2.4.4. Quality Management

Question 1

Quality control

Answer 1

-Checking output to find any faults in production system. Inspecting quality of output at end of production process

+ves:
1.Guarantees no defectives leave the factory
2.Requires little staff training, suits businesses with unskilled or temporary staff

-ves:
1.Leaving quality for inspectors to sort out may mean poor quality is built into product (ie.clothes with seams that unpick quickly)
2.QC can be trusted when 100% of output is tested, not when it is based on sampling. Will lead to quality problems

Question 2

Quality assurance

Answer 2

Ongoing checking of quality throughout the production process. Focus on preventing quality issues.

+ves:
1.Makes sure company has quality system for every stage of production process.
2.Some customers like the reassurance provided about quality checks at every stage as they believe they are getting better quality service, might be willing to pay more

-ves:
1.It doesn’t promise high quality product, only high quality reliable process
2.May encourage complacency;it suggests quality has been sorted whereas rising customer requirements mean quality should keep moving ahead

Question 3

Quality circle

Answer 3

Group of workers that meet regularly to solve quality problems identified in production process.
Encourages approach of continuous improvement
Links to Maslow or Herzberg

Question 4

TQM ( tot. Quality management)

Answer 4

Organisation of the business with quality at its core and with every worker responsible for quality

+ves:
1.Should become deeply rooted into company culture
2.Once all staff think about quality, it should show through from wailing to manufacture to selling etc

-ves:
1. Staff may be sceptical of management initiatives
2.To embed TQM into business culture may be expensive as it requires training

Question 5

Continuous improvement(Kaizen)

Answer 5

Taking continuous small steps to improve productivity through elimination of all types of waste in production process.
Key aspects of continuous improvement:
-Cell production
-Quality circles
-Small but frequent changes
-Regular suggestions
-Quality and productivity improvements

Question 6

Competing advantage from quality management

Answer 6

Spending money on quality management systems to ensure high quality+service delivery brings rewards;
-Allows premium prices to be charged
-Helps to gain distribution, as retailers are confident they won’t need to deal with returns and refunds
-Creates brand loyalty and repeat purchases
-Helps build brand reputation that spreads to their products within firms portfolio