Vol. 2, Issue 5, Part D (2016)

Abstract
Total Quality Management (TQM) practices are primarily found in developed countries but little has been written on how TQM has been applied in least developed countries like Ethiopia. This study aims to investigate the status and levels of TQM practices among different manufacturing firms located in the industrial area of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The design of this research has quantitative approach. Six critical success factors for TQM practices were identified and a survey instrument was developed. The questionnaire consists of 61statements, on a five-point Likert scale, to represent all the six critical success factors. From 300 sampled medium and large manufacturing firms a total of 122 valid responses were received. The survey findings are analyzed using statistical analysis package SPSS 20.0. Attempts at finding significant differences between medium and large companies were made. The result reveals that there no significance difference between medium and large companies on the levels of TQM practices. It also revealed areas lacking in implementation among manufacturing firms in Ethiopia. Manufacturing firms must be able to adopt TQM to help them meet world-wide challenges in the long run.