Research Proposal: Quality Management & Customer Satisfaction-Unilever

This research proposal investigates the impact of total quality management (TQM) practices on customer satisfaction and retention, focusing on Unilever as a case study. The proposal outlines the research aim to analyze how TQM practices influence customer retention and satisfaction, supported by objectives that examine the concept of TQM, analyze its impact on customer retention and satisfaction within Unilever, and determine the factors affecting TQM practices. The literature review explores the definition of TQM, its impact on competitiveness and profitability, and the factors affecting its implementation, drawing on various academic sources. The research methodology employs a positivism philosophy, a deductive approach, and a survey strategy, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods, including questionnaires and online articles. The proposal concludes by emphasizing the importance of TQM in maintaining customer retention and improving market position, suggesting it as a valuable area for future research. Desklib provides access to this document and a wealth of other solved assignments.

Research Proposal
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Title- Impact of quality management
practices on customer satisfaction and
retention
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Table of Contents
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................4
Background of the research........................................................................................................4
Research Aim and Objectives.....................................................................................................4
Rationale.....................................................................................................................................5
Literature review..............................................................................................................................5
Research Methodology....................................................................................................................6
Time line..........................................................................................................................................8
Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................9
References.....................................................................................................................................10
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Introduction
Background of the research
The use of total quality management for using a firm wide management philosophies of
managing improving quality of the products. This can be done by focusing of customer's need to
enhance the customers retention in effective growth of the company. There is a mixed result for
managing relationship in between working total quality management and customer's retention.
However the study is basically related to managing impact of total quality management practices
on effective customer's retention and effective satisfaction (Anjum, Ming and Puig, 2022). This
research report, basically related to managing impact and complete their working in an effective
way. The chosen company for this project is Unilever, is one of the multinational corporation for
selling different products including foods, beverages and cleaning agents which are covered
Unilever in their production line. Furthermore, this research proposal include research aim and
objectives, literature review and research methodology for completing research on time.
Research Aim and Objectives
Aim: “To analyse the impact of total quality management practices which can be useful for
managing customer's retention and satisfaction. A study on Unilever.
Research Objectives:
 To examine the concept of total quality management practices within the organisation.
 To analyse the impact of total quality management that can be more useful for managing
the customer's retention and satisfaction in Unilever.
 To determine the factors affecting different practices of total quality management in
Unilever.
Research questions:
 What is the concept of total quality management practices within the organisation?
 What are the impact of total quality management that can be more useful for managing
the customer's retention and satisfaction in Unilever?
 What are the major factors affecting different practices of total quality management in
Unilever?
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Rationale
The main reason for choosing this topic is it helps in analysing management policies of
the company to make effective practices for managing working customer's retention and their
satisfaction. Researcher will gain the personal and professional context to earn and manage the
data in different concept to learn the methods in appropriate research methodology. Whereas,
researcher gain the personal information to gain communication, research aptitude and search
skills to manage in more future research in different subjective area. This will be helpful for
manage the data to complete systematic process for manage data to complete systematic growth
in research future for constituting for empirical literature (Bag and et.al., 2022). The main
rational reason for choosing this research project is it helps in gaining total quality management
practices and its effect on the customers retention for gain eventual satisfaction and processing
sources.
Literature review
What is the concept of total quality management practices within the organisation?
As per the view of Pratt (2022), It is management framework that is based on the
different belief for managing organisation that can be build for managing long term success. This
technique is one of the continual process for detecting and reducing the cost or eliminate the
errors in more effective and manufacturing way. The total quality management is able to require
effective organisation which make a focus on continuous improvement (Hohenberg and Taylor,
2022). This process is ability to make process for the use of long term impact and simply it
emphasis on short term financial gain and practices. This technique have main objective is to
eliminate the efficiencies and ensure the success for producing the process and make right
processing for the organisational products in the right time. It is basically related to manage in
manufacturing companies, over the decades, organisational process and other methods in an
effective and appropriate way.
What are the impact of total quality management that can be more useful for managing the
customer's retention and satisfaction in Unilever?
As per the view of White (2022), It has major impact on the company for addressing
different conceptual data which is helpful for considering different factors. Some of them are
related to strengthen the competitive positions, higher productivity within Unilever and this will
easily get the higher profitability in an effective way. Furthermore, This can easily increased the
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job security within the company and helps in improved an innovative process within the
organisation. Some of the principles are there which directly make an impact on the customer's
retention and satisfaction. Some of them are associated to manage customer focus, processing
are centric and effective and have continual improvement process within the business
environment (Madhani, 2022).
What are the major factors affecting different practices of total quality management in
Unilever?
As per the view of Napierala, (2022), there are different factors which affect the practices
of total quality management within the organisation. It further helps in managing commitment,
quality improvement, having continuous improvement within the process and it is basically
make a focus on the customer's requirement within the organisation. Another factor are related to
manage effective control and basically make a focus on the customer requirement in an effective
and appropriate way. It further helps in managing data and provide systematic growth in make
the customer's happy and satisfied to work on total quality management and have a growth in
Unilever organisation (Maskuroh and et.al., 2022). These factors are associated to the growth of
total quality management and it is needed to be work in the market and gain wider range of
activities in different concept and data to analyse best total quality management practices.
