MANAGEMENT PERCEPTION OF THE LINK BETWEEN PRODUCT QUALITY AND CUSTOMERS VIEW OF PRODUCT QUALITY

With a global drive towards implementing total quality management (TQM ), the number of TQM failures is also increasing. One of the major rea sons cited for these failures is lack of management commitment. Howeve r, no attempt has been made to diagnose why it occurs. Examines one po ssible determinant of this lack of commitment. Claims that if managers perceive a link between their firm's product quality and the customer s' view of their product quality, then they will be motivated to impro ve product quality. Tests this argument empirically using a sample of 248 purchasing managers. Finds that there is a strong relationship bet ween managers' perception of the quality of their product and managers ' perception of customers' view of the firm's product quality, and pro vides some evidence that management's lack of recognition of the impor tance of product quality in serving the customers is probably not a re ason lack of management commitment to quality. Represents an early att empt to diagnose the underlying causes of the determinants of TQM fail ures.