Quality Management (Edexcel A Level Business)

Revision Note

Lisa Eades

Written by: Lisa Eades

Reviewed by: Steve Vorster

Quality Management Methods

  • Quality considers the characteristics and features of a product that satisfy the needs of customers

  • Businesses need to maintain a level of quality that continues to attract and retain customers

  • There are a number of approaches to managing quality in the production process

Methods of Quality Control

Quality control

  • Inspecting the quality of output at the end of the production process

    • Benefits

      • Quality specialists are employed to check standards

      • An inexpensive and simple way to check that output is fit for purpose

    • Drawbacks

      • The rejection of finished goods is a significant waste of resources 

      • There is little focus on the cause of defects

Quality assurance

  • Inspecting the quality of production throughout the production process

    • Benefits

      • Quality issues are identified early so products may be reworked rather than rejected

      • The cause of defects is the focus so future quality issues may be prevented

    • Drawbacks

      • Staff training and a skilled workforce is required so labour costs may be increased

      • Reworking may lengthen the production process

Quality Circles

  • Groups of workers meet regularly to solve quality problems identified in the production process

    • Benefits

      • Workers may be motivated as they are involved in decision making

      • Relevant and focused solutions are likely as workers are familiar with processes

    • Drawbacks

      • Management need to have trust in workers’ views and solutions 

      • Meetings and structures must be organised regularly

Total Quality Management (TQM)

  • Organisation of the business with quality at its core and with every worker responsible for quality

    • Benefits

      • Quality in all aspects of the business improves efficiency

      • A culture of constant improvement exists within the business

    • Drawbacks

      • All workers must be committed and receive significant continued training

      • Careful monitoring and control is required

Continuous Improvement (Kaizen)

  • Kaizen involves a business taking continuous steps to improve productivity through the elimination of all types of waste in the production process

    • Changes are small and ongoing rather than significant one-off’s and are constantly reviewed to ensure that the desired positive impact on productivity is achieved

Graph showing productivity over time. Dotted line indicates continuous improvements; solid stepped line shows one-off improvements. Y-axis: productivity, X-axis: time.

Kaizen Versus One-off Improvements 

  • Elements of Kaizen commonly include

    • Total Quality Management

    • Just in Time stock management

    • Teamwork and quality circles

    • Zero defects  in manufacturing

    • High levels of automation

    • High levels of cooperation between workers and management

  • Kaizen requires a long-term management commitment to change 

Competitive Advantage from Quality Management

  • The quality of a businesses products can provide a competitive advantage

    • Unit costs are likely to be low if a business takes a preventative approach through the use of quality assurance or TQM

      • Low costs may allow a business to reduce its selling price to better compete with or undercut its rivals

    • Increased finance may be available to fund marketing activity to improve brand recognition and attract new customers 

    • High levels of quality can be used in promotional activity and provide a unique selling point for businesses in competitive markets

    • Successfully developing a USP for quality can ease expansion into new markets as a result of the positive reputation it creates

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Lisa Eades

Author: Lisa Eades

Expertise: Business Content Creator

Lisa has taught A Level, GCSE, BTEC and IBDP Business for over 20 years and is a senior Examiner for Edexcel. Lisa has been a successful Head of Department in Kent and has offered private Business tuition to students across the UK. Lisa loves to create imaginative and accessible resources which engage learners and build their passion for the subject.

Steve Vorster

Author: Steve Vorster

Expertise: Economics & Business Subject Lead

Steve has taught A Level, GCSE, IGCSE Business and Economics - as well as IBDP Economics and Business Management. He is an IBDP Examiner and IGCSE textbook author. His students regularly achieve 90-100% in their final exams. Steve has been the Assistant Head of Sixth Form for a school in Devon, and Head of Economics at the world's largest International school in Singapore. He loves to create resources which speed up student learning and are easily accessible by all.