Quality Management Application to Improve Performance of PC World

This report analyzes quality management approaches applicable to PC World, focusing on definitions of quality, inspection and assurance processes, and various quality management methods like the PDCA cycle and Total Quality Management. It discusses the benefits of quality management in enhancing customer satisfaction through understanding customer needs and expectations, continuous improvement, and added values. The report also explores quality controls, the importance of user surveys, consultation methods, and complaint procedures for improving service quality. Furthermore, it examines the role of self-assessment, communication, and staff consultation in implementing quality schemes and proposes new systems and modifications to existing systems to improve PC World's overall performance and service quality. The document is contributed by a student and is available on Desklib, a platform for study tools and resources.

QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN BUSINESS
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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
Task 1: Be able to understand the different approaches to quality management appropriate to
commercial operations.....................................................................................................................5
1.1: Discuss definitions of quality in terms of business and services provision..............................5
1.2: Illustrate the processes of inspection and assurance.................................................................6
1.3: Discuss a range of approaches to quality management that can be used in PC World............8
1.4: Explain the similarities and differences between the different methods (M1).........................9
Task 2: Be able to understand the benefits of quality management in a business and services
context............................................................................................................................................10
2.1: Discuss what is meant by customer satisfaction.....................................................................10
2.2: Explain the meaning of continuous improvement..................................................................11
2.3: Illustrate the type of added values to be gained......................................................................12
2.4: Describe the types of information made available to customers and the importance given to
effective marketing in PC World...................................................................................................14
Task 3: Be able to understand a range of quality controls and how service to the customer can be
improved........................................................................................................................................15
3.1: Explain how quality management can be measured in PC World.........................................15
3.2: Evaluate the benefit of user and non-user surveys in determining customer needs...............15
3.3: List the methods of consultation employed in one quality scheme to encourage participation
by under-represented groups (M2)................................................................................................16
3.4: Identify the value of complaints procedures and analyse how they may be used to improve
quality............................................................................................................................................17
Task 4: Be able to apply the principles of quality management to improve the performance of pc
world..............................................................................................................................................18
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4.1: Report on the role of self assessment in order to determine PC World’s current ‘state of
health’............................................................................................................................................18
4.2: Evaluate the importance of communication and record keeping...........................................19
4.3: Follow guidelines on the stages of staff consultation necessary for effective implementation
of a quality scheme........................................................................................................................20
4.4: Propose new systems or modifications to existing systems that could improve service
quality............................................................................................................................................21
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................22
Reference.......................................................................................................................................23
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Introduction
The quality management in business is an important criteria for the maintenance of the reputation
of the organization and to own a large clientele. The satisfaction of the customers is linked
directly to the quality of the services and products that are provided to them by the organization
and hence the quality of the products and services are a major concern. The quality management
and improvement programs can help to increase the revenue generated by the company and
establish the company on firmer grounds. This project aims to study the different methods of
quality management, the interim details of the program that needs to be considered by the
company and ways in which the quality management schemes can be effectively implemented in
the organizations.
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Task 1: Be able to understand the different approaches to quality management appropriate
to commercial operations
1.1: Discuss definitions of quality in terms of business and services provision.
The term ‘quality of a product or service’ refers to the features that are offered by that particular
product or service and the extent to which it has been able to successfully cater to the needs and
expectations of the consumers (Kalpakjianand Schmid, 2014). Quality is an attribute of the
products and services and can only be perceived by the human senses. As per American Society
for Quality, the quality of the product or service is its attributes, which satisfies the customer.
The quality can also be stated as the characteristics and the appeal of the product to the
customers for which they want to pay the price and purchase the product for their utility. The
ISO 9000 is a trademark of standards and the ISO organization gives away the certificates of
recognition to those products, which are immensely beneficial and provides good return on the
investment to the customers (Bon and Mustafa, 2013). The ISO branding acts as a means of
recognition of the products for the customers and help them to identify better quality products
with ease.
