What is product quality definition. Product quality concept

QUALITY

QUALITY

a set of properties, characteristics of products, goods, services, works, labor that determine their ability to satisfy the needs and demands of people, meet their purpose and requirements. Quality is determined by the measure of compliance of goods, works, services with the conditions and requirements of standards, agreements, contracts, and consumer requests. It is customary to distinguish between the quality of products, work, labor, materials, goods, and services.

Raizberg B.A., Lozovsky L.Sh., Starodubtseva E.B.. Modern economic dictionary. - 2nd ed., rev. M.: INFRA-M. 479 pp.. 1999 .

Economic dictionary. 2000 .

See what “QUALITY” is in other dictionaries:

quality- The set of characteristics of an object related to its ability to satisfy established and anticipated needs. Notes 1 When concluding a contract or in a regulated environment, for example, in the field of nuclear safety... ... Technical Translator's Guide

Philosophy category reflecting the essential certainty of things and phenomena real world. Philosophy concept "K." does not coincide with the use of this term when it implies the high value and usefulness of a thing. High quality... ... Philosophical Encyclopedia

QUALITY, quality, cf. 1. units only That which makes an object what it is; one of the main logical categories, which is the definition of an object according to the characteristics that characterize it, internally inherent in it (philosophy). Something stops... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

AND QUANTITY philosophical categories, first analyzed in this status by Aristotle in ‘Categories’ and ‘Topic’. Aristotle attributed four possible contexts to quality (a predicament answering the question ‘what?’): the presence of either... ... History of Philosophy: Encyclopedia

QUALITY. The word quality in popular dialects means dignity and vice. For example, in N.I. Naumov’s essays “In a Forgotten Land”: “And this headman, Miron Antonich, is a smart guy, in full quality...” (Naumov, p. 40). In L. Tolstoy’s title of the play... History of words

Quality- the degree that determines the totality of opportunities to satisfy one’s needs. [Kruglova N. Yu. “Commercial law. Tutorial" 2nd ed. M.: RDL Publishing House, 2001] Quality is a set of characteristics of an object related to its... ... Encyclopedia of terms, definitions and explanations of building materials

Property, character, temper, flight, cut, tailoring, type, embossing; quality factor, sample, brand, grade, qualification; aroma, bouquet, print, color, flavor; peculiarity. A man of the old school. A landowner of the old style. Restaurant mediocre. High flying lady... Synonym dictionary

Quality- Quality ♦ Qualité That which answers the question “which?” For example: “he is big and strong; he is very nice and a little stupid, etc.” All this is the essence of quality, and from this it is clearly seen that in philosophy the concept of quality does not necessarily mean... ... Philosophical Dictionary Sponville

Wed. property or accessory, everything that constitutes the essence of a person or thing. Quantity means count, weight and measure; to the question of how much: quality; to the question of what, it explains the goodness, color and other properties of the object. People understand the quality of a person in... ... Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary

A philosophical category that expresses the essential certainty of an object, due to which it is precisely this and not something else. Quality is a characteristic of objects, revealed in the totality of their properties. See Transition of quantitative changes to... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Books

• Quality and application of aviation fuels and oils, Papok K.K. Quality and use of aviation fuels and oils Reproduced in the original author's spelling of the 1938 edition (Aeroflot publishing house). IN…
• Quality of life of Russian citizens and its impact on political and economic preferences, Averin Yu.N. Quality of life of Russian citizens and its impact on political and economic preferences. ISBN:978-5-19-010853-8…

Introduction

Despite the fact that the history of research into the content of the definition of the concept of “quality” goes back hundreds of years, scientists are still conducting a lively discussion on this issue in the light of modern development theory and practice of management. Thus, the American expert in the field of quality management D. Harrington expressed his opinion on this matter as follows: “Quality is a funny thing. Everyone talks about it, everyone lives with it, and everyone thinks they know what it is. But only a few will come to a consensus on the definition of quality."

Quality is multifaceted. It is key in all areas of human activity, especially in the areas of consumption, organization and provision of services.

Currently, many different aspects of the concept of “quality” have appeared: economic, social, managerial, personal and others. Each of the approaches contains its own interpretations and understanding of the content of this category, depending on the object of study.

Quality is something that is talked about a lot and desired, but is quite difficult to define. There are a lot of definitions of quality, but most of them do not reflect all points of view; different definitions relate to many aspects of quality and many requirements.

The word “quality” is widely used in everyday life, business communication, and in applied and theoretical scientific works. The meaning of this word is clear to any literate person. But, nevertheless, the use of the term “quality” requires discussion.

The object of research is the concept of “Quality”.

The subject of the research is modern approaches to defining the concept of “Quality”.

Purpose of the study: to consider modern approaches to the concept of quality, to identify relationships or differences between the concepts of quality in modern approaches, to compare the definition of the modern concept and the concept of “Quality” of the past. To do this, we will reveal different points of view on the understanding of the term “quality” by foreign and Russian authors.

