mgnt 357 chp 9 discussion questions FINALS review

The dimensions of service quality reliability

This relates to the ability to deliver service in a reliable, dependable and consistently accurate manner.

The dimensions of service quality tangibles

This relates to the physical attributes of the service like equipment, offices and other related infrastructure.

Dimension of Quality ex a restaurant meal service

-quality in terms of service can be measured in terms of ethectics of the restaurant and its surroundings, the performance in terms of the timely service, and special features in terms of entertainment

Dimension of Quality ex a restaurant meal product

. A restaurant meal (product) -quality as a good measured in terms of performance, special dishes, and its reliability in terms of taste and hygiene

. Select four tools and describe how they could be used in problem solving.

1) Flow chart: This tool enables the entire process to be laid out so that there are no misunderstandings regarding the process flow and the points at which the problems could occur. It helps the analyst to understand the process points as well as the decision points. Ideally any inspection points should be situated at the decision points so that a go no-go decision can be easily made. 2) Check sheet: Having identified the points where the defects or deviations have to be measured, a check sheet is very useful to count the number of the different types of defects that are found at that point during a specified time period. 3) Pareto chart: This gives a distribution of all the various types of errors by grouping them by type. This is similar ro a histogram expect in this case a separate line is also plotted gOing from Zero to one hundred. This enables all the defects that fall within the first 80 percent. This will enable concentration to be put on rectifying the causes for these defects first on a priority basis. 4) Cause-and-effect diagram: This offers a structured approach to the cause of the defects. Therefore it is an important tool in helping to eliminate those causes and therefore those defects. This is normally used when there ia a long assembly line, with many possible points where there could be a cause for defects arising.

11. Briefly describe each of the seven quality tools.

1) Flowchart: This is the visual representation of a process. It helps to identify the input points, processes, decision points and output points. It also helps to identify and evaluate the feedback loops in the process. These are most essential to ensure that the entire process is kept in control and performing as per norms. 2) Check sheet: This is a method which is used, especially on a shop floor, to record and subsequently analyze quality related data. This enables the quick enumeration and collation of various attributes like defects or deviations and classifies them into simple categories in a quick and efficient manner. 3) Histogram: This is a tool to determine the range or distribution of the defects. It can also show where the defects are concentrated and which the areas are where there are hardly any significant defects. This distribution could be defects vs time or defect type vs total defects. These histograms can be customized in any manner that would enable the analyst to interpret the data in a meaningful manner. 4) Pareto chart: This chart is based on the 80-20 premise. This states that 80 percent of the problems can be attributed to 20 percent of the items/machines/activities. It is useful in categorizing number of occurrences by category and frequency. This enables the 80 percent to be prioritized and attended to on an urgent basis. 5) Scatter ram: A scatter diagram is useful in determining whether there is any correlation between two variables. The trend and the correlation can be determined both graphically as well as mathematically. Also can be determined as to whether this correlation is a good one or not. 6) Control chart: A control chart is used to monitor the deviations that are observed in any process. The control limits are statistically determined as plus-minus two or three standard deviations from the required mean. The extent of the control limits will depend on the degree of control that is required for a particular process. 7) Cause-effect diagram: This is sometimes also called a fish-bone diagram due to its shape of the Ishikawa diagram after its developer. This diagram tries to associate the source of the problem to assist in its solution. This is usually used at the basic level of the shop-floor where many workers are invited to give their suggestions as to what could be the cause of the problem. Each of these suggestions are categorized and listed according to their occurrence in the process and then analyzed one by one until the final conclusion is reached as to which are the predominant causes for occurrences of defects or deviations

quality guru

An individual is defined as a quality guru when, his contribution in developing new techniques for measuring quality, as well as establishing new paradigms in this field are accepted and recognized

