Determinants of the implementation of the quality management systems in SMEs

58 2023, olume 26, issue 2, pp. 58–68, DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2023-2-004 Business Adminis a ion and Managemen De e minan s o he implemen a ion o he quali y managemen sys ems in SMEs Pa ol Gejdoš1, Zuzana Zá adská2, Ja mila Schmid o á3 1 Technical Uni e si y in Z olen, Facul y o Wood Sciences and Technology, Depa men o Economics, Managemen and Business, Slo akia, ORCID: 0000-0001-6521-9730, [email p o ec ed]; 2 Ma ej Bel Uni e si y in Banská Bys ica, Facul y o Economics, Ins i u e o Managemen Sys ems, Slo akia, ORCID: 0000-0003-4808-8585, [email p o ec ed] (co esponding au ho ); 3 Technical Uni e si y in Z olen, Facul y o Wood Sciences and Technology, Depa men o Ma hema ics and Desc ip i e Geome y, Slo akia, ORCID: 0000-0003-3985-9616, [email p o ec ed]. Abs ac : The implemen a ion o he quali y managemen sys ems using quali y imp o emen me hods, ools and app oaches is conside ed one o he signi ican aspec s o inc ease he pe - o mance o en e p ises in he ma ke en i onmen and g owing compe i ion. Mos o he au ho s s udied he impac o any o he a ailable quali y managemen ools o philosophies on he pe o mance o en e p ises only on a case-by-case basis. The aim o he pape is, howe e , o examine he e ec o implemen ing a la ge scope o ools, app oaches o concep s o quali y managemen on he pe o mance o he en e p ise mo e comp ehensi ely om he pe spec i e o hei implemen a ion and he assump ion o achie ing highe en e p ise pe o mance. The pape p esen s he esul s o he su ey, which was ca ied ou om 2020 o 2021. The su ey was ocused on he implemen a ion o quali y managemen app oaches and echniques in small and medium- sized manu ac u ing en e p ises in Slo akia. A o al o 313 small and medium-sized manu ac u ing en e p ises we e add essed h ough ques ionnai es. The ep esen a i eness o he sample was es ed using he chi-squa ed goodness-o - i es . Pea son’s chi-squa ed es and analysis o con ingency we e implemen ed o es he es ablished esea ch hypo heses. Th ough he esul s o he analyses, i can be claimed ha he e a e signi ican ela ionships be ween he use o quali y managemen app oaches and echniques and he pe o mance o en e p ises measu ed h ough e u n o cos s. A he same ime, he mos common easons o implemen ing quali y managemen app oaches we e analysed, which con i med he hypo hesis abou he easons o imp o ing p oduc quali y and inc easing cus ome sa is ac ion, which we e based on heo e ical assump ions e i ied in p ac ice. The esul s also show he signi ican di e ences be ween he esea ched indus ies, which gi es an oppo uni y o inc easing he le el o quali y in indi idual segmen s. Keywo ds: Quali y, quali y managemen sys em, SMEs, pe o mance, e u n o cos s. JEL Classi ica ion: M11, M21. APA S yle Ci a ion: Gejdoš, P., Zá adská, Z., & Schmid o á, J. (2023). De e minan s o he implemen a ion o he quali y managemen sys ems in SMEs. E&M Economics and Managemen , 26(2), 58–68. h ps://doi.o g/10.15240/ ul/001/2023-2-004 In oduc ion Many changes ha e occu ed in he a ea o quali y managemen in ecen yea s. The eason o hese changes is he dynamic de elopmen o he economic and poli ical si u- a ion. I is abou he quali y o he en e p ises as a whole, which o ces en e p ises o ocus on es ablishing quali y managemen sys ems, which ha e become a necessa y p e equisi e o hei success. The cu en pe iod, which is a ec ed by many apidly changing ac o s, is ex ao di- na y challenging o business managemen . Despi e some mac oeconomic indica o s, such E+M_2_2023_kniha.indb 58 24.5.2023 12:57:29 59 2023, olume 26, issue 2, pp. 58–68, DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2023-2-004 Business Adminis a ion and Managemen as inc easing in la ion, which canno be elimi- na ed on he co po a e le el, he e a e ools ha can s eng hen he compe i i eness and pe o mance o en e p