This volume is intended to foster new ways of thinking about quality in terms of how it is researched and practiced. With the high demands placed on organizations to provide high quality products and services to their customers, it is appropriate that research begins to address many of the questions that have arisen concerning quality in organizations. The chapters in this volume focus on two major themes: the role of suppliers in improving quality (supplier quality awards, integrating suppliers in new product development, and supplier management), and organizational aspects and how they relate to quality (culture, organizational citizenship, and agency theory).
