Case: Analytics in Decision Making

Emma is about to complete her master's degree in hospitality management and is planning to open her Italian restaurant on a busy street in

Milan, Italy. After weeks of searching and negotiation, she has finalized the location and is now busy hiring chefs and other restaurant staff.

Emma understands that running a successful restaurant requires a consistent quality experience every single time. She recognizes that such

an experience would be a combination of services offered by support staff and consistent quality of dishes prepared by chefs. To ensure such

an experience, Emma is making a list of analytical measures that she should use to evaluate performance of her support staff as well as chefs.

Case Questions

How should Emma go about this task? What dimensions of quality should she consider for services offered to customers and for

preparation of food items? What factors should she consider beyond analytical measures?

What quality measures will Emma have to take to ensure that she is using the best ingredients for food preparation in her restaurant?

How can Emma ensure that required hygiene levels are adhered to by her employees?

Once the restaurant is operational, what should Emma's response be if a customer has a quality complaint? How much do you estimate

such a complaint may cost Emma beyond analytical measures?Discussion Questions

Define quality for the following products: a university, an exercise facility, spaghetti sauce, and toothpaste. Compare your definitions with those of

others in your class.

Describe the TQM philosophy and identify its major characteristics.

Explain how TQM is different from the traditional notions of quality. Also, explain the differences between traditional organizations and those

that have implemented TQM$.$

Find three local companies that you believe exhibit high quality. Next, find three national or international companies that are recognized for their

quality achievements.

Describe the four dimensions of quality. Which do you think is most important?

Describe each of the four costs of quality: prevention, appraisal, internal failure, and external failure. Next, describe how each type of cost would

change $($increase$,$ decrease, or remain the same$)$ if we designed a higher$-$quality product that was easier to manufacture.

Think again about the four costs of quality. Describe how each would change if we hired more inspectors without changing any other aspects of

quality.

Explain the meaning of the plan$-$do$-$study$-$act cycle. Why is it described as a cycle?

Describe the use of quality function deployment $($QFD$).$ Can you find examples in which the voice of the customer was not translated properly into

technical requirements?

Describe the seven tools of quality control. Are some more important than others? Would you use these tools separately or together? Give some

examples of tools that could be used together.

What is the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award? Why is this award important, and what companies have received it in the past?

What are ISO $9000$ standards? Who were they set by and why? Can you describe other certifications based on the ISO $9000$ certification?

Who are the seven "gurus" of quality? Name at least one contribution made by at least three of them.