

Effective Management Decisions:15

CHAPTER 3: AIMS AND METHODOLOGY17

Aim:17

Research Design:17

Questionnaire Survey:18

Sample:18

Reliability:19

Research Validity:19

Ethical Considerations:20

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS21

Survey Analysis:21

Question 01:21

Question 02:23

Question 03:24

Question 04:26

Question 05:28

Question 07:34

Descriptive Analysis37

CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS39

Research Question 01:39

Research Question 0243

Research Question 0345

Case study analysis of Cadbury PLC48

PESTLE Analysis48

Technological Environment49

Social Environment50

Political Environment50

Legal Environment51

Economic Environment51

Internal Analysis54

SWOT Analysis55

Strength56

Weakness57

Opportunities57

Threats57

CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION59

Implication of Strategies60

Recommendations62

REFERENCES63

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Background of the study:

The importance of Quality Management is of high importance for any organisation. There are lots of challenges for the Program Manager to implement the Quality Management system within an organisation.

First of all, it is vital to define the concept of Quality; quality is defined as the best possible measure of a product in terms of its performance and reliability. The overall efforts by all the employees, needs to achieve the requirements of quality. It is the main task for the Quality Assurance Department, their role is to ensure that customer requirements have been identified and fulfilled in a satisfactory manner. In 2002, Benner (2002, p.676) did a comprehensive review of innovation literature, and found that innovation, as a process has not been researched well. Their work shows that the innovation process is made up of multiple stages surrounding the generation and development of ideas. The process is influenced by the ideas themselves, how they were created, where the ideas came from, how the ideas are sponsored, and how they are driven through the organisation. For example, one of the descriptors is the origination of innovation; innovative ideas occur at an individual, team or organisation level. Personal and team ideas may often help internal customers or a single customer, but most product and service changes come from an organisational ...