Direct Labor and Direct Materials; Research Paper

Total Length: 990 words ( 3 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 3

Page 1 of 3

Taguchi also expanded the focus of quality cost analysis and shifted his emphasis to improving production methods and service. As well as quality control in production, quality control was necessary in product planning and design, process design, and production services after purchase. Taguchi's quality loss function was designed to measure the success or failure of quality control in an absolute fashion, over the entire lifecycle of the item (Taguchi, 2010, Business Dictionary).

Question 2: What factors contribute to a manager's decision to recall a manufactured product? Support your answers with specific examples. How can managers within a service organization improve sales and control costs when utilizing the Taguchi quality control method? Give examples.

First and foremost, the question of product safety must be on the minds of managers when making the decision to recall a manufactured product: a product that has a defect in its design (such as an SUV that may easily 'roll over' and harm a passenger) or is contaminated (such as a batch of peanut butter containing salmonella) are examples of potentially dangerous products. There are other, more gray areas, however: an example might be a stroller that could, if improperly used, injure a child or a snack cake that may contain nuts (but is not labeled as such) and could be dangerous to people with nut allergies.

Stuck Writing Your "Direct Labor and Direct Materials;" Research Paper?

In these instances, the company may instead release a warning rather than a full recall. Warnings may also be used if a product is harmless, but for some reason deviates from the company's usual quality specifications, such as a batch of candies with slightly off-color hues, or lower-than-advertised sale weights.

The Taguchi quality control method would see even these minor deviations as evidence of failure: every time a customer receives a product that is of inferior design, he or she will form a negative view of the product (Taguchi, 2010, Business Dictionary). This can severely hamper future sales for the manufacturer, as well as cause public relations damage. A thorough audit of all aspects of the production process, from design to manufacturing to customer service, ensures that the most thorough quality control audit possible is performed. For example, a car may be poorly designed and thus unsafe, a new kind of M&M candy may be optimal in terms of design and flavor but may need a more effective production process to reduce defects in packaging. Both are quality control problems, but require very different types of solutions......

Show More ⇣


     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"Direct Labor And Direct Materials " (2010, April 17) Retrieved June 13, 2026, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/direct-labor-direct-materials-12936

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"Direct Labor And Direct Materials " 17 April 2010. Web.13 June. 2026. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/direct-labor-direct-materials-12936>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"Direct Labor And Direct Materials ", 17 April 2010, Accessed.13 June. 2026,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/direct-labor-direct-materials-12936