Questions

1.
Discuss at least three similarities and three differences between managing quality in
higher education vs. business sector.
similarities:
1. ensure that the quality is consistent
2. continuous learning
3. performance measurement

differences:
1. employees are working to fulfill the objectives of the company, students are working
for their own personal gain (individual versus organizational responsibility)
2. companies have activity-level quality which applies to different working departments,
while the university has and entity-wide quality.
3. the level of quality in the company it is mainly process level, which means that the
company strives to link the external and internal customer requirements, while at the
university, the level is a performer one, because the university strives to meet the
requirements of internal customers only (students)
2.
Discuss at least three similarities and three differences between building commitment
to quality in higher education vs. business sector?
similarities:
Similarities: 1.personal development
2. being part of a whole
3. building relationshionships
4.
3. What are the criteria in relation to which you define organizational quality in a
service business organization? Define the organizational quality from these perspectives.
.

Two components of service in business organization

1. quality of human contact: communication, information, delivery time etc
2. information technology (IT): computing communication, data processing, other various means
of converting data into useful information that leads to improved quality and productivity.

4. As CEO of the organization, what are your main concerns in terms of managing for
quality at the organizational/ performer level? Comment on at least five concerns.
Organizational level - focuses on meeting the requirements of the external customers.
Lesson 2, S24-27

At organizational level: focuses on meeting the requirements of the external customers

Five concerns:
-delivering top quality products
-maintaining a good relationship with the customers (communication)
-receiving constant feedback
-continuous improvement
-delivery on time
Performer level - focuses on meeting the requirements of the internal customers.
Five concerns:
-accuracy ->
-teamwork and participation -> increase also the satisfaction
- innovation -> involve the employees in the process of innovation by asking their opinion about
the improvements which should be made
-timeliness
-cost
-completeness
-training -> by delivering training, company will gain skilled employees with expertise and
know-how, and the employees will become part of the entire process
5. As Rector of your university, what are your main concerns in terms of managing for
quality at the university level? Comment on at least five concerns.
Concerns:
- hiring skilled professors
- feedback from students
- updated environment (new technology, internet access, digital library etc)
- assessment of student learning outcomes
-understanding students & stakeholders needs
6.
Recognize quality as a competitive weapon in your university. What are the core
competencies of your university which ensure its competitive advantages? Comment on at
least five core competencies.
Core competencies:
- affordable tuition fee
- good location (very close to employers which are planning to hire the newly-graduate students)
- good reputation (one of the best universities in Romania )
- skilled professors (with Master & PhD diplomas from countries such as: France, Germany, US
etc.)
- extracurricular activities (memberships in students associations, conferences etc)
- research (continuous research for determining the needs of the students: new subjects to study
every two-three years, new inputs from professors who studied abroad, new publishings and
scientific books written by the university professors etc.)
- consistent quality

7.
How would you plan to get commitment of your top manager to implement TQM
program? Comment on at least five ways/ methods/ approaches. (ca la negocieri)
-Explain the benefits of TQM by presenting other companies who have successfully
implemented the total quality management.
-showing that by doing this, the company will have a competitive position
The Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence Handbook identifies the following
direct and indirect benefits that total quality management (TQM) can offer organizations:

Strengthened competitive position

Adaptability to changing or emerging market conditions and to environmental and

other government regulations

Higher productivity

Enhanced market image

Elimination of defects and waste

Reduced costs and better cost management

Higher profitability

Improved customer focus and satisfaction

Increased customer loyalty and retention

Increased job security

Improved employee morale

Enhanced shareholder and stakeholder value

Improved and innovative processes

8.
Provide five examples of quality objectives developed by manufacturing business
firms/ financial service firms/ business consultancy firms/ public administration
institutions/ food retailers/ telecommunication companies/ higher education institutions/ IT
companies and their performance indicators. Why are those considered quality objectives?
Quality objuctives: Meet the customer needs => performance indicators: delivery time, number
of complaints/month, satisfaction level, number of compliments/month, external recognition
Involvement of employees => indicators: comparison between Job Description

