This paper deals with the quality costs control in small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) in Slovakia and also presents the results from the questionnaire survey. The empirical study attempts to determine the level of understanding and level of implementation of quality costs control in SMEs in Slovakia. The research is based on the prevention -appraisal -failure model. In the paper we also propose a suitable model for quality costs control in small and medium manufacturing enterprises based on the results of the research. The empirical study focused on SMEs where quality cost control often works as a latent management subsystem. Managers of SMEs use indicators for monitoring process performance and production quality, but they usually do not develop a separate framework for measuring and evaluating quality costs. We asked them to what extent and on what level quality costs control was used in their manufacturing.

Knowledge of the force required to overcome deformation at the proportionality limit, maximum limit, and their ratio, as well as knowledge of the effect of selected factors on the listed characteristics in bending stress, have both scientific and practical significance. They form a foundation for designing tools for bending and determine the stress that products and their parts can be exposed to during use. This study analyzes the effect of selected factors on the force at the proportionality limit (FE), the force at the maximum limit (FP), and the ratio of these two characteristics (FE/FP). This study examined the effect of the wood species (WS) (Fagus sylvatica L. and Populus tremula L.), material thickness (MT) (4 mm, 6 mm, 10 mm, and 18 mm), degree of densification (DOD) (0%, 10%, and 20%), and the number of cycles (NOC) (0 or 10,000), as well as their combined interaction, on the monitored characteristics. The results contribute to the advancement of knowledge necessary for the study and development of new materials with specific properties for their intended use. The results can improve the innovative potential of wood processing companies and increase their performance and competitiveness in the market.

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The outcome of our research is a proposal that will suggest development of the individual components of employee profile, with respect to supporting the behavioral component of employee profile by the enterprise, which should greatly participate in developing quality culture in the whole enterprise. The object of our research is the individual component of the employee profile in an enterprise which uses the behavioral approach to quality; while the subject is the employees of SMEs in Slovakia. The sample representativeness, according to the selected criteria-size of enterprise and respondents' gender, was confirmed by the Chi-square test. The main contribution of this paper should be seen in analyzing the levels of individual components of the employee profile as a part of the behavioral approach to quality management in Slovak SMEs. Among the individual components of the employee profile, a strong direct dependence was found, which means that by developing the affective and the cognitive components, the behavioral component develops as well. This further leads to a developing behavioral approach to quality management in Slovak small and medium enterprises.