Practices of TQM in the Garment Sector of Bangladesh-An Empirical Investigation

Abstract

Organizations worldwide have been exploring ways to improve business practices to gain competitive edge. An increasing number of organizations in developing countries are practicing Total Quality Management (TQM) in order to generate improvements in performance and remain competitive. A sample of 48 garment firms from Dhaka, Gajipur, Narayanganj, Savar and Dhaka EPZ of Bangladesh was chosen to conduct the study. A field survey with a structured questionnaire and interviews was conducted to gather necessary information from the companies. These companies were selected purposively to ensure the best possible scenario of TQM practices in Bangladesh. The main thrust of this research is to examine the practice of TQM in the Bangladeshi garment firms and to see the relationship between TQM and product quality improvement. The research findings indicate that companies which adopted TQM as a working philosophy within their organizations can make improvement in product quality. So, it is important to create right awareness for all industries to realize these improvements.