Executive Summary
This article will analyze Meijer groceries; the assessment and analysis will be based on productivity, sound financial management, and quality management methods. The evaluation techniques will be the work standards approach and the assessment process analysis for personnel performance (Venkataraman & Demirag, 2022). Furthermore, food safety, preservation techniques, and delivery analyses are done. There are reported problems with food safety, and this necessitates change. Additionally, based on the established job criteria, employees were evaluated. Based on the research quality improvement recommendations are formed, including employee development initiatives, better business intelligence system, and strategic planning changes.
Dimensions of Quality
Eight Dimensions of Product Quality
The first dimension is performance, a product’s primary functioning attribute, example is adaptability, i.e. for an automobile it is acceleration, handling, cruising speed, and comfort. Second is features, additional traits that enhance a product’s look, example, color and fabric. Third is dependability; possibility that the product will not fail, for example, the most reliable website hosting service has the least downtime. Fourth is conformity; example is ability to meet predefined requirements. Fifth is durability, product longevity; example, a light bulb burning before warranty, and its replacement.
Sixth dimension is serviceability measures how simple it is for customers to get service. An example is installing a free phone number to access helplines (Madu, 2020). Seventh is aesthetics, how a thing feels, tastes, smells, and appears, example, flavor. Lastly is perceived quality; for example, when established items earn positive ratings, customers are more likely to trust the quality of a company’s new product.
Five Dimensions of Service Quality
The first dimension is dependability, which is the organization’s capacity to perform its services flawlessly and independently, example is the public bus timetable (Parker, 2018). The second is responsiveness, which is an organization’s capacity to respond to client requests quickly (Fredrik & Springerlink, 2019). For example, if one comes to a salon and is instructed to be sited while one waits to be attended to, and the next salon opens, one may be tempted to leave.
The third one is assurance, it refers to employees’ capacity to trust and instill confidence in consumers. For example, providing fast support to unsatisfied customers. The fourth is empathy; capacity to demonstrate genuine concern and care for consumers, for example, if a consumer returns a damaged phone to a retailer, and gets a replacement. Last is tangibility, which is company aesthetics. Example, a doctor’s office cannot be expected to be identical to a religious office.
Dimensions of Quality for a Company’s Product or Service
In dimensions of quality for a company’s product or service, since Meijer Grocery sells items from all eight dimensions of product quality, compliance is critical for this business. The company must adhere to food quality and safety standards, such as food hygiene (Ozcan & Linhart, 2017). To attract a large number of guests will result in a higher restaurant rating, making the company more lucrative. For this firm, the performance dimension is equally critical.
Why Organizations Should Prioritize Quality
How can a quality improvement impact an organization’s productivity, production costs, and profits?
First of all, quality improvement has a positive impact on the company’s productivity through ensuring a continuous and streamlined production process. Better quality eliminates equipment breakdowns and unexpected delays, resulting in better planning and higher productivity (Jimenez et al., 2019). Quality improvement has a direct positive impact on production costs. It requires investment from the company, but results in significant savings in the long run. Prioritizing quality allows companies to eliminate the cost of repairing equipment, as well as paying for downtime and, as a result, lost profits. Finally, quality improvement leads to higher profitability as higher quality products lead to better customer satisfaction, which helps the company to sell more goods for a higher price.
What are other benefits to the organization from pursuing quality?
Quality shapes a company’s reputation; customers are free to share positive and unfavorable opinions about the quality of products on social media, product review websites, and media outlets. Better quality products allow the company to gain market share, attain better corporate image, as well as increase customers’ satisfaction (Zgirskas et al., 2021). Therefore, subpar product quality might harm a company’s reputation. On the other hand, if one offers high-quality goods or services, customers will spread the word everywhere, even on social media.
What are the potential adverse effects on the organization of failing to pursue quality?
Significant negative effects will occur for a company that does not pursue quality. Poor quality may harm the brand, erode client loyalty, and compromise customer relationships. It can also significantly increase the company’s financial and operational costs. Additionally, low-quality items might have a negative effect on customer satisfaction (Ozcan & Linhart, 2017). This causes the company to lose clients more quickly, thus leading to adverse effects.
Challenges to Managing Quality
The main challenge that quality management initiatives may face is the existing structure of the company. It is difficult to evaluate current practices used in the organization and define those which are ineffective (Bashan & Armon, 2019). Additionally, the process of change implementation may face resistance from employees. This challenge may be deteriorated by the lack of necessary communication within the organization (Bashan & Armon, 2019). Quality management is also associated with the introduction of new planning and monitoring tools. This fact can pose a challenge as many employees may be reluctant to adopt new practices as well as develop new competencies. Finally, the quality management system should be implemented into the existing structure, which can be difficult to accomplish.
Analyzing Quality for an Organization
Baldrige Award Criteria Analysis
Company Description
For the company description, Meijer Grocery is an American supercenter chain founded in 1934 and serves the Midwest, is family-owned. Michigan and Walker, a city in the Grand Rapids metropolitan area, are home to their respective corporate headquarters. Meijer supermarket was a pioneer in the development of the modern supercenter. It operates 204 stores in Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio. Their main products include the freshest meats, seafood, baked goods, deli meat, and cereals. The overall level of excellence of the company based on the evaluation criteria is mature, but such areas as workforce and knowledge management provide opportunities for development.
