Question 1

PDCA is most often applied in regard to which aspect of TQM?
A) Six Sigma
B) employee empowerment
C) continuous improvement
D) benchmarking
E) JIT

Accepted Answer

PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) is a method of continuous improvement which is a key aspect of Total Quality Management (TQM). Therefore, PDCA is most often applied in regard to continuous improvement.

Question 2

The philosophy of zero defects is
A) the result of Deming's research.
B) unrealistic.
C) prohibitively costly.
D) an ultimate goal; in practice, 1 to 2% defects is acceptable.
E) consistent with the commitment to continuous improvement.

Accepted Answer

The philosophy of zero defects is consistent with the commitment to continuous improvement. While achieving zero defects may be unrealistic and prohibitively costly, striving towards it can lead to continuous improvement and reducing the number of defects to an acceptable level.

Question 3

Based on his 14 points, Deming is a strong proponent of
A) inspection at the end of the production process.
B) an increase in numerical quotas to boost productivity.
C) looking for the cheapest supplier.
D) training and knowledge.
E) short-term thinking.

Accepted Answer

Deming emphasizes the importance of training and knowledge in his 14 points, stating that it is necessary for continuous improvement and quality control. He also stresses the need for long-term thinking and partnerships with suppliers rather than just looking for the cheapest option. Deming's approach is focused on improving the overall system rather than just relying on inspection at the end of the production process or increasing numerical quotas.

Question 4

Quality Is Free, meaning that the costs of poor quality have been understated, is the work of
A) W. Edwards Deming.
B) Joseph M. Juran.
C) Philip B. Crosby.
D) Crosby, Stills, and Nash.
E) Armand Feigenbaum.

Accepted Answer

"Quality Is Free" is the title of a book authored by Philip B. Crosby. The book emphasizes the costs associated with poor quality and the benefits of a strong quality management program. Crosby was a proponent of the "zero defects" approach to quality management and believed that quality should be viewed as a strategic imperative for any organization. While Deming and Juran are also influential figures in the quality management field, "Quality Is Free" is specifically associated with Crosby.

Question 5

If one million passengers pass through the St. Louis Airport with checked baggage each month, a successful Six Sigma program for baggage handling would result in how many passengers with misplaced luggage?
A) 3.4
B) 6.0
C) 34
D) 2700
E) 6 times the monthly standard deviation of passengers

Accepted Answer

A successful Six Sigma program aims to have no more than 3.4 defects per million opportunities. In this case, the opportunity is each checked baggage, and the defect is misplaced luggage. Therefore, in one million passengers with checked baggage, a successful Six Sigma program would result in no more than 3.4 passengers with misplaced luggage.

Question 6

A Three Sigma program has how many defects per million?
A) 34
B) 3
C) 3 times the standard deviation
D) 2700
E) 1500

Accepted Answer

A Three Sigma program means that the process is only expected to have 0.27% defective parts. This can also be expressed as 2700 defects per million. Therefore, the answer is D.

Question 7

Canada's military training centre in Goose Bay is an example of the application of
A) ISO 9000.
B) ISO 14001.
C) TQM.
D) ISO 24700.
E) SPC.

Accepted Answer

ISO 14001 is a standard for environmental management systems, which focuses on reducing negative impact on the environment. The military training centre in Goose Bay likely needed to meet environmental regulations and adopting ISO 14001 would have helped them to do so.

Question 8

"Employees cannot produce goods that on average exceed the quality of what the process is capable of producing" expresses a basic element in the writings of
A) Vilfredo Pareto.
B) Armand Feigenbaum.
C) Joseph M. Juran.
D) W. Edwards Deming.
E) Philip B. Crosby.

Accepted Answer

This statement is a fundamental idea of W. Edwards Deming's philosophy of quality management. Deming believed that improving the quality of the process would lead to better products, and that it was the responsibility of management to continually improve the process.

Question 9

Total quality management emphasizes
A) the responsibility of the quality control staff to identify and solve all quality-related problems.
B) a commitment to quality that goes beyond internal company issues to suppliers and customers.
C) a system where strong managers are the only decision makers.
D) a process where mostly statisticians get involved.
E) ISO 14000 certification.

Accepted Answer

Total quality management involves a commitment to quality that goes beyond internal company issues and includes relationships with suppliers and customers. It is a holistic approach to quality management that involves everyone in the organization, not just quality control staff or statisticians. ISO 14000 certification is a separate standard for environmental management and is not directly related to total quality management. The idea that only strong managers should be decision-makers goes against the principles of total quality management, which emphasizes involvement and empowerment at all levels of the organization.

Question 10

Stakeholders who are affected by the production and marketing of poor quality products include
A) stockholders, employees, and customers.
B) suppliers and creditors, but not distributors.
C) only stockholders, creditors, and owners.
D) suppliers and distributors, but not customers.
E) only stockholders and organizational executives and managers.

Accepted Answer

Stockholders are affected because the company may lose value and profitability due to a decrease in sales or damage to reputation. Employees may face negative consequences such as layoffs or decreased wages. Customers may experience disappointment, harm, or health risks from using poor quality products.

Question 11

One of Britain's largest children's hospitals working with Ferrari Racing is an example of
A) internal benchmarking.
B) external benchmarking.
C) Taguchi concepts.
D) employee empowerment.
E) corporate responsibility.

Accepted Answer

The partnership between the children's hospital and Ferrari Racing involves comparing the hospital's performance to that of a successful external organization, which is an example of external benchmarking.