Different views on the quality problem

Definition of quality

There are different approaches to the concept of “Quality”, let’s look at some of them:

Quality is the degree to which inherent characteristics meet requirements.

Quality is a philosophical category that expresses a set of essential features, features and properties that distinguish one object or phenomenon from others and give it certainty. The quality of an object or phenomenon, as a rule, is not reduced to its individual properties. It is connected with the object as a whole, covers it completely and is inseparable from it. Therefore, the concept of quality is associated with the existence of an object. An object cannot, while remaining itself, lose its quality.

Quality is a critical assessment by the consumer of the degree of compliance of its properties, quality indicators, individual and social expectations, mandatory standards in accordance with its purpose.

E.B. Gerasimova, B.I. Gerasimov, A.Yu. Sizikin defined quality as: - a system of economic relations and connections regarding the production of goods, goods and services. These relationships reflect consumer, aesthetic, competitive, economic characteristics, the current level of development of technology and technology, supply and demand, forms of market relations, etc.

Information displaying the totality of the object’s own characteristics that meet the requirements of market conditions.

W.E. Deming, when asked what quality is, answered that “quality can only be determined using the rating system of the person who uses the product, who judges the quality.”

Leading foreign scientists dealing with quality management problems give the following definitions of the category “quality”.

W. Shewhart understood quality as the difference between objects, as well as differentiation on the basis of “good - bad”.

K. Ishikawa considers two aspects of quality:

Objective physical characteristics;

The subjective side is how “good” a thing is.

D. Juran in the concept of quality identifies:

Suitability for use (according to purpose);

Subjective side: quality is the degree of consumer satisfaction (to realize quality, the manufacturer must find out the consumer’s requirements and make their products so that they meet these requirements).

According to A. Feigenbaum, the quality of a product or service can be defined as a total set of technical, technological and performance characteristics products or services through which the product or service will meet the consumer's requirements during operation.

According to A.I. Subetto, quality is a complex philosophical, economic, social and at the same time public system category, full definition which in all its aspects can be revealed only through a generalizing system of determinative judgments:

Quality is a set of properties (an aspect of a property);

Quality is structural, it is presented as a hierarchical system of properties or qualities of parts of an object or process (structural aspect);

Quality is dynamic, it is a dynamic system of properties (the aspect of dynamism);

Quality is the essential certainty of an object or process, expressed in the natural connection of its constituent parts and elements (the aspect of certainty);

Quality is the basis for the existence of an object or process, has a double conditionality, expressed in the unity of external and internal, potential and real as an object or process (the aspect of external-internal conditionality);

Quality determines the singularity of an object or process, its specific response to external influences, integrity, orderliness, stability (specification aspect);

The quality of objects and processes created by man, in contrast to the qualities of other natural phenomena, determines the value of the corresponding objects and processes, their suitability and adaptability for certain purposes, goals, objectives, conditions put forward by man.

D. Harrington understands quality as meeting the consumer's expectations at a price he can afford when the need arises, and G. Taguchi means the losses incurred by society from the moment the product is delivered.

Russian scientists and specialists dealing with the problem of quality in its various aspects have also repeatedly addressed and continue to address the interpretation of the concept of “quality” in relation to various objects of research. “There is no such thing as quality at all, but it exists only in relation to the specific requirements of specific consumers and, as a rule, turns out to be a kind of compromise between quality and price,” says F. Tatarsky.

E. Weizmann, polemicizing with F. Tatarsky, proposes a method for quantitative assessment of quality, with the help of which one can compare, for example, the quality of a fountain pen and a tractor. He notes that “the quality of consumer value is a kind of level of scientific and technical harmony contained in it.”

L.A. Goberman and V.A. Goberman propose to introduce the concept of “synthesized quality,” defining it as “an established set of consumer benefits of products that arise as a result of interaction between the consumer and the manufacturer and are capable of satisfying socio-economic needs during a regulated period of validity (service) and in accordance with functional purpose products".

Thus, at present, most scientists associate the concept of “quality” with meeting certain expectations and demands of consumers in relation to a particular product or service. In the dictionary of S.I. Ozhegov's need is defined as a necessity, a need for something that requires satisfaction. The carriers of needs can be individuals, social groups, society as a whole. From the point of view of quality management, the characteristics of the needs must correspond to the quality characteristics of the object.

In economics and management, the term “quality” is primarily associated with the creation and use of products and services, therefore the object of research and management here is primarily the quality of products and services, and its perception by each person largely depends on the role he plays in the process of their production and consumption. The authors of the book "What is quality?" In the 60s of the 20th century, a unique study was carried out. They analyzed 232 literary sources where, one way or another, the term “quality” is defined. Only in domestic scientific literature they identified more than 100 different formulations.

All the variety of existing modern interpretations The quality categories can be grouped into six groups:

1. Quality as an absolute assessment. In this common meaning, quality is synonymous with excellence. In 1931 W. Shewhart defined quality as good quality, perfection of a product. The quality of a product is an absolute, universally recognized sign of uncompromising compliance with standards. According to this approach, quality cannot be measured - it is an attribute of the product. Advertising often creates the impression that some products are of absolute quality, such as Mercedes cars. However, perfection is an abstract and subjective category; its perception by people can vary significantly. Therefore, this definition of quality cannot be used as a basis for assessing or measuring the properties of products or services.

