Quality management and manufacturing strategies in China

Quality has been identified as a key competitive weapon in the global market. Chinese firms are making considerable effort in implementing quality management in order to gain global competitiveness. The purpose of this study is to compare and contrast manufacturing strategies and business practices between TQM and traditional (or non‐TQM) firms in the Chinese manufacturing industry. This study explores the differences that may exist between TQM and traditional non‐TQM firms in manufacturing strategies and business practices by analyzing survey results of 243 Chinese manufacturing firms. Differences between TQM and traditional non‐TQM firms are investigated in several respects.