INVESTIGATING TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT: THE CASE OF SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZE ENTERPRISES IN NORTHERN CYPRUS

Abstract

Quality perceptions of the customers play a vital role in not only determining the satisfaction obtained thus creating a repurchase intention but also confirming the initial purchase decision. For this reasons companies in various locations and industries strive to improve their quality levels. In this sense, total quality management (TQM) is found to be a very useful tool suggesting a continuous improvement in its core. Keeping these in mind, this study aims first to investigate the acceptance level of TQM in Northern Cyprus. Second aim is to measure the five components of TQM (leadership, strategic planning, human resource management, customer satisfaction, management of process quality, and benchmarking) to find out the perceptions of small and medium size organizations’ managers. To achieve this, all Small and Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs) in Northern Cyprus have been targeted for the data collection. Analysis of the results depicts an accurate picture of the current situation in Northern Cyprus as well as they revealed important managerial implications for managers in similar locations.