January 2, 2006	Monday	Zilhaj 1, 1426

Developing countries face several problems with regard to quality. The nature of these problems differs, depending on the phase of development of different countries. Consequently solutions to the problems also differ. An increasing number of developing countries are liberalizing their economics and developing export oriented policies and industries. These changes are leading to an increased awareness about the importance of quality.

Pakistan is also passing through s similar phase. Most of the organizations are trying to improve quality of the products through different measures but they are unable to achieve the desired levels due to the following reasons: -

Low purchasing power: The vast majority of people are poor. Their purchase decisions are based on price consideration only. The manufacturers consequently aim at low price, using cheap and low-quality materials.

Shortage of goods and absence of competition: The shortage of goods provides some guarantee to the manufacturer that every thing produced will be sold; as a result, they show very little interest in quality.

Restrictions on the importation of goods, along with, high custom barriers, protect locally produced goods against competition from people produced elsewhere.

Incomplete Infrastructure: The infrastructure facilities are not upto the mark. There are shortcomings in areas such as power supply, transport, communication, and education.

In addition, specific services in areas important to quality development, e.g. standardization, testing, training and consulting, are not adequate for the needs of the enterprises.

Inadequate Leadership: There is a short-term view on the business, which leads to quality-oriented management culture. Business leaders rely on few key members of personnel. The need for an overall co-ordination of activities is overlooked. Quality is regarded as a technical issue only, managed by technicians. There is no proper awareness of the strategic importance of quality to the enterprise among owners and top managers.

Inadequate Knowledge: The managerial as well as technical knowledge of personnel in industry is generally limited. The problem of limited knowledge is compounded by the transient nature of the work force.

It is not uncommon to find that 20 to 50 per cent of work force is replaced within three to six months. Under these circumstances, it is difficult to sustain and manage a skilled workforce. The poor literacy rate also adds to the problem.

Foreign exchange constraints: Like other developing countries, Pakistan has a shortage of foreign exchange, and industrial sector of economy has to compete with other sectors for the insufficient amount of foreign exchange available. This leads to inadequate machinery and poor material, all of which have an adverse effect on quality.

In nutshell, for entering into the world market, the problems stated earlier have to be eradicated to produce quality products of export quality.

(Co-ordinator pipeline inspection) Attock Refinery Ldt. Morgah Rawalpindi