AN EMPIRICAL-MODEL FOR TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT

Despite the increase in academic interest in total quality management (TQM) during the past decade, there have been relatively few empirical studies that confirm any of the widely accepted theories. Recent empi rical studies performed by the European Centre for Total Quality Manag ement, University of Bradford, have gathered data which can be used in the development of a working model of TQM. The research identifies a set of critical factors of TQM, their relative importance and the inte rrelationships between each.