Operations Management: An Integrated Approach, 5th Edition

Discussion Questions

1. Define quality for the following products: a university, an exercise facility, spaghetti sauce, and toothpaste. Compare your definitions with those of others in your class.

2. Describe the TQM philosophy and identify its major characteristics.

3. Explain how TQM is different from the traditional notions of quality. Also, explain the differences between traditional organizations and those that have implemented TQM.

4. Find three local companies that you believe exhibit high quality. Next, find three national or international companies that are recognized for their quality achievements.

5. Describe the four dimensions of quality. Which do you think is most important?

6. Describe each of the four costs of quality: prevention, appraisal, internal failure, and external failure. Next, describe how each type of cost would change (increase, decrease, or remain the same) if we designed a higher-quality product that was easier to manufacture.

7. Think again about the four costs of quality. Describe how each would change if we hired more inspectors without changing any other aspects of quality.

8. Explain the meaning of the plan–do–act–study cycle. Why is it described as a cycle?

9. Describe the use of quality function deployment (QFD). Can you find examples in which the voice of the customer was not translated properly into technical requirements?

10. Describe the seven tools of quality control. Are some more important than others? Would you use these tools separately ...