Assessing Quality in Enterprises Before and Twenty Years After 1989

Purpose - The authors propose a methodology for assessing the quality in Romanian companies before and 20 years after the fall of the communism, by means of evaluating the enterprises' quality in general and the capability to satisfy stakeholders in particular. Methodology/approach - The algorithm developed by the authors uses several instruments like Analytical Hierarchy Process, Quality Function Deployment and Quality Management Maturity Grid, along with data provided by studies from several authors and institutions. Findings - Compared to the enterprises before 1989, the present one have a higher capability of satisfying their stakeholders, but at the same time there is still room for improvement, the difference being relatively small for 20 years of transition. Research limitations/implications - There is a consistent number of people who have doubts about the benefit of the capitalist system's economy. The results of this paper show an increasing capability of the present companies to satisfy their stakeholders. Unfortunately, this study alone is not enough to prove that economy is better than it was before - it only provides a hint of the evolution within the last two decades. Originality/value - The design of the algorithm, the analyses and the evaluation represent the authors' contributions.