Suggesting and Comparing Different Scopes on Quality Management: Production, Service, Relationship, and Network

This paper identifies four different scopes on quality in a review of current ways of working with quality in the business-to-business sector which it synthesises and compares with regard to typical features and underlying assumptions: production, service, relationship, and network. The review is broader than previous reviews of quality and puts an emphasis on the current trend of working with quality in relationships and networks. Its fundamental idea that the range of factors included in a certain quality scope varies is applicable to analysing other key concepts underlying the company's competitive strength as well, such as productivity, value, and risk. Both researchers and managers can benefit from the systematic comparison and analysis of different ways of working with quality.