Research Methodology
This is related to manage stages which involved in development of the research work and
it is developed by the Saunders et.al., (2012). This framework provide the deep introduction of
stages of research process and gain in more effective and appropriate ways. Some of them are
related to:
 Research philosophy: It is refers to the set of beliefs that are concern for managing
nature and being reality for investigated within the research projects. The two main
philosophies are interpretivism and positivism, where positivism related to where the
questions can be tested. Whereas, interpretivism assist in helping the nature of other's
people in an effective and appropriate way. In this research, investigator choose
positivism philosophy that is associated to evaluate with effective way and manage the
data in more systematic and appropriate way (Mpatlanyane, Tshikukuvhe and Budeli,
2022).
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 Research approach: The two approaches which can be used by researchers are
deductive and inductive approaches. Both are very appropriate for conducting different
type of research in real life. In this present study, researcher opted deductive approach as
is the based on pre-existing theory and basically it deals with the quantitative approaches.
This method is helpful for comparing and understanding different factors and go through
with empirical data (Naveen, Selvan and Bahumik, 2022).
 Research strategies: There are different strategies which includes, experimental search,
survey, case study and other methods. These are effective and helpful for conducting
research method in an appropriate way. In this study, researcher opted Survey method as
it is often linked with deductive approaches and get one of the finest and economical
research strategy to conduct research. This is one of the significant strategies which is
used to observe the variables and manage different forms of data. This further helps in
permitting the vast information and it can be used for managing research questions.
 Research choice: This stage helps in finding about the combination of quantitative and
qualitative methodology can be used by research methodology. Here, company use mono
methods to complete systematic process for managing data and provide systematic
growth in the market. Researcher use quantitative research method as it is effective and
helpful for conducting numerical based research on time and gather more information.
 Data collection and analysis: This stage is the last layer in which the researcher identify
about the way of collecting data and analyse that in effective processing method. Here,
primary and secondary information are analyse for manage data and gather information
for completing systematic need (Zhang and et.al., 2022). Primary data is the direct data
and secondary is opposite of primary data here, data is collected through some indirect
sources such as online articles, journals and etc. In this study, researcher choose
questionnaire and sampling method for collect primary data. On the other hand, online
articles and review other's articles is the way to collect data.
 Sampling: The group which is selected through a suitable sampling method is known as
sampling process. Here, researcher choose 30 sample size and the respondents are the
employee of the company. As they have appropriate information about the company's
quality management policies and practices. So they can provide effective formation to
gather the data in more appropriate and effective way.
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Time line
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Conclusion
From the above proposal, it has been concluded that implementing of total quality
management practices is not that easy process for the companies. But to maintain the customer's
retention and improvement in more effective way is analysed to manage data and gather more
information in long range market postilion into the UK market. It will be helpful for managing
data and provide for gathering information in more effective and appropriate ways. This proposal
is helpful for the readers to gain information about future research and needed to be analysed in
more effective and appropriate way.
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References
Books & Journals
Anjum, A., Ming, X. and Puig, L.C.M., 2022. Analysis of strategic human resource
management practices in small and medium enterprises of South Asia. In Research
Anthology on Human Resource Practices for the Modern Workforce (pp. 1021-1039).
IGI Global.
Bag, S., Dhamija, P., Bryde, D.J. and Singh, R.K., 2022. Effect of eco-innovation on green
supply chain management, circular economy capability, and performance of small and
medium enterprises. Journal of Business Research, 141, pp.60-72.
Hohenberg, S. and Taylor, W., 2022. Measuring customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.
Handbook of Market Research, p.909.
Madhani, P.M., 2022. The “High-Road” Approach to Compensation and Benefits Practices:
Enhancing Competitive Advantages. International Journal of Applied Management
Sciences and Engineering (IJAMSE), 9(1), pp.1-21.
Maskuroh, N., Fahlevi, M., Irma, D., Rita, R. and Rabiah, A., 2022. Social media as a bridge to
e-commerce adoption in Indonesia: A research framework for repurchase intention.
International Journal of Data and Network Science, 6(1), pp.107-114.
Mpatlanyane, V.L., Tshikukuvhe, L.D. and Budeli, A.E., 2022. Exploring Vhavenda Indigenous
Food Practices and Knowledge Contributions to Food (in) security. In Handbook of
Research on Protecting and Managing Global Indigenous Knowledge Systems (pp. 61-
88). IGI Global.
Naveen, K., Selvan, C.P. and Bahumik, A., 2022. Performance Evaluation Through Audit of
519 Organizations. In Recent Advances in Manufacturing, Automation, Design and
Energy Technologies (pp. 253-258). Springer, Singapore.
Zhang, W., Jiang, H., Rhim, J.W., Cao, J. and Jiang, W., 2022. Effective strategies of sustained
release and retention enhancement of essential oils in active food packaging
films/coatings. Food Chemistry, 367, p.130671.
Online
Five Important Factors In Total Quality Management, 2022. [Online]. Available
through:<https://aboutthree.com/blog/five-important-factors-in-total-quality-
management/>
Total Quality Management, 2022. [Online]. Available through:
<https://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/Total-Quality-Management>
What is TQM? A company-wide strategy for customer satisfaction, 2022. [Online]. Available
through:<https://www.cio.com/article/217660/what-is-tqm-a-company-wide-strategy-
for-customer-satisfaction.html>
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