Listed below are some organizations that sponsor awards for firms that improve quality:
1. National Quality Institute (Canada)
2. European Foundation for Quality Management
3. The W. Edwards Deming Institute (Japan)
Required
Search the Internet and learn what aspects of quality these international quality organizations emphasize. Select a company from each source that has received an award two to three years prior to the current year. Write a three- to five-page memo that compares and contrasts the experiences of the companies, where-if possible- one of the three is a service company. Include in your discussion the ways in which the companies defined quality. Also, describe how quality was measured, if at all.
Were benefits of improving quality mentioned? What were they? Was there any mention of quality costs? Finally, conduct a library and/or Internet search to see if there is anything written that describes how each company is doing now. As part of this analysis, determine if the quality achievements have been maintained or not, and assess whether quality continues to be emphasized.