Quality of goods and services

Overview

What quality means, quality control and quality assurance compared, product recalls, how quality builds reputation, loyalty and price, and keeping quality consistent in services.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What does quality mean in business?

   Model answer

   Quality means a product or service meets customers' needs and expectations. A quality product is fit for purpose and consistently free from faults.

2. 2

   Why can a cheap product still be a high-quality product?

   Model answer

   Quality is judged against what customers expect for the price they pay. A cheap umbrella that reliably keeps the rain off meets its buyers' expectations.

3. 3

   Define quality control.

   Model answer

   Quality control is the inspection of products at the end of production, or at set stages, to find faults. Faulty items are then scrapped or reworked.

4. 4

   Who usually carries out quality control, and what is its main drawback?

   Model answer

   Quality control is usually done by specialist inspectors. Faults are found only after the product is made, so materials and time have already been wasted.

5. 5

   What is quality assurance?

   Model answer

   Quality assurance builds quality checks into every stage of production to stop faults happening. Every worker is responsible for the quality of their own work.

6. 6

   What is the key difference between quality control and quality assurance?

   Model answer

   Quality control detects faults after they have occurred. Quality assurance aims to prevent faults from occurring in the first place.

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