Abstract:
In today's global competition and economic liberalization, quality has become one of
the important factors for achieving competitive advantage. And this ever-increasing demand
for quality product and services had forced organizations to invest substantial resources in
Total Quality Management (TQM) strategies. The present day international market
environment is characterized by increased number of competitors and intensified efforts at
all levels and each domain. Under these circumstances quality development and its
continuous advancement has developed a significant meaning. Developed countries often
resist exports from developing countries if the exports do not meet their country quality
standards. And Sri Lanka like other developing economies is also trying hard to exploit
business opportunities in international markets and has succeeded as far as textiles and
apparel industry. Purpose of this study was to examine the impact of total quality
management practices (TQMP) on export performance (EP) of apparel exporters of Sri
Lanka. A five point Likert scale questionnaire was used as the key instrument of data
collection and data were obtained from 65 apparel exporters of Sri Lanka. Eight dimensions
were used to measure TQMP including Leadership, Training, Employee Management,
Information and Analysis, Supplier Management, Process Management, Customer Focus
and Continuous Improvement. The correlation and regression analysis were used to examine
the impact of TQMP on EP and the relationship between TQMP and EP. Results of the study
clearly indicated that all dimensions except Information and Analysis were significantly
correlated with EP. In addition, customer focus, continuous improvement and supplier
management were found as the most significant dimensions that impact on EP.
