Quality

Question 1

why is quality important?

Answer 1

• Poor quality goods can result in customer returns and complaints which can lead to a loss of sales and bad reviews.
• Extremely low quality can result in products not meeting safety standard.
• High quality products can result in high quality image and reputation being generated.
• Selling high quality products can attract high quality staff.
• High quality goods can be sold for premium prices.

Question 2

what two methods can a business use to ensure quality?

Answer 2

A business can choose to use a quality control method or a quality assurance method within the business.

Question 3

what is quality control?

Answer 3

where raw materials are inspected or finished goods are inspected to check that they are of an acceptable standard before sale.

Question 4

what is quality assurance?

Answer 4

a method of prevention, where products are checked for quality at different stages in the production process.

Question 5

using what s good way to ensure high quality outputs?

Answer 5

high quality inputs

Question 6

what are the advantages to quality control?

Answer 6

• Ensures no faulty goods are sent to customers.
• Limited the potential for bad reputation as products are checked at the end of production.
• Cheap method of ensuring quality

Question 7

what are the disadvantages to quality control?

Answer 7

• Can create a lot of waste as products are not checked until they are made.
• Faulty products are thrown away
• Products must be re-made from scratch – costs business time and money.

Question 8

what are the advantage of quality assurance?

Answer 8

• Less wastage which reduces costs.

- Easy to identify where faults are occurring on the production line.

Question 9

what are the disadvantages of quality assurance?

Answer 9

• Can slow down production process due to all the checks.

- Increases costs as usually a designated QA manager.

Question 10

what is benchmarking?

Answer 10

• another method for ensuring quality
• A business compares its product with the best in the industry.
• The business will then aim for these standards with its own products.
• Difficult for smaller businesses who may not have the same technology.

Question 11

what are the advantages of benchmarking?

Answer 11

• If successful, the product will be as good as the ‘best’ on the market.
• Saves the business time in developing their own quality approach.

Question 12

what are the disadvantages of benchmarking?

Answer 12

• Can be difficult to gain competitors information.

- Will the ‘best’ improve, the business will be left behind… still a need to continually improve.

Question 13

what is quality circles?

Answer 13

• a method of ensuring quality
• A group of employees meet to discuss problems in production process and how to solve them.
• Involves a wide variety of staff from different levels of hierarchy.
• Suggestions are then passed to management for discussion on implementing them.

Question 14

what are the advantages of quality circles?

Answer 14

• Employees will be motivated as they have a say in the decision making.
• management receive well informed suggestions as they are from employees who produce the product.

Question 15

what are the disadvantages of quality circles?

Answer 15

• employees meet during a working day – production time is lost.
• Suggestions are not always feasible therefore time is wasted.

Question 16

what is mystery shopper?

Answer 16

• a method of ensuring quality
• This is where the organisation employs trained shopper to anonymously evaluate:
   Service received
   Quality of product
   Use of merchandising
   Did staff comply with legal requirements?
   How did it compare with competitors service?

Question 17

what are the advantages of mystery shoppers?

Answer 17

• No bias is shown as mystery shoppers are usually hired from an agency.
• Valuable feedback is gathered
• Suggestions and training needs are highlighted.

Question 18

what are the disadvantages of mystery shoppers?

Answer 18

• Staff may take the feedback personally if they served the mystery shopper.
• Mystery shoppers needs to be paid.
• Feedback may not be fully representative of the whole business.

Question 19

what is continual improvement?

Answer 19

Organisations should always be aiming to continually improve themselves, even if it has met its aim /objectives. This is known as continual improvement.

Question 20

what are the advantages of continual improvement?

Answer 20

• The business may stay ahead of the competition.

- Business can react easily to changing external factors.

Question 21

what are the disadvantages of continual improvement?

Answer 21

• Can have high staff training costs.

- Employees may feel under pressure to continually keep improving.

Question 22

what does it mean if a product displays a quality standard symbol?

Answer 22

• If a product displays one of these symbols, it proves that the organisation has met the agreed quality/safety standards.
• It is a way to document and display quality.