Service Management: An Integrated Approach to Supply Chain Management and Operations

12. Service Quality and Continuous Improvement

12.1. Introduction

Quality has been one of the most talked about topics in the business world during the 1980s and 1990s. There is, of course, good reason for this. During the late 1970s and 1980s many large U.S. corporations were affected; some were virtually devastated by competition from foreign companies. Japanese firms, for example, increased their U.S. market share in practically every industry they entered, while consumer confidence in goods produced by American companies diminished. Loss of customers led to loss of profits for many American companies and loss of jobs for many of their employees, and hardship for their families. Japanese companies achieved this success in the United States, ...