ises. Acco ding o Sainis e al. (2022), he sus ainable way o hinking, planning and ac ing is ge ing inc easingly in e- g a ed in o he co po a e s a egies o an o ga- niza ion, and ha is because i has an impac on economic well-being, compe i ion and co po a e epu a ion. Mode n o ganiza ions make choices ha will bene i he plane and socie y, and lead o economic g ow h and long- e m su i al (Os- aldo á & V abco á, 2021). The use o quali y managemen app oaches and echniques is a way how o elimina e he isks associa ed wi h business ailu e. Se e al s udies p esen ha he applica ion o quali y managemen p in- ciples leads o he inc ease o he compe i i e- ness o companies, cus ome sa is ac ion and imp o emen o he quali y pa ame e s o p od- uc s, which ul ima ely con ibu es o inc easing he pe o mance and e iciency o he company. The aim o he pape is o ob ain answe s o he ollowing esea ch ques ions (RQ). RQ1: Is i possible o measu e he impac o using quali y managemen app oaches and echniques h ough ROC? RQ2: Does he use o quali y managemen app oaches and echniques ha e an impac on he pe o mance o en e p ises? This is pa icula ly impo an in he condi- ions o small and medium-sized en e p ises, which, acco ding o Mohammadi e al. (2022), ace lack o bo h he inancial and human e- sou ces and inadequa e echnical knowledge o quali y managemen and employee indi - e ence, he e o e he in en ion is o ind ou whe he he e a e speci ics in using quali y managemen app oaches and echniques o small and medium-sized en e p ises. Se e al au ho s poin o he impo ance o quali y and i s posi i e e ec s on he pe o mance o en e - p ises (Pa as & Sa a i, 2022; Po janaja uwi , 2021; Rey Sánchez e al., 2022). Acco ding o Pe mana e al. (2021), in he p esen -day ma ke si ua ion and complex business en i- onmen , o ganiza ion mus be able o deli e he cus ome ’s equi emen and he expec a- ions which a e c i ical o he sa is ac ion such as high p oduc quali y, as deli e y and com- pe i i e cos . Quali y and he applica ion o qual- i y app oaches lead o many posi i e e ec s and b ing a ious bene i s o en e p ises. Se e al au ho s poin o he con ibu ion o quali y o he compe i i eness o o ganiza ions (Fonseca e al., 2022; Os aldo á & V abco á, 2020; Pa k & You, 2019; Pinandhi a & La ie , 2020). This pape p esen s he impac o he use o quali y managemen app oaches and ech- niques on o ganiza ional pe o mance measu ed h ough Re u n o Cos s and a he same ime deals wi h he main easons o he implemen a- ion and use o quali y managemen app oach- es in small and medium-sized manu ac u ing en e p ises in Slo akia. In his pape , ISO 9000 s anda ds and TQM philosophy a e conside ed quali y managemen app oaches, while qual- i y managemen echniques a e e p e sen ed by Six Sigma me hodology and p e en i e quali y managemen me hods QFD and FMEA. These app oaches and echniques ha e been selec - ed o hei in ensi y o u iliza ion, sui abili y also o small and medium-sized en e p ises and o hei complexi y. The bene i o his esea ch is no only o poin o he impac o quali y man- agemen on pe o mance in he condi ions o small and medium-sized en e p ises comp e- hensi ely, no only by sec o , bu also o e i y wha a e he mos common easons o he use and implemen a ion o quali y managemen ap- p oaches in hese en e p ises. 1. Theo e ical backg ound Acco ding o Alhamd and Yahya (2021), he To- al Quali y Managemen , known as TQM, is an in eg a i e o ganiza ional-wide manage- men philosophy ha is aimed a con inuously imp o ing he quali y o p ocesses, p oduc s and se ices by ocusing on mee ing o exceed- ing cus ome expec a ions o enhance cus- ome sa is ac ion and o e all pe o mance o he o ganiza ion. To al Quali y Managemen is a concep aimed a imp o ing all ac i i ies o he o ganiza ion, which does no adhe e o s ic s anda ds and p ocedu es, as in he ISO s an- da ds o he 9000 se ies, bu p e e s in o mal ap- p oaches in he o m o c ea ing an en