3.8 Quality management

Question 1

D Quality

Answer 1

the degree of excellence of a good or service and their fitness for it’s stated purpose

Question 2

D quality control

Answer 2

the use of inspections at various points in the production process to check for problems and defects

Question 3

D quality assurance and give an example in a bit of depth

Answer 3

**the use of a system so that a business achieves set standards in production. It is a proactive, process-orientated system that ensures products are fit for purpose before they reach customers. **

For example many businesses use an external organization. For example SAI, global is the body that issues international organization for standardization (ISO) certification and is invited into the business to access it’s predetermined standards. Complying with standards is the objesctive, and by doing so, the business receives certification which can be used to promote to customers

Question 4

discuss quality control

Answer 4

pros
-prevents poor quality goods and services reaching the customer.

cons
-its very wasteful, as the rejected products involve raw materials, time and processes which are not sold to the customer.
-It does not always isolate the cause of the problem
-Unless quality control is performed on every product, some inferior goods may slip through
-reactive process

Question 5

discuss quality assurance

Answer 5

pros
-great for marketing
-reduces wastage, as the proactive focus aims to stop errors occurring before the good or service is produced
-Great for marketing; get certification
-gives a competitive advantage in domestic and global markets-as the business has that certification

cons
-gaining certification can be expensive

Question 6

define total quality management

Answer 6

is an ongoing business wide commitment to excellence that is applied to every aspect of the businesses operation.

The aim of TQM is to create zero defects. The three key principles behind TQM is striving for continuous improvement, customer focus and employee participation. It can also be seen that quality assurance is likely to be utilized by a business using TQM and that quality control is a subset of a businesses quality assurance activities.

Question 7

Explain employee empowerment (TQM)

Answer 7

Many businesses use quality circles to promote employee empowerment. Quality circles relate to groups of workers who meet to solve problems relating to quality. These quality circle meet often present ideas to management to help improve business performance.

Question 8

Define continuous improvement

Answer 8

Continuous improvement: an ongoing commitment to achieving perfection

Question 9

discuss TQM

Answer 9

pros

-employee empowerment; can improve motivation
-higher customer satisfaction and improved business reputation. This can be a major source of competitive advantage
-greatly reduces wastage by being proactive rather than reactive

cons
-requires a whole business cultural shift, which can be time consuming and expensive to implement