World Quality Day: Problems and prospects

Made in Bangladesh and branding Bangladeshi products will be easier if we maintain quality in our products and services properly

Recently a World Bank study finds that impacts of unsafe food cost lower and mid-income economies about US dollar 110 billion every year. These big costs are due to loss of productivity and medical expenses. We are inclined of tasty, safe and nutritious food. Only food safety management system can ensure proper quality in food. We can easily avoid food-borne disease and financial loss there from by improving awareness of quality of food. Only making laws is not an easy way to overcome this problem. Rather its needs people’s participation and consciousness about food, food quality and hygiene standards.

What is quality? Quality is the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics of an object fulfill requirements. A requirement means degree of excellence of goods and services. And its ability to fulfill customer’s needs and expectations.

Quality is primarily increased through collaboration, innovation, and working to improve the output quality at every level of business and manufacturing. Importance of quality in business, especially in export business is very much essential. Quality contributes to business success and, ultimately, nation’s prosperity.

In our everyday life, we want to get quality goods and services for a hassle free life and save energy, money and time. We don’t like to check and inspect every item when we buy but we want smooth functioning of all goods. Standards provide the tools and process to ensure it properly.

Determining quality and standards in every sphere of our life is not possible for every citizen. Quality construction, assurance of public health services, healthy food and toys are some common and necessary areas of our everyday life. National standard bodies formulate and declare national standards for different types of goods and services of our daily needs.

International Organisation of Standardization (ISO) formulates more than 20500 international standards that touch almost every area of our life. These standards provide specifications and requirements specific to individual product, service or system which helps and ensure that things are developed and are functioning as intended.

International standards provide an essential foundation to help organisation to ensure and improve quality. ISO 9001, for example, sets out the requirements for a quality management system applicable to all types of business, regardless of size and sector.

World Quality Day is observed on the second Thursday of November every year. This year the day was observed on November 8. On the day, events are usually organised by quality professionals designed to spread the importance of quality in society. They organise activities like seminar, symposium, talk show, workshop and writing articles in newspapers.

Developed and developing countries celebrate the day in different ways. Chartered Quality Institute, British Quality Foundation, Quality Council of India celebrate the day in colourful way along with their stakeholders. Still we are not celebrating the day in Bangladesh in organised manner.

The theme for this year’s World Quality Day is “Quality: A question of trust”. Broadly speaking, quality which faces reputation and trust. This day is an opportunity for us to show our collective passion for quality and raise voice for quality throughout the country.

Individual organisations can promote awareness of quality and focus on the importance of quality in the organisation. The quality management professionals help organisation to consistently deliver its promise to customers and stakeholders. They response to their clients in time and ensure careful and knowledgeable service.

This day we can review best case studies on improvement and innovation from real life at some local and multinational organisations. It also encourages and stimulates employees to work better and promote the improvement of quality culture in organisations. It also enhances company’s system of governance, assurance and improvement combined with culture of quality and investment in trust and reputation.

Made in Bangladesh and branding Bangladeshi products will be easier if we maintain quality in our products and services properly. Our policy makers, managers from public and private sector, as well as scientific and professional institutions must focus on quality culture in their respective fields. World Quality Day is an opportunity to promote the importance of quality and the contribution it makes towards business, growth and prosperity of the country.

The writer is a former

Additional Secretary.

E-mail: [email protected]

 

World Quality Day: Problems and prospects

Made in Bangladesh and branding Bangladeshi products will be easier if we maintain quality in our products and services properly

Recently a World Bank study finds that impacts of unsafe food cost lower and mid-income economies about US dollar 110 billion every year. These big costs are due to loss of productivity and medical expenses. We are inclined of tasty, safe and nutritious food. Only food safety management system can ensure proper quality in food. We can easily avoid food-borne disease and financial loss there from by improving awareness of quality of food. Only making laws is not an easy way to overcome this problem. Rather its needs peoples participation and consciousness about food, food quality and hygiene standards. What is quality? Quality is the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics of an object fulfill requirements. A requirement means degree of excellence of goods and services. And its ability to fulfill customers needs and expectations. Quality is primarily increased through collaboration, innovation, and working to improve the output quality at every level of business and manufacturing. Importance of quality in business, especially in export business is very much essential. Quality contributes to business success and, ultimately, nations prosperity. In our everyday life, we want to get quality goods and services for a hassle free life and save energy, money and time. We dont like to check and inspect every item when we buy but we want smooth functioning of all goods. Standards provide the tools and process to ensure it properly. Determining quality and standards in every sphere of our life is not possible for every citizen. Quality construction, assurance of public health services, healthy food and toys are some common and necessary areas of our everyday life. National standard bodies formulate and declare national standards for different types of goods and services of our daily needs. International Organisation of Standardization (ISO) formulates more than 20500 international standards that touch almost every area of our life. These standards provide specifications and requirements specific to individual product, service or system which helps and ensure that things are developed and are functioning as intended. International standards provide an essential foundation to help organisation to ensure and improve quality. ISO 9001, for example, sets out the requirements for a quality management system applicable to all types of business, regardless of size and sector. World Quality Day is observed on the second Thursday of November every year. This year the day was observed on November 8. On the day, events are usually organised by quality professionals designed to spread the importance of quality in society. They organise activities like seminar, symposium, talk show, workshop and writing articles in newspapers. Developed and developing countries celebrate the day in different ways. Chartered Quality Institute, British Quality Foundation, Quality Council of India celebrate the day in colourful way along with their stakeholders. Still we are not celebrating the day in Bangladesh in organised manner. The theme for this years World Quality Day is Quality: A question of trust. Broadly speaking, quality which faces reputation and trust. This day is an opportunity for us to show our collective passion for quality and raise voice for quality throughout the country. Individual organisations can promote awareness of quality and focus on the importance of quality in the organisation. The quality management professionals help organisation to consistently deliver its promise to customers and stakeholders. They response to their clients in time and ensure careful and knowledgeable service. This day we can review best case studies on improvement and innovation from real life at some local and multinational organisations. It also encourages and stimulates employees to work better and promote the improvement of quality culture in organisations. It also enhances companys system of governance, assurance and improvement combined with culture of quality and investment in trust and reputation. Made in Bangladesh and branding Bangladeshi products will be easier if we maintain quality in our products and services properly. Our policy makers, managers from public and private sector, as well as scientific and professional institutions must focus on quality culture in their respective fields. World Quality Day is an opportunity to promote the importance of quality and the contribution it makes towards business, growth and prosperity of the country. The writer is a former Additional Secretary. E-mail: [email protected]