i onmen o esponsibili y, sel -con ol, imp o emen and inno a ion. To al Quali y Managemen (TQM) has been a uni e sally applied managemen s a egy o imp o e o ganiza ional pe o mance and he eby o achie e compe i i eness (Babu & Thomas, 2021). I is he mos p og essi e philosophy o mode n quali y managemen , whe e he key c i e ion is he absolu e sa is ac- ion o cus ome s and no only he mee ing hei equi emen s. Alawag e al. (2020) s a es ha E+M_2_2023_kniha.indb 59 24.5.2023 12:57:30 60 2023, olume 26, issue 2, pp. 58–68, DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2023-2-004 Business Adminis a ion and Managemen To al Quali y Managemen (TQM) p ac ices a e well-known o encou age he pe o mance o o ganiza ions in e ms o p ocedu es, se ices, and p oduc s o mee cus ome s’ expec a- ions. In o he wo ds, cus ome sa is ac ion is e lec ed in he abili y o educe cos s, dec ease ejec s, inc ease p oduc quali y and imp o e economic esul s. The implemen a ion o TQM has been analyzed by Kisel’ako a e al. (2020) and Yanya and Mahama (2020). Six Sigma Me hodology (SSM), ini ia ed by Mo o ola, is one such me hodology used by indus ies o educe a iabili y and cos and in- c ease he p o i abili y o he p ocess. SSM will help iden i y and educe de ec s so ha he p o- cess is s anda dized (Veena & P abhushanka , 2020). Six Sigma is a comp ehensi e manage- men me hod and is compa ed o a philosophy ha an o ganiza ion shall adop . Al-O aibi (2021) claims ha Six Sigma is a p ocess imp o emen me hod ha aims o disco e and elimina e he causes o de ec s, mis akes, and e o s. Six Sigma is a p ocess imp o emen me ho- dology ha ocuses on c i ical p ocesses ha esul in unaccep able de ec s o cus ome s. I is ocused on ongoing con inuous imp o e- men and inno a ion o he o ganiza ion by unde s anding cus ome needs, using p ocess analysis and s anda diza ion o measu emen me hods. Six Sigma is based en i ely on da a and esul s and he e is no oom o in ui ion. Acco ding o se e al au ho s such as Uluskan (2020), Lande e al. (2016) and An ony e al. (2017), Six Sigma emphasizes he inancial ad- an ages ( educed p oduc ion cos s and highe p o i abili y) o educing was e and inc easing quali y. Yada e al. (2019) says ha inno a- ion in Six Sigma is based on he imp o emen cycle, which is aimed a looking o weak poin s, elimina ing hem and is applied o imp o e ex- is ing p ocesses. The DMADV o DFSS (Design o Six Sigma) me hodology is used o design and de elop new p oduc s o p ocesses. The ISO 9001 s anda d speci ies he e- qui emen s o a quali y managemen sys- em in o ganiza ions ha wan and need o demons a e hei abili y o consis en ly p o ide p oduc s in acco dance wi h ele an egula ions and cus ome equi emen s, and ha s i e o inc ease cus ome sa is ac- ion. Acco ding o Sa b e al. (2019) and Knop (2021), quali y managemen sys em can be conside ed “a se o Policies, P ocedu es, P ocesses and Resou ces used o achie e he o ganiza ional objec i es and desi ed e- sul s, by managing he in e ac ing p ocesses, equi ed esou ces and in e - ela ed pa s o he business.” QMS e e s o e ec i e business managemen and is applicable o all business ac i i ies ega dless o he scope and subjec o he business. The applica ion o a quali y managemen sys em s imula es o ganiza ions o analyze cus ome equi emen s, de ine p ocesses ha con ibu e o he de elopmen o a p oduc accep able o he cus ome , and keep hese p ocesses unde con ol (Su e al., 2020). The basic equi emen o he ISO 9001 s anda d is o es ablish, documen , apply and main ain a quali y managemen sys em and o con inuously imp o e i (Ribei o e al., 2019). Se e al au ho s (Daha & Roudies, 2021; Elwa di e al., 2021) dedica ed hemsel es in hei s udies o he implemen a ion o quali y managemen sys ems acco ding o ISO 9001. Acco ding o Ki gizo and Kwak (2022), he Quali y Func ion Deploymen (QFD) is a sys ema ic me hod o cus ome -d i en p od- uc design. The QFD me hod is conside