and actual performance, KPIs, self assessment, continuous assessment

Provide quality products/services =>indicators: number of
complaints/compliments, number of internal failures/100000 finished goods etc
Find resources =>indicators: total sum of resources/month etc
Building partnerships => find qulity suppliers; indicators: number of defective
raw materials etc
Create a good image in society =>indicators: articles in the media, complaints,
compliments
9.
Discuss the steps towards development and implementation of an ISO 9001 model of
quality management system in a business organization.
An ISO 9001 certificate will provide maximum benefit to your organization if it approaches ISO
9001 implementation in a practical way. This will ensure that the quality management systems
that are adopted, work to improve the business and are not just a set of procedures that your
employees will find hard to manage.
STEPS:
1. Purchase the Standards
2. Purchase the Guidelines in the field
3.
Review support literature and software
4. Assemble a team and agree your strategy
5.
Consider Training
6.
Review Consultancy Options
7.
Choose a registrar
8.
Document the QMS (define quality policy and objectives + develop a quality manual)
9.
Implement the Quality Management System
10. Consider a pre-assessment
11. Gain registration and certification
12. Continual assessment
10. Create the SIPOC diagram for the following business process: Measuring and
Analyzing the Performance/ Research and Development/ Employees Training/ Purchasing/
Customers Complaints Handling/ Quality Management System Implementation/
Acquiring Customer Knowledge/ Measuring and Analyzing the Performance/ Strategic
planning/ Developing new products and services/ Fulfilling customer orders.
A SIPOC diagram is a tool used by a team to identify all relevant elements of a process
improvement project before work begins.
SIPOC( Suppliers, Input, Process, Output, Customers)
Suppliers: Actual suppliers, Learders, Scientists, Speakers, Trainers, Informaticians
Inputs: Software, Charts, forecasts, cost-benefit analysis, surveys, market reports,
suggestions, feedback
Process: developing charts, brainstorming, hypothesis testing, cause & effect diagram,
training session
Output: skills, improvement, know-how, new products, knowledge about the customer
Customers: employees, consumers, organizations, individuals, ++
11. What are the benefits of achieving ISO 9001 certification by an organization?
Comment on at least five of those benefits.

ISO 9001 certification is not just suitable for large organisations, but also small businesses that
will benefit from adopting efficient quality management systems that will save time and cost,
improve efficiency and ultimately improve customer relationships.
Implementing ISO often gives the following advantages:
1.
Creates a more efficient, effective operation
2.
Increases customer satisfaction and retention
3.
Reduces audits
4.
Enhances marketing
5.
Improves employee motivation, awareness, and morale
6.
Promotes international trade
7.
Increases profit
8.
Reduces waste and increases productivity
9.
Common tool for standardization(consistent, repeatable processes and a
common system)

12. Discuss the steps taken to conduct a quality audit in a university/ business
organization. For what purpose?
Audit Cycle Using DMAIC
A quality audit can be completed in five steps:
1. Plan Audit and Define Audit Agenda
Practitioners can set the audit agenda by answering the five Ws and one H: Who, When, Where,
What, Why and How. The agenda should include the goal of the audit, the name of the person
conducting the audit, the date it will be conducted, the venue, what is to be audited and the
reason why the audit is to be conducted. The auditor should also be clear about the directions to
be followed during the audit. To cover every critical aspect, a checklist could be used.
2. Conduct Audit and Measure Performance
The audit should be conducted according to the scope and goal defined in the audit agenda. The
auditor will measure key aspects of the current process and collect relevant data. Of course,
every organization must follow its defined policy and the regulatory norms of its country. Audits
should also be conducted to review processes and systems of an organization; by measuring their
performance, practitioners can determine their reliability.
3. Record Results and Analyze Findings
All problems found during audits should be documented and categorized in order of their
importance. Problems can be categorized as critical, major or minor, based on the significance of
their break with organizational policy.
Audit reports provide a balanced overview of the current process, with details about any underor over-performing metrics. All problems observed during the audit should be sent to the
organizations leadership, with critical and major noncompliance issues flagged as early as
possible.
4. Uncover Trends and Make Improvements
Auditors should highlight process areas that show excellence and best practices. They should
also separate all critical and major problems from the minor problems so the organization can

focus improvement efforts accordingly.

Problem importance can be determined after conducting a root cause analysis of the process
issues. Causes can be mapped on a Pareto chart, which typically reveals that 20 percent of the
problems create 80 percent of the negative impact on a quality system. Through the use of the
Pareto chart, practitioners can identify areas of improvement and suggest necessary changes.
5. Control System with Follow-up Audit
After defining process control limits, auditors can identify and implement measures, such as
control charts, to help prevent problems from occurring again. Follow-up audits are required to
measure actions taken to improve processes and systems of organization.

