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10.6 Exercises

Exercises at the end of the chapter are designed to strengthen your understanding and retention of the information recently acquired in the chapter.

Essay Questions

Write several paragraphs to provide more in-depth analysis and consideration when answering the following questions.

  1. Describe the difference between chance cause and assignable cause. How do these terms relate to Deming’s system of profound knowledge?
  2. According to the text, why did the quality of manufactured goods decline in the United States after World War II, and how did Japan take advantage of that situation?
  3. Describe the four Japanese terms used in TQM and give an example of how they might apply to a particular product.

Discussion

The exercises in this section are designed to promote exchange of information among students in the classroom or in an online discussion. The exercises are more open ended, which means that what you find might be completely different from what your classmates find, and you can all benefit by sharing what you have learned.

  1. The auto industry has been a highly visible battleground for international competition in which quality and the public’s perception of a company’s quality have played an important role. Deming stresses that management is 85 percent of the problem and the solution to a company’s quality. What are specific examples with which you are familiar from the news or personal experience that demonstrate management leadership (or lack of leadership) toward improving quality.
  2. Consider how the four Japanese concepts of quality included in TQM are applied in your educational institution. Based on your experience with the management of your school, does the management use the principles of kaizen, atarimae hinshitsu, kansei, and miryokuteki hinshitsu? Provide an example (or counter example) of each.