This 19 page paper begins with a case study describing the components of FedEx's total quality management program, which the company initiated in the late 1980s. In an industry that has always had high staff turnover, FedEx's turnover is less than 1 percent. Besides the practical benefits of using TQM, FedEx has been recognized repeatedly for its management and performance. The writer comments on the reasons most companies fail in their attempts to use TQM principles and what could be done about each issue. Finally, the essay describes the contributions Deming, Juran, Crosby and Feigenbaum made to the field of quality management. Bibliography lists 14 sources.
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of the first companies to attempt implementing Demings principles in a service environment (Roberts and Sergesketter, 1993). FedEx introduced Total Quality Management in the late 1980s and in 1990, the
company was awarded the coveted Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (Stankard, 1991). The philosophy and motto of the company is people-service-profit (Berasateguim, n.d.). It is a philosophy the company lives
by (Berasateguim, n.d.). The quality goals for the company have always been: * Achieve a 100 percent service level (Berasateguim, n.d.). * Increase profits (Berasateguim, n.d.). * Make Federal Express
a better place to work by focusing everyones attention on the corporate policy of "Doing Right Things Right" and catching and fixing problems when they happen (Berasateguim, n.d.). The people-service-profit
philosophy and the goals are incorporated into the mission as is evidenced by the companys themes: "Do it right the first time", "Make the first time you do it the
only time anyone has to", "Fedexcellence" and "Q=P" (Quality =Productivity)" (Berasateguim, n.d.). These themes describe the culture of the company (Berasateguim, n.d.). Quality and continuous improvement is FedExs normal way
of life (Berasateguim, n.d.). Quality experts report there are three things that happen when an organization is commented to quality improvement as their way of life: 1. The level of
customer satisfaction increases and satisfied customers bring more business, which ensures the financial health of the corporation and continued job security (Berasateguim, n.d.). 2. Profits increase because employees dont waste
time and money correcting mistakes (Berasateguim, n.d.). 3. The quality of work-life is improved because they have fewer customer complaints, less hassle, and less rework to deal with (Berasateguim, n.d.).
Quality improvement addresses the needs of both internal and external customers (Berasateguim, n.d.). All too frequently, companies consider only the external customer, the one who obtains and pays for the