Core Technical Principles

Question 1

What is JIT Production?

Answer 1

Just in time production ensures that materials, components etc arrive at the facility when they are needed. This reduces storage costs however there must be cooperation between the supplier and customer.

+ amount of product depends on demand
+ reduces waste of time and materials

Question 2

Why is Customer Service important?

Answer 2

Customer service is providing service to a customer to make them feel valued. This enhances their satisfaction of the experience with the company.

Question 3

Maslow’s 1943 Hierarchy

Answer 3

Humans have five needs that can be put into a hierarchy:

• Physiological Needs - hunger and thirst
• Safety Needs - protection
• Belonging Needs - affection and friendship
• Self Esteem - self respect
• Need for self actualisation - fulfilment

The first two is what a person requires where as the rest causes how humans behave therefore its important that manufactures use market research to gather customer needs. For instance a company may need to figure out fashion can improve self esteem.

Question 4

Concept of quality by designers and to consumers

Answer 4

A quality product will come from a source of quality like a quality design, manufacture and advertising. Must be marketed to ensure that the quality is shown and apparent to the user and they are aware of what they are purchasing. (quality marketing). A customer will judge the quality of a product base on its performance, some see quality to cost (value for money) or quality with delivery time.

Question 5

Client profiles and identifying target markets

Answer 5

addressing the correct market is vital, ensuring that you know your customer/clients and that the design represents them and their needs/wants. same with target markets, knowing the requirements of that market, their needs/wants so the whole market is driven to your product

Question 6

Product life cycle effect

Answer 6

big influence of potential market and customer. Allows companies to anaylse each staeg of product from start to finish of their life and ensure sales remain high and profit is good. if they notice there product not doing so well they can advertsie or introduce a new product before sales decline too mcuh.

Stages (Learnt at AS)
- Introdution - new to market, profit is low due to advertsing efforts
- Growth - sales coming in
- Maturity - reached peak sales and profit, other companies recognise success and begin on making similar product
- Decline - outdated product in terms of technology and design used. Advertising efforts are used to sell remaining stock. new improved products have bee realised

Question 7

Life Cycle Analysis

Answer 7

To determine environmental impact of a product from design to manufacture to use and disposal. Cradle to grave. Using this method, companies can reduce or rethink areas that can be more efficient and environmentally friendly. can reduce carbon footprint, rethink using global manufacture

Question 8

Planned obsolescence

Answer 8

Planned obsolescence is when a product is made to fail. With the iphone, iphone 3 and 4 cant be bought or fixed due to incompabiloity with new technology.

For consumer…
+ gives user better quality product and access to new technology
+ gives reason to buy

For designer/manufacturer…
+ provides jobs in both fields
+ desiging something to fail is argubaly easier
+ constantly manufcturing - energy efficient especially mass

Question 9

Perceived obsolescence

Answer 9

own peer pressure to buy new things.

+ keep up with trends