Describe the quality-ethics connection

Any organization has problems at two levels. One is when it discovers the quality problems within the production process and still does nothing about it. This can cause decreased productivity, View all solutions increased accident rate among employees and other like incidents. The other is when the problems are discovered earlier yet the products are allowed to be sold in the markets. This has been seen in the case of many automobile and tire manufacturers in the recent past. Here the management has been aware of the quality issues but have chosen to keep quiet about the same and allow the defective products to be sold in the market. The repercussions of these are that the companies have had to have product recalls, a very expensive exercise both as to the actual cost involved as well as the loss of reputation. In certain case there have been actual injuries to the customers’ resulting in very expensive liability claims.

dimensions of quality Esthetics

Aproduct's quality can be understood in terms of the greater variety the goods or the service contains. The features differentiate the product or the service from others.

a. Do such reviews (positive and negative) influence your purchasing decisions? Why or why not?

Consider the example of electronic products like DVD players and high-definition televisions. Both positive and negative reviews available on the internet regarding these products would influence an individual's purchasing decisions because consumers need to spend a considerably higher amount of money in purchasing such product and they expect to purchase the best suitable alternative within such price range

The dimensions of service quality courtsey

This is a metric that evaluates the customer relationship of the employees and how they are perceived by the customers

The dimensions of service quality assurance

This is determined by the repeatability of the quality of service over a period of time

The dimensions of service quality time

This is related to the speed at which the service is delivered once it has been ordered.

The dimensions of service quality consistencys

This is the ability to achieve repeatability for the quality of service over a time period.

Compare the Baldrige Award and ISO certification. If an organization were going to seek both, which one should it seek first? Why?

ISO certification implies a certain level of quality competence in products or services that is recognized internationally. If a U.S. company wanted to pursue both, the logical first choice would be the Baldrige Award, because it would help the company focus on its processes, which is a key step for ISO certification.

dimensions of quality special features

In case a product or a good contains special features which other competing products do not contain then it can be termed as a quality product.

dimensions of quality performance

In case a product or a service is able to offer better performance than others then it can be termed as a good product or a service

dimensions of quality perceived quality

In case customers feel that the product or the service offers them the unique value set they need then it can be perceived to be of good quality

dimensions of quality Conformance

In case the product or the service is able to meet the design specifications exactly then it can be termed as quality product or a service.

dimensions of quality Reliability

In case the product or the service is able to perform well and meets the customers expectations then it can be termed as quality product.

dimensions of quality durability

In case the product or the service lasts for a longer duration when compared with competing products then it can be referred as a product or service of good quality.

Briefly explain how a company can achieve lower production costs and increase productivity by improving the quality of its products or services.

Quality management emphasizes preventing mistakes or correcting them after they occur. There is a direct trade-off between investment in quality programs and investment in failure costs. If the quality is poor, the failure costs will be high. . The emphasis on quality can lead to a significant reduction of both internal and external failure costs, thereby reducing production costs for the company.

Select four tools and describe how they could be used for process improvement

Scatter diagram: this enables a relationship to be established between any two variables. This will enable the analyst to determine the relationship between various defects and their probable causes. 2) Cause-effect diagram: This is to establish a causal relationship between the occurrences of defects or deviations and their possible reasons. Here it is not ony a two variable comparison but an effect on the entire process system which is being considered. 3) Benchmarking: This is done by firstly identifying the organizations that have the best practices in various functional areas. Teams from the firm can go and study these organizations and their processes and determine as to which parts of the process would be appropriate for their firm. 4) Brainstorming: Once the causes have been identified and the best practices researched all that remains is to decide how these should be put into practice to ensure that there was process

What are the key elements of the TQM approach? What is the driving force behind TQM?

