IFB208TC

First Part of Semester 1, AY2024-25

Quality Management and Lean Six Sigma

Core Assessment 001: Course Work

Weight: 65% of Final (Module) Mark

Assignment Type: Individual

Assessment 001 (hereafter referred to as A001) consists of an individual written report that carries 65% of the final mark for this module (see Table 1 for additional details). This written report explores several aspects of quality management that have been covered in class.

Table 1. Assessment 001 - Overview

*Maximum mark for this assignment is 100 points, which will then be converted in line with the 65%-mark weight.

YOUR TASK

You need to solve three quality management-related questions. Each question carries a certain number of points and has its own specifics - i.e., the questions are NOT intertwined. Given this, you are to read each question carefully and provide a detailed answer in line with the pre-set word limit. There are a number of requirements that are valid for all questions part of this assignment. These requirements areas follows:

     Length: max. 1,800 words (*excluding title page, references, tables, graphs and figures).

     Language: British or American English (*be consistent across the text)

     Main text: Times New Roman 12; space between lines 1.5; footnotes allowed, but make sure to number them consecutively throughout the report.

     Referencing:  all  secondary  information  sources  (both  offline  and  online  ones)  should  be  cited according to the Harvard (Referencing) Style (*see p.3 for further information).

     Similarity Rate: no more than 20% (*excluding the Taicang Cover Page and References).

     AI-generated content: no more than 15% (*including polished content)

     Submission Method: online, PDF or WORD format (*PDF is preferred) via Learning Mall Online. The file name must be as follows: IFB208TC_Individual Report_[student ID].

     Submission Deadline: Nov 11th, 2024, before 12:00 at noon, Beijing time.

     Penalty Policy for Late Submissions: XJTLU’s policy for late submissions will be strictly followed.

QUESTIONS

SECTION 1. (Quality Management) Approaches to Defining Quality (26 points) (max. 400 words)

Company X is one of the world’s fastest growing manufacturers of smartphones. The company is currently aiming to introduce a new, foldable smartphone in line with the current market trends. Not only that, but the CEO is eager to offer the world’s highest quality foldable smartphone. As Company X’s CEO, you will need to draft a strategic plan for the development of the new, foldable smartphone. One of the key aspects of the strategic plan should answer the following question*:

Q1. From a QM perspective, which of the company’s main departments (*this is a multinational corporation using the functional departmentalisation, having all possible departments you can think of – e.g., finance and accounting department, research and development department, etc.) should initiate the goal of building the world’s highest quality foldable smartphone, and why?

Weight: 28 points - Choice (6 points), Argumentation of Choice (20 points)

*Do NOT develop the entire strategic plan, but simply identify this/ these department(s), and justify your answer by using relevant Quality Management theories and/ or models.

SECTION 2. Product Quality before and after the First Industrial Revolution (28 points) (max. 700 words)

The quality management literature has offered an in-depth analysis on the impact of the First Industrial Revolution on product quality. With this in mind, you need to answer the following question:

Q2. Did the shift from manual to machine labour increase/ decrease product quality?

Weight: 28 points - Answer (8 points), Argumentation of Answer (20 points)

*Choose one of the two possibilities- a) The First Industrial Revolution led to an increase in product quality or b) The First Industrial Revolution led to a decrease in product quality. Next, justify your answer by referring to relevant quality management theories and examples from industry.

SECTION 3.  TQM Implementation Challenges (26 points) (max. 700 words)

Total Quality Management (TQM) is considered the pinnacle of the quality movement. Unfortunately, the  TQM implementation success stories on a global scale are much fewer than the TQM implementation failures. There area great number of reasons for these failures. Given this, you need to answer the following question:

Q3. What are the 3 /three/ main challenges for implementing Total Quality Management in Chinese manufacturing enterprises?

Weight: 26 points - Answer (8 points), Argumentation of Answer (18 points)

*Make sure to support your argument by referring to relevant quality management theories and examples from industry.

INSTRUCTIONS TO STUDENTS

REPORT STRUCTURE

   COVER PAGE - your Cover Page should be the same as the Taicang Official Cover Page. Make sure, however,to fill in all pertinent details such as (i) module code and title; (ii) student ID; (iii) title of your coursework, (iv) word count, etc. Besides the Taicang Official Cover Page, you are also required to include a separate Title Page with the following information: (i) module code and title; (ii) student name and student number; (iii) title of your coursework; (iv) module leader. Feel free to design the title page according to your preferences while ensuring it adheres to the professional standards typically followed in business and management reports.

    MAIN BODY - the report should embrace a question-answer structure. In other words, you must NOT combine either the questions or the answers. Also, you are advised to use sections and subsections. Make  sure  to  identify  each  section  and  subsection  using  Arabic  numbers.  Sections  should  be numbered  1., 2., etc., and subsections should  be  numbered  1.1,  1.2,  etc.  Importantly,  since the questions are not connected, you are NOT expected to include an Introduction and a Conclusion.

    REFERENCES - all secondary sources including books, journal articles, conference papers, etc., which have been used to produce this assignment must be cited accordingly. This coursework requires that you use the Harvard (Referencing) Style also known as the Harvard Referencing System. If you are not familiar with the Harvard Referencing System,  please, make sure to consult the  Internet for additional details. For instance, you may check the following source:

   https://www.mendeley.com/guides/harvard-citation-guide/.   Importantly,   references   should   be numbered  and  ordered  alphabetically.   Finally,  any  secondary  sources  you  use  for  solving  the questions must be listed right after your answer. In other words, you should have three reference sections (one for each question) instead of one.

    LENGTH - based on the requirements on p.2, the entire document must be no more than 1,800 words1(*excluding title page, references, tables, graphs and figures). At the sametime, you need also to pay attention to the word limit concerning each of the three questions. Importantly, should you decide to include an Introduction and a Conclusion, both sections will be counted towards the allowed word  limit. With this  in  mind,  reports  above the  maximum threshold will  be  penalised accordingly.  For  every  additional  10-20  words,  you  will  be  deducted  1%  of  the  final  mark.  For instance, if your report stands at 1,850 words, you will be deducted 3% of the final mark.

   VISUAL SOURCES & REPORT LENGTH - graphs, figures, and tables will not be counted towards the word limit. However, if regular text is pasted into the file as a picture/ photo with the purpose of avoiding the imposed word limit, it will be penalised accordingly.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

    FILE FORMAT - your coursework must be submitted in electronic format via Learning Mall Online. To avoid formatting issues upon submission, you are advised to submit your final work in PDF. The file name must be as follows: IFB208TC_Individual Report_[student ID].

   SUBMISSION DEADLINE - Nov 11th, 2024, at 12:00, noontime (Beijing time).