Introduction

The reality of small business quality initiatives, a case study in one small manufacturing
company was conducted through an structured interview approach. A questionnaire was
developed (see Figure 1) and formatted in such a way as to elicit information and answer
questions with regard to management perceptions and practices on TQM, the
implementation of various quality initiatives, how the implementation was conducted, the
benefits and outcomes, the problems encountered as well as the factors that contribute to
the success of TQM. Besides interviews, observations were made from the documents
supplied, and a short plant visit made to the company.