13. Apply and explain the concept of lean organization in your university or a business
organization.
Lean manufacturing, lean enterprise, or lean production, often simply, "lean", is a production
practice that considers the expenditure of resources for any goal other than the creation of value
for the end customer to be wasteful, and thus a target for elimination. Working from the
perspective of the customer who consumes a product or service, "value" is defined as any action
or process that a customer would be willing to pay for.
Essentially, lean is centered on preserving value with less work. Lean manufacturing is a
management philosophy derived mostly from the Toyota Production System (TPS) (hence the
term Toyotism is also prevalent)
14. What Sigma performance level has achieved your school? Provide at least five
examples to support your response.
Our Faculty is currently at the level of 3 Sigma because around 6.7% of students, fail to get the
bachelor degree, there are still a lot of students who dont attend the courses, the projects
delivered are not original (own contribution),
15. What are the steps required by development of a Six Sigma project (methodology)?
Exemplify for the case of a company operating in .
The DMADV project methodology, known as DFSS ("Design For Six Sigma"),[9] features five
phases:

Define design goals that are consistent with customer demands and the enterprise strategy.

Measure and identify CTQs (characteristics that are Critical To Quality), product
capabilities, production process capability, and risks.

Analyze to develop and design alternatives

Design an improved alternative, best suited per analysis in the previous step

Verify the design, set up pilot runs, implement the production process and hand it over to
the process owner(s).
16. How do you recognize the existence of an organizational culture in your university?
What is the quality culture? Describe the quality culture in your university or a business

organization.
A company has an organizational culture if it has:

a world view
traditions, daily work activities/practices
ways of resolving problems
ways of conducting the processes
interactions between the people involved in the organization
a specific working environment
organizational behaviours

Quality culture = attitude / set of values employed by the company to improve the levels of
quality in its service by:
improving the quality of relationships with stakeholders
improving the communication between employees
improve the attitude and mindset of employees.
Quality culture in the university/company = values:
Value 1: We're all in this together: company, suppliers, customers.
Value 2: No subordinates or superiors allowed.
Value 3: Open, honest communication is vital.
Value 4: Everyone has access to all information on all operations.
Value 5: Focus on processes.
Value 6: There are no successes or failures, just learning experiences.
Value 7: Individual, organizational and social responsibility
Value 8: Dedication and professionalism
Value 9: Intensive work to achieve the objectives (either for the company or university)
17. How would you plan to get commitment of your top manager to implementing a EFQM
program? Comment on at least five ways/ methods/ approaches.
- showing that the current situation is not a favourable one and needs improvements
- presenting the benefits (self assessment, provides a structure for the organisations
management system, benchmarking)
- saying that the tool provides the status and the current place of the company on the market
- stating that this method is easy to implement due to the common vocabulary and way of
thinking
- presenting the EFQM as a competitive advantage against the competitors
- by implementing the tool, the company will perform better because it will discover the areas for
improvement => profits
18. Describe the following standards for internal control . in an organization which
operates in the following industry: education/ public administration sector/ IT services/
food retailing/ telecommunications/ consultancy.
4 types of control activities:

1) directive=> guidance
2)Preventive=> avoid errors
3)detective=>Identify errors
4)corrective
Standards:
-commitment to competence
-integrity+ethical values
-management operating style
-organizational structure
-assignment of authority + responsibility
-HR practices + policies
-Oversight group
-Risk assessment
internal control activities:
-Monitoring
-separate evaluation
-audit resolution

19. As CEO of the organization, what are your main concerns in terms of internal control
management?
- to provide the leadership needed to establish and guide an integrated internal control framework
- to establish a positive tone at the top by conducting an organizationss affairs in an honest and
ethical manner and establishing accountability at all levels of the organization
- to design internal control systems
- to create the policies needed to ensure that services are provided effectively and assets
safeguarded
- to foster a favourable control environment
- conduct risk assessment
- to provide effective communication
- to monitor the effectiveness of control-related policies
20. Provide five examples of actions needed for control environment/ risk assessment/
control activities/ ongoing monitoring/ information and communications in a business
organization.
Control environment:
- establish and communicate a code of ethics
- require ethical and honest behaviour from all the employees
- apply the same rules to follow by everybody
- require appropriate conduct from everyone in the organization

