Quality or the absence of it, has a 4)______ on the organization. Consumers buy certain products and request services based on their knowledge and perception of the organization and what it provides. Accumulated experiences and perceptions of customers ultimately make or break an organization.
a. strategic impact b. the right things right the first time. c. cost of quality, process management approaches, and measurement techniques d. quality across organization (Big Q).
3 Can you explain the difference between goods and services? If you are not sure, read the following info and list three criteria for differentiating between goods and services.
In economics and accounting, a good is product that can be used to satisfy some desire or need. More narrowly but commonly, a good is a tangible physical product that can be contrasted with a service which is intangible. As such, it is capable of being delivered to a purchaser and involves the transfer of ownership from seller to customer. For example, an apple is a tangible good, as opposed to a haircut, which is an (intangible) service.
Goods that are scarce (are in limited supply in relation to demand) are called 'economic goods,' whereas those whose supply is unlimited and which have no price in terms of efforts to acquire them, (such as air) are called 'free goods.'
Service is the intangible equivalent of an economic good. They are such as accounting, banking, cleaning, consultancy, education, insurance, know how, medical treatment, transportation. No transfer of possession or ownership takes place when services are sold, and they (1) cannot be stored or transported, (2) are instantly perishable, and (3) come into existence at the time they are bought and consumed.
4 In the table below you can see examples of quality characteristics. Decide which of them are for goods, which are for services. Some of the characteristics are inherent in both goods and services. Put a tick in the corresponding columns.
| quality characteristics
| for goods
| for services
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| Simplicity of Design
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| Aesthetics
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| Reliability
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| Availability
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| Credibility
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| Competence
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| Durability
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| Ease of Use
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| Safety
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| Communication
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| Reasonable Price
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| Ease of Disposal
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| Accuracy
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| Maintainability
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| Performance
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| Completeness
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| Timeliness
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| Serviceability
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5 Mark the following statements as true (T) or false (F). If you think a statement is false, change it to make it true. Prove your point of view.
| Statement
| T
| F
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| 1. Quality is a perceptual, conditional and somewhat subjective attribute and may be understood differently by different people.
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| 2. The common element of the business definitions of quality is that the quality of a product or service refers to the perception of the degree to which the product or service meets the customer's expectations.
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| 3. From the standpoint of consumers, quality is the degree to which a specific product conforms to a design or specification or degree to which the product/service was produced correctly.
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| 4. Quality control is most commonly associated with the prevention of defects, deficiencies, wastes.
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| 5. Durability is intrinsic to both products and services.
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| 6. In technical usage, quality can have two meanings: a. The characteristics of a product or service that bear its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs; b. A product or service free of deficiencies.
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| 7. Quality is seen as being a very important factor in any business. It does not have to be a physical product for which quality is important: service industries are just as much concerned with quality, as are manufacturers.
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| 8. Inherently useful and relatively scarce tangible items (articles, materials, merchandise, supplies) produced from agricultural, construction, manufacturing, or mining activities are goods.
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DISCUSSION POINTS
1 Comment on the following statements:
a. “Face is the index of mind, Quality is the index of a product”.
b. “Quality is not achieved by doing different things. It is achieved by doing things differently”.
c. “Quality is hard to define, impossible to measure, easy to recognize”
3 Look at the poster. What message does it convey?
SELF-CHECK QUESTIONS
1. Why does the definition of quality vary from person to person?
2. How do philosophers define quality?
3. What is quality from the standpoint of common sense?
4. What categories can quality be focused on?
5. How does business dictionary define quality?
6. What are the criteria for differentiating between goods and services?
7. What are quality characteristics for goods?
8. What are quality characteristics for services?
9. Is there any difference between quality assurance and quality control?
10. How to create a really effective organization?
GLOSSARY
| acquire v.
| получать, приобретать; овладевать
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| array n.
| массив, масса, совокупность
|
| ascribe v.
| приписывать
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| attribute n.
attribute v.
| отличительная черта, характерное свойство; неотъемлемый признак
приписывать (кому-л., чему-л.); относить к (чему-л.)
|
| blurred a.
| неясный, туманный; расплывчатый,
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| bug-free a.
| бездефектный
|
| circumstances n.
| обстоятельства, условия, положение дел
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| concise a.
| краткий; сжатый; лаконичный
|
| conformance n.
