Deck 1: Introduction to Quality

Question 1

During the 1940s and 1950s,after World War II,the quality of products was the most important priority of top managers as it was recognized as the key to worldwide success.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Services cannot be inventoried or inspected prior to delivery as manufactured goods.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Customers evaluate a service primarily by the quality of the human contact.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

According to the manufacturing perspective of quality,quality is based on the consistency between goods and services.

Question 5

The production of services typically requires a lower degree of customization than does manufacturing.

Question 6

The inspection step in manufacturing should ideally be used as a means of gathering information that can be used to improve quality of the products rather than simply to remove defective items.

Question 7

The user perspective of quality judges a product based on how well the product performs its intended function.

Question 8

Although quality can drive business success,it cannot guarantee it,and one must not infer that business failures or stock price drops are the result of poor quality.

Question 9

If quality is built into the product properly,inspection is necessary for auditing purposes and functional testing.

Question 10

People view quality subjectively and in relation to differing criteria based on their individual roles in the production-marketing value chain.

Question 11

The function of tool engineers in manufacturing industries is to work with product design engineers to develop realistic specifications.

Question 12

Inspection was the primary means of quality control during the first half of the twentieth century.

Question 13

The Six Sigma approach for quality improvement requires increased levels of training and education for managers,and not for front-line employees.

Question 14

Services are produced prior to consumption.

Question 15

It is the responsibility of the marketing and sales department to learn about the products and product features that consumers want,and the prices they are willing to pay for those products.

Question 16

The receiving department in an organization ensures that the delivered items are of the quality specified by the purchase contract.

Question 17

Manufacturing is generally more labor intensive compared to services.

Question 18

According to the product perspective of quality,a smaller number of product attributes are equivalent to higher quality.

Question 19

The transcendent definition of quality was first defined as the goodness of a product.

Question 20

The quality assurance team in a firm is only partly responsible for ensuring that the products produced meet the required quality specifications.

Question 21

Today,organizations are asking employees to take more responsibility for acting as the point of contact between the organization and the customer.

Question 22

Customers generally view quality from the _____ perspective.

A)user
B)manufacturing
C)value
D)transcendent

Question 23

High quality of products is an important source of competitive advantage for organizations.

Question 24

The value perspective defines quality of a product on the basis of:

A)the ability of the product to perform its intended function.
B)the relationship of product benefits to price.
C)the quantity of some product attribute.
D)the product's conformance to its specifications.

Question 25

Employees who embrace quality as a personal value often go beyond what they're asked or normally expected to do in order to provide extraordinary service to a customer.

Question 26

Which of the following perspectives of quality is meaningful for production workers who are responsible for guaranteeing that design specifications are met during production?

A)User perspective
B)Customer perspective
C)Product perspective
D)Manufacturing perspective

Question 27

Kosher's,a supermarket in Surbury,employs various strategies to provide good quality products to consumers at lower prices compared to other competing stores.This marketing strategy is most likely to influence the _____ perspective of quality.

A)user
B)product
C)value
D)manufacturing

Question 28

The value perspective of quality is most important at the _____ stage in the creation and delivery of goods and services.

A)manufacturing
B)design
C)marketing
D)distribution

Question 29

The accounting function helps in achieving quality by identifying areas of quality improvement and tracking the progress of quality improvement programs.

Question 30

Which of the following perspectives of quality is most likely to be meaningful to people who work in marketing because they are responsible for determining the needs and expectations of the customers?

A)User perspective
B)Manufacturing perspective
C)Value perspective
D)Transcendent perspective

Question 31

Which of the following perspectives of quality considers quality to be synonymous with superiority or excellence?

A)Product perspective
B)Value perspective
C)Transcendent perspective
D)Manufacturing perspective

Question 32

Instituting a strategy of quality improvement usually helps to increase short-run profitability.

Question 33

The _____ perspective defines quality as the totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bears on its ability to satisfy given needs.

A)value
B)transcendent
C)manufacturing
D)customer

Question 34

The ultimate purchaser of a product or service is referred to as a(n)_____.

A)supplier
B)external customer
C)consumer
D)internal customer

Question 35

Which of the following is true regarding internal customers of an organization?

A)They buy products or services for their own personal use.
B)They receive goods or services from suppliers within the organization.
C)They are the ultimate purchasers of a product or service.
D)They do not add any value to the product before it reaches the consumer.

Question 36

Which of the following is true of the transcendent or judgmental perspective of quality?

