which of the following characteristics in a small company?
A) A strong record of earnings.
B) A solid position in a stable market.
C) Consistently high growth rates.
D) A sound management team with experience and a strong board of directors.
Case 8-2: TQM and TV in Omaha
Nobody who knew Marvin Tollison ever met a man who liked television better. In the
Navy, he had the opportunity to learn a great deal about his trade. When he finished his
tour of duty, Marvin opened a television repair shop back home in Omaha, Nebraska.
Over the years the quality of his workmanship, his fair prices, and his general overall
good nature made his business flourish. Marvin had a way of finding men and women
like himself when expansion was needed.
Over 17 years, the business had grown from a one-man shop operating in his garage to
a 38-employee television repair staff that was dispatched to customers by two-way
truck radio. Over the years, the time between a customer’s call and the television
repairman getting to the home had increased to about two days because the repairmen
were taking longer with each call. Call-backs (having to “re-repair” equipment) are up
significantly. Marvin wasn’t sure, but he thought some of his customers were going
elsewhere for service.
Can Marvin use TQM to develop a competitive edge? If so, what would you
recommend he do?