Assessing total quality management practices on print projects in the Ghanaian printing industry
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Date
2021-06-17
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Abstract
The Ghanaian printing industry executes several printing projects such as government
textbooks, election material, packaging material year after year. Due to globalization and trade
freedom, competition has been stiff in the printing sector over the years. Total Quality
Management is an established mechanism of quality management for achievement in other
areas of the world in the manufacturing and service industries. It has helped enhance quality,
operating costs, timelines for delivery and productivity. However, its application was slow and
haphazard in the Ghanaian printing sector. Therefore, the study evaluated the present state of
total quality management practices on print projects in the Ghanaian printing industry using
quantitative instruments complemented with qualitative instruments such as observation and
unstructured main informant interview to collect information. A total of forty-two (42)
questionnaires were analysed using IBM SPSS statistics version 23 to conduct reliability
analysis, descriptive statistics, and Friedman's test to evaluate TQM practice and rank some
TQM obstacles in the Ghanaian printing sector. It was observed that there was the presence of
Total Quality Management in the printing sector with an adequate level of awareness among
employees, training was carried out with specifics on “on-the-job training” however its
frequency was as and when needed. Most of the printing firms had a quality policy which drives
the quality agenda. Critical success variables such as supplier management, customer focus,
leadership have emerged as main concepts being implemented with little emphasis on staff
development, empowerment, and involvement. The major hinderances to TQM implementation
were identified as Human obstacles (such as low skills, low salaries), poor planning, employee
attitude towards quality and absence of leadership. However, TQM application was achieved
in part owing to the absence of hard TQM components such as Statistical Process Control,
continuous improvement, etc. The study adds to empirical research on the application of total
quality management in the printing sector. A framework for managing the execution of Total
Quality Management has been suggested
Description
A thesis submitted to the Department of Construction Technology and Management, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Award Degree of
Master of Mcience in project management.
Keywords
Printing Industry, Total Quality Managemen, Continuous Improvement, TQM Implementation