A)It is of little practical value to the managers, as standards of excellence vary considerably among individuals.
B)It provides a precise and universally acceptable definition for quality.
C)It defines quality on the basis of the relationship of product benefits to price.
D)It provides a means by which quality can be measured or assessed as a basis for practical business decisions.

Question 37

A consumer electronics company introduced a new music system into the market with multiple features like built in alarm,mobile and iPod charger,radio and many more.The company is trying to influence the _____ perspective of quality by providing multiple features in a single product.

A)value
B)user
C)product
D)transcendent

Question 38

Shenzen Electronics,a cell phone manufacturing company,buys microphones and bluetooth handsets from Atid Infotech which manufactures cell phones and cellular accessories.For Atid Infotech,Shenzen is a(n)_____.

A)consumer
B)supplier
C)external customer
D)internal customer

Question 39

Which of the following perspectives of quality judges a product on the basis of how well the product performs its intended function?

A)Value perspective
B)Product perspective
C)User perspective
D)Manufacturing perspective

Question 40

Which of the following perspectives of quality judges quality of a product on the basis of consistency in meeting product specifications?

A)Manufacturing perspective
B)User perspective
C)Value perspective
D)Transcendent perspective

Question 41

The book "Quality Is Free" is written by _____.

A)Joseph Juran
B)Edwards Deming
C)Malcolm Baldrige
D)Philip Crosby

Question 42

Which of the following terms best represents a firm's ability to achieve market superiority?

A)Flexibility
B)Competitive advantage
C)Quality assurance
D)Agility

Question 43

The marketing and sales department in an organization contributes to the quality of the product by:

A)bringing together technical staffs from both the buyer's and supplier's companies to design products and solve technical problems.
B)designing and maintaining the tools used in manufacturing and inspection of goods.
C)learning the products and product features that consumers want and knowing the prices that consumers are willing to pay for them.
D)ensuring that the items delivered by the suppliers are of the quality specified by the purchase contract.

Question 44

The concept of total quality is defined as a(n):

A)customer-focused, results-oriented approach to business improvement that integrates many traditional quality improvement tools and techniques with a bottom-line and strategic orientation.
B)people-focused management system that aims at continual increase in customer satisfaction at continually lower real cost.
C)structured approach to organizational management that is used to prioritize and select projects that have high benefits relative to the effort involved in accomplishing them.
D)integrated approach to organizational performance management that results in lower consumption of resources.

Question 45

The quality assurance function helps to achieve quality by:

A)ensuring that the firm provides adequate training to its salespeople so that they can appropriately answer all customer queries.
B)ensuring that the firm complies with laws and regulations regarding such things as product labeling, packaging, safety, and transportation.
C)providing special statistical studies and analyses to the manufacturing or business support functions.
D)authorizing sufficient budgeting for equipment, training, and other means of assuring quality.

Question 46

The production of services differs from manufacturing as services:

A)can be inspected prior to delivery.
B)require lesser customization compared to manufactured goods.
C)produce outputs that are mostly intangible.
D)are less labor intensive and involve minimal human interaction.

Question 47

Which of the following is true regarding the six-sigma approach to quality improvement?

A)It does not address problems involving cost reduction and efficiency.
B)It integrates many traditional quality improvement tools and techniques that have been tested and validated over the years, with a bottom-line and strategic orientation.
C)It become less effective in addressing problems related to quality and efficiency if the six sigma tools are combined with lean tools from the Toyota production system.
D)It focuses entirely on the training and education of managers and not the front-line employees and the technical staff in the organization.

Question 48

Improved conformance in production or service delivery tends to increase profitability as:

A)it helps in differentiating the product from its competitors and improves the perceived value of the product.
B)it ensures that the services are performed according to the convenience of the customer.
C)it leads to lower costs through savings in rework, scrap, resolution of errors, and warranty expenses.
D)it leads to improved employee motivation.

Question 49

Organizations can ensure that the quality is rooted in their culture by:

A)internalizing quality at the personal level and encouraging employees to practice quality in all activities of life.
B)encouraging employees to do more than what they are expected to do through reward programs.
C)ensuring that the company follows all the laws and regulations regarding product labeling, packaging, and other marketing requirements.
D)allotting sufficient budget for equipment, training, and other means of assuring quality.

Question 50

The purchasing department helps a firm in achieving quality by:

A)defining long-term and short-term production requirements for filling customer orders and meeting anticipated demand.
B)ensuring that the products are assembled correctly and eliminating the causes that can lead to defects or errors in the final product.
C)collaborating with product design engineers to develop realistic specifications for the product.
D)providing quality-improvement training to suppliers.

