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NSWBusiness StudiesQuick questions
Topic 1: Operations
Quick questions on Quality management strategies: control, assurance and improvement (HSC Business Studies)
10short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is total Quality Management?Show answer
A philosophy with three core principles.
What is six Sigma?Show answer
A data-driven quality methodology that aims to reduce process variation to 3.4 defects per million opportunities. Uses the DMAIC cycle (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, Control). Originated at Motorola; popularised globally by GE.
What is lean?Show answer
Originated in Toyota's TPS. Focuses on eliminating waste (muda) of all kinds - overproduction, waiting, unnecessary transport, over-processing, excess inventory, unnecessary motion, defects, and (added later) unused employee creativity. Often combined with Six Sigma as "Lean Six Sigma".
What is continuous improvement?Show answer
A culture of small, ongoing improvements implemented by frontline workers. The Toyota Production System originated kaizen. Wesfarmers' Bunnings and Coles both run continuous-improvement programmes in distribution and retail operations.
What is cochlear?Show answer
Medical-device manufacturer. ISO 13485 certified. Implants must function inside a patient's skull for decades, so quality is the strategic moat.
What is bHP?Show answer
Mining and resources. ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified across major operations. Uses Six Sigma in mineral-processing optimisation (where small efficiency gains on millions of tonnes of throughput compound to large dollar values).
What are qantas?Show answer
Aviation safety is built on assurance (CASA certification, maintenance documentation, training records) plus continuous improvement (incident-investigation feedback loops). Qantas has one of the strongest safety records of any major airline, supported by quality systems that exceed regulatory minimums.
What are bunnings?Show answer
Retail operations focused on cost leadership. Uses continuous improvement and benchmarking heavily - store-format optimisation, supply-chain efficiency, range curation. Less reliant on ISO 9001 (low product-defect cost in hardware retail) but heavy on operational benchmarking.
What is murray Goulburn / Saputo Dairy Australia?Show answer
Food-grade quality assurance under HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) plus ISO 9001 and ISO 22000 (food safety). End-of-line testing for pathogens. The 2024-2026 dairy-industry consolidation has put more pressure on quality systems as scale rises.
What is plan?Show answer
Pick Cochlear; cover the three approaches, the link to strategy, and an evaluation with a judgement.