O Quality

Question 1

Why is quality important to a business?

Answer 1

• It increases the company’s reputation, increasing sales
• A higher quality product allows for it to be priced higher
• Retailers will continue to stock the product
• A high quality would reduce returns, reducing costs
• A good quality product means it was create with good quality raw materials, which reduces waste.

Question 2

How to get a quality standard

Answer 2

Achieving one can be very costly and time consuming as there is are strict sets of criteria that have to be met. These standards also have to be kept and if not, they will be removed from the business.

Question 3

Benefits of having quality standards

Answer 3

• Is a mark of a quality product, which allows the company to charge higher prices
• Allows companies to gain a competitive edge
• Able to gain new customers and also have customer loyalty.

Question 4

What are different types of quality standard?

Answer 4

• BSI Kitemark
• CE marking
• Trade logs (fair trade, recycling)

Question 5

Describe quality control

Answer 5

When a product is inspected and checked for quality at the end of the production process and is a method of inspection. Products which don’t pass this inspection will be disposed of and not be sold.

Question 6

Benefits of quality control

Answer 6

• Only good quality products will be sold

- Cheaper method as only some employees need to be trained as inspectors

Question 7

Costs of quality control

Answer 7

• Lots of wastage as faulty products will have had value added to them
• Many faulty products can’t be reworked because they are already at the end of the production process

Question 8

Describe quality assurance

Answer 8

When a product is checked at various points of the production process and is a method of prevention. Any products that do not pass the inspection will be reworked as they are still caught at the beginning of the process.

Question 9

Benefits of quality assurance

Answer 9

• Reduced wastage as products are being caught before having significant value added on to them, this reduces costs
• All employees are motivated as they all feel responsible to create a high quality product

Question 10

Costs of quality assurance

Answer 10

• Less productivity and time consuming as products are being constantly checked
• Can be costly as all staff have be trained to maintain quality throughout the process

Question 11

Describe benchmarking

Answer 11

Comparing a company’s product to a similar product in the same market which is a market leader and finding areas to improve and achieve the same quality as the benchmark.

Question 12

Benefits of benchmarking

Answer 12

• By adopting practises of the benchmark, they will improve the quality of the product significantly
• Employees will be more motivated as they have a goal to strive for
• Will make the organisation more competitive in the market

Question 13

Costs of benchmarking

Answer 13

• Can be very time consuming and costly to research the industry leader’s methods
• May not be able to obtain the information they need
• Internal factors such as a lack of finance may prevent the company from replicating the benchmark’s processes

Question 14

Describe quality circles

Answer 14

When employees from different parts of the hierarchy and from different parts of the company all gather to discuss how the organisation can improve the quality of the products.

Question 15

Benefits of quality circles

Answer 15

• Employees will feel motivated as they feel like their opinions are being considered
• Employees are more adaptive to change as they were a part of the decision making
• Employees may have a better of idea of how to improve the quality as they are the ones who are working at the ground level

Question 16

Costs of quality circles

Answer 16

• All employees have to be fully dedicated for the process to work
• While the meeting is happening, the employees are not producing

Question 17

Describe mystery shoppers

Answer 17

When shoppers are paid to shop at an establishment and may be told to do certain things to see how employees react and deal with the situation. The employees are not told that the people are mystery shoppers so that the employers can see what problems there are in customer service and how to fix them.

Question 18

Benefits of mystery shoppers

Answer 18

• Gives an impartial view of how employees work and allows the employer to see any problems
• Can use the information gathered to improve customer service
• Employees will be reminded to always be on their best behaviour

Question 19

Costs of mystery shoppers

Answer 19

• Can be quite costly to set up
• For the method to be ethical, employees have to be told that the organisation uses mystery shoppers
• Employees may feel threatened and watched

Question 20

Describe Total Quality Management

Answer 20

Where the whole organisation is dedicated to ensure products are of quality and aims for zero defects and wastage. It means that the company will use quality inputs, constantly check quality at all stages, encourage employees to voice improvements.

Question 21

Advantages of total quality management

Answer 21

• No wastage, reduces costs
• Motives employees as they are all striving for quality
• Higher quality means higher prices

Question 22

Costs of total quality management

Answer 22

• All employees have to be dedicated for it to be effective

- It can be very costly as it requires training and continuous inspections.