Managing Quality: Integrating the Supply Chain, 6e (Foster)
Chapter 15 Implementing and Validating the Quality System
1) Which of the following building blocks are included in a system for quality improvement?
A) processes
B) information and finance
C) closeness to customers
D) people
E) all of the above
2) The first building block of a quality improvement system is ________.
A) people
B) organizational learning and knowledge
C) culture
D) closeness to customers
E) information and finance
3) The second building block of a quality improvement system is ________.
A) people
B) organizational learning and knowledge
C) culture
D) closeness to customers
E) information and finance
4) The third building block of a quality improvement system is ________.
A) people
B) organizational learning and knowledge
C) closeness to customers
D) culture
E) information and finance
5) Evidence indicates that some employees will forgo higher wages to achieve ________.
A) promotions
B) higher job security
C) better job performance
D) knowledge
E) awards
6) ________ is the capital that fuels outstanding quality results.
A) Process
B) Higher job security
C) Better job performance
D) Knowledge
E) Outstanding customer service
7) Which of the following building blocks of a quality improvement system refers to the norms
and beliefs that lead to decision-making patterns and actions in an organization?
A) processes
B) information and finance
C) culture
D) organizational learning and knowledge
E) people
8) ________ make firms unique and attractive to customers.
A) The integrative approach
B) Information systems
C) Electronic data interchange
D) Training
E) Enterprise capabilities
9) ________ describes the firm’s understanding of the customers, their needs, and their wants.
A) Benchmarking
B) Closeness to customers
C) Customer demographic analysis
D) Customer culture
E) Customer capability
10) Which of the following is not necessary for customer closeness to be achieved?
A) gathering data
B) analyzing data
C) implementing change systems based on data
D) implementing an e-commerce site
E) understanding competitors’ customers
11) The objective of a quality information system is to gather information relating to the key
variable(s) that affect ________.
A) process improvement
B) customer services
C) product quality
D) customer services and product quality
E) process improvement and customer services
12) The quality system must be in alignment with the ________ objectives and plans of the
organization.
A) long-term
B) short-term
C) strategic
D) financial
E) cultural
13) Quality improvement requires the interactions on a contingency basis of many different
disciplines to create products, services, processes, and systems that effectively serve customers.
14) People represent the core of a firm’s capabilities.
15) For a quality system to function effectively, employees must understand they are peripheral
to that system.
16) The second building block of a quality system is culture.
17) Learning needs assessment, training design, and delivery of training are important for
competitiveness.
18) Culture refers to the norms and beliefs that lead to decision-making patterns and actions in an
organization.
19) Closeness to customers involves the understanding of the competitor’s customers.
20) A company’s profitability is not affected by customer retention.
21) To achieve closeness to customers, you must understand both your customers and your
competitors’ customers.
22) Customer closeness engenders loyalty.
23) Customer closeness provides the core of the support system for satisfying the customer.
24) Electronic data interchange (EDI) can limit the chances of satisfying customer needs.
25) EDI systems allow customers and suppliers to tie their systems together to enhance planning,
purchasing, and coordination.
26) The actions required to make the information system effective are problem identification,
analysis, and corrective action.
27) Because quality is not under the purview of any specific functional group and is the
responsibility of everyone, cross-functional approaches are required to achieve the desired
results.
28) Hoshin planning or policy deployment provides a framework for achieving alignment
through the catchball process.
29) Discuss briefly the building blocks of a quality system.
30) Explain the integrative approach.
31) The three spheres of quality are ________.
A) quality planning and management, quality assurance, and quality control
B) people, organizational learning, and culture
C) quality planning, quality information systems, and quality customer service
D) people, product, and processes
E) integration, capability, and service
32) Quality conformance is one of the three key spheres of quality.
33) Quality control is one of the three key spheres of quality.
34) Customer service is both a goal and an outcome of systems.
35) What are the three spheres of quality and how do they relate to the other components of the
quality system model?
36) ________ can be used to observe the practices of other firms and achieve even higher levels
of performance.
A) The integrative approach
B) Information systems
C) Benchmarking
D) Statistical process control
E) Generic self-assessment
37) The goal of ________ is to observe current practices of the firm, to assess those practices,
and to identify gaps in deployment.
A) the integrative approach
B) information systems
C) benchmarking
D) organizational learning and knowledge
E) self-assessment
38) A generic process for performing self-assessment is a ________ process.
A) three-stage
B) four-stage
C) two-stage
D) six-stage
E) five-stage
39) The ________ stage of the generic process for performing self-assessment involves
generating lists of strengths and weakness for the organization.
A) investigating
B) benchmarking
C) categorizing
D) surveying
E) evaluating
40) Stage 2 of the generic process for performing self-assessment is ________ the strengths and
weaknesses.
A) surveying
B) investigating
C) categorizing
D) evaluating
E) benchmarking
41) Strengths can be categorized as ________ that help define the path for improvement the firm
should undertake.
A) primary or secondary strengths
B) strategic processes or strategic procedures
C) primary marketing or operational objectives
D) strategic resources or strategic capabilities
E) winning orders in the marketplace or achieving competitive advantage
42) Stage 3 of the generic process for performing self-assessment is ________.
A) categorizing the strengths and weaknesses
B) generating lists of strengths and weakness for the organization
C) evaluating competitive advantage to assess how relevant resources and capabilities are in
terms of generic strategies
D) achieving new levels of performance by filling gaps in deployment
E) investigating the sources of competitive advantage
43) Stage 4 of the generic process for performing self-assessment is ________.
A) categorizing the strengths and weaknesses
B) generating lists of strengths and weakness for the organization
C) evaluating competitive advantage to assess how relevant resources and capabilities are in
terms of generic strategies
D) achieving new levels of performance by filling gaps in deployment
E) investigating the sources of competitive advantage
44) Quality audits study ways to ________.
A) ensure that generally accepted accounting principles are being followed
B) ensure that companies and employees are acting honestly
C) win orders in the marketplace
D) improve customer service and ascertain whether current customer service processes are being
performed
E) select only the “right” evidence and ignore the “other”
45) The three main ingredients to an audit are auditing principles, auditing standards, and
auditing ________.
A) procedures
B) experts
C) accountants
D) information systems
E) ethics
46) Which of the following is not required for an accurate audit?
A) careful planning of auditing procedures
B) proper establishment of audit objectives
C) following generally accepted accounting practices
D) adherence to proper auditing methods
E) in-depth knowledge of auditing standards
47) An ________ is a measurement of performance or a criterion establishing professional
authority and consent.
A) auditing principle
B) auditing standard
C) auditing procedure
D) auditing baseline
E) auditing sample
48) An ________ establishes the course of action available to the auditor to judge the adherence
to the standards and the validity of the application of the principles.
A) auditing principle
B) auditing standard
C) auditing procedure
D) auditing baseline
E) auditing sample