operations: quality methods

Question 1

quality assurance

Answer 1

this is where a firm checks the quality of a product at each stage of the production process

Question 2

benefits of quality assurance

Answer 2

• stops faulty products reaching the end of the production line
• problems are spotted quickly

Question 3

costs of quality assurance

Answer 3

• can result in waste as products are tested
• can slow up the production line

Question 4

quality control

Answer 4

this is where the firm checks the quality of the finished product

Question 5

benefits of quality control

Answer 5

• Reduces chance of poor quality products reaching end users
• Only some employees need to be trained as inspectors to look for faults

Question 6

costs of quality control

Answer 6

• Faults only found at the end of production
• High wastage costs
• Reworking faulty products costs time and money

Question 7

benchmarking

Answer 7

a firm will investigate the best in the field and aim to match the standards of their product to the market leader

Question 8

advantages of benchmarking

Answer 8

• Can provide a goal for employees which will increase motivation
• Can make the organisation more competitive in the market

Question 9

disadvantages of benchmarking

Answer 9

• It can be time consuming to study techniques used by other companies
• The company/product will only be as good as the benchmark set

Question 10

quality management/continuous improvement

Answer 10

the firm will aim to get all staff to improve the quality of their products, from the receptionists to the Managing Director, first time and every time

Question 11

quality management relies on:

Answer 11

• quality inputs
• highly trained staff
• zero error tolerance
• a strong focus on the customer

Question 12

quality circles

Answer 12

this is where the firm asks staff to volunteer to meet up in groups to discuss issues concerning the business.

Question 13

benefits of quality circles

Answer 13

• employees feel involved
• problems are identified quickly
• improved communication between workers and management

Question 14

costs of quality circles

Answer 14

• lost production whilst workers are in quality circle
• managers have to be trained

Question 15

quality raw materials

Answer 15

the firm can buy the best quality materials to ensure the product produced is of the best quality

Question 16

mystery shopper

Answer 16

many firms will hire a person to visit their business and conduct a transaction as though they are an actual shopper. the mystery shopper, after leaving the store, immediately will fill out an assessment of their experience

Question 16

training

Answer 16

training will raise the standard of the workers’ efforts which, in turn, will increase the quality of the product

Question 17

benefits of mystery shopper

Answer 17

• the assessor is impartial so opinion is frank and honest
• the firm can control the areas they want assessed

Question 18

costs of mystery shopper

Answer 18

• the mystery shopper has to be trained which costs time and money
• the store could be experiencing a one off event

Question 19

benefits of quality symbols

Answer 19

• the customer is assured the product is authentic so sales should increase
• the firm can charge a high price
• it distinguishes the product from the competition

Question 20

costs of quality symbols

Answer 20

• the firm has to pay for their products to be checked

Question 21

overall benefits of introducing quality methods

Answer 21

• mistakes are minimised
• the firm gets a good reputation
• the firm will beat their competition
• it is easier to build up customer loyalty

Question 22

general downsides of introducing quality methods

Answer 22

• extra paperwork required to validate quality checks
• staff have to be employed to check quality
• better raw materials cost extra
• cost of training to get workers familiar with systems