1. Which of the following is a negative impact of information technology on the customer service provided by service organizations?

a. It has increased the labor intensity involved in the production of services.

b. It has resulted in lesser personal interaction between consumers and service providers leading to decreased customer satisfaction among some consumers.

c. It has decreased the speed of service.

d. It has restricted the ability of the customers to compare products with competitor brands before making a purchase.

2. Improved conformance in production or service delivery tends to increase profitability as:

a. it helps in differentiating the product from its competitors and improves the perceived value of the product.

b. it ensures that the services are performed according to the convenience of the customer.

c. it leads to lower costs through savings in rework, scrap, resolution of errors, and warranty expenses.

d. it leads to improved employee motivation.

3. In Deming’s view, _____is the chief culprit of poor quality.

a. concurrent engineering

b. variation

c. agility of the production process

d. low level of tolerance in manufacturing

4. Organizations can ensure that the quality is rooted in their culture by:

a. encouraging employees to do more than what they are expected to do through reward programs.

b. internalizing quality at the personal level and encouraging employees to practice quality in all activities of life.

c. ensuring that the company follows all the laws and regulations regarding product labeling, packaging, and other marketing requirements.

d. allotting sufficient budget for equipment, training, and other means of assuring quality.

5. According to point one of Deming’s 14 points for quality improvement, the responsibility of improving a firm’s competitive position lies with ______.

a. top management

b. suppliers

c. middle management

d. employees