In PC World, the quality of the products and services would refer to the quality of the materials
used for the assembled and the ready-made electronic items, the longevity of the products and
the terms of guarantee associated with the products. Since there are a lot of complaints with the
products that the PC World deals in, the organization needs to adopt certain measures like
continuous monitoring and quality assessment of the products and services in order to ensure
their suitability for usage. The demands and expectations of the customers and the extent to
which the products are able to effectively meet the same also needs to be effectually measured
for ensuring the organizational quality and the quality of the products and services.
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1.2: Illustrate the processes of inspection and assurance.
Fig 1: Inspection process (Ordeneset al.,2014)
The process of inspection, to ensure the suitability and the quality of the products, needs to be
carried out in every organization for the sake of maintaining their repute and image in the market
(Ordeneset al.,2014). Supplying lower quality goods to the customers leads to tarnishing the
repute of the company, which is completely undesirable. An effective inspection process
encompasses several steps like:
1. Checking the quality of the electronic products before they are being supplied to the
customers
2. If found unsuitable and inappropriate, the products needs to be separated from the perfect
products and tested for their degree of damage or unsuitability
3. If the damage of the can be repaired then the repairing of the products needs to be carried out
in the shop itself
4. If the damage is considerable then the products needs to be delivered back to the suppliers for
repair
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5. The suppliers needs to either repair or discard the damaged products, depending on the
degree of damage
6. If repaired products are being delivered to PC World, then double checking of the items for
any faults needs to be carried out
7. The officials at PC World, who are responsible for the stock maintenance also needs to check
for the quality of the products when they are being re-supplied
This chain of events repeats with successive shipments of products
Fig 2: Quality assurance
For quality assurance of the products, the reduction in the operational cost of the products is
focused on first, followed by increasing the efficiency of the manufacturing processes,
optimization of the processes and preparing reports of the processes and the products
manufactured. The planning for the quality of the products and the continuous monitoring of the
products for ensuring their quality are also prerequisites to this step. The inspection comes under
the process of quality control.
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1.3: Discuss a range of approaches to quality management that can be used in PC World.
The quality control approach that can be usedeffectively in PC World is the implementation of
the PDCA cycle or better stated as Deming’s Cycle of Quality. The Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle
encompasses:
Planning for the improvement procedures that needs to carried out in the companylike
Training the employees for imparting effective customer services
Contacting the suppliers and negotiating with them effectively, regarding the supply of flawless
products
Monitoring and testing the stocks regularly, in order to maintain the quality of the products to an
optimum
Formulation of effective policies and strategies to maintain the services to an optimum and for
imparting effective and flawless services to customers
The ‘Do’ segment comprises of carrying out all the requisites as per the propositions of the
administration at PC World
The ‘Check’ segment comprises of continuous monitoring and evaluation of the processes, both
interim and outside the company like the customer services provided to the clients by the
employees as well as the manufacturing processes of the products, as practised by the suppliers
and their packing and despatch procedures, too (Latham, 2014).
The ‘Act’ segment comprises of correcting all the existent flaws and acting towards the
improvement of the qualities of the products and services that are being supplied to the
customers (Certo, 2015). This segment would ensure that all the complaints of the customers are
attended to effectively and all the measures for the correction of the same are implemented in the
processes of the company
Total Quality Management approaches can also be effectively implemented in the processes of
PC World, in order to enhance customer satisfaction and for maintaining good quality of the
products and services
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1.4: Explain the similarities and differences between the different methods (M1)
The similarities between the Total Quality Management approaches and the PDCA cycle of
quality management and assurancecan be enlisted as follows:
 Both the processes are focused on enhancing the quality of the products and services that are
provided to the customers
 Continuous evaluation and monitoring of the processes and the improvement procedures
that are being implemented in the organization, for effectively maintaining the quality of the
products are carried out in both the processes (Amanchukwuet al.,2015)
 The quality and the processes that are followed in the organization are continuously changed
and upgraded in both the procedures
The differences in TQM and PDCA are:
 While TQM involves the utilization of statistical tools for the analysis of the procedures and
maintenance of effective services, the PDCA involves the formulation of strategies and
adherence to the same for the effective maintenance of the quality of the products (Hammer,
2015)
 In PDCA cycle, the formulated strategies and plans are adhered and there are no interim
changes made in the plan until the end of agreed period of observance, for the success of the
implementation plan (for example six months). In TQM, however, the strategies are
continuously monitored and updated as per the requirements of the scenario and the existent
conditions in the company
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Task 2: Be able to understand the benefits of quality management in a business and
services context
2.1: Discuss what is meant by customer satisfaction.
