Week 4 Discussion 2 - Business Operations- Due by tomorrow at 8pm CST

Week 4 Discussion

Discussion 1: Managing Quality

This week, one of the areas you have been reading about is the importance of managing quality within an organization. Despite how efficient and low cost a business might be, if the quality of its product is low or its customer service is non-existent, it will not likely succeed in the long run. Consider what you have learned about making quality a part of the entire planning and implementation process. In particular, recall the approaches to quality improvement supported by Deming and Juran that were introduced in your reading.

To prepare for this Discussion, consider the following:

Compare and contrast the Deming and Juran approaches to quality improvement. Consult resources in addition to your textbook for more in-depth information on their philosophies of quality. If you wish, you may also do some outside reading and discuss Phillip Crosby as well.

With that in mind:

Post by Day 3 a 250- to 300-word statement that addresses the following:

• Describe one of the Deming and Juran approaches to quality improvement and how its use might affect a company.
• What would be some of the advantages? What would be some of the initial difficulties that may be encountered during implementation? Explain why.

Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings.

Respond by Day 6 to two or more of your colleagues’ postings in one or more of the following ways:

• Ask a probing question.
• Share an insight from having read your colleague’s posting.
• Offer and support an opinion.
• Make a suggestion.
• Expand on your colleague’s posting.

Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you learned and the insights you gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.

Be sure to support your work with specific reference citations from the Learning Resources and any additional sources you consulted. All references must be cited in APA format in an alphabetized list of references at the end of your summary post.

Week 4 Learning Resources

This page contains the Learning Resources for this week. Be sure to scroll down the page to see all of this week's assigned Learning Resources.

Required Resources

Readings

• Schroeder, R. G., Goldstein, S. M., & Rungusanatham, M. J. (2013). Operations management in the supply chain: Decisions and cases(6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
  • Chapter 8, “Managing Quality” (pp. 162–188)
    
    Offering a product or service that a customer considers to be of good quality is essential for the success of any organization. This chapter discusses different types of quality that may be evaluated, including design quality, safety standards, reliability, and customer service. In addition, the chapter discusses the ISO 9000 process certifications and the Baldrige Award that are available to companies that meet certain standards of excellence.
    
    Focus on the definitions provided throughout this chapter. Review and think about the examples and anecdotes provided in the chapters that illustrate the major ideas being conveyed. Consider what you know about quality management principles. Ask yourself, what skills are necessary for today’s operations manager and how do these skills reflect quality management principles?
  • Chapter 9, “Quality Control and Improvement” (pp. 189–219)
    
    Development and implementation of quality control systems are critical to continuous, consistent production of high quality products and services. Concepts including quality attributes, process capability, and continuous improvement are discussed. Programs for quality management, including Sigma Six, and tools for quality control are presented. The United States is rapidly moving away from manufacturing to a service-based economy. Pay particular attention to the discussion regarding quality control in the service industries and the unique challenges faced by service businesses in quality measurement and management.

Optional Resources

• Schroeder, R. G., Goldstein, S. M., & Rungtusanatham, M. J. (2013). Operations management in the supply chain (6th ed.). Retrieved from
  http://highered.mheducation.com/sites/0073525243/student_view0/index.html