Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Abstract
Bridging the gap between a "rm's internal quality improvements and external measures of customer needs and
satisfaction is an important yet complex translation process. The process has traditionally been studied within two very
di!erent domains. An external focus on customers has been the domain of marketers. Manufacturing and engineeringbased approaches to quality management and improvement have traditionally taken a more internal, process improvement focus. Both areas have recognized the need to broaden their focus and bridge the gap between internal quality and
external customers needs and satisfaction. This paper o!ers a framework to integrate these two domains. A case study is
presented to demonstrate the usefulness of an integrated approach. 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Quality function deployment; Means}end analysis; Conjoint analysis; Product and Service design; Laddering interviews
1. Introduction
The signi"cance of product and service quality as
a major competitive success factor is undisputed.
There is no alternative to hard-fought buyers' markets made up of critical, demanding customers to
consistent quality orientation. Recently, however,
the design of product quality has come to be seen
not merely as the task of a single functional unit,
but as a central challenge for any company. This
altered perspective was brought about by the realization that superior products are available in
many branches of industry, in terms of both
price/cost and quality. This was accompanied by
* Corresponding author.
0925-5273/00/$ - see front matter 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
PII: S 0 9 2 5 - 5 2 7 3 ( 9 9 ) 0 0 1 1 4 - 0
78
in measurable terms (such as the amount of pressure required to close a door system from the outside). The core principle of this concept is a
systematic transformation of customer requirements and expectations into measurable product
and process parameters. From the methodical
point of view, it would appear useful to subdivide a
quality planning process derived from customers'
expressed wishes into four separate phases [5,6].
The House of Quality, which represents the "rst
phase of the QFD concept, is concerned with translating the purchase-decision-relevant attributes of
a product that have been established [7}9], for
example, within the framework of a conjoint
study into design features (see Fig. 1). It is
important to point out that these design requirements are not design solutions, which do not appear until the second house (part deployment).
These design features are subsequently transformed
into part features during the parts development
phase. The aim of the work preparation phase is
then to de"ne crucial operating procedures on the
basis of the speci"ed part features. The crucial
operating procedures in turn serve to determine
Good appearance
Table 2
Attributes and bene"t components of a car
Bene"t components of a car
Attributes of a car
Class membership
Additional prestige
Quick reactions
Performance
Relaxation
Impressing others
Well-being
Aesthetics of design
Airbag
Sport chassis
Engine power
Convenience of control
Sport seats
Hi" system
Body shape
Bumper same colour as the car
79
80
81
an explicit or implicit conception of ideals, characteristic of the individual concerned, which control
the choice of a particular mode, instrument (means)
and goal (end) of conduct. This view is also held by
Rokeach, who de"nes a set of values as `2an
enduring belief that a speci"c mode of conduct or
end-state of existence is personally or socially preferable to an opposite or converse mode of conduct
or end-state of existence2a [33,34]. By `an enduring belief in preferable modes of conduct and endstates of existencea, the author does not simply
mean a cognitive representation or conception of
what must be done and achieved. He instead attributes a!ective and cognitive components to the
set of values (or the goals in life) over and above the
cognitive component. This idea stems from
Rokeach's de"nition of the term `valuea as an
`2intervening variable that leads to action when
activated2a [33, p. 7; 35].
It follows from this de"nition that a distinction
needs to be drawn between terminal (end states of
existence) and instrumental (modes of conduct)
values. The terminal values, which embody desirable goals in life, can be further subdivided into
personal values and social values. The group of
personal values includes, inner harmony, serenity
and maturity in love, whereas global peace, national security and a world full of beauty belong to
the class of social values. The instrumental goals in
life, which represent a desirable form of behavior,
82
supplier concerned, while at the same time restricting the tactical options of his rivals. Even substantial price discounts or gratuitous additional
services (such as delivery and maintenance free of
charge) are likely to be insu$cient to entice away
a satis"ed consumer.
Customer satisfaction moreover enhances the
cross-selling potential of a supplier, as satis"ed customers display a greater tendency to purchase
larger quantities or possibly other products or
services belonging to the same range. Finally, another factor having a positive e!ect on the success
of a company is the more marked inclination of
satis"ed customers to relate the advantages
of a product (and perhaps also the disadvantages
of rival products) to other consumers [45]. This
word-of-mouth advertising is distinguished by
a high level of credibility, and the task of canvassing new customers is consequently simpli"ed.
In addition, the good reputation of the supplier
which automatically ensues is useful when it
comes to placing new products on the market
successfully, or to occupying crucial sales
channels and securing e$cient and capable subcontractors.
The extent to which a manufacturer contrives to
design the quality of a product in line with consumer's wishes is expressed by the satisfaction
rating of the buyers. It is they who provide the
necessary information about the success of product
policy activities and thereby play a central role
within the controlling system framework. By
gathering judgements, it is possible to extrapolate
means for improving the quality of a product or for
assimilating it more closely with the conceptions of
potential actual customers.
