Chapter 14, Problem 18QP

Analyse the issues described below using root cause analysis techniques. A travel agency has recently lost several medium-sized and large corporate customers due to complaints about poor customer service. The management team of the travel agency decided to appoint a team of analysts to address this problem. The team gathered data by conducting interviews and surveys with current and past corporate customers and gathering customer feedback data that the travel agency has recorded over time. About 2% of customers complained about errors made in their bookings. On one occasion, a customer requested a change to a flight booking. The travel agent wrote an e-mail to the customer suggesting that the change had been made and attached a modified travel itinerary. However, it later turned out that the flight reservation system had not confirmed the modified booking. As a result, the customer was not allowed to board the flight, leading to a series of severe inconveniences for the customer.…

A well-known theoretician at Institution A is called by an experimentalist at Institution B to discuss what appears to be a new discovery, based on a highly original approach to the measurements in question. The discovery supports the theorists highly controversial approach to the problem. However there is a substantial amount of work needed before the results can be submitted for publication. The theorist has been invited to present a seminar at Institution C, where she is a candidate for a position, and where competitors of the experimentalist at Institution B are found. She was not told explicitly that his conversation with the experimentalist at Institution B was privileged.Questions What should she do in preparing for his visit? What are the potential conflicts of interests? What ethical considerations should the theorist consider in preparing her talk? Are there other actions that she could or should take in preparing for the visit? [OR]Suppose you have a strong interest in…

please solve all parts within 30 minutes using excel.

In a car manufacturing company, an automated painting process has been introduced, and the quality assurance team suspects there might be issues that require investigation. The team decides to conduct a root cause analysis to identify potential problems. Through the root cause analysis and further investigation, it appears that the drying time of the paint in minutes is affecting the overall quality of the finish. The aspect they need to examine is the variation in drying time across different colours of paint.   Considering the ongoing concerns in the painting process, the team chooses to collect a sample of six drying time measurements every 20 minutes from various colours of paint. The recorded drying time values for a day's production are presented in Table 1. A total of 10 sets of measurements, each consisting of six drying time values in minutes, have been collected. Each time a set of measurements is taken, the individual drying time values are recorded.   Table 1: Drying Time…

The Hartono Corporation manufactures and sells industrial grinders. The following table presents financial information pertaining to quality in 19-6 and 19-7 (in thousands): 19-7 19-6Sales     $12,500            $10,000    Line inspection     85         110    Scrap                    200         250    Design engineering     240     100    Cost of returned goods     145     60    Product-testing equipment     50     50    Customer support     30     40    Rework costs     135     160    Preventive equipment maintenance     90     35    Product liability claims     100     200    Incoming materials inspection     40     20    Breakdown maintenance     40     90    Product-testing labour     75     220    Training     120     45    Warranty repair     200     300    Supplier evaluation     50     20    REQUIRED:1.      Classify the cost items in the table into prevention, appraisal, internal failure, orexternal failure categories.2.     Calculate the ratio of each COQ category to sales…

In hydraulic fracture test, an induced fracture was created at 12.8 MPa. The fracture was reopened in three subsequent cycles. The reopening pressure at third cycle was found to be 6.4 MPa. If the tensile strength of rock is 6.3 MPa, and the pore water pressure is negligible. Determine the maximum and minimum principle stresses if the shut - in pressure was found to be 5.9 MPa

In response to intensive foreign competition, the management of Florex Company has attempted over the past year to improve the quality of its products. A statistical process control system has been installed and other steps have been taken to decrease the amount of warranty and other field costs, which have been trending upward over the past several years. Costs relating to quality and quality control over the last two years are given below:     Costs (in thousands) Last Year This Year Inspection $ 720 $ 909 Quality engineering $ 450 $ 765 Depreciation of test equipment $ 675 $ 270 Rework labor $ 1,080 $ 1,530 Statistical process control $ 0 $ 225 Cost of field servicing $ 1,350 $ 1,260 Supplies used in testing $ 45 $ 81 Systems development $ 720 $ 900 Warranty repairs $ 3,780 $ 1,620 Net cost of scrap $ 630 $ 1,170 Product testing $ 900 $ 1,800 Product recalls $ 3,150 $ 900 Disposal of defective products $ 810 $ 1,080 Sales have been flat over the…

Tucson Machinery, Inc., manufactures numerically controlled machines, which sell for an average price of $14.0 million each. Sales for these NCMs for the past two years were as follows: Use Exhibit 3.10. QUARTER LAST YEAR I II III IV QUANTITY (UNITS) Y = 14 20 28 18 QUARTER THIS YEAR I II III IV QUANTITY (UNITS) 20 26 30 15 a. Find the equation of a simple linear regression line using Excel. (Round your answers to 3 decimal places.) > Answer is complete but not entirely correct. 18.535 X + 0.630 t

ASQ (The American Society for Quality) Defines a Six Sigma project as: Six Sigma is a method for reducing variation in manufacturing, service, or other business processes. Six Sigma projects measure the cost benefit of improving processes that are producing substandard products or services. Whether in manufacturing or service industries, such projects quantify the effect of process changes on delays or rework. The goal of each successful Six Sigma project is to produce statistically significant improvements in the target process; over time, multiple Six Sigma projects produce virtually defect-free performance. The Six Sigma Black Belt project is one that uses appropriate tools within a Six Sigma approach to produce breakthrough performance and real financial benefit to an operating business or company. The tools are generic. It is the structure of the project and the associated process (improvement model) that distinguish a Black Belt project from other similar quality improvement…