ed an ex ensi e quali y planning me hod. The au- ho o QFD Akao (1994) desc ibes i as ollows: “a me hod o ans o ming he quali y equi e- men s o use s in o quan i a i e pa ame e s, deploying quali y- o ming unc ions and deploy- ing me hods o achie e quali y o he design in o subsys ems and componen s, and inally o speci ic elemen s o he p oduc ion p ocess.” Quali y unc ion deploymen is an e icien plan- ning and p oblem-sol ing me hod o con e cus ome equi emen s in o he enginee ing cha ac e is ics o a p oduc o se ice Liu e al. (2021). The so-called House o Quali y, which is based on se e al abula exp essions o analysis, communica ion and planning o he c ea ion o a p oduc , exp essed in a isual o m, is used as a ool o a ge applica ion o cus ome desi es and equi emen s in o he echnical speci ica ion. Acco ding o Lage (2017), he ma ix called he “House o Quali y” eme ged in an e a when he QFD me hodology o emos was ega ded as a quali y ool, bu in he ligh o he indings, one could sugges ha his ma ix oday could mo e p ope ly be enamed as he “House o Knowledge.” The FMEA me hod is a basic p e en i e quali y managemen me hod. Acco ding o Teplická e al. (2021), FMEA is an e ec i e ool o imp o ing all p ocesses in he company. I is based on a eam analysis o he occu ence o E+M_2_2023_kniha.indb 60 24.5.2023 12:57:31 61 2023, olume 26, issue 2, pp. 58–68, DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2023-2-004 Business Adminis a ion and Managemen ailu es on he assessed p oposal, isk assess- men o he p oposal and he implemen a ion o p e en i e measu es ha will lead o qual- i y imp o emen . Failu e mode and e ec s analysis (FMEA) is an e ec i e me hod ha is widely used o manage ailu es and p e en isks, and, hanks o i s simplici y and i s e - sa ili y, he mos impo an and enowned qual- i y no m eques i uses (Mzougui & Felsou i, 2021). The basic goal o he FMEA me hod is o p e en ailu es on he moni o ed objec . I is a p e en i e me hod ha enables ea ly iden i i- ca ion o possible mal unc ions, e o s o non- con o mi ies ha may a ec sys em unc ions o he esul ing quali y o sa e y. FMEA me hod is conside ed as an impo an elemen in he decision-making p ocess. 2. Resea ch me hodology The ques ionnai e was add essed o small and medium-sized Slo ak manu ac u ing en e p is- es o di e en indus ies di ided acco ding o NACE Classi ica ion (Eu opean Indus y-s an- da d classi ica ion sys em, sec ion C – Manu- ac u ing). The su ey was conduc ed in he las wo yea s 2020 and 2021 h ough he pla o m docs.google. o m. The cu en ques ionnai e link is as ollows: h ps://docs.google.com/ o ms/d/e/1FAIpQLS p0H8V5dE 1UTZlF2YjK_ wDjLTH9lZ8U0qgd-dPZd4H6HClQ/ iew o m. The minimum sample size was de i ed based on he da a om he S a is ical O ice o he Slo ak Republic, which egis e ed a ha ime 2,208 small and medium-sized Slo ak manu ac u ing en e p ises. The minimum sample size was de e mined ollowing he o mula acco ding o Yamane Ta o [Rich e o á e al. (2007)]: (1) Wi h a popula ion size o 2,208 and maxi- mum allowed e o 0.05, minimum sample size was quan i ied o 304 s a is ical uni s. (2) The ques ionnai e was dis ibu ed by indi- idual e-mail con ac s o 2,504 Slo ak manu- ac u ing en e p ises. The ep esen a i eness o he sample acco ding o he ep esen a ion o indi idual indus ies in he popula ion was ensu ed h ough s a i ied sampling (Tab. 1). The e u n a e o he ques ionnai es achie - ed 14.54%. A e elimina ion inco ec ly illed ou ques ionnai es, ques ionnai es om 313 en e p ises could be used o he pu poses o he esea ch. Due o ca ego ical le el o measu emen in he esea ch, all applied ools o desc ip i e and in e en ial s a is ics we e conce ned wi h p o- po ions. A he beginning o da a p ocessing, he chi-squa ed goodness-o - i es was ap- plied o check ep esen a i eness o esea ch sample acco ding o he size o en e p ises. The Pea son chi-squa ed es was also used in con ingency able analysis