Faktory intenzívneho zlepšovania kvality výrobkov a služieb
FACTORS OF INTENSIVE PRODUCT AND SERVICE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

Summary/Abstract: The paper presents some theoretical and methodological principles as well as practical experience concerning the identification and modelling of interventions into the factors of intensive product and service quality improvement, their analysis and evaluation, specification and management, while taking into account the latest world-known meth-ods and results of research projects, in particular the project VEGA 1/4394/97 titled Research into the Factors of Intensive Product and Service Quality Development. The quality of Slovak products and services has been well-recognized and accepted in Europe and elsewhere in the world since long ago; however, it is not sufficiently known to the general public. Nowadays Slovakia has a relatively well-developed system of metrology, standardi-zation and testing, alongside with an adequate system of certification, accreditation, and notification. Our industries produce quite a range of quality products, yet the loss of traditional purchasers and customers, problems with privatisation, strong competitors on the global market, and customer preferences changing regularly require new diffe-rent solutions to the intensive quality improvement of Slovak products and services. Issues of product and service quality factors have been intensively dealt with not only in industrially developed countries and economic groupings, but also in transforming economies. There are two typical model situations and relevant marketing strategies that are suitable and used as a basis for determination of factors of intensive quality improvement: • An organization has products and services of average level of quality at its dispo-sal; however, it suffers from the shortage of resources to intervene effectively into the quality factors on a larger scale. The appropriate quality strategy can be formulated in the following way: Maximum Quality at Competitive Costs. • An organization has products and services of high potential level of technology at its disposal and sufficient resources available to intervene into the quality factors. The suitable strategy in this case could be expressed as: High Level of Quality to Achieve Higher Prices. Both strategies place an emphasis on quality; nonetheless, intensive quality im-provement factors and interventions differ. Quality as a term is understood as a summary of proper characteristics of any entity manifested in a particular environment and time by its distinctive functions. Quality, which is the state of entity, and the level of quality as the gradation of its characteristics, should be distinguished. The identification of quality factors is understood as the process of recording distinc-tive characteristics and functions of any entity and variable factors of its rise and change. A quality model is considered to be a total elaborated record and expressed identifi-cation results.

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