Quality and what it means to me

People define things in many different ways, especially subjective terms like good or bad. Quality is one of those subjective terms- what one person might consider good quality, another person may consider sub par, and because of this a challenge is posed for companies to determine what goods or services would be considered by their consumers as high quality, and develop and bring this high quality to the market.

I can remember from a very young age my mom talking about whether something was good or bad quality while we were shopping for clothing. She would always veto whatever item I picked out saying it was "bad quality and would fall apart too quickly" or that it wouldn't last or would rip or stretch out, etc. Personally I think she was just horrified by my taste in clothes and extreme love of animal print or glitter, but she did have a point. When she would cave and allow me to buy whatever low quality outfit I had my eye on that was made for ten cents in Indonesia, inevitably it would shrink beyond recognition or rip, and I wouldn't get to wear it more than a couple times, whereas the "boring" but high quality clothes she would pick out would unfortunately last forever and I would be forced to wear them repeatedly.  In this example, the definition of quality being used was only that the clothes were durable, and that they would last, but was ignoring several other important factors, like cost, or comfort.

With that example, it is easy to see how many different aspects there are to quality, and how they all come into play. For example- the clothes I wanted to wear as a child were much less expensive than the clothes my mother wanted  me to wear, and cost is certainly part of measuring quality. Additionally, the clothes I picked out were much more aesthetically pleasing to me than the ones my mother picked, and of course things being visually appealing could also be considered an aspect of quality.

Recalling Dr. Oetjen's class last Wednesday when each person named their favorite high quality restaurant, there were many varying answers given. Some people named fast food chains, some named expensive restaurants. The degree of variation in the answers given is not only indicative of people's preference in taste, but also how they define quality. Those that chose expensive restaurants may define a quality dining experience as one with a very high level of service or a selection of gourmet food, whereas others who chose a lower cost dining location may define quality more along the lines of getting a lot of food for a reasonable price, as in good value.  Others still may have used different factors to choose, such as wait times, or a wide variety, etc.   In chapter one of our Ransom text, quality is defined as follows.

Now, let's apply these six dimensions to the restaurant example:

1- safe: this would mean that the food is not contaminated and fit for consumption, and also that the dining environment is safe and patrons are not concerned they could experience harm within the establishment.

2- effective:  meaning that the food ordered would satisfy the consumer's hunger and tastes.

3- efficient:  efficiency in this situation would mean that the food ordered is of good value- meaning that you receive a sufficient amount of food comparable to the price you pay, and that the food tastes good, etc. For example- what you pay at McDonalds would be different than what you pay at Kobe Steakhouse, however the trade off in these situations is fair because of the difference in the food that you receive.

4- timely: food should be delivered quickly, and waiters and waitresses should be attentive and respond quickly to guest's requests.

5- patient centered: service provided should be provided with the guests satisfaction in mind.

6- equitable: all patrons should receive the same level of service and quality of food. 


To me, quality means getting something of good value in return for the money you pay, and that what you receive satisfies the need and is a better option than the other alternatives, so in this situation I can relate to the people who chose a lower cost option restaurant as one of being high quality.  Despite this, it is easy to see that all six dimensions of quality must be present in order to be considered a high quality establishment. This is true of both restaurants, and more importantly, healthcare facilities. As we move forward in the semester I will be sure to keep all six dimensions in mind when thinking about or measuring quality.