o es he ela- ionship be ween wo ca ego ical a iables. The chi-squa ed s a is ic is based on di e ence be ween he obse ed and expec ed equen- cies – equencies ha would be expec ed i he e was no ela ionship be ween he a iables (Kohle , 1988). The o mula o compu ing chi- squa ed wi h k ‒ 1 deg ee o eedom, whe e k is he numbe o ca ego ies was ollowed. (3) In he case o signi ican dependence, he s eng h o he obse ed ela ionship was quan i ied by coe icien o con ingency – an in- dex ha akes alues om he ange 0 o 1. The 95% con idence in e als o a popu- la ion p opo ion we e cons uc ed by whe e p is he sample p opo ion, z is he c i ical alue o he selec ed 95% con idence le el, and n is he sample size (Kohle , 1988). (4) S a is ical analyses we e pe o med using s a is ical so wa e STATISTICA 12. In hy- po heses es ing, he 0.05 le el o signi icance as decision ule was applied. In he in e al es i- ma es, he 95% con idence was applied. Fo be - e eadabili y, he ou pu ables we e edi ed in he MS Excel O ice 365 sp eadshee edi o . H1: Small and medium-sized manu ac- u ing en e p ises ha apply a wide ange o quali y managemen echniques and ap- p oaches (QMTA) achie e also a highe le el o pe o mance measu ed by he Re u n on Cos s indica o . E+M_2_2023_kniha.indb 61 24.5.2023 12:57:32 62 2023, olume 26, issue 2, pp. 58–68, DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2023-2-004 Business Adminis a ion and Managemen Wi hin he su eyed en e p ises, 42.49% we e in a o o use quali y managemen p ac ices. The emaining 57.51% s a ed ha he p ac ices a e no used. Based on he gi en sample p opo ions, he p opo ions in he a - ge popula ion we e es ima ed a in e als wi h 95% con idence (Tab. 2). Less han hal o small and medium-sized en e p ises in Slo a- kia – om 37% o 48% apply QMTA. In he i s pa o he Tab. 3, obse ed equencies o using quali y managemen echniques and app oaches TQM, Six Sigma, ISO 9000, and p e en i e me hods a e p esen- ed. The mos used we e ISO s anda ds 9000 wi h obse ed equency 92.48%. I was ollowed by TQM wi h 39.85% and Six Sigma 21.05%. F equency in p e en i e me hods was 7.52%. In e al es ima es o using gi en p ac ices in he en i onmen o small and medium-sized Slo ak manu ac u ing en e p ises a e p esen ed a he end o he Tab. 3. Wi h 95% con idence, he use o ISO s anda ds 9000 was es ima ed a in e al om 88% o 97%, TQM 32% o 48%, and Six Sigma 14% o 28%. P e en i e me h- ods o quali y con ol a e used by he popula ion o Slo ak small and medium-sized en e p ises a he in e al om 3% o 12%. In he con ex o he i s hypo hesis, whe e he dependence be ween using QMTA and le el o ROC was assumed, he obse ed da a we e c oss-di ided in o con ingency able in he i s s ep (Tab. 4). A all le els o e u n on cos s p opo ions o companies applying and no applying QMTA a e qui e di e en (Fig. 1). I was subsequen ly es ed whe he he obse ed di e ences a e big enough o signi ican dependence be ween wo a iables. Based on he es ing (Tab. 5), he e is su - icien e idence o conclude ha he obse ed H2: I is assumed ha he heo e ical as- sump ions will be e i ied in he p ac ice o SMEs, ha he main easons o he imple- men a ion o selec ed app oaches in small and medium-sized manu ac u ing en e p ises a e he imp o emen o p oduc quali y and he in- c ease o cus ome sa is ac ion. 3. Resea ch esul s Chi-squa ed goodness o i es was used o e alua e whe he sample da a is ep esen a i e o he en i e popula ion conce ning he ep- esen a ion o small and medium-sized en e - p ises. The esul s o es ing a e p esen ed in Tab. 1. No e idence abou signi ican di e - ence (p = 0.470) was obse ed. En e p ise size χ2 = 0.52; s = 1; p = 0.470 Obse ed (O) Expec ed (E) E−O (E−O)2 / Q Small 180 173.65 6.34 0.23 Medium 133 139.34 −6.34 0.28 To al 313 313.00 0.00 0.52 Sou ce: own Quali y managemen echniques and app oaches Absolu e equency Sample p opo ion (%) 95% in e al es ima e popula ion p opo ion (%) Lowe limi Uppe limi A e no applied 180 57.51 52 63 A e applied 133 42.49 37 48 Sou ce: own Tab. 1: Sample ep esen a i eness es acco ding o he size o he en e p ises Tab. 2: In e al es ima e o quali y managemen echniques and app oaches applica ion wi hin manu ac u ing en e p ises o he a ge popula ion E+M_2_2023_kniha.indb 62 24.5.2023 12:57:33 63 2023, olume 26, issue 2, pp. 58–68, DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2023-2-004 Business Adminis a ion and Managemen Quali y managemen echniques and app oaches Poin es ima e o p opo ion (%) Sample size 95%con idencein e al (%) Lowe limi Uppe limi To al Quali y Managemen 39.85 133 32 48 Six Sigma me hod 21.05 133 14 28 ISO s anda ds 9000 92.48 133 88 97 P e en i e me hods o quali y con ol 7.52 133 3 12 Sou ce: own Quali y managemen echniques and app oaches ROC (%) 100% 97.5% o 100% 95% o 97.5% Less han 95% To al by ows Is no used 18.33 61.67 14.44 5.56 100 Is used 4.51 44.36 37.59 13.53 100 Sou ce: own Tab. 3: Use o indi idual quali y managemen echniques and app oaches in he popula ion o small and medium-sized Slo ak manu ac u ing en e p ises (95% in e al es ima e) Tab. 4: Con ingency able (combina ions o using quali y managemen echniques and app oaches and ROC; ela i e equencies by ows) Fig. 1: Using o quali y managemen echniques and app oaches and he ROC le el Sou ce: own E+M_2_2023_kniha.indb 63 24.5.2023 12:57:38 64 2023, olume 26, issue 2, pp. 58–68, DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2023-2-004 Business Adminis a ion and Managemen dis ibu ion is no he same as he expec ed dis ibu ion (p = 0.000) and signi ican ela ion- ship exis s be ween he ca ego ical a iables. The powe o dependence be ween using qual- i y managemen p ac ices and ROC was de e - mined as mode a e based on he con ingency coe icien o 0.32. By looking a he di e ences be ween he obse ed cell coun s and he expec ed cell coun s (Tab. 6), i was de e mined which a iable le els ha e he mos impac on dependence. The la ges con ibu ion o he chi-squa ed s a is ic was obse ed in he cell wi h bold ex – en e p ises applying QMTA wi h ROC le el 95% o 97.5%. The second hypo hesis ocused on he main easons o applying QMTA. Based on sample p opo ions, in e al es ima es o he in- di idual easons we e compu ed o he a ge popula ion. The esul s in Tab. 7 indica e ha he decisi e easons o using QMTA in small and medium-sized en e p ises a e p oduc quali y and cus ome sa is ac ion. In e ms o p oduc quali y, 95% in e al es ima e is om 63% o 78% o Slo ak small and medium- sized en e p ises. Fo 46% o 63% o compa- nies, he basis o applying QMTA is cus ome sa is ac ion. No iceable equencies a e also obse ed in case o compe i i eness and cus- ome equi emen as a gua an ee o quali y. Using quali y managemen echniques and app oaches e sus ROC Con ingency Chi-squa ed es Deg ee o eedom p-le el Con ingencycoe icien 38.27 3 0.000 0.33 Sou ce: own Quali y managemen echniques and app oaches ROC 100% 97.5% o 100% 95% o 97.5% Less han 95% Is no used 10.5719 13.2364 −17.7061 −6.10224 Is used −10.5719 −13.2364 17.7061 6.10224 Sou ce: own Reasons o use QMTA Poin es ima e o p opo ion (%) Sample size 95%con idencein e al(%) Lowe limi Uppe limi Imp o ing ma ke posi ion 21.05 133 14 28 Compe i i eness 48.87 133 40 57 P oduc quali y 70.68 133 63 78 Cus ome sa is ac ion 54.89 133 46 63 Cus ome equi emen as a gua an ee o quali y 43.61 133 35 52 Pa icipa ion in ende s 11.28 133 6 17 Posi i e e e ences 8.27 133 4 13 Ge ing be e o de s 16.54 133 10 23 Sou ce: own Tab. 5: Resul s o Pea son chi-squa ed es o con ingency Tab. 6: Con ingency able – esidual equencies Tab. 7: Reasons o use quali y managemen echniques and app oaches in he popula ion o Slo ak manu ac u ing en e p ises (95% in e al es ima es) E+M_2_2023_kniha.indb 64 24.5.2023 12:57:39 65 2023, olume 26, issue 2, pp. 58–68, DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2023-2-004 