“Quality” Is Not What You Think

1. Questions for group discussion:

1. What is your idea of “a quality product”?

2. Are you always ready to spend more money on products of higher quality?

3. What would you sacrifice more eagerly: quality, money, time?

2. Write your definition of QUALITY.

3. NOTES to the text:

Harrods – a famous department store in London;

Wal-Mart – a chain of American discount stores;

The Savoy Hotel – a luxury hotel in London;

Forte Travelodges – a chain of cheap motels found on motorways in Britain;

Anita Brookner – an “intellectual” British novelist;

Jeffrey Archer – a popular, best-selling novelist;

The Waterside Inn – a very good restaurant.

4. Read the text.

There was a claim a few years ago that “the quality” is free – higher quality always leads to higher profits. It only requires a second’s thought to see that this claim is quite absurd. Harrods makes less profit than Wal-Mart, the Savoy Hotel was not as good an investment as Forte Travelodges, and Anita Brookner earns less from her novels than Jeffrey Archer. Not many people need, or will pay for, the level of quality that Harrods, the Savoy and Anita Brookner provide.

I expect that several management consultants have already switched on their computers to communicate with the editor of this newspaper. They will write that I completely misunderstood what is meant by “quality”. Other people would say that the Waterside Inn at Bray provides better quality meals than McDonald’s. That is how the Michelin Restaurant Guide judges quality when it gives three stars to the Waterside Inn and doesn’t list McDonald’s at all. It is also what ordinary people mean by quality, and is why your partner will be happier if you celebrate your wedding anniversary at the Waterside than at McDonald’s.

But the ordinary meaning of quality is not what business consultants mean by quality. What they mean is quality relative to customer expectations, or quality relative to what you set out to achieve. By these standards, McDonald’s quality is outstanding, and that is why McDonald’s is such a successful company. There is a sense in which this is right. But because there is no observation which could ever disprove this claim, it gives you no practical help.

So does the pursuit of quality mean these firms should change what they do? Should McDonald’s offer duck a l’orange, or the Waterside Inn offer even more delicious food at even higher prices? I don’t know and nor does anyone. And the instruction to pursue quality creates confusion among simple people who thought that quality meant what it usually means. It had precisely that effect at British Home Stores, which thought it had to move upmarket, only to discover that Marks and Spencer customers were happy at M&S and British Home Stores customers didn’t want to pay the extra.

From the Financial Times

5. Find out if the statements are TRUE or FALSE according to the text, and correct the false ones:

1. Ordinary people would probably give the “ordinary” definition of quality.

2. The business consultants’ definition of quality is wrong.

3. Business consultants relate quality to customer expectations.

4. The Michelin Restaurant Guide is based on the ordinary definition of quality.

5. The business consultants’ definition of quality can be proved.

6. After reading the first paragraph of the article, a management consultant would wish to praise the author.

7. McDonald’s is quite a successful company.

8. People are always willing to pay for better quality.

9. The ordinary meaning of quality is what business consultants mean by quality.

10. Higher quality leads to higher profits.

6. Complete the statements with the words from the article. The first letters will help you:

1. McDonald’s quality is very good. It is o…

2. Managers at British Home Store thought it had to improve the quality of its products and move u…, but this was a mistake. People weren’t willing to pay more: they weren’t willing to p… t… e…

3. When something that is not quite clear happens, people get c…

4. If you start your computer you s… it o…

5. If you aim for quality, you p… it.

6. The author does not know if the p… of quality means that businesses should change what they do.

7. If you learn or get to know something new, you d… it.

8. If something is crazy and contrary to common sense it is a…

7. The text has 4 paragraphs. Give a name to each of them.

8. Find all the irregular verbs in the text and compose sentences of your own using them.

9. Find out all the adjectives in the text and give their three degrees of comparison.

10. Match the words to build new word combinations:

11. Give your definitions of the following words:

1. Profit – …

2. Confusion – …

3. Success – …

4. Anniversary – …

5. Restaurant – …

6. Expectation – …

7. To communicate – …

12. Jumbled words

Put the letters in their right places and unscramble the words from the article:

1. TQLUYAI

2. TOFPIR

3. FUNNOOCIS

4. TUPISUR

5. TURMOSEC

13. Look at the definition of “Quality” you wrote in exercise # 2 before reading the text. Would you like to change it? If so, how?

14. Write an acrostic on the word “QUALITY”.

15. Quality Puzzle

a) Unscramble each of the clue words.

b) Copy the letters in the numbered cells to other cells with the same number to discover the hidden message.
c) As soon as you get the message – discuss it with your classmates.
d) Is it always true or not? Give your reasons.

Key:

6. 1. outstanding; 2. upmarket, pay the extra; 3. confused; 4. switch on; 5. pursue; 6. pursuit; 7. discover; 8. absurd

10. 1. d; 2. g; 3. k; 4. j; 5. l; 6. i; 7. c; 8. a; 9. b; 10. f; 11. h; 12. e

12. 1. Quality; 2. Profit; 3. Confusion; 4. Pursuit; 5. Customer

15. quality; observation; disprove; claim; pursuit; instruction; confusion; effect; upmarket; customer; outstanding; expectation; consultant; partner; provide; manager; profit; investment; require; lead; high

Hidden phrase: Quality is obligatory in anything you do.