Question 12

Which of the following is not true about ISO 14000 certification?
A) It is not a prerequisite for ISO 9000 certification.
B) It deals with environmental management.
C) It offers a good systematic approach to pollution prevention.
D) One of its core elements is life-cycle assessment.
E) It eliminates the need for future audits.

Accepted Answer

ISO 14000 certification does not eliminate the need for future audits. It requires regular audits to maintain certification and ensure continued compliance with environmental management standards.

Question 13

Suppose that a firm has historically been achieving "three-sigma" quality. If the firm later changes its quality management practices such that it begins to achieve "six-sigma" quality, which of the following phenomena will result?
A) The average number of defects will be cut in half.
B) The specification limits will be moved twice as far from the mean.
C) The average number of defects will be cut by 99.9997%.
D) The average number of defects will be cut by 99.87%.
E) The average number of defects will be cut by 99.73%.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Suppose that a firm has historically been...

Question 14

A successful TQM program incorporates all of the following except
A) continuous improvement.
B) employee involvement.
C) benchmarking.
D) centralized decision-making authority.
E) just-in-time.

Accepted Answer

A successful TQM program requires decentralized decision-making authority to empower employees and foster continuous improvement. The other choices (A, B, C, and E) are all key components of a TQM program.

Question 15

PDCA, developed by Shewhart, stands for which of the following?
A) Plan-Do-Check-Act
B) Plan-Develop-Check-Accept
C) Problem-Develop Solution-Check-Act
D) Problem-Do-Continue-Act
E) Prevent-Detect-Contain-Act

Accepted Answer

PDCA stands for Plan-Do-Check-Act, which is a model for continuous improvement in quality management. It involves planning a process or product, carrying out the plan, checking the results, and acting to make improvements. It was developed by Shewhart and popularized by Deming.

Question 16

To become ISO 9000 certified, organizations must
A) document quality procedures.
B) have an onsite assessment.
C) have an ongoing series of audits of their products or service.
D) do all of the above.
E) do none of the above.

Accepted Answer

To become ISO 9000 certified, organizations must document their quality procedures, undergo an onsite assessment, and have an ongoing series of audits of their products or service. Therefore, the correct choice is D, which includes all of the above options.

Question 17

A Six Sigma program has how many defects per million?
A) 3.4
B) 34
C) 1000
D) 6 times the standard deviation
E) 2700

Accepted Answer

A Six Sigma program aims to have no more than 3.4 defects per million opportunities (DPMO), which corresponds to a process that is 99.99966% defect-free. This is achieved by reducing process variation and improving quality control measures. Options B, C, D, and E are not accurate representations of the Six Sigma quality level.

Question 18

Kaizen is a Japanese term meaning
A) a foolproof mechanism.
B) just-in-time (JIT).
C) a fishbone diagram.
D) setting standards.
E) continuous improvement.

Accepted Answer

Kaizen is a Japanese term that refers to the concept of continuous improvement, which involves constantly analyzing and improving business processes to optimize efficiency, quality, and value.

Question 19

Regarding the quality of design, production, and distribution of products, an ethical requirement for management is to
A) determine whether any of the organization's stakeholders are violated by poor quality products.
B) gain ISO 14000 certification for the organization.
C) obtain a product safety certificate from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
D) have the organization's legal staff write disclaimers in the product instruction booklets.
E) compare the cost of product liability to the external failure cost.

Accepted Answer

An ethical requirement for management regarding the quality of design, production, and distribution of products is to determine whether any of the organization's stakeholders are violated by poor quality products. This means that management should consider the impact of their products on customers, employees, suppliers, and the environment, and take responsibility for any harm caused by their products. This also aligns with the principles of corporate social responsibility. The other options may be relevant to ensuring product quality, but they do not address the ethical responsibility of management towards stakeholders.

Question 20

A hospital benchmarked against Ferrari Racing in an effort to
A) improve patient handoff quality.
B) increase surgery prep time.
C) lengthen surgery duration.
D) reduce the number of doctors.
E) increase patient recovery time.

Accepted Answer

Benchmarking against Ferrari Racing is unlikely to have any direct impact on increasing surgery prep time, lengthening surgery duration, reducing the number of doctors, or increasing patient recovery time. However, it may lead to improvements in patient handoff quality, as Ferrari Racing is known for its precise and efficient pit stop procedures, which could serve as a model for improving handoff procedures in the hospital.

Quiz 6: Managing Quality

PDCA is most often applied in regard to which aspect of TQM?

The philosophy of zero defects is

Based on his 14 points, Deming is a strong proponent of

Quality Is Free, meaning that the costs of poor quality have been understated, is the work of

If one million passengers pass through the St. Louis Airport with checked baggage each month, a successful Six Sigma program for baggage handling would result in how many passengers with misplaced luggage?

A Three Sigma program has how many defects per million?

Canada's military training centre in Goose Bay is an example of the application of

"Employees cannot produce goods that on average exceed the quality of what the process is capable of producing" expresses a basic element in the writings of

Total quality management emphasizes

Stakeholders who are affected by the production and marketing of poor quality products include

One of Britain's largest children's hospitals working with Ferrari Racing is an example of

Which of the following is not true about ISO 14000 certification?

Suppose that a firm has historically been achieving "three-sigma" quality. If the firm later changes its quality management practices such that it begins to achieve "six-sigma" quality, which of the following phenomena will result?

A successful TQM program incorporates all of the following except

PDCA, developed by Shewhart, stands for which of the following?

To become ISO 9000 certified, organizations must

A Six Sigma program has how many defects per million?

Kaizen is a Japanese term meaning

Regarding the quality of design, production, and distribution of products, an ethical requirement for management is to

A hospital benchmarked against Ferrari Racing in an effort to