Business Adminis a ion and Managemen Conclusions Quali y managemen ep esen s a e y dynam- ic ca ego y and in connec ion wi h he cu en de elopmen o he socie y in changing condi- ions i acqui es a new meaning. Mode n man- agemen o op o ganiza ions cu en ly p e e s a s a egic app oach o he quali y o all ou pu s and ac i i ies o he o ganiza ion. The main goal is o achie e maximum cus ome sa is ac ion a he op imal cos le el, because many en e p is- es seek o minimize he amoun o hei cos s, howe e , his p ocedu e e lec s in he educ- ion o he quali y le el om a ce ain limi , which would ce ainly no co espond o he main goal - he cus ome sa is ac ion. The s a egy o inc easing cus ome sa is ac ion b ings im- p o emen in p oduc i i y, e iciency and quali y, which b ings an inc ease in compe i i eness, ha is, he o e all success o he o ganiza- ion. To ul ill his goal, he cu en ly buil and unc ioning quali y managemen sys em is no su icien and i is necessa y o con inuously inc ease quali y, e iciency and e ec i eness. The aim o he pape was o analyze he use o quali y managemen app oaches and echniques in Slo ak small and medium-sized manu ac u ing en e p ises. Th ough he use o s a is ical ools, he es ablished hypo hesis was con i med, which assumed ha small and medium-sized manu ac u ing en e p ises ha use a wide ange o quali y managemen ech- niques and app oaches (QMTA) also achie e a highe le el o pe o mance measu ed by he Re u n on Cos s indica o . A he same ime, he esul s show ha small and medium- sized manu ac u ing en e p ises mos o en use ISO 9000 s anda ds and he TQM philosophy, o a lesse ex en he Six Sigma me hodology, o p e en i e quali y managemen me hods, such as he QFD me hod, o FMEA. I was con i med ha en e p ises ha do no apply QMTA achie ed lowe pe o mance, measu ed by he ROC indica o . The esul s o he esea ch also con i med he esul s o esea ch conduc ed by o he au ho s on he impac o TQM on business pe o mance (Go ondu se, 2021; Olaleye, e al. 2021; Po janaja uwi , 2021). Simila ly, K ie ma - dis and Sainis (2021) examined he impac o QMS implemen a ion in SMEs, which con- i med hei posi i e impac on he inancial pe o mance o en e p ises. The indings show a clea link be ween sus- ainabili y and TQM, which esul s in he need o con inuous imp o emen o he o ganiza- ions and espec o all s akeholde s and also highligh s TQM and sus ainabili y p ac ices as key ac o s o o ganiza ions o success ully o e come a c isis (Sainis e al., 2022). In he second pa o he pape , he ea- sons why small and medium-sized en e p ises decide o implemen quali y managemen app oaches and echniques we e examined. The es ablishmen o he hypo hesis was based on heo e ical assump ions ha should be e i- ied in he condi ions o SMEs. The hypo hesis assumed ha he main easons o he imple- men a ion o selec ed app oaches in small and medium-sized manu ac u ing en e p ises a e he imp o emen o p oduc quali y and he inc ease o cus ome sa is ac ion. The e- sul s indica ed ha he es ablished hypo hesis was again con i med, whe e he key easons why en e p ises decided o implemen quali y managemen we e p oduc quali y, cus ome sa is ac ion, and he hi d eason was he com- pe i i eness o companies. The au ho s (B a i & Mu mu a 2021; Nenadál e al., 2018) con i m he p esen ed esul s o his esea ch. In e ms o answe s o he esea ch ques- ions, he ollowing can be s a ed: RQ1 ad- d essed whe he i was possible o measu e he impac o using quali y managemen ap- p oaches and echniques h ough ROC. Based on he esea ch, i can be concluded ha he use o his indica o is sui able o moni o - ing he bene i s o using QMTA, whe e he p e- sen ed esul s con i m hese assump ions. RQ2 add essed whe he he use o QMTA had an impac on business pe o mance. Based on he p esen ed esul s, i can be concluded ha by using managemen app oaches and ech- niques, manu ac u ing en e p ises achie ed a highe le el o pe o mance, which con i ms