2. Quality as a product property. In this meaning, quality serves as a derivative of any measurable quantitative parameter of the product. The larger the parameter, the higher the quality. For example, it is believed that the more cylinders an engine has, the higher its power, and therefore its quality. However, such a definition is too narrow, since it does not reflect the usefulness of the product for the consumer.

3. Quality as fitness for purpose. According to this interpretation, quality is the ability of a product or service to perform its functions.

4. Quality as correspondence to cost. In this case, quality is defined as the ratio of utility and price of a product. D. Harrington defined quality as meeting consumer expectations at a price that he can afford when he needs it. From this point of view, a high-quality product is one that, in its useful properties, matches the products of competitors, but is sold cheaper or surpasses similar products in its characteristics at the same price. This approach sets manufacturers the goal of finding a balance between improving the consumer properties of products and reducing the costs of their production and sales.

5. Quality as compliance with standards. Within this production approach, quality is defined as compliance with technical standards and conditions, including target and acceptable values ​​of certain parameters of products or services.

Thus, justice and opportunity practical application Each of the listed definitions is limited to the subjectivity of perception of the properties and usefulness of a thing by each individual.

6. Quality as the degree of satisfaction of consumer demands. Defining the category “quality” using concepts such as consumer expectations and demands is a logical approach. Since the beginning of the 20th century. The so-called “consumer society” began to take shape, which was finally formed by the middle of the century. The main figure in such a society is the consumer.

Quality- one of the fundamental characteristics of a product, which has a decisive influence on consumer demand and its competitiveness.

Quality is a set of properties of a product that determine its ability to satisfy certain needs in accordance with its purpose.

The main properties of food products that are able to satisfy human nutritional needs, are safe for his health, and are reliable during storage are: nutritional value, physical and taste properties, preservation.

Nutritional value is a complex property that consists of energy, biological, physiological value, good quality and digestibility of food products.

Energy value is characterized by the energy that the body receives during the metabolic process. To build tissues and metabolic processes, all the components of foods are needed, and the energy requirement is satisfied mainly by proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

The energy value of products is expressed in kilojoules (kJ) or kilocalories (kcal) per 100 g.

Research has established that when 1 g of protein is oxidized in the human body, 4.1 kcal (16.7 kJ) is released; 1 g of fat - 2.3 kcal (37.7 kJ); carbohydrates - 3.75 kcal (15.7 kJ).

Largest quantity The human body receives energy from the oxidation of alcohol and organic acids.

The energy value can be calculated by knowing chemical composition products.

The information about the calorie content of the product included in the product labeling is intended to help the buyer make calculations for a balanced diet.

Biological value is characterized by protein composition and content of vitamins and minerals. Energy costs modern man are small and amount to approximately 2500 kcal, therefore the biological value of food has special meaning.

Physiological value is the ability of products to have an active effect on the digestive, nervous and cardiovascular system a person’s resistance to infectious diseases. For example, lactic acid and antibiotics secreted by the microflora of lactic acid products prevent the development of putrefactive bacteria that contribute to the aging of the body. Fiber and pectin are regulators of intestinal motor function.

Organoleptic value is characterized by such quality indicators as appearance, taste, smell, consistency. Fresh, less-stored foods contain more biological content active substances. Products having irregular shape, dull color, rough or excessively soft consistency are less digestible and may even contain substances harmful to the human body.

Digestibility is an important property nutritional value products, it depends on their appearance, taste, activity and composition of enzymes. The digestibility of foods is influenced by a person’s well-being, age, nutritional conditions and many other factors.

The digestibility of proteins in a mixed diet is 84.5%, carbohydrates - 94.5, fats - 94%.

Only food absorbed by the body is used to restore energy. Some foods have low energy value, but are indispensable in nutrition, as they supply vitamins and microelements important for the body.

Flavoring products (spices, seasonings) do not have high energy value, but improve taste and smell, thereby facilitating absorption.

The good quality of food products is characterized by organoleptic and chemical indicators. Food products must be harmless and safe. Food products must not contain harmful compounds (lead, mercury), toxic (poisonous) substances, pathogenic microbes, foreign impurities, glass, etc.

Storability of food products is the ability to maintain quality without significant losses for a certain period of time established by a standard or other regulatory documents.

The preservation of food products is closely related to safety, especially perishable ones (milk, fish, meat).

Based on quality, food products are divided into classes:

- goods suitable for their intended use. These are standard products that can be sold without restrictions;

- goods conditionally suitable for their intended use. Conditionally suitable goods can be sold at reduced prices, sent for industrial processing or for livestock feed;

— goods are dangerous, unsuitable for their intended use. This is illiquid waste that cannot be sold and cannot be sent for industrial processing or for livestock feed. Subject to certain rules, they can be destroyed or disposed of.

