text: Quality - Mr Howard's Website
  You know that feeling when you buy something and you get it home and after a short while it breaks, well that's not quality!
  If a business is going to make money and get a good reputation, it needs to be producing quality goods and services. But what do we mean by quality and how can we assess it.
  Products are normally faulty for one of a number of reasons.
  It may well be that there was a design fault before the product was even made.
  Or, it may be that incorrect or unreliable components and materials were used to make the product.
  Or maybe even the machinery that was used was faulty, which in turn would cause the product to be faulty.
  Finally, it could just be down to human error and the person making the product was not paying attention.
  Successful businesses try really hard to get things right first time. This reduces waste and therefore reduces the costs. They do this by trying to put quality first. There are a number of things that you need to know about quality if you are going to get that amazing GCSE grade.
  If a business is doing something well, it's important that its customers know about it. That way, people start to respect and trust the company and they will hopefully buy more of their products. Also, if a product is seen as being of a high quality, businesses can (and do) charge a higher price.
  There are a number of quality marks that businesses can apply for, so that they can put them on their products and advertising information. These quality marks show customers that they will not be buying any old junk!
  Quality marks such as the BSI Kite Mark and the CE mark for European Union products tell customers that the products have gone through a large number of checks before the product has been sent to the shops. If you buy a toy with the CE mark on it, you know that it will be safe and will not end up with bits falling off it after a day!
  Respectable travel agents can apply to be part of ABTA. This means that the travel agent will not run away with your hard-earned money before booking your flights to Tenerife!
  The Investor in People award is given to companies who invest time and money in their employees. That means that if a company cares about its workers, they should train them and allow them to develop and be promoted. Having the Investor in People award therefore means that you are a good company to work for, which means that you will get better people applying for your jobs. Better people will make better products so hopefully you'll end up with better profits. See how it all fits in?!
  In the olden days when I were a lad, products used to be checked right at the very end of the assembly line, just before the product got sent to the shops. This method of Quality Control, however, meant that faulty products got wasted as the product had already been made by the time it got checked. Not to mention all that time making the product!
  These days, business try to involve everybody in the quality checking process. This is know as Total Quality Management. This means that everybody checks the work of the person before them in the assembly line. They also check the parts and components before they start making the product to avoid any problems. It also means that the business may ask their workers for ideas on how to improve quality, as after all, it is the workers that are making the products so they may know a better way of doing things.
  Some companies have Quality Circles. Think of these as meetings of employees, all stood around in a circle trying to solve a problem of the business, in an attempt to improve quality. If an employee suggests something that saves the company money, they may be given a reward.
  Finally, all successful businesses must keep on improving their products if they are to remain competitive. This is like when Apple bring out the iPhone 3, then the iPhone 4, then the iPhone 867 or whatever. This 'continuous improvement' is known as KAIZEN! It means that companies are never happy with what they have produced and they always look for ways to make better products.