he assump ion de ined in H1 ha he o ien a- ion and use o a mo e comp ehensi e ange o quali y managemen sys ems ha e an impac on he pe o mance o en e p ises. The u u e possible implemen a ion o all he abo e- men ioned QMTAs analysed in his pape would be able o educe he cos o noncon o mi y p oduc s, inc ease he quali y o p oduc ion and p ocess pe o mance, and hus con ibu e o inc easing cus ome sa is ac ion and be e indica o s o cos -e ec i eness and e iciency o en e p ises. By ex ending he implemen a- ion o he exis ing QMTA ange, i is possible o s eng hen he le el o business managemen E+M_2_2023_kniha.indb 65 24.5.2023 12:57:40 66 2023, olume 26, issue 2, pp. 58–68, DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2023-2-004 Business Adminis a ion and Managemen also conce ning hei eadiness o c isis si u- a ions, which a e pa o he cu en business en i onmen due o he e ec s o he ene gy c i- sis, high in la ion and pandemic isks pe sis ing o a ce ain ex en . Quali y i sel will no sol e he p oblems ha en e p ises ace wi h high ene gy p ices, ising in la ion, unce ain y and much mo e di icul p edic abili y in he ma ke s. Howe e , by i s e y na u e, i can con ibu e o a highe le el o adap a ion and agili y o en- e p ises wi h espec o compe i i eness and a highe le el o managemen lexibili y in imes o c isis, as QMTAs o e he po en ial o cos - sa ing e ec s and educ ion o losses om non-con o mi y p oduc s. This concep is based on he con inual imp o emen o quali y, which esul s in a highe le el o cus ome sa is ac ion leading o an inc eased le el o compe i i e- ness. The esea ch con ibu ed o he iden i ica- ion o di e ences in he use o QMTAs wi hin he indi idual examined indus ies, whe e he e is s ill a g oup o en e p ises wi hin di e en sec o s ha ejec s he implemen a ion o qual- i y managemen sys ems. The e o e, he e is s ill a ela i ely wide space and po en ial o mo e in ensi e use and implemen a ion o qual- i y managemen sys ems. Ano he con ibu ion was ha quali y managemen app oaches and echniques we e no in es iga ed indi idually bu comp ehensi ely and he esul s p esen ed can se e as an in o ma ion base o compa - ing o he esea ch p ojec s wi hin indi idual coun ies. The u u e di ec ion o esea ch could be o ien ed owa ds iden i ying he easons o he ela i ely low le el o QMTA implemen a- ion, especially in small en e p ises, bu also owa ds iden i ying he eal bene i s ha en- e p ises achie e om hei implemen a ion. Fu u e esea ch should also include he ex en- sion o he o e all esea ch objec i e o o he coun ies, whe he in he es ic ed con ex o Eu ope o wo ldwide. A he same ime, ce ain esea ch ba ie s ha e been iden i ied, which include da a collec ion and especially he e- luc ance o many manu ac u ing en e p ises o p o ide in o ma ion and da a necessa y o esea ch assessmen . The e may also be isks in expanding he sample o o he coun ies, whe e i will ce ainly be much mo e di icul o ob ain he necessa y inpu da a and coope a- ion wi h o eign scien i ic bodies will need o be in ensi ied. On he o he hand, by coope a ing and ex ending he esea ch o o he coun ies, i is possible o gain aluable knowledge and in o ma ion ha can help he de elopmen o he Slo ak business en i onmen and also aise awa eness o he essence and e ec s o QMTA implemen a ion. Acknowledgmen s: We wish o hank p ojec KEGA 005TU Z-4/2020 “Economics, Manage- men and En e p ising in Wood Indus y Com- panies – Uni e si y Tex books wi h he Suppo o Visualiza ion in Vi ual Space.” Re e ences Akao, Y. (1994). “De elopmen his o y o quali y unc ion deploymen .” The cus ome d i en app oach o quali y planning and deploy- men . Asian P oduc i i y O ganiza ion. Alawag, A. M., Salah Alaloul, W., Liew M. S., Al-Aid ous, A.-H. M. H., Saad, S., & Am- mad, S. (2020). To al quali y managemen p ac ices and adop ion in cons uc ion indus- y o ganiza ions: A e iew. 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