Question 1

A Six Sigma program has how many defects per million?
A) 3.4
B) 34
C) 1000
D) 6 times the standard deviation
E) none of the above

Accepted Answer

A Six Sigma program aims to have no more than 3.4 defects per million opportunities. This corresponds to a 99.99966% quality level.

Question 2

If 1 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

Six Sigma aims for a defect rate of 3.4 defects per million opportunities. In this case, the opportunity is each passenger with checked baggage. Therefore, the maximum number of passengers with misplaced luggage would be 3.4 out of 1 million, or roughly 34 passengers per month.

Question 3

"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 a book written by Philip B. Crosby in 1979 that argues that the costs of poor quality are actually much higher than commonly believed and that quality improvement efforts ultimately lead to cost savings. While Deming and Juran were also prominent figures in the quality management field, "Quality Is Free" specifically refers to Crosby's philosophy. Armand Feigenbaum is known for his work on Total Quality Control, but "Quality Is Free" is not associated with him. Crosby, Stills, and Nash are musicians and not relevant to this topic.

Question 4

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 emphasizes a commitment to quality that goes beyond internal company issues to suppliers and customers, as it focuses on meeting customer requirements and continuously improving processes. The responsibility for quality is shared by everyone in the organization, not just the quality control staff. Statisticians may be involved in data analysis, but TQM is a holistic approach to quality management that involves all employees. ISO 14000 certification is related to environmental management and not specifically linked to TQM. The idea of strong managers as the only decision makers is not in line with TQM principles of empowering employees to improve processes.

Question 5

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

External benchmarking involves comparing an organization's processes and practices with those of other organizations in order to identify best practices and improve performance. In this case, the children's hospital is benchmarking with Ferrari Racing, a completely different industry, to identify and apply best practices in their own operations.

Question 6

Subaru's green plant is an example of the application of
A) ISO 9000
B) ISO 14000
C) TQM
D) ISO 24700
E) SPC

Accepted Answer

Subaru's green plant is an example of the application of ISO 14000, which is a series of international standards for environmental management systems.

Question 7

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

Management has an ethical responsibility to ensure that their products are of high quality and do not harm any stakeholders. This includes assessing the potential risks and impacts of their products and taking steps to mitigate them, as well as ensuring that the production and distribution processes are ethical and sustainable. ISO 14000 certification and product safety certificates are important, but they are not sufficient on their own to ensure ethical product design, production, and distribution. Disclaimers in product instruction booklets are also not enough to protect stakeholders from harm, as they may not be read or understood by all users. Comparing the cost of product liability to external failure costs may be useful in making business decisions, but it does not address the ethical responsibility of management to prioritize the well-being of stakeholders.

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 reflects the principle of understanding variation and the concept of the "system of profound knowledge" developed by W. Edwards Deming. It highlights the fact that employees are only one part of the system and cannot be solely responsible for the quality of goods produced.

Question 9

A successful TQM program incorporates all of the following except
A) continuous improvement
B) employee involvement
C) benchmarking
D) centralized decision-making authority
E) None of the above; a successful TQM program incorporates all of the above.

Accepted Answer

Centralized decision-making authority is not a characteristic of a successful TQM program. TQM emphasizes decentralization in decision-making and promotes empowerment of employees at all levels to make decisions that impact quality.

Question 10

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 within three standard deviations of the mean, which covers 99.73% of the data. The defect rate for a Three Sigma program is 2700 defects per million. Therefore, option D is the correct answer.

Question 11

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) all of the above

Accepted Answer

Benchmarking against Ferrari Racing could imply aiming for speed and efficiency in patient handoffs, similar to how Ferrari racing prioritizes quick pit stops and smooth driver changes. It would not necessarily be relevant or beneficial to surgery prep time or duration, reducing the number of doctors, or all of the above.

Question 12

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 13

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) all of the above

Accepted Answer

Deming's 14 Points emphasize the importance of training and knowledge for continuous improvement and effective management. He also emphasizes the need for a focus on quality throughout the production process, rather than relying on inspection at the end. Deming does not support an increase in numerical quotas or solely looking for the cheapest supplier, as these approaches can lead to sacrificing quality for quantity or cost savings.

Question 14

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) all of the above
E) none of the above

Accepted Answer

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

Question 15

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 continuous improvement methodology that involves four stages: planning, executing, evaluating, and taking corrective action. Therefore, PDCA is most often applied in regard to continuous improvement within the framework of TQM (Total Quality Management).

Question 16

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 it may be unrealistic and prohibitively costly to achieve absolute zero defects, striving for it is a way to continuously improve processes and decrease the number of defects over time. Therefore, zero defects is an ultimate goal, but realistically 1 to 2% defects may be considered acceptable.

Question 17

Which of the following statements is not true?
A) Self-promotion is not a substitute for quality products.
B) Inferior products harm a firm's profitability and a nation's balance of payments.
C) Product liability transfers from the manufacturer to the retailer once the retailer accepts delivery of the product.
D) Quality-be it good or bad-will show up in perceptions about a firm's new products, employment practices, and supplier relations.
E) Legislation such as the Consumer Product Safety Act sets and enforces product standards by banning products that do not reach those standards.

Accepted Answer

Product liability transfers from the manufacturer to the retailer once the consumer accepts delivery of the product, not when the retailer accepts delivery.

Question 18

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 may suffer financial losses, employees may lose their jobs, and customers may have negative experiences, leading to reduced sales and damaged reputation for the company.

Question 19

Which of the following is 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) All of the above are true.

Accepted Answer

ISO 14000 certification is related to environmental management, focusing on a systematic approach to managing environmental impacts, including pollution prevention and life-cycle assessment. It is independent of ISO 9000, which focuses on quality management.

Question 20

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) none of the above

Accepted Answer

PDCA stands for Plan-Do-Check-Act. This is a popular continuous improvement framework used in many industries to plan, execute, evaluate, and improve processes, products, or services.

Quiz 6: Managing Quality

A Six Sigma program has how many defects per million?

If 1 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?

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

Total quality management emphasizes

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

Subaru's green plant is an example of the application of

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

"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 successful TQM program incorporates all of the following except

A Three Sigma program has how many defects per million?

A hospital benchmarked against Ferrari Racing in an effort to

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?

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

To become ISO 9000 certified, organizations must

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

The philosophy of zero defects is

Which of the following statements is not true?

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

Which of the following is true about ISO 14000 certification?

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