TITLE:
Total Quality Management (TQM) Adoption in Bangladesh Ready-Made Garments (RMG) Industry: A Conceptual Model
AUTHORS:
Farhana Rashid, Che Azlan Taibb
KEYWORDS:
Total Quality Management, Sustainable Competitive Advantage, Human Resource Management practices, RMG
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Industrial and Business Management,
Vol.6 No.11,
November
24,
2016
ABSTRACT: Bangladesh
Ready-Made Garments (RMG) sector shows remarkable growth and significant
contribution in the country’s economic development though product and service
qualities are yet a considerable problem to worry about. RMG companies in
Bangladesh are not fully aware about the impacts and value of Total Quality
Management (TQM) implementation. Actually they mostly give emphasis on ISO 9000
execution and various researches show that application of this only enhances
problems. Researchers argue that effective implementation of TQM practices is a
main criteria and predictor of gaining sustainability in business. So, for
being competitive in the long run, RMG industry in Bangladesh should focus more
on TQM practices rather than taking advantages out of the cheapest labors. As,
it is notable to mention that in case of Bangladesh RMG sector, most of the
existing literatures give more emphasis and discuss about the infrastructural
and strategic matters whereas TQM and Human Resource Management (HRM) practices
in an attempt to improve sustainable competitive advantage are still a debate
both theoretically as well as empirically. In this aspect, literatures proved
that, no previous studies were conducted to verify the association among
practices of TQM, sustainable competitive advantage as well as the role of HRM
as a mediator to build TQM climate in Bangladesh RMG sector. In order to bridge
this gap and to generate a more comprehensive argument, this paper further
proposes and aims at providing a tool, a procedural framework, to enhance TQM
in various RMG companies operating in Bangladesh via the development of
appropriate TQM model which will ensure organizational sustainable competitive
advantage where HRM practices will consider as mediating variable. Proposed
research direction and conclusion are discussed in conclusion of this research.