- create and maintain open relationships

Risk assessment:
- identify the risks regarding the effectiveness and efficiency of financial and service
operations,
- comparing the initial objectives and the final outputs in order to see what went wrong
- reevaluation of objectives
- checking the financial records
- checking the compliance with laws and regulations
Control activities:
- provide guidance to employees to help achieve the desired objectives of the department
(ex: job description, personnel policy, code of ethics)
- deter the occurrence of errors or other undesirable events (ex: segregation of duties)
- identify on a timely basis when errors or other undesirable events have occured (ex:
reconciliations and reviews of performance)
- detect budgetary problems by comparing info about financial performance with budgets,
prior periods, to measure the extent to which financial goals and objectives are being met
- identify the flaws in the process and determine the actions to be taken to correct the
problems (ex: additional employee training and reassessment of the current procedures)
Information and communication
- implement communication process that captures info and provides it to all who need it
- info about identified risks and the means of controlling those risks also need to be
transmitted to those who are responsible
- info about the policies and procedures to be followed should flow down through the
organization
- inform all employees about the control responsibilities, about their role in the internal
control system, about how their activities relate to the work of others
- organize frequent meetings
- create a feedback & suggestions box for the employees
Monitoring
- implement an evaluation programm to check the implementation of the policies
- provide questionnaires to the employees
- supervising the running of the activities
- inspect the primary outputs to check if the standards are being met
-performance appraisal program
21. Analyze critically (against ISO 9001 requirements) the following quality policy and
objectives of .. (the company).
Set up your quality management system: develop, use and improve it.
4.2 Document your system to say how it should work.
4.2.1 Write documents including a quality policy, objectives, manual, procedures and records; decide what
procedures you need for your system; must include those listed below

4.2.2 Have a quality manual

4.2.3 Control your documents to make sure they are accurate and suitable, including a procedure
4.2.4 Manage your records (which show your system works as you say it does) suitably, including a procedure.

22. What types of recommendation would you make to the top management of your
organization based on the quality cost analysis performed on the following data .?
Types of costs:
-appraisal cost
-prevention cost
-internal failure cost
-external failure cost
Quality cost stage:
-firefight stage ( customer complaints, rework, a blaming culture)
-Conventional Stage( happy customers, no preventive measures, rework(not so much), the
problems are hidden)
-Total Quality Stage- Zero defects, prevention, low external failure due to the internal
control failure, strategic management.
you can apply here the FORCED CHOICE MODEL=>
1) Statement of the mission
2)Financial + nonfinancial objectives
3)strengths + weaknesses
4) operational needs
5) Future programmes
6) economic assumption
7) governmental + regulatory issues
8)technological force
9) market opportunities + threats
10) strategies of competitors
11) Strategic options

23. Apply the concept of lean organization for a company operating in education/ public
administration sector/ IT services/ food retailing/ telecommunications/ consultancy.
waste reduction,
process efficiency,
Just in time orders,
Creating more value to the customers, using fewer resources.
=> focus on customers value, key processes
Eliminating waste along entire value streams, instead of at isolated points, creates processes
that need less human effort, less space, less capital, and less time to make products and services
at far less costs and with much fewer defects, compared with traditional business systems.
Aceste concepte trebuie aplicate la fiecare domeniu in parte :)

24. What tools for quality improvement would you use in the following situation ..? For
what purpose?
For quality improvement,firstly,you should have a balance between needs of the basic
functional areas:marketing,accounting,human resources,operations,engineering,strategy.
Tools for improvement:
The affinity diagram
Interrelationship diagraph
Tree diagram
Prioritization Grid
Matrix diagram
Process decision program chart.
25. Provide five examples of measures/ metrics you use to assess your current level of
performance/ the following business process performance . How did you set those
metrics?

Developing performance metrics usually follows a process of:

1.
2.
3.

Establishing critical processes/customer requirements

Identifying specific, quantifiable outputs of work
Establishing targets against which results can be scored

Benchmarked
Financial ratios (ROA, ROI etc)
Productivity ratios (labour productivity, plant and equipment
productivity, energy productivity, material productivity, firm overall productivity)
Customer-related results (retention, gains/losses, customer
perceived value, competitive awards, customer ratings)
Operating results (cycle times, waste-reduction measures, valuesadded measures, time from concept to market, setup times)
Human Resources measures (employee satisfaction measures,
training expenditures, training hours per year, work system performance, turnover,
safety statistics, absenteeism, employee effectiveness measures)
Quality measures (reject rates, capability information, scrap and
rework measures, percent defectives, field repairs, costs of quality, process
performance measures, average response time for phone inquiries, number of
people a caller must contact to get a problem resolved)
Market share data (shares in different markets served by the firm)
Structural measures (objectives, policies and procedures followed
by the firm concerning: safety, production, accounting, financial, engineering)
Balanced Scorecard
Financial (profitability, revenue growth, return on investments,

economic added value, market share, stakeholder value)