TQM is a quest for quality that involves everyone in the organization. The key elements of the TQM approach are: asking customers what they want, designing a product or service that will meet (or exceed) customer expectations, designing processes that facilitate doing the job right the first time, keeping track of results and using them to guide improvement, extending TQM concepts throughout the supply chain, ensuring that top management is involved with the TQM effort, driving continuous improvement, benchmarking other companies, empowering employees, using a team approach, making decisions based on facts, acquiring knowledge of quality tools, ensuring supplier quality, having a TQM champion, enforcing quality at the source, and treating suppliers as partners in the TQM process.The driving force behind TQM is that it is an attitude toward quality. The company culture must be willing to change and to embrace TQM. Embracing TQM is necessary for a company because quality is an important determinant of a company's viability now and in the future.

Explain the plan-do-study-act cycle.

The plan-do-study-act cycle (PDSA) has these four steps: 1) Plan: Study the current system and document the findings. From the data that has been collected try and identify the problem areas and develop an improvement plan after analysis. Also develop the metrics for evaluating the plan. 2) Do: Divide the system into smaller modules wherever possible and try and implement the plan at a smaller scale. Document any changes made and collect the data. 3) Study: Evaluate the data collected in the earlier phase and compare it with the expected results from the plan phase. Document the results 4) Act: If the results are successful, expand the plan to encompass the entire system. Ensure that K the new process is communicated to all persons involved with the process. If the results do not > show a success, go back to the plan phase.

Run Chart

a plot of series of values in the order of their occurrence. It is used to track the values of a variable over time to identify trends or patterns in the data set.

Brainstorming

a technique in which a people share ideas and thoughts on various problems in a relaxed atmosphere to stimulate unrestrained collective thinking.

Benchmarking

a technique that measures a company's performance against the best in industry. This technique can help in determining how the best companies achieve high performance and quality levels.

Dimension of Quality ex tv set

a. A television set -quality measured in terms of esthetics, performance, special features, reliability and durability

List the steps of problem solving.

a. Define the problem and establish an improvement goal b. Collect data c. Analyze the problem d. Generate potential solutions e. Choose a solution f. Implement the solution g. Monitor the solution to see if it accomplishes the goal

List the steps of process improvement.

a. Map the process: Identify each step in the process along with its input and outputs, the people involved, and the decisions that are made. Document measures such as time, cost, space used, employee morale, turnover, accidents, working conditions, revenues, profits, quality, and customer satisfaction. Prepare a flowchart of the process. b. Analyze the process: Ask questions about the process: Is it logical? Are any steps missing? Is there any duplication of steps? Ask questions about each step: Does the step add value? Could the step be eliminated? Does any waste occur at the step? Could the process time be shortened? Could the cost to perform the step be reduced? Could two (or more) steps be combined? c. Redesign the process: Using the results of the analyze step, redesign the process and document improvements.

The dimensions of service quality convenience

availability and the ease of access to the service. related to the geographical location of the service provider and the spread of his network.

The dimensions of service quality

convenience reliability responsiveness time assurance courtesy tangibles consistency

The determinants of quality

design conformity to design ease of use service after delivery

. Select one of the quality gurus and briefly describe his major contributions to quality management.

ed demming pioneered techniques in quality control

quality of the design

inputs that have been put into the design of a product or service. It also refers to the degree to which various inputs from users, marketing, production and other relevant functional areas have been incorporated into the ultimate design

ISO 9000

is a series of international standards on quality management

What are some possible consequences of poor quality?

loss of business liability productivity costs

why is it important for global businesses to have ISO 9000 certification?

promotes worldwide standards that will improve efficiency and productivity

Purchasing decision of a customer

refers to the decision-making process that he/she follows before, during, and/or after the purchase of goods or services. During this process, a customer analyzes the costs and benefits of several alternatives available to him/her

quality of conformance

refers to the extent to which the product or service conforms to the intents of the designer

The dimensions of service quality responsiveness

tested is the speeds by which the provider responds when a service delivery goes wrong or is grossly inaccurate.

Dimension of Quality ex painting a house

the quality of paitining on a house is esthetics referring to the good looks of the painting, reliability in terms of texture and smoothness of the paint work and durability in terms of the longevitiy of the paint