The image of the management is the result of the perception of managers by the stakeholders. Like the image of the company, it can be analyzed due to two categories of company's of the stakeholders: internal (staff, board, etc.) and external (suppliers, customers, society, etc.). Image management itself is an essential element of the company's potential. It is shaped by features and components that can be evaluated by stakeholders in a differentiated manner. This presents the management against a task of complex support to the company in terms of management based on the requirements of law, standards and social issues (CSR).

Purpose: The main aim of the article is to present the results of research of entrepreneurs who maintain a certified quality management system in terms of leading factors supporting decisions of a preventive approach to management. Design/methodology/approach: Interview method conducted in manufacturing companies with an implemented and certified quality management system using CATI technique Findings: Research has shown that in large industrial enterprises the key stimulants of preventive actions are, above all, efficient information flow, technical and organizational order, as well as consistent pursuit of the goal. Smaller enterprises put the main emphasis on maintaining good relations with the environment, safety and ergonomics of work, as well as skillful selection of suppliers. Research limitations/implications: The authors of the paper see the need to continue research in the field of in-depth analysis of selected factors in relation to the effectiveness of the actions taken and the possibility of supporting information. Practical implications: Entrepreneurs with knowledge of key stimulants will make decisions more consciously and focused on a targeted analysis of data in order to search for relevant premises to prevent non-compliance. Originality/value: This paper concerns key factors influencing a preventive approach that can support decision-making. For the purposes of multicriteria decision-making processes, it is valuable to know the key stimuli characteristic of effective preventive actions. An additional value of the article is the showing of the factors with a differentiation by company size. This enables a more relevant focus of the research results. Keywords: decision making, prevention of non-conformities, quality management. Category of the paper: Research paper.

Theoretical background: The evolution of the instrumentation of quality management makes the list of methods and tools constantly open and inexhaustible. The problems of dividing and classifying quality management instruments are very often discussed in the literature. The need to have a variety of methods and tools is due to the fact that the development of modern competitive strategies, affecting the strengthening of market position, the need for rapid decision-making, as well as progress, mainly in the field of information technology and continuous changes in markets, pose qualitatively new challenges to managers. Purpose of the article: The purpose of this article is to present selected quality management instrumentation by process group. Research methods: In this article, literature review was the starting point for empirical research. Finally, a set of fifty new and classic quality management methods and tools in relation to their main functions was analysed. Based on this, data tables were generated. Main findings: In a large collection of methods, tools and solutions, new concepts appear that are multi-disciplinary and require interdisciplinary knowledge. The choice of appropriate quality instruments is determined by the specificity of the organization and many other variables. The correct use of quality management instruments contributes to solving problems at the management and executive levels of production enterprises, while enriching knowledge about processes.

Celem publikacji jest podkreślenie i udokumentowanie znaczenia, jakie dla zarządzania relacjami z klientem ma identyfikowanie przez przedsiębiorstwo jego zmieniających się wymagań. Na podstawie analizy literatury, jak również przedstawionego studium przypadku założono, że ze względu na różnice w dochodowości zidentyfikowanych grup klientów w danej branży konieczne jest przygotowanie charakterystyki wzorcowego cyklu życia klienta, dla każdej z grup. Charakterystyka taka powinna uwzględniać informacje dotyczące m.in. opisu podejmowanych działań, kosztów poniesionych na ich realizację, wartości klienta i wartości oferowanej klientowi. Zaprezentowane w artykule rozwiązania można potraktować jako dobre praktyki w zarządzaniu procesem obsługi klienta, umożliwiające przedsiębiorstwu spełnianie ciągle zmieniających się i rosnących wymagań klientów.

This study examines entrepreneurs’ awareness and preventive activities regarding the environment and employees as key elements of the Quality 5.0 concept. Quantitative research was conducted among 380 manufacturing companies in Greater Poland that had not implemented or certified a quality management system. Data were collected using CATI interviews using an original questionnaire assessing the importance and implementation of 24 preventive management factors, with a detailed analysis of 10 factors. The findings identify maintaining good relations with the environment (K2), careful supplier selection and continuous evaluation (K3), improving employee qualifications and skills (K7), and ensuring occupational safety and ergonomics (K8) as the most important preventive management factors. The combined IPA and paired analyses identify K7—improving employee qualifications and skills—as the clearest improvement priority: it was the only factor in the “concentrate here” quadrant, had the largest importance–implementation gap (0.34), and the largest rank-biserial effect (r_rb = 0.639). K2—maintaining good relations with the environment—and K8—ensuring occupational safety and ergonomics—combined high importance with high implementation and should therefore be maintained, while K5—selection of employees based on their competencies—also warrants attention due to its gap of 0.28. Paired Wilcoxon tests showed statistically significant implementation shortfalls for all ten factors after Holm correction, indicating that the gap between perceived importance and implementation is systematic. Participatory management (K6) received the lowest importance and implementation ratings, although its large paired effect suggests that its relatively low IPA priority should not be interpreted as evidence of low relevance. Associations with company size and years in operation were generally weak and factor-specific. The results contribute to understanding preventive management as a basis for sustainable, human-centered, and proactive Quality 5.0 practices. They suggest that managerial priorities should consider both the relative IPA position and the magnitude of importance–implementation gaps, with particular attention to employee competence development and participatory management. The results emphasize the role of preventive management practices in supporting the Quality 5.0 concept and provide practical guidance for organizations seeking to strengthen sustainable, employee-oriented, and proactive management approaches.