The ABCs of setting high standards

It all began on Saturday 8th March 2003 when I purchased a leg of lamb - Prime New Zealand lamb the label read - from a well-established supermarket in Chaguanas. The price was $99.01 and that was all that I looked at on the label.

Shortly after treating the lamb to a generous helping of fresh local seasonings and a concoction of rosemary and dill, I checked the label to look at the weight and so to calculate the roasting time. It was then that I noticed the print that read: Frozen in May 2000: Best used by: November 2001. I pause, even in writing, for effect. I mentally checked to ensure that we are in fact in March 2003. Imagine my consternation. This leg of lamb, Sunday’s main course, had been in the freezer, somewhere between New Zealand and Trinidad for three years! Well past its prime I would think.

On Sunday morning I returned the lamb to the supermarket and the manager apologised, refunded my money and set off to remove the rest of that lot from the frozen compartment. Her assistant could only venture an explanation by saying that the suppliers must have erred in some way. The implications of this situation are as serious as they are far reaching. Had this lamb been sliced into cuts few persons would have been able to discern that it was almost two years past the date suggested for its safe use. Where are the checks and balances to protect consumers from situations like this one? Who should ultimately be blamed? These and other questions remain unanswered. There is a serious problem in our country regarding the implementation and monitoring of standards. Standards, for a wide range of goods, processes and services actually do exist, but many businesses are prepared to sacrifice quality at the altar of profit making, and sadly many consumers do not really care unless it impacts them personally.
 
The issue of standards is even more complex today than it was a few decades ago. No longer do we have only to contend with national or local standards. As Robert Reich had predicted in his book ‘The Wealth of Nations’ the internationalisation of standards has caused ‘national’ concerns to become subordinate to ‘global’ concerns. Our nation cannot advance towards developed country status nor can our businesses attain global competitiveness if the quality of our products and services do not meet internationally acceptable standards and criteria.On the other hand our importers must also demand comparably high standards from international traders so that we do not become their dumping ground. Our educational standards are another area of concern. International experience shows a direct relationship between economic growth and quality higher education. In this context, Trinidad and Tobago’s mission to increase the rate of participation in tertiary education is well directed.

This country is seeking to invest more heavily in the development of a skilled, adaptable and productive workforce, capable of accelerating the pace of social and economic development. The question that begs to be answered is this: What assurances do we have about the quality of education in many of our institutions - public and private? The developed countries of the world are engaging in the transnational development of common educational standards while Trinidad and Tobago and the rest of the Caribbean have yet to implement a rigorous system of accreditation that ensures that our colleges and universities consistently produce high quality graduates. There is also the issue of international comparability. Are our graduates at the same standards as their graduates? On the issue of standards and quality it seems that there are more questions than answers at the moment. Quality is a worldwide preoccupation and we must raise the bar in all spheres of activity. Increased investment in quality improvement will also require a higher level of accountability to guarantee greater returns.
 
In the current economic climate, increased investment in quality management systems is central to competitive business performance. The renowned quality guru, Crosby, argued the direct relationship between quality improvement and increased profitability. Some businesses today seem to operate on the basis that you can only achieve one at the expense of the other. Crosby’s four absolutes of quality management, though idealistic, remain relevant today:

1. The definition: quality is conformance to customer requirements, not intrinsic goodness.
2. The system : prevention, not detection.
3. The standard : zero defects
4. The measurement: the price of non-conformance

Seen through the eyes of a talented, diverse and innovative population, Trinidad and Tobago’s future looks bright. We do not doubt that we have the combination of natural resources and people with the skills and insight to make the wealth creation and economic and social development that we all desire, a reality. What we lack are the mechanisms to enforce standards and to guarantee compliance. In an era of innovation and change, we as a nation must choose between lurking in the shadows and wallowing in potential mediocrity or standing in the spotlight and stepping up to take our rightful place on the world stage.

The views expressed in this column are not necessarily those of Guardian Life. You are invited to send your comments to guardianlife@ghl.co.tt