2.3. The extended quality function deployment
approach
The standard QFD approach attempts to translate attributes of a product into design features. The
design features are subsequently transformed into
parts features, operational procedures and production requirements (see Fig. 1). This approach su!ers
from two problems: Firstly, physical, chemical or
technical product attributes are generally taken as
a basis for specifying part features, operating pro-
83
84
85
text-internal attributes to the status of the constitutive element of this content analysis. In doing so,
we satisfy the methodical prerequisite for inferring
the subjective reality from the available raw data
or, put another way, the non-manifest context from
the attributes of a manifest text.
The central propositions of any document can be
revealed using words, sentences and paragraphs.
The decision to employ a particular linguistic unit
(con"gurations) depends on where the pointers to
the determinants of individual behaviour are concealed. When specifying the most suitable con"gurations for a study, it is important to remember
that the document's message is frequently manifested in a variety of linguistic units. The set of values
of an individual, for example, can be expressed both
by the sentence I want to get the best out of life and
by the word hedonism. It would however appear
rash to draw conclusions about a respondent's set
of values, for example, from individual con"gurations which express his or her positive or negative
judgments in relation to speci"c phenomena.
A word or a sentence usually only acquires its
meaning when placed in a context with other linguistic units.
Owing to the extreme importance of a carefully
elaborated system of categories for the results of the
study, the available material was analysed by three
recognized scientists. They are all quali"ed psychologists with extensive experience in interpreting
raw data of this kind. The collection of the raw data
can be described in two steps: Firstly, 186 repertory
grid interviews were carried out in order to identify
relevant attributes. Secondly, the same respondents
were asked to participate in a laddering interview.
The researchers took the stated attributes, bene"t
components and values as a basis for de"ning a total of 25 categories, corresponding to the individual
elements of the means}end chain. Table 3 reveals,
for example, that low price and comfortable furnishings are concrete attributes, whereas zest for life and
self-esteem represent terminal values.
These de"ned categories served as a framework
for specifying the individual means}end chains,
which * to ensure a consistent linguistic prescription * are referred to as means}end ladders. This
can be illustrated by two examples: the short journey time (concrete attribute) plays a crucial role in
86
Table 3
Means}end elements and their categories
Means}end element
Categories
Concrete attributes
Abstract attributes
Functional utility components
for life. In their opinion, a journey is an experience to be enjoyed. It is therefore very important
to them to take a means of transport that o!ers
a certain luxury. When choosing an alternative,
they pay particular attention to the quality of the
furnishings (e.g. seats, toilets) and to a good
catering service.
E The price-conscious (33 respondents): The respondents that make up this group are distinguished by their yearning for self-esteem. This is
backed up by their aim of being there for other
people and by their rejection of an extravagant
lifestyle. They therefore subject the available
transport alternatives to a comprehensive economic analysis. Their decision in favour of a particular form depends ultimately on its price.
E The adventurous (48 respondents): These persons also exhibit a marked zest for life. Their
desire to experience things as they travel is expressed in the spontaneous course of the journey
and in the fact that they make a large number of
social contacts. Comfortable furnishings and an
adequate catering service are particularly important in the eyes of these individuals.
E The business travellers (45 respondents): The respondents subsumed within this group long to
gain recognition. This is re#ected in the great
ambition with which they pursue their professional goals. It is therefore important to them to
be able to get on with their work during the
journey. The furnishings and the journey time
o!ered by the chosen means of transport are thus
crucial, along with the communications equipment (e.g. fax, telephone, e-mail).
87
88
Table 4
Services and their levels
Feature
Level
Price
Journey time
Connections
Furnishings
Catering
Communications equipment
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(1) Direct
(2) With change
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Journey time
Connections
Furnishing
Catering
Communications
equipment
Reserved seat
Restaurant
Bistro
Snack bar
1.5 h
3h
4.5 h
6h
150
210
270
330
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Price
DM
DM
DM
DM
