How does the purchasing/sourcing area affect product quality in a total quality management system?
This paper makes the case that the role and activities of the purchasing function in an organisation will be affected by the introduction and development of Total Quality Management (TQM). The impact of TQM on procurement operations is an interesting areas of study and one which has had little examination and exposure. A four-part categorisation of: supply market, changes in culture and organisational changes in purchasing, economics and costs, and a revised role for purchasing has been developed to reflect these various influences. In presenting the details of a case study the ways in which such changes have been perceived, introduced and implemented are examined.