Part 1
Compare and contrast the evolution of quality and the role it played in the management of U.S. and Japanese business firms from the 1950s to the present.
Compare and contrast the following definitions of quality. Definition 1 Quality is the totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bears on its ability to satisfy given needs. Definition 2 Quality is meeting or exceeding customer expectations.
Explain the three core principles of total quality.
Identify and discuss five differences between service and manufacturing organizations.
Cite two ways that the accounting function can contribute to the achievement of quality.
Deming states that knowledge is not possible without theory, and experience alone does not establish a theory. Explain this statement as it applies to management decision making.
Part 2
Cite three ways that middle management can impede an organization's transition towards a total quality environment. Why is it important that middle management be supportive of a total quality initiative?
Identify and discuss the five key dimensions of service quality.
The criteria for Performance Excellence for the Malcolm Baldrige award consist of a hierarchical set of categories, items, and areas to
address. Which of the following four is NOT one of them?
"Moments of truth" are instances when
The ability of an organization to change in order to deal with increasingly hyper-turbulent environments is referred to as
The finance function is responsible for
Discuss how a fast-food restaurant could measure its quality effectiveness using each of the following definitions of quality product-based, user-based, value-based, and manufacturing-based.
Explain each of the following statements as they apply to modern quality management.
Explain the three core principles of total quality.
Discuss how front-line employees are critical to customer assessment of service quality. Identify the challenges faced by front-line employees.
Cite two ways that the accounting function can contribute to the achievement of quality.
Deming states that knowledge is not possible without theory, and experience alone does not establish a theory. Explain this statement as it applies to management decision making.
Contrast the mindset of management under total quality and more traditional management structures with respect to employees, manufacturing, and leadership.
Explain each of the following statements as they apply to modern quality management. a. Customer service is the rule, not the exception. b. The absence of defects is a given rather than a source of competitive advantage.
Describe the relationship between quality and personal values.
Identify and discuss five differences between service and manufacturing organizations.
Cite two ways that the accounting function can contribute to the achievement of quality.
Compare and contrast the quality philosophies of Deming and Juran.
Discuss the concept of best practices and their effect on quality management success.
Identify and discuss the five key dimensions of service quality. Given an example of a service and describe how a customer may define quality along each of these dimensions.
The criteria for Performance Excellence for the Malcolm Baldrige award consist of a hierarchical set of categories, items, and areas to address. Which of the following four is NOT one of them?
According to Kano's classification of customer requirements, a cup of coffee that is served hot and fresh at a restaurant specializing in breakfasts fits which class of customer requirements?
Characteristics of effective strategic leadership include all of the following EXCEPT
General-purpose financial statements are the product of
Determining how customers will value your products can be assessed by all of the following EXCEPT
All of the following are stages in developing an improvement plan EXCEPT
Terms such as kanban, single-minute exchange of dies, and visual controls are most closely associated with
Which one of the following would not be a primary step in the poka-yoke process?
_____ measures are generally tracked by senior leadership to gauge overall organizational performance.
The cost associated with unplanned machine downtime, when operators halt the production line after identifying an unacceptably high rate of defective output, should be classified as
Lean approaches focus on
Robert Kaplan and David Norton developed a balanced scorecard which had four perspectives. Which one of the following is NOT one of them?
ISO 9000 requires that all the elements required for a quality system, such as control processes, measuring and test equipment, and other resources needed to achieve the required quality of conformance, be documented in a _____, which serves as a permanent reference for implementing and maintaining the system.
Determining the most likely causes of defects occurs during which DMAIC phase?
Explain why it is difficult to obtain a single, universal definition of quality. Be specific in your response.
Identify three aspects of managing and using performance data so that it is useful to the organization. Provide an example of each aspect. Be specific in your response.
Discuss how the corporate culture is displayed and its role on quality management behavior. Please provide multiple examples.
What could be the reason(s) for failed quality management strategies?
Explain the process of design failure mode and effects analysis and describe how it could be applied to the cashier checkout stand at a
supermarket. Make sure you provide at least three examples.
Some have argued the Six Sigma programs are merely repackaged versions of older quality improvement programs that originally accompanied TQM initiatives in the 1980s. Present arguments both support and refute this view. Make sure you link your discussion with examples of the older quality improvement programs (i.e. Deming, Juran, and so forth).
Suggested reasons why many customer satisfaction efforts fail include all of the following EXCEPT
The Six-Sigma problem solving approach contains the phases of
Terms such as "kanban", "single minute exchange of dies", and "visual controls" are most closely associated with
Poka-yoke focuses on two aspects
_____ measures are generally tracked by senior leadership to gauge overall organizational performance.
The cost of purchasing copies of a textbook on quality for employees as part of their training program in process improvement methods is considered
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a Six Sigma project?
A set of financial, market, operational, and employee performance measures for management review and use is an example of
The Baldrige Award criteria, as a tool for self-assessment
Focusing on how to maintain improvements occurs in which DMAIC phase?
Essay Type
Explain why it is difficult to obtain a single, universal definition of quality. Be specific in your response.
What criterion is used to classify a failure cost as "internal" versus "external"? Give three examples of an internal failure cost and three examples of an external failure cost.
Discuss the three major reasons why companies adopt total quality. Also, discuss the initial key steps are involved in the adoption process.
Explain in detail why change is necessary in organizations. Describe the effects that change can have on quality management with respect to employee commitment and quality levels.
Describe the six basic steps required to build the House of Quality. Describe, in general, where in the House are customer and technical requirements located. Also explain why it is important that each area of the House is "linked" with the others.
Some have argued the Six Sigma programs are merely repackaged versions of older quality improvement programs that originally accompanied TQM initiatives in the 1980s. Present arguments that both support and refute this view. Make sure you link your discussion with examples of the older quality improvement programs (i.e. Deming, Juran, etc)