Internal (productivity, cycle time, distribution channels, product
quality levels, operations costs)
Customer (service quality levels, repeat business, customer
satisfaction ratings, loyality)
Innovation and learning (intellectual assets, employee satisfaction,
market innovation, skills development)
26. Define at least five measures you plan to use to improve your professional performance
level.
1. Define your goals: Determine your measures for success. Make your goals challenging, but
achievable. Do you want to increase customer retention, improve market share, penetrate a new
market segment, change a perception, generate more store traffic, reduce customer complaints?
Be specific and make your objectives measurable. For example, by what percentage do you want
to increase sales?
2. Determine the Metrics to Measure Your Companys Performance: Compile a list of
factors that are important in your industry. Criteria may include:
Marketing: sales growth; market share; distribution methods; sales force size,
effectiveness and training; advertising budget and effectiveness; inventory levels,
delivery time; product quality; customer retention rates
Production: plant capacity, locations and age; age of equipment; ability to expand
capacity; skill and turnover of labor force; union relations; quality control; supplier
retention; raw material sources
Administrative: employee turnover, age of facilities
Management: experience, depth and turnover of top, middle and
supervisorymanagers; effectiveness of communication systems; access to information;
cohesiveness of top management ranks; compensation plans; decision-making speed;
strategic planning ability
Technology/Research & Development: age of R&D facilities; age of production
technology; production patterns; basic innovation; engineering abilities; experience of
R&D team; R&D budget; R&D project timelines
3. Develop Methods to Collect and Organize Data: Determine a process for tracking
and reporting all relevant data. Report on trends that emerge from your findings on a
regular basis.
.

4. Compare Yourself to the Competition: You can glean a lot by doing your
homework, including shopping your competitors. Also check:

Annual and 10 K reports on public companies

Internet search engines by competitors' names or key words
Trade associations and publications
Business and general press as well as press releases
Government agencies

 Private research firms, including online computer databases

.

5. Conduct Research: When you need specific information about your customers and
prospects that doesnt exist, conduct your own primary research.
There are two types of research: qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative research is
used to understand why customers behave as they do or to develop hypotheses about
that behavior. Personal interviews and focus groups (a meeting of 8-12 carefully
selected people) are two examples of this semi-structured type of survey. Quantitative
research is a highly structured form that attempts to answer how much. Numbers can be
projected to the universe that the sample represents. Telephone, online and mail
surveys are examples.
6. Understand Your Strengths and Weaknesses: Rate your company on your
developed list of metrics in comparison to your competitors. Look for clusters of
strength that may give you a competitive advantage.
7. Focus on Customer Retention: Customer retention is a matter of business survival,
as getting a new customer is five times more expensive than retaining a current one.
Work on core product and service attributes to build customer loyalty (such as
treating each customer as a valued individual). Businesses must focus on such issues as
instilling a helpful staff attitude, delivering on advertising promises, developing a
favorable return policy and providing accurate product information. Use your success
with current customers to attract new referral business, but also remember that not
every customer is worth keeping. You cannot be all things to all people. Sometimes,
you have to let customers go and train energies on those clients who are the best fit.
8. Measure Marketing Effectiveness: Effective measurement lays the groundwork
for future plans, so keeping track of results is the only way to improve your marketing
efforts. The key is determining which data should be collected. Your marketing results
may be measured in sales (dollars or units), market share, store traffic, number of
inquiries or reduced complaint rates, or other metrics. Tracking can also be based on
surveys that assess customer perceptions.
9. Track Employees: Having top employees who are motivated is critical to your
companys success. Track the effectiveness of your recruitment methods and retention
levels as well as employee satisfaction and performance.
10. Apply the Information: Analyze the intelligence youve collected, draw
conclusions and make recommendations based on it. Develop a plan for seeking out
opportunities to demonstrate your companys strengths. If weaknesses are critical
drawbacks to your companys success, develop a plan for overcoming them.

27. How do you know if you are a quality person or not? Argue your response.
From three perspectives:
way of thinking: personal values and beliefs
way of being: behaviors, attitudes
way of doing: actions/ positions, decisions