Tutor-Marked Assignment (TMA01)

This assignment is worth 25% of the final mark for BUS363 – Total Quality Management.

Cut-off Date: Thursday, 06 February 2025, 11.55 pm

Note to Students:
You are to include the following particulars in your submission: Course Code, Title of the TMA (if applicable), SUSS PI No., Your Name, and Submission Date.

Full Marks: 100

Background

There have been significant technological advancements in the last decade in areas such as mobile communications, artificial intelligence, and big data. These innovations led to the emergence of new business models and entities, operating in what is known as the sharing economy, where the likes of Uber, Grab, and Airbnb are based.

In 2013, both Uber and Grab started their ride-hailing businesses in Singapore. Fast forward ten years later, Uber has exited the highly competitive Singapore market while four others have joined to become ride-hailing service Operators.

Amongst others, the players that joined the incumbent Grab are CDG Taxi, Gojek, Ryde, and Tada.

Question 1

Assume that you are a Total Quality Management consultant, specialising in the public transport sector. Select one (1) of the five Ride-hail Service Operators listed above, and it shall be known in this document as the “subject”, but you must refer to the subject by its name in your answers.

You are contracted by the subject to analyse its operations and recommend improvements to its service quality. Based on your analysis, you shall develop a report to be submitted to the subject’s top management.

(a) Provide information on your subject, including its name, registered address, and website address. Identify the subject’s key customers, suppliers, and competitors.

Philip Crosby explained that “quality is not only free, it is an honest-to-everything profit maker” (Evans and Lindsay, 2019, pp. 28-29). In about 200 words or less (indicate your word count at the end of your answer), illustrate how a well-designed service can lead to higher profitability and benefits for the subject.

(25 marks)

(b) Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry (1988) developed five quality dimensions to analyse service quality.

In about 600 words or less (indicate your word count at the end of your answer), apply PZ&B’s service quality dimensions to the subject. You shall present your analysis of each dimension by:

1. Briefly explaining the dimension,
2. Applying the dimension to the relevant aspects of the subject’s operations, and
3. Concluding the level of quality for that dimension to be low, medium, or high quality for the subject.

Finally, from your assessment of the individual dimensions above, present an overall assessment of the subject’s service.

(55 marks)

(c) Dr. Edwards Deming, a well-known quality guru, contributed significantly to the Total Quality Management movement.

One of his main contributions was Deming’s 14 Points for Management which can be applied to the subject’s business.

Two of Deming’s 14 Points are:

• Point 6 – Institute training on the job.
• Point 13 – Institute a vigorous program of education and self-improvement for everyone.

In about 250 words or less (indicate your word count at the end of your answer), differentiate, in your own words, Deming’s Point 6 and Point 13, and highlight the key differences. For each of the two Deming’s Points above, propose ONE (1) approach (for example, an initiative or programme) that can be implemented or explain ONE (1) approach that the subject has already implemented to inculcate and practice that Point.

(20 marks)