Question 51

Which of the following perspectives of quality provides the basis for coordinating the entire value chain?

A)Customer perspective
B)User perspective
C)Transcendent perspective
D)Value perspective

Question 52

Which of the following is a negative impact of information technology on the customer service provided by service organizations?

A)It has increased the labor intensity involved in the production of services.
B)It has resulted in lesser personal interaction between consumers and service providers leading to decreased customer satisfaction among some consumers.
C)It has decreased the speed of service.
D)It has restricted the ability of the customers to compare products with competitor brands before making a purchase.

Question 53

Customers evaluate a service primarily by the:

A)speed of the service.
B)accuracy of the service.
C)quality of the human contact.
D)degree of customization offered by the service.

Question 54

Which of the following is true regarding production of services?

A)Compared to manufacturing, it is easier for service organizations to identify and measure customers' needs and performance standards as they involve human contact.
B)The production of services typically requires a lower degree of customization than does manufacturing.
C)Compared to manufacturing, production of services is typically less labor intensive.
D)Services are produced and consumed simultaneously

Question 55

Which of the following business support functions helps in achieving quality by ensuring that the product labeling,packaging,and safety measures are in compliance with the rules and regulations?

A)Marketing and sales
B)Tool engineering
C)Legal services
D)Finance and accounting

Question 56

The _____ function helps an organization in achieving quality by exposing the costs of poor quality and opportunities for reducing it.

A)marketing and sales
B)manufacturing and assembly
C)legal services
D)finance and accounting

Question 57

Which of the following is true of quality management during the age of craftsmanship that existed before the advent of the Industrial Revolution?

A)Inspection was the primary means of quality control.
B)Various statistical methods and control charts were being used to identify quality problems in production processes and to ensure consistency of output.
C)Ensuring quality of the products was the responsibility of the quality departments and not the workers who were directly involved in creating the products.
D)Quality assurance was informal and efforts were made to ensure that quality was built into products by the people who produced them.

Question 58

Which of the following functions in the manufacturing system is responsible for specifying long-term and short-term production requirements for filling customer orders and meeting anticipated demand?

A)Product design and engineering
B)Manufacturing and assembly
C)Production planning and scheduling
D)Industrial engineering and process design

Question 59

The inspection and testing function in a manufacturing system contributes to the quality of the product by:

A)gathering information that can be used to improve the quality of the products.
B)selecting quality-conscious suppliers and ensuring that purchase orders clearly define the quality requirements specified by product design and engineering.
C)designing and maintaining the tools used in manufacturing of products.
D)selecting appropriate technologies, equipment, and work methods for producing quality products.

Question 60

Who among the following in an organization are responsible for selecting appropriate technologies,equipment,and work methods for producing quality products?

A)Production workers
B)Industrial engineers
C)Salespeople
D)Tool engineers

Question 61

What are the objectives of the Leadership Through Quality process?

Question 62

Explain the role of information technology in service industries.

Question 63

Explain the significance of integrating different quality perspectives in the value chain.

Question 64

What led to the fall of Xerox's market share to less than 50 percent?

Question 65

What are the key areas in corporation health that are measured by the executive management team balanced scorecard at Huawei?

Question 66

How do quality of design and conformance influence the profitability of an organization?

Question 67

Which of the following was the first plain-paper copier introduced in 1959? ?

A)Canon 980
B)Xerox 914
C)Kodak 114
D)IBM 800

Question 68

Why is it important for organizations to internalize quality at the personal level?

Question 69

Which was the first program at Xerox that linked managers with employees in a mutual problem-solving approach and served as a model for other corporations?

Question 70

List some the most obvious impacts of the Leadership Through Quality program at Xerox.

Question 71

How did Leadership Through Quality radically change the way Xerox did business?

Question 72

What are the key components of Xerox's Lean Six Sigma?

Question 73

What are the basic principles of Xerox which support its core value "We deliver quality and excellence in all we do"?

Question 74

What is the quality policy of Xerox written by Kearns and 25 other top employees of Xerox?

Question 75

Discuss the "quality revolution" that took place in the United States after 1960s.

Question 76

What were the four goals that the Leadership Through Quality process was directed at achieving in all Xerox activities?

Question 77

What do today's Chinese quality systems strongly emphasize?

Question 78

Describe the steps taken by Huawei's senior management to become the "Toyota of the telecom industry."

Question 79

What was the reason for the competitive advantage of Xerox?

Question 80

Discuss the key features of the QuEST forum.