In wholesale and retail trade goods are sold that are suitable for their intended use.

When assessing the quality of food products, various deviations from specified or expected requirements (defects) can be identified.

Defects in goods may be minor, major or critical.

Minor ones do not significantly affect the consumer properties, safety, or shelf life of products; these may be deviations in the size and shape of vegetables and fruits. Significant defects impair the appearance and affect the intended use of the product. For example, cracks, tears in the crust of bread; such bread is not allowed for sale, but can be used for other purposes. Products with critical defects are not allowed to be sold (bombing of canned food).

Defects can be obvious or hidden. For hidden defects, there are no rules, methods and means of detection or their use is impractical.

Defects in goods may be removable or irreparable. Removable defects are defects, after elimination of which the product can be used for its intended purpose (cleaning up the yellowed edge of butter).

Fatal defects cannot be eliminated (moldy smell of bread).

Quality gradation— consistent division of goods into classes, grades, categories, etc. in accordance with established quality requirements.

Tasting method— assessment of quality indicators obtained as a result of testing food products and perfumes.

Single quality indicator— characterizes one of the properties that make up product quality.

Product quality— a set of characteristics of a product that determine the degree of its ability to satisfy established and expected needs;

The set of consumer properties of a product (GOST R 51303-99).

Quality management— coordinated activities for the leadership and management of the organization in relation to quality.

Methods for determining product quality indicators— methods by which quantitative values ​​of product quality indicators are determined.

Flaw- non-compliance of the goods with mandatory requirements established by law or in the manner established by it, or the terms of contracts, or the purposes for which goods of this kind are usually used, or the purposes of which the seller was informed by the consumer when concluding the contract, or a sample and (or) description when selling goods according to a sample and (or) according to the description.

Quality assurance- part of quality management aimed at creating confidence that quality requirements will be met.

Organoleptic method- is based on the use of information obtained as a result of the analysis of sensations and perceptions using the human senses - sight, smell, hearing, touch, taste.

Quality planning- part of quality management aimed at establishing quality goals and defining the necessary operational processes life cycle products and related resources to achieve quality goals.

Product quality indicator- a quantitative characteristic of one or more properties of a product, considered in accordance with certain conditions of its operation or consumption.

Quality Policy— the overall intentions and direction of the organization in the field of quality, formally formulated by senior management.

Consumer indicator of product quality- a quantitative characteristic of one or more consumer properties of a product, considered in accordance with the conditions of its consumption.

Sensory analysis- used to assess the quality of food products when determining the color, taste, smell, consistency of food products.

Product type— gradation of a certain type of product according to quality indicators and (or) the presence of defects established in regulatory documents.

Significant product defect- a fatal defect or a defect that cannot be eliminated without disproportionate costs or time, or is identified repeatedly, or appears again after its elimination, or other similar defects.

Product quality requirements- expression of certain requirements in the form of quantitatively or qualitatively established standards for individual characteristics of a product, which creates the opportunity to check the quality of the product when used for its intended purpose.

Quality control— part of quality management aimed at meeting quality requirements.

Product quality level- a relative characteristic of the quality of a product, obtained by comparing the values ​​of the quality indicators of the product being evaluated with the corresponding indicators of the base sample (base values).

Deterioration in product quality- a decrease in at least one of the indicators characterizing the quality of the product caused by defects in raw materials, defects in the material or product, damage, as well as violation of production technology, storage conditions, transportation and operation rules.

Formation of product quality— establishing, ensuring and maintaining the required level of product quality at all stages of its life cycle: production, delivery, storage and consumption.

Expert method— determination of quality indicators based on the opinions of qualified specialists - experts. They are used in cases where quality indicators cannot be determined by other methods due to insufficient information, the need to develop special technical means, etc.

Express method— determination of quality indicators and other characteristics of goods using simple, accelerated methods for more a short time than with conventional methods.

A quality product is needed not only by the buyer, but also by the seller himself - so that people go to him and not to competitors. No matter how reliable the supplier or factory producing a food product or non-food product is, a product can always accidentally end up on display that may not meet the expectations of the client, the owner of the outlet, or even the state. Checking the quality of goods is the most important area of ​​any business. By what mechanisms can it be accomplished?

Definition of quality

According to a popular definition among Russian experts, product quality is a set of characteristics of a product sold at a point of sale of one format or another (store, commercial network, online market, etc.), which determine its compliance with the intended consumer purpose. The concept of quality, as some experts in the field of marketing believe, reflects a certain volume of requirements, usually of an official or widespread nature - in relation to the very characteristics that form the characteristics of the product.

The condition for classifying a product as high-quality will therefore be that its properties comply with certain standards and norms, as well as, in some cases, with the subjective expectations of the buyer. Let's consider key criteria, reflecting this dependence. First, let's study what the indicators that characterize the properties of goods can be. Their essence is quite diverse.

Indicators characterizing quality

What are the main indicators by which you can determine the quality of a product? Russian experts determine the following set of them.

