Total quality management in Smes in Ostim

In twenty first century, there is a cruel competition between all countries? economies and markets. In such circumstances, it?s gradually hard to survive for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) against large sized enterprises. With improving market condititons, consumers are becoming conscious gradually and giving more importance to quality. In this case, enterprises need to find ways both to increase their quality levels and to survive. At this point, total quality management (TQM) is a great system which can provide these two purposes for enterprises. TQM makes enterprises produce their properties or services at the first attempt without mistake, with convenient price and quality guaranteed. In our country?s economic conditions which high inflation levels and high unregistered production reign, SMEs have to find different ways to survive against their rivals. TQM is one of these ways. SMEs? flexibility which helps them adapt to improving conditions easily and quickly, is an important advantage to adopt and apply TQM system. TQM provides SMEs release from family company status and makes them institutional. SMEs are impossible to give up for our economy because of encouraging entrepreneurship and obtaining liveliness and dynamism to economy. SMEs? effort to adopt and apply TQM, have become a necessity to improve both the enterprise and country economy. In this study firstly, various definitions of TQM are given and basic concepts concerning TQM are explained. TQM?s developing process and important gurus who contributed to TQM?s development are described. Afterwards, TQM?s fundamental principles, TQM?s advantages and problems during application are mentioned. In the following section, definitions of SMEs and common components in these definitions are determined. After explaining constitutional features of SMEs? and their strong and weak characteristics, the importance of SMEs? for Turkish economy and TQM in SMEs? issues are mentioned. In the last section, research findings, research results, analysises and comments concerning these results in OSTİM are explained.