Attribute levels
Attributes
0.018
0.012
0.031
0.057
0.052
0.045
0.040
0.062
0.053
0.043
0.034
0.022
0.059
0.048
0.040
0.029
0.231
0.113
0.091
0.000
0.023
3%
20%
17%
6%
11%
43%
0.018
0.020
0.081
0.062
0.044
0.020
0.081
0.052
0.030
0.035
0.020
0.061
0.052
0.041
0.030
0.132
0.091
0.083
0.011
4%
7%
8%
3%
9%
69%
Attribute
importance
Part worth of
attribute level
Part worth of
attribute level
Attribute
importance
Passenger types
Table 5
Part worth of attribute levels and attribute importances
0.023
0.031
0.037
0.059
0.051
0.030
0.021
0.063
0.049
0.022
0.042
0.024
0.059
0.047
0.041
0.028
0.069
0.061
0.041
0.021
Part worth of
attribute level
The adventurers
7%
20%
23%
9%
16%
25%
Attribute
importance
0.013
0.037
0.056
0.040
0.038
0.016
0.014
0.054
0.048
0.013
0.042
0.013
0.060
0.051
0.039
0.028
0.051
0.044
0.031
0.022
Part worth of
attribute level
22%
13%
20%
14%
16%
15%
Attribute
importance
90
91
3.7
2.3
1.4
3.2
1.5
2.1
2.5
1.7
1.8
2.2
2.3
1.6
2.1
2.3
2.1
2.5
2.8
2.2
3.6
1.2
1.5
2.3
2.0
1.3
2.0
2.8
1.8
2.4
2.8
2.2
4.3
2.2
1.9
3.1
3.3
1.7
3.0
1.8
1.5
2.9
2.6
2.4
Price
Journey time
Connections
Furnishing
Catering
Communications equipment
Satisfaction
with service
dimension
Satisfaction
with service
dimension
Importance of
service
dimension
Satisfaction
with service
dimension
Importance
of service
dimension
Satisfaction
with service
dimension
Importance of
service
dimension
Cluster 4
Cluster 3
Cluster 2
Cluster 1
Passenger types
Service dimensions
Table 6
Satisfaction and importance judgements
1.8
2.9
3.4
3.3
2.8
4.6
92
4. Implications
Bridging the gap between a "rm's internal quality improvements and external measures of customer needs and satisfaction is an important yet
complex translation process. The translation runs
all the way from customer needs, to product and
service attributes, through design, to production
and service maintenance processes, and to customer satisfaction. This process has traditionally
been studied within two very di!erent domains. An
external focus on customers has been the domain of
marketers. Manufacturing and engineering-based
approaches to quality management and improve-
93
94
References
[1] A. Gustafsson, F. Ekdahl, QFD } the Swedish experience,
The Ninth Symposium on Quality Function Deployment,
QFD Institute, Ann Arbor, MA, 1997.
[2] A. Gri$n, J. Hauser, The voice of the customer, Marketing
Science 12 (1993) 1}27.
[3] D. Clausing, Total Quality Development, New York, 1994.
[4] L. Cohen, Quality Function Deployment, Reading, 1996.
[5] J. Hauser, D. Clausing, The house of quality, Harvard
Business Review (1988) 63}73.
[6] A. Gri$n, J. Hauser, Patterns of communication among
marketing, engineering and manufacturing, Management
Science 38 (1992) 360}373.
[7] Y. Akao, Quality Function Deployment: Integration Customer Requirements into Product Design, Cambridge,
1990.
[8] G. Mazur, Service QFD: State of the art, in: A. Gustafsson,
B. Bergman, F. Ekdahl (Eds.), Proceedings of the Third
Annual International QFD Symposium, Vol. 1, LinkoK ping, Sweden, 1997, pp. 57}66.
[9] S. Mizuno, Y. Akao, QFD: The Customer-Driven
Approach to Quality Planning and Deployment, Tokyo,
Japan, 1994.
[10] M. Revelle, M. Cox, The QFD Handbook, New York,
1998.
[11] K.J. Lancaster, A new approach to consumer theory, Journal of Political Economy 32 (1966) 132}157.
[12] G.L. Urban, J.R. Hauser, Design and Marketing of New
Products, 2nd Edition, Englewood Cli!s, NJ, 1993.
[13] J. Hauser, How Puritan-Bennett uses the house of quality,
Sloan Management Review 34 (1993) 61}70.
[14] T. Grae!, Comprehending product attributes and bene"ts:
the role of product knowledge and means}end chain inferences, Psychology and Marketing 14 (1997) 163}183.
[15] J.H. Myers, E. Tauber, Market Structure Analysis,
Chicago, 1977.
[16] R. Bagozzi, Goal-directed behavoirs in marketing: the role
of emotion, volition, and motivation, Psychology and
Marketing 14 (1997) 309}313.
[17] S. Beatty, L.R. Kahle, P. Homer, S. Misra, Alternative
measurement approaches to consumer values: the list of
values and the Rokeach value survey, Psychology and
Marketing 12 (1995) 181}200.
[18] M. Frese, J. Stewart, B. Hannover, Goal orientation
and planfulness: Action styles as personality concepts,
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 62 (1987)
1182}1194.
[19] W. Hoyer, D. MacInnes, Consumer Behavior, Houghton,
1997.
[20] W. Kroeber-Riel, P. Weinberg, Konsumentenverhalten,
6th Edition, MuK nchen, 1996.
95
96
[55] A. Herrmann, F. Huber, A. Gustafsson, From valueoriented quality improvement to customer satisfaction }
a case study for passenger cars, in: M. Johnson,
A. Herrmann, F. Huber, A. Gustafsson (Eds.), Customer
Retention in the Automotive Industry: Quality, Satisfaction and Loyalty, Wiesbaden, Germany, 1997, 93}115.
[56] M.D. Johnson, Customer Orientation and Market Action,
Upper Saddle River, 1998.
[57] A. Gustafsson, M.D. Johnson, Bridging the quality-satisfaction-gap, in: Gustafsson, A. (Ed.), Customer Focused
Product Development by Conjoint Analysis and QFD,
LinkoK ping, 1996, pp. 55}84.