Firstly, these are the characteristics of the product that determine its purpose. For example, there is plastic dishes, intended for one-time use - on hikes or on picnics, but there are products of the corresponding type with which the owners serve the table regularly. The quality requirements of the former will probably be lower.

Secondly, it is reliability. The quality of a product in this aspect, as a rule, is determined for technically complex products, or those whose conditions of use require some wear and tear and require the strength of parts, mechanisms, and compliance of manufacturing materials with industrial standards.

Thirdly, these are indicators reflecting standardization and certification. The quality of a product that complies with, say, GOST, is likely to be higher than that of one that is manufactured outside of this type of requirement. The presence of a certificate confirming this may become an additional criterion influencing the buyer’s choice.

Fourthly, these are various physical characteristics of the product - ergonomics, color, taste, size, design, etc. Assessment of the quality of goods in this case can be based both on the subjective perception of a specific consumer, and on certain standards and norms characteristic of products of the same type.

Depending on the specific type of product, researchers studying its quality can choose the highest priority criteria. In some cases, the analysis can be complex, including a comprehensive study of the product, in others it can be characterized by the use of a small number of indicators. For example, examining a product for compliance with GOSTs.

Standardization and certification

Standardization and certification are the most important categories in the aspect of analyzing the quality of goods. The nature of the criteria for a product’s compliance with certain parameters can be determined by certain standards adopted at the official level: in the form of laws or, for example, in the form of industry standards. Experts thus identify two noted mechanisms within which the relevant requirements can be recorded.

What is standardization? This mechanism reflects the activities of various organizations, government agencies, and research institutions aimed at determining and establishing standards and characteristics of goods in order to ensure uniformity of approaches to assessing the quality of products. In Russia, the key sources of requirements arising as a result of standardization are GOSTs, as well as technical regulations.

What can you say about certification? This mechanism, in turn, represents the implementation of procedures for assessing the activities of enterprises and organizations involved in the production and sale of goods, or the products themselves, for compliance with norms and standards. Based on the results of the work, the company can receive a document confirming the fact that the product has the necessary properties provided for by the standards and norms. Among the most common ones that are issued within the framework of this type of activity in Russia are certificates of conformity of products to GOSTs - the main, as we noted above, sources of norms and requirements.

Quality assessment methods

Actually, it will be useful to study what methods there are by which the quality of a particular type of product is determined. What is their classification? According to one of the models adopted by Russian experts, there are, in particular, objective methods, in accordance with which indicators of the quality of goods are analyzed. They are also, in turn, classified into several additional types.

Objective methods

Among the most common methods classified as objective is measurement. It is based on the analysis, mainly, of calculations and measurements of certain characteristics of the product. In accordance with this method, as a rule, various technical means, reagents, software. Measurement can be used to examine aspects that reflect certain physical properties of the product - shape, weight, or operational - for example, voltage in some areas of the microcircuits of an electronic device. The method under consideration, by which the quality of goods is assessed, involves recording the results in standardized indicators - grams, watts, joules, etc.

The next common method classified as objective is registration. It is based on the use of algorithms for counting, monitoring and subsequent recording of certain events or processes. In practice, this may mean, for example, examining an electronic device for failures under certain conditions of use. Simultaneously with the registration method, the calculation method is often used. It is based on modeling those very events or processes. In some cases, the proposed registration is therefore based on preliminary calculations. This method, as a rule, is used not only when assessing quality, but also at the stage of ensuring it, when releasing goods on the assembly line.

There are mathematical methods. They are, however, almost always used in combination with a measuring or registration device. Designed to present research results within the framework of some rational model, which can later, alternatively, be used as a template, as well as to ensure the accuracy of calculations.

Russian experts also consider the so-called trial operation method to be objective. To some extent it is similar to registration. It is used in cases where the task is to determine the practical results of the functioning of a product, if this is, for example, a type of equipment, in different environments, in relation to environmental requirements, noise level, energy consumption, etc. In some cases, the trial operation method implies social component. For example, in cases where a researcher wants to find out how quickly a particular type of clothing made from a certain material wears out, depending on the season, and gives the corresponding samples of textile products to the experiment participants. They wear it, simultaneously telling the researcher the information he is interested in, or handing over a sample of clothing to him for analysis according to the established algorithm.

Quite often, the trial operation method is used to determine the limiting operating modes of various equipment. For example, you can find out how long a particular machine will operate at full load, provided that you do not have to change any of its parts. There are many potential areas of application of this method. As a rule, it is used when the quality of non-food products is examined, since relative to food products there are quite a few likely environments in which they can be consumed. In addition, there are not many objective characteristics that can be identified regarding food. This product segment is usually valued using a different group of methods. More about them below.

Subjective methods

Along with objective ones, there is thus another group of methods by which quality control of goods can be carried out - subjective ones. Another common name for them is heuristic. Let us note that some experts prefer not to draw a strict line between them and objective ones. Simply because the interpretation of the results obtained during the use of measurement, calculation, registration, and the use of mathematical models, one way or another, is carried out largely according to subjective principles - by a specific specialist. Even if it is a program, it was also written, in turn, by a specific IT developer.