Assessment for Each Category
The level of leadership assessment of the Meijer Grocery is mature as senior management successfully supervises the different processes. Workers are also given the authority to engage in all initiatives and to be held accountable for the outcomes of such endeavors (Ozcan & Linhart, 2017). As a result, employees provide excellent service to consumers because they are empowered and motivated to do so (Wilson, 2021). In addition, management encourages customer evaluations, which allow consumers to express their experiences.
The level of strategic planning is mature as the company focuses on long-term goal-setting and sustainable development. The major emphasis of Meijer foods is long-term strategic planning; it focuses on improving its goods and services while also growing the capabilities of its personnel (Ozcan & Linhart, 2017). The organization conducts free training seminars regularly to assist employees in enhancing their skills. However, the company lacks specific planning in terms of innovations and change management initiatives.
The level of client marketing is mature as the company strives to research their customers’ needs, but lacks customer experience personalization opportunities. The business is always looking for better ways to meet the demands of its customers and spot opportunities. The organization gathers crucial data from the numerous feedbacks that will guide its decision-making. For instance, the business uses data on preferences for gender and age to get a general perspective that it then incorporates into decision-making.
The level of measurement, analysis, and knowledge management is early. Meijer foods may discover potential development areas based on consumer and employee feedback and social platforms. Meijer uses data-collecting analysis to boost productivity in the organization’s operations. The input also gives the company a competitive advantage in research and other data-collecting sources. In addition, the company uses the information acquired to assist organizational reforms and planning. However, the company does not implement any specific business intelligence systems for better data gathering and analysis.
The level of workforce crateria is early as the company does not have sufficient opportunities for employee development. Meijer’s management is committed to motivating its employees, the company has implemented reward programs where employees are occasionally rewarded for their attained success (Wilson, 2021). The company also has a welcoming atmosphere, allowing them to advance their service delivery and manufacturing procedures significantly. Meijer has developed adequate and competent facilities for service delivery due to the various evaluations.
The level of operations criteria is mature as the company invests in the relevant competencies and talents. Management is accountable for addressing and supporting this category’s business and production processes. For example, the management team at Meijer Grocery provides the required experience to the industry, resulting in high productivity and an efficient production process. Meijer is also employing strategies to gain a competitive advantage, such as hiring highly trained personnel with the necessary experience. However, the structure of operations is quite rigid, which makes it not flexible enough to quickly adapt to a changing environment.
The level of the results criteria is mature as the company could pay more attention to the overall industry development. The primary purpose of Meijer grocery is to achieve customer happiness; based on internally acquired data by the management team (Wilson, 2021). The company has earned ninety percent positive ratings; this implies that the company has a healthy level of customer satisfaction; however, there is still space for development (Ozcan & Linhart, 2017). Meijer supermarket operations run well due to the usage of competent employees and a suitable grocery layout.
Recommendations
- Implement the system for employee professional development and growth. The company invests in the hiring and retention of highly trained and talented employees. In the changing environment this human resources management also requires appropriate training for continuous professional development (Venkataraman & Demirag, 2022). The company should implement more diverse opportunities for employee further education which is especially relevant for supervisors. Employees would be able to exercise better decision-making and leadership, which contribute to higher productivity and better problem-solving.
- Consider adopting a better business intelligence system. The company should also focus on updating its business intelligence system for better data gathering and analysis. This includes processing more information for closer control over expenditures and costs optimization (Wilson, 2021). Its functional design should limit waste, and the management should implement management strategies in relation to food wastes since it results in a loss.
- Pay more attention to innovation and change management as part of strategic planning. Meijer foods must focus on workers to build operational effectiveness; employees should be supplied with the necessary tools for their jobs, and supervisors should constantly ask employees if there is anything they require for functional efficacy. The company should consider technology; they will be able to stay current with technology, boosting productivity and service delivery (Ozcan & Linhart, 2017). Furthermore, technology would help reduce the amount of work required of people, resulting in faster service delivery.
References
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Jimenez, G., Santos, G., Sá, C. J., Ricardo, S., Pulido, J., Pizarro, A., & Hernándezd, H. (2019). Improvement of productivity and quality in the value chain through lean manufacturing – A case study. Procedia Manufacturing, 41, 882-889. Web.
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Madu, C. N. (2020). House of quality in a minute: A guide to quality function deployment. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Ozcan, Y. A., & Linhart, H. A. (2017). Analytics and decision support in health care operations management: History, diagnosis, and empirical foundations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass & Pfeiffer Imprints, Wiley.
Parker, D. W. (2018). Service operations management:The total experience. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.
Sebastian-Coleman, L. (2022). Meeting the challenges of data quality management. London, UK: Academic Press.
Venkataraman, R. R., & Demirag, O. C. (2022). Supply chain management. Cham, Switzerland USAGE Publications.
Wilson, A. (2021). Services marketing: Integrating customer focus across the firm. London, UK: Mcgraw-Hill.
Zgirskas, A., RuĹľeviÄŤius, J., & RuĹľelÄ—, D. (2021). Benefits of quality management standards in organizations. Standards, 1(2), 154-166. Web.