Customer needs and expectations
PC world manufactures several gadgets as well as develops software for its varied range of
customers. The company witness issues associated with the satisfaction of the consumers in
terms of low quality of the products. Customer satisfaction can be enhanced by undertaking
several steps. Foremostly, PC world requires to develop a team of efficient employees who
would conduct a market research. The requirements of the customers must be assessed in order
to incorporate the changes in the products. The understanding of the expectations of the targeted
customers is crucial to improve customer satisfaction.
Understanding the customer
The perspective of the consumers can be understood by reviewing the trend of the preference of
them in the past. The understanding of the values of the consumers will assist PC world to
strategize its promotional activities accordingly.
Responding to customer demand
PC world needs to alter the features of the gadgets in order to align it with the demand of the
consumers. The gadgets which possess the aspects which are valued by the consumers, enhances
customer satisfaction by increasing the utility of the product.
Meeting or exceeding expectations
Customers of PC world will be satisfied when the quality as well as features of the products is in
line with their requirements. Furthermore, customer satisfaction will increase and they will
exhibit loyalty towards the brand when the quality exceed the expectation of the purchasers.
Value for money
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The customers receive ultimate satisfaction when the products are worthy of the money paid by
the consumers. PC world must consider that the quality standards must be achieved in order to
provide a valuable commodity to the consumers.
2.2: Explain the meaning of continuous improvement.
Customer needs to expectations
PC world has witnessed a fall in its reputability contributed by the poor quality of its products.
Therefore, the company has to undergo a continuous process of improvement in order to re-
capture the market share. In the first stage, the company must understand the basic requirement
of the consumers. In the next step, the managers must make the customers form expectations
pertaining to the quality of the services and products .
Quality gaps
The quality gaps refer to the difference among the desired quality of the product by the
consumers and the actual quality possessed by the product. PC world needs to mitigate thi issue
by improving the standard of the commodities.
Internal and external customers
Internal customers of PC world are the ones who are the partners of the company as well as the
suppliers of inputs (Yu, et al., 2013). The company requires maintaining strict standards of te
quality of input in order to improve the quality of the finished goods provided to the external
customers.
Quality into the service sector
The development of the software is the primary service provide d by PC world. Therefore, the
company requires improving its performance by adopting the new technological innovations.
Mature years
PC world can maintain its position in the market and ensure its sustainability in the market by
continuously improving the operational activities of the company.
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2.3: Illustrate the type of added values to be gained.
Lower cost
The company can reduce the cost of the products in order to enhance the value provided to the
customers for their money (Segoro, 2013). For example, the reduced cost of the laptop will
increase the value provided to the customers.
Reduced waste
The consumers dwelling in the contemporary era are concerned about preservation of the
environment. Therefore, PC world can adopt Green Policy to reduce the emission of wastes in
order to enhance the value derived by the purchasers.
Saving time
The manager needs to review the operational activities in order to identify the loopholes.
Therefore, the process can be improved by discarding redundant activities. Adoption of
innovative techniques will also reduce the time. Therefore, the consumers will receive the
services in less time, which in turn would enhance the value received by them.
Reducing need for support activities
The examples of support activities can be the trainers who train the new employees, the team
which delivers the products to the households, as well as the customer service team. Instead of
outsourcing the support services, PC world can enhance the value received by the customers by
using their own staff to provide services to the consumers.
Customer loyalty
Customer loyalty can b enhanced by adding extra value to the commodities. For example, the
discounts or free services given to the customers will assist in increasing customer loyalty
towards the brand.
Presentation
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