Among the common methods, classified by most experts as subjective, is organoleptic. It is used to check the quality of the product for taste, color, and smell. Or some other consumer properties that can be recorded by human senses. Note that this method can evaluate not only the quality of food products, for which the corresponding indicators are, as a rule, of decisive importance. Many types of technically complex devices can be examined using this method. For example, when the task is to determine whether the color shades, transmitted by the smartphone display. Or, to what extent the buttons on the device are sensitive.

Subjective also includes expert method. In this case, the quality of the goods is checked by competent specialists with relevant experience. At the same time, they can also use any of the methods listed above.

Another method that many experts classify as subjective, although it has enough features that are also characteristic of objective approaches, is sociological. It involves the use of surveys and research aimed at finding out the opinions of consumers - for example, regarding whether the price and quality of a product correlate with each other.

If, when using objective methods for assessing goods, the units of measurement are standardized values ​​that reflect mass, voltage, dimensions, etc., then when using an objective approach, the situation is different. Often, using similar methods, as we noted above, the quality of food products is examined, as a rule, for taste, color, and smell. How to reflect the results of product testing in this case? In the Russian merchandising community, a popular method is by which goods are assessed by points. This system is quite conventional, however, many experts consider it convenient and therefore widespread. Based on the indicators of taste, color, smell, determined by the organoleptic method by competent experts, a particular product is given a rating on a certain scale. For certain product categories it can be 10 points, for others the ranking can be in the range of 20 or 100 units.

The essence of the scoring system is that the key features of a product are assessed in conventional terms and classified depending on their significance in terms of the consumer properties of the product. If in some aspects low scores are not critical, then their “weight” is overall assessment will be appropriate. This system often used to classify goods into one class or another. For some types of products, not only indicators determined by the organoleptic method are taken into account, but also appearance, packaging design, and execution concept.

Acceptance of goods

One of the business processes in which the quality of goods is regularly examined is acceptance. As a rule, it represents the stage preceding the release of the product for sale (or shipment to the customer). How is goods quality accepted? As a rule, this process is characterized by a fairly high degree of standardization. The product is examined for compliance with the criteria defined in GOSTs and various industry sources of standards. The acceptance procedure itself can also be carried out according to standardized algorithms, embedded, as an option, in the document flow of the enterprise. Many companies, for example, have instructions approved by management according to which goods must be accepted for quality. Also, similar documents can be created in the process of inter-corporate interaction between the product supplier and their customer. The company employees who carry out the acceptance are, as a rule, financially responsible persons.

Acceptance procedure

The procedure in question usually consists of the following main steps:

Checking the total quantity of goods received from the supplier, their completeness, appearance, and accompanying documents;

Product research for key quality indicators;

Documentation of acceptance;

In terms of document flow, acceptance, as a rule, involves working with various kinds of invoices and invoices. Many firms prefer to use standardized forms from relevant sources, unified at the level of state or industry standards. Such as, for example, form No. 1-T, or No. TORG-12, which are approved by the State Statistics Committee.

Products - for the consumer

The practical significance of product quality is most important, of course, not only in terms of compliance with formal acceptance procedures. The most important thing is that the consumer likes the product. If the products sold meet this criterion, the company itself must obviously be interested - this is a key factor in ensuring that the buyer will come again. High quality of goods in modern business is among the key competitive advantages.

And therefore, many companies have created developed structural divisions responsible for supplying display cases with the best samples of products. Acceptance, searching for the right suppliers, researching the characteristics of individual product brands are areas of activity that are within the direct competence of such departments in companies.

However, there is another significant incentive for businesses to comply with the quality of goods and services - legislation. The state is also interested in ensuring that the consumer is satisfied. The laws of the Russian Federation, as many experts believe, have a significant bias towards the client. Some provisions of legal acts, in particular, guarantee the exchange of goods of proper quality. In many ways, this right, which Russian citizens have, intersects with the practice of using product research methods, which we listed above. The point is that in order to exchange goods of proper quality in practice, the consumer and seller often arrange an appropriate type of examination. The purpose of which, in fact, is to identify the reasons for the product’s non-compliance with certain criteria. Let's consider the key nuances that the examination of product quality includes.

Quality examination

The procedure about which we're talking about, is a research initiated by the seller of the product or the buyer. The goal is to determine whether the product is of inadequate quality, as well as possible reasons non-compliance of the product with the required criteria. In practice, this procedure is carried out in cases where the consumer demands to replace the purchased product or return the money paid for it. The seller, therefore, has the right to make sure that problems with the product did not arise through the fault of the client. Thus initiating the examination.

It is assumed that this procedure is independent. The examination of the quality of goods must be carried out by competent persons. As a rule, these are specialized expert bureaus or laboratories. The results of such studies are very significant from the point of view of the Consumer Protection Law. If the examination shows that a product of inadequate quality came into the possession of the buyer through the fault of the seller, or, in turn, was supplied as such from the factory, then the store client may demand that it be replaced with a similar one, or, as is often the case in practice, demand return the funds paid. The results of the study can be challenged in court by both the seller and the buyer. The same as using it as an argument in your favor.

