PCOQ01

1. User-based perspective of quality defines quality as __________.

a. a function of variable or attribute of a product
b. something found in the components of a product
c. fitness for intended use
d. being able to meet high standards

2. Total Quality Management (TQM) adopts the notion that __________.

I. improving quality will improve efficiency
II. there is a trade-off between the cost and benefits of improving quality
III. improvements in quality will always result in improved performance
a. Both I and III
b. III only
c. I only
d. II only

3. In quality management parlance, PDCA is an acronym used to describe

__________.
a. plan, design, control, act.
b. plan, do, check, act.
c. problem, diagnosis, conclusion, action.
d. plan, design, control, assess.

4. Suppose an advertisement for a Japanese car stresses that the car does not need a
tune-up for 100,000 kilometers, this advertisement focuses on which product quality
dimension?
a. Features
b. Reliability
c. Tangibles
d. Assurance

5. Quality can be described as __________.

a. even though it cannot be defined, you know what it is
b. the totality of features and characteristics of a product that bear on its ability
to satisfy stated or implied needs
c. how well a product fits patterns of consumer preferences
d. the degree of excellence at an acceptable price and the control of variability
at an acceptable cost

6. The Deming philosophy focuses on improvements in product and service quality by

__________.
a. separating the planning and execution functions
b. reducing customer complaints
c. inspecting all of the output
d. reducing variation

7. Which of the following statements is not true about Six-Sigma quality?

 a. Six-Sigma corresponds to design tolerances that are ± 3 standard deviations
on either side of the mean.
b. Six-Sigma results in less than 3.4 ppm defects.
c. Motorola invented the term "Six-Sigma quality" in the mid-80s.
d. All of the listed choices are true.

8. Which of the following is a good description of quality?

a. If the product conforms to design specifications, it has good quality.
b. Quality is something that is intuitively understood but nearly impossible to
communicate such as beauty or love, or a mark of uncompromising standards
and high achievement.
c. If the customer is satisfied, the product has good quality. It is fitness for
intended use.
d. All of the listed choices.

9. Which statement(s) about quality and profit is correct?

I. Minimum quality results in higher profits.
II. Minimum quality results in lower profits.
III. Optimum quality results in higher profits.
a. II only
b. Both II and III
c. III only
d. I only

10. Which of the following quality leader said that quality is free; it is non-quality that is
expensive?
a. Philip Crosby
b. Edwards Deming
c. Joseph Juran
d. None of the listed choices

11. Business Excellence practices can be classified into basic areas of management that
are generic to any organisation. Compare the options below and identify one that is
NOT one of the basic areas.
a. Customers
b. None of the listed choices
c. Leadership
d. Strategy

12. __________ is/are recognized by many countries to be one of the important enablers
to achieve competitiveness.
a. Quality awards
b. Six Sigma
c. Deming’s 14 Points
d. Quality management

13. Which of the following is an important aspect of the Singapore Quality Award?
a. Inter-department competition
 b. Organisational-wide alignment of goals
c. All of the listed choices
d. Collaboration between business units

14. Which of the following best explain the characteristics of the criteria of the Business
Excellence framework?
a. Prescriptive and flexible
b. Prescriptive and intuitive
c. Intuitive and adaptable
d. Nonprescriptive and adaptable

15. Quality award frameworks have evolved over the years from a quality-centric
viewpoint to a __________.
a. system thinking viewpoint
b. organisational excellence viewpoint
c. excellent results viewpoint
d. performance excellence viewpoint

16. An important implication that arises out of the forces that influence quality is that as
the business world becomes more complex, quality must be approached from a(n)
__________ perspective, rather than a(n) __________ perspective.
a. bottom-up; top-down
b. internal; external
c. futuristic; historical
d. system; process

17. The Singapore’s Business Excellence framework is __________ excellence

frameworks such as the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program and the
European Foundation for Quality Management Excellence Award.
a. significantly different from other
b. aligned with other
c. superior to other
d. in competition with other

18. Business Excellence framework is a set of __________ presented as a guide for

organisations which want to benchmark themselves against the ideals of business
excellence.
a. 14 Points derived from Deming
b. guidelines
c. quality enhancement manuals
d. seven categories or criteria

19. Which dimension is not part of the Singapore Quality Award assessment?
a. deployment
b. approach
c. none of the listed choices
d. results
 20. The criteria for Business Excellence for the Singapore Quality Award consist of a
hierarchical set of categories and requirements to be addressed. Which of the
following is not a criterion?
a. Strategy
b. Training
c. Processes
d. Customers

PCOQ02
1. A
2. A
3. A
4. A
5. A

PCOQ03
1. A
2. A
3. A
4. A
5. A
6. a