THE EFFECT OF INTENSITY OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

This paper presents the effects of quality management (QM) on customer satisfaction according to intensity degrees. The intensity degrees were grouped into two, namely highly extensive and less extensive. The data were analysed based on questionnaires returned by 205 departmental heads attached to local authorities in West Malaysia. Samples under study were chosen using stratified random sampling. The results reported that there exists a significant difference in customer satisfaction between highly extensive and less extensive samples. Data analysed indicated the highly extensive samples scored a higher mean of customer satisfaction than less intensive samples. This study adds value to the literature by revealing the intensity of QM being practised as a significant predictor of higher levels of customer satisfaction. The implication of this study is that managers should intensify the practices of QM, especially benchmarking, employee empowerment, and continuous improvement, and that they have to avoid the minimalist approach when implementing these practices.