Quality is the most important consumer characteristic of a product or service. Its required level can be achieved based on criteria determined by the enterprise itself or, for example, those contained in state standards. In some cases, the corresponding indicators are formed based on consumer expectations. What is meant by the term “quality” among Russian experts? What could be its main signs?

Definition of quality

Many researchers associate the concept of quality with a set of certain properties, appearance, and conditions of use of a product that characterize the product from the point of view of its purpose. The corresponding characteristics also form the requirements that the product must meet, both at the level of design documents and in terms of the actual consumer properties of the already manufactured product.

Quality and market

In a market economy, the concept of quality largely correlates with the laws of demand. That is, the corresponding characteristics of the product are determined primarily by the consumer. If a manufacturer meets such expectations, then his products will be purchased. At the same time, price is also of great importance in this communication formula. The fact is that high quality goods, as a rule, involves significant costs for the manufacturer to develop the desired product concept and purchase necessary materials, to exercise control during the release and acceptance of the product. Therefore, high quality of a product most often means its subsequent sale in the appropriate price segment. The question is whether the buyer will be ready to purchase a product, even a high-quality one, at a set price.

Quality indicators

The concept of quality involves determining the characteristics of a product based on certain indicators. Among them:

Product purpose criteria;

Product reliability indicators;

Product characteristics in terms of standardization;

Ergonomic criteria;

Aesthetic indicators;

Product characteristics in terms of compliance with patent laws and legal acts in the field of intellectual property protection;

Characteristics in terms of product safety.

Let us now study how the quality of a product can be assessed.

Quality assessment: objective methods

It can be produced using a wide range of methods. Let's look at the most popular ones.

So, there are objective methods for determining quality.

Among these is the measuring one. It involves identifying numerical quality indicators. It is based on information that is generated by using technical instruments and other measuring instruments (for example, chemical reagents). The use of resources is carried out taking into account the established quality assessment methodology. Through measurement it is possible to identify external characteristics product or some of its performance properties. The concept is associated with the need to accurately determine the relevant parameters. The measuring method in this sense can be irreplaceable. Accuracy is its main advantage.

There is a registration method by which the quality of a product can be assessed. It is based on observation and subsequent calculation of the number of certain events, precedents, goods produced, or costs associated with their production. Using the registration method, you can determine, for example, the number of incorrect operations when starting mechanisms that are present in the product. Also, when using the tool in question, you can classify products into certain types, for example, first-class and second-class.

In some cases, a calculation method may be used. The concept of quality can be associated, as we noted above, not only with the finished product, but also with the stages of its design development. The calculation method can thus be used to model the quality of the finished product at the time of its design. The initial data when using the appropriate tools can be informational resources(for example, technical characteristics of individual parts or mechanisms that are present in the structure of the product) or materials with specific properties (which, in turn, can be significant factor formation of the operational properties of the product).

Heuristic methods

The concept of product quality can also be associated with involvement in determining the appropriate characteristics of a product.

Among these is organoleptic. It involves determining the quality of a product, in which the human senses play the main role. When using the organoleptic method, the smell, taste of the product, and some of its physical properties are examined. If necessary, the person studying the product can use auxiliary equipment: microscopes, gas analyzers, microphones, etc.

Among other heuristic methods, expert. The concept of product quality also presupposes its regular use to determine certain characteristics of the product. Main role when using the appropriate method, experts play - people who have specialized education or the necessary experience in determining the required product parameters. The opinion of these specialists can play a decisive role, or it can perform an auxiliary function. In some cases, the assessment of experts is of decisive importance when comparing the results obtained using other heuristic or objective methods of studying the quality of a product.

Sociological methods are also commonly classified as heuristic methods, despite the fact that in many ways they are similar to those classified as objective. Thus, the results of sociological surveys are, in fact, recorded through registration approaches. However, the interpretation of the results obtained corresponds to heuristic criteria.

The quality of goods in an enterprise most often involves the use of several methods in question, as well as others that are common in research communities. It all depends on the specifics of a particular product and the characteristics of the conditions for its production at the enterprise.

Quality criteria

We explored the definition of the concept of “quality”, as well as some of its possible indicators. Let us now study the key types of criteria within the framework of which the corresponding characteristics of products can be determined. The concept of quality level involves the study of product characteristics related to several key categories.

So, there are general criteria. These may include, for example, the dimensions of the product, its volume, grade, and material of manufacture. The criteria under consideration are general ones, since the corresponding parameters can be exactly the same for a group of products. Despite the fact that each of them can be characterized by the specific internal structure.

There are complex criteria. They assume that several product characteristics that are interconnected will be taken into account at once. This could be, for example, the product's ability to operate using multiple power sources, such as a wall outlet and a battery. The quality of a product can be assessed, on the one hand, based on the possible number of hours of its battery life, as well as on the charging speed of the batteries.

