본 논문은 특정 산업 또는 제품 수준에서 품질경쟁력 수준을 측정할 수 있는 평가모형을 개발하고, 이를 국가별로 비교하려는 시도로, 한국표준협회와 산업연구원(2007)에서 개발한 품질경쟁력 모형을 기반으로 실증적으로 적용 가능한 모형을 개발하였다. 이를 위해 먼저 국가간 경쟁력을 비교하는 WEF의 국가경쟁력 평가 모형, Global Manufacturing Competitiveness Index, 국가산업의 품질경쟁력 수준지수, 한국사용품질지수 (KS-QEI)를 포함하는 6개 경쟁력지수 모형을 비교, 시사점을 도출하였다. 또한 품질을 구성하는 다양한 요소들을 기업과 사용자 측면에서 검토하고, 경쟁력 평가의 대상을 최종 제품만이 아니라 제품을 생산하는 기업의 내부적 요인과 국가의 인프라 수준 등을 반영하여 모형을 구축하였다. 도출된 모형은 5개 국가(한국, 미국, 일본, 독일, 중국)에서 생산되는 4개의 주요 생활가전제품(TV, 냉장고, 세탁기, 에어컨)을 대상으로 일반 소비자와 전문가를 대상으로 설문조사와 2차 자료 조사를 통해 품질경쟁력 수준을 평가하였다. 연구 결과, 전반적으로 중국을 제외한 비교 대상 국가들 간의 차이는 크지 않은 것으로 나타났으며, 한국제품의 품질경쟁력은 기술선진국들로 알려진 독일, 일본, 미국 제품들에 근접한 품질경쟁력을 갖는 것으로 나타났다. 현재 한국의 생활가전제품에 대한 사용자평가는 다른 선진국가들과 큰 차이가 없이 개선되어졌으나 가전제품 전문가들의 인식과 평가는 아직 개선되지 않은 것으로 나타났다. 특히, 전문가 평가가 중심을 이루는 생산품질과 경영품질 부분에서 상대적인 평가가 낮게 나타났다
This study tries to develop a practically applicable product quality competitiveness model based on the model by Korean Standards Association and Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade (2007).
For this, 6 models comparing product quality or competitiveness across diverse countries including WEF, Business Competitiveness Index, Global Manufacturing Competitiveness Index, KS-QEI and National Design Competition Power Index are reviewed. Based on the review, an evaluation model that measures quality competitiveness of products or particular industries among countries is developed. Here, quality competitiveness is defined, as shown in <Table 1>, to include four dimensions, design quality, production quality, usage quality, and management quality. It is also designed to incorporate various factors which constitute quality dimension in the area of both firms and consumers. Finally, variables for both end-products, internal factors of manufacturers, and the infrastructure of a country are included in the model as variables of competitiveness level. The model is applied to 4 major home appliances (TV, refrigerator, washing machine, air conditioner)among 5 countries (Korea, US, Japan, Germany, China). For this, 3 types of data are collected and analyzed.
First, consumer survey of 1,200 respondents with product usage experience is performed using online research firms. Secondly, online survey targeting experts in consumer electronics is implemented using the expert panel of research firms in each of 5 countries. Relative importance of 4 quality dimensions is measured and calculated based on the AHP method from experts survey. Thirdly, secondly data for market share and the number of patents are collected for each product and country.
Based on the AHP evaluation by experts, relative weight of four quality dimensions is calculated.
For all product categories, usage quality is found to be the most important factor, followed by production quality. Results of this study show that except China, no significant difference in quality exists among the evaluated countries. The quality competitiveness score of Korean products is 67.3 and is similar to Germany (69.0), Japan (68.5), and US (67.8), which are known to have high reputation for quality competitiveness. The score of China is found to be low at 60.9. However, in the evaluation by experts, the gap between Korea and other developed countries is larger. Among 4 quality dimensions, usage quality is found to be very high for Korean products, followed by design and production quality. Out of 4 product categories surveyed, the quality of Korean TV is evaluated highest, second to Japan. For AC, the quality of Korean products is ranked as second with US and Japan. The evaluation for Korean refrigerator and washing machine is relatively lower compared to other countries.