Jaguar Case Study
Jaguar regains its reputation