There are, in turn, single criteria for the quality of goods. They can be classified into those that characterize the product in terms of reliability, level of manufacturability, ease of use, standardization or, for example, economic efficiency. As a rule, these criteria are sufficiently isolated. Although, of course, some of them can be considered in the same context.

For example, a high-tech product in many cases implies ease of use. But this is not always the case, since manufacturability can mean not only the way a product is controlled, but also the materials used to make it. It may well turn out that a product of lower quality in terms of the raw materials used in production is more convenient to use than one made from high-tech materials.

Enterprise system

The concept in modern enterprises, as a rule, takes the form of a system. That is, the requirements for certain characteristics of goods are stable; they are reproduced over time. As a rule, they are fixed in standards and norms. The systematic nature of quality control at enterprises ensures the constant release of goods that meet the required consumer properties. The presence of uniform norms and standards makes it possible to increase economic efficiency production. Standardization can also be carried out at the level legal regulation. The corresponding criteria thus become mandatory not only for a specific enterprise, but also for a particular industry or the economy of the state as a whole.

The concept of product quality management involves multi-stage control of the release of goods for compliance with standards and norms that are approved by the state, industry or local sources of law. The study of the relevant characteristics of a product can be carried out both at the stage of its development (we said this above), and during its production or at acceptance. The subjects of product quality control can be both internal corporate structures and government agencies.

Priorities of the state and business

At the very beginning of the article, we noted that the quality of goods produced by enterprises in a market economy largely correlates with the laws of demand. On the one hand, consumers can form a certain set of criteria that, in accordance with their expectations, products produced by a particular brand must meet; on the other hand, the client expects a product at an acceptable price. In this regard, commercial enterprises have a need to standardize business processes, as well as to ensure quality control of manufactured products, for obvious reasons. If a company does not carry out the necessary regulation and monitoring of production, it will simply be uncompetitive.

But what could be the state's interest in standardizing the quality of goods produced by commercial enterprises? It can be explained by several reasons.

Firstly, the standardization of goods for the state is a social necessity. The fact is that the consumer, expecting the required level of quality of certain products, conveys his opinion to the manufacturer indirectly, through market mechanisms of demand. The state, in turn, facilitates communication between the consumer and the supplier at the level of substantive information messages in the form of laws that set out standards. Compliance with them will help businesses supply the market with goods that people need so much.

Secondly, the state in most cases is a subject international relations. Its task is to ensure the competitiveness of the national economy. The introduction of standards at certain levels of production may well contribute to this. The fact is that individual enterprises do not always have access to the necessary criteria for the competitiveness of business processes. In turn, specialists developing state standards, as a rule, are necessary requirements they know perfectly well.

Thirdly, standardization is important for the state in terms of ensuring the sustainability of sectors of the economic system, especially industry. If each enterprise produces goods according to its own standards, then there may be much fewer buyers of such products than if the company adhered to state standards in production: the parameters of the corresponding products may simply not be compatible with those that the consumer needs. The norms prescribed in the laws form, as a rule, criteria for product compatibility that are uniform for the entire industry or even the market as a whole. Such unification facilitates communication between producers of goods and their consumers, and, as a result, ensures the stability of the country’s economic system as a whole.

Quality of services

So, we have studied the basic concepts of quality characteristic of the manufacturing sector. But there is a large number of other activities of modern man in relation to which the term in question is applicable.

So, if we talk about business, there is the concept of quality of services. Their provision differs very significantly from the supply of goods, despite this, the corresponding characteristics may largely coincide. As well as methods.

Services, unlike goods, are quite difficult to characterize in terms of external signs. The fact is that the object of their provision in most cases perceives the result of the service provider’s activities very individually. Standardization of services is quite framework in nature. And in this sense, a possible deviation of an enterprise from the desired norms may already be a factor in increasing competitiveness. A hairdresser, by offering a client a creative haircut that was previously unknown in salons, can dramatically increase its popularity among consumers.

Regarding the service sector, quality factors, as in the case of the production of goods, are largely determined by the laws of demand. However, the service provider most often determines the specific needs of the client empirically on an individual basis, and not on the basis of average preferences based on the wishes declared by individual clients, or norms fixed at the level of state standards. An enterprise providing services has, in many cases, greater freedom to set prices, limited, as a rule, only by the level of competition in a particular market segment, or, if the capacity of the segment is small, by the level of demand, depending on the solvency and other social characteristics of the target consumer audience.

Social aspect of quality

There is a term “quality of life”. Its concept is interpreted very ambiguously by researchers. Some experts believe that it directly correlates with a person’s income level. Other researchers believe that “quality of life” is a largely ecological concept, related not so much to economics as to the environment. Some experts consider the corresponding term from the point of view of the perfection of social institutions. Thus, the concept of quality of education, the level of development of medicine, laws adopted in the state can be directly related to the category under consideration.

There are psychological interpretations of the term in question. Thus, there is the concept of “personal quality”. Their interpretation in some cases can be completely subjective. Personal qualities are an evaluative category. The same psychological characteristics can be interpreted different people in a different way, based on a personal vision of their usefulness and significance for a particular subject of society.