| соответствие; согласование
|
| completeness
| полнота, завершённость, законченность
|
| constraint n.
| ограничение; ограничивающее условие
|
| controversial a.
| спорный, сомнительный; дискуссионный
|
| credibility n.
| надёжность; доверие
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| cost effectiveness n.
| эффективность затрат
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| deployment n.
| использование, употребление
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| disposal n.
| размещение, расположение, расстановка
|
| distinguish v.
| проводить различие, находить отличия; различать, распознавать
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| durability n.
| срок службы, долговечность
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| effectiveness n.
| действенность, эффективность, результативность, производительность, экономичнось
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| efficiency n.
| эффективность, результативность, действенность коэффициент полезного действия, экономичность, рентабельность, выгодность
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| enhance v.
| увеличивать, усиливать, улучшать (обычно какое-л. положительное свойство)
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| entity n.
| вещь, объект, сущность
|
| extent n.
| мера, степень, рамки, пределы; размер, величина
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| exceed v.
| превосходить
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| evolve v.
| развиваться, эволюционировать
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| fraudulent a.
| обманный; жульнический, мошеннический
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| fitness for use
| пригодность для использования; годность к эксплуатации; соответствие назначению
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| hierarchy n.
| иерархия; соподчинённость
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| imperative a.
| настоятельный, срочный; обязательный необходимый; безапелляционный, не допускающий возражения; безоговорочный, категорический
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| improvement n.
| улучшение, усовершенствование; исправление; развитие
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| index n.
| индекс, указатель; показатель, признак
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| interface n.
| область контакта, взаимодействия;
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| intrinsic a.
| присущий, свойственный, внутренний, врожденный
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| maintainability n.
| ремонтопригодность; ремонтная технологичность; удобство эксплуатации; удобство обслуживания
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| meet v.
| удовлетворять; соответствовать (напр. требованиям); встречать
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| merchandise n.
v.
| товары
продавать, торговать; продвигать на рынке (товары)
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| multitude n.
| множество; большое число; масса
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| performance n.
| технические характеристики, эксплуатационные качества; коэффициент полезного действия (машин, оборудования и т. п.); результативность, производительность, эффективность; исполнение, работа
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| property n.
| свойство, качество, характеристика; имущество, собственность
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| prosper v.
| благоденствовать, преуспевать, процветать
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| serviceability n.
| обслуживаемость, удобство обслуживания, эксплуатационная (при)годность
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| span v.
| охватывать, перекрывать
|
| sloppy a.
| неряшливый, небрежный
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| tangible a.
| вещественный, материальный, осязаемый
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| timeliness n.
| своевременность
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| transcendent a.
| абстрактный, отвлечённый; неясный, туманный; метафизический, не доступный опыту; находящийся за пределами человеческого разума; сверхчеловеческий; сверхъестественный
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| trigger v.
| инициировать, дать начало (чему-л.)
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| vague a.
| неясный, нечёткий, неопределённый
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| value n.
| значение, важность; стоимость, цена, ценность
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| variability n.
| изменчивость, непостоянство, переменность
|
UNIT 2
FROM THE HISTORY OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT
The aims of this unit:
· to make you think about the major stages in the post-war history of quality management;
· to give a brief overview of the quality management guru theories;
· to provide understanding of basic quality management concepts.
START UP
1 The contribution of the eminent foreign scientists to the development of quality management since late 1940’s can be graphically presented like this:
1. Do you know the names of the American gurus whose philosophies and ideas have most influenced the path of quality in the last 50–60 years?
2.Can you name the Japanese whose reputation is primarily for their work in quality and excellence?
3. Which of the Western innovators are most important to quality management nowadays?
2 Write a list of about seven terms you think you may find in the text on the history of quality management.
READING
1 Read the text about prominent American quality gurus and answer the questions:
1. Who is considered to be the father of the quality management theory and why?
2. How many points does E. Deming’s philosophy of management include?
3. What does PDCA cycle reflect?
4. What idea did J. Juran contribute to the theory of quality management?
5. What does Juran’s quality trilogy encompass?
6. What is quality associated with according to J. Juran?
7. How many steps to quality improvement did Juran propose?
8. Who devised the concept of Total Quality Control?
9. What is Total Quality Control from the viewpoint of A. Feigenbaum?
10. What is meant by the concept of “hidden plant“?
