Product quality management system as a strategic tool for improving the competitiveness of an enterprise

The relevance of conducting a scientific research to ensure the competitiveness of domestic enterprises is increasing due to the lack of scientific developments of the scientific problem posed through the prism of the theoretical aspect. The scientific and theoretical and methodological basis of the scientific research was a set of general scientific, special and interdisciplinary methods, approaches, techniques and principles of scientific research. In the process of performing the theoretical and practical parts of the work, the following methods were used: terminological analysis – to substantiate the essence of the concepts of "competition", "competitiveness of enterprises", "management of competitive ability of enterprises; methods of theoretical generalization, scientific abstraction, systemic and structural analysis – for systematization of theoretical provisions of the formation of the competitiveness of enterprises; abstract-logical – for logical generalization of theoretical principles and formation of conclusions. The article proposes a scientific analysis of the modern definition of the essence of competitiveness, identifies factors that influence the inclination of consumers to the enterprise and its products. It is shown that to ensure effective management of the competitiveness of the enterprise, priority is given to the rational use of the company's resources, which directly form its competitiveness. When considering the factors that influence the effective management of a firm's competitiveness, three types are classified: basic (a set of necessary resources to enter a particular market), competitive (resources that guarantee the firm's acquisition of competitive advantages in the market; usually, such resources include the features of one enterprise that will distinguish it from others), strategic (resources that will provide the firm with a special opportunity to develop leadership in the market in the future, primarily these are innovation and investment resources). A quality management system is a strategic tool that directly affects the competitiveness of an enterprise. Its effective implementation helps to increase productivity, reduce costs, improve the company's reputation and strengthen its market position. In today's environment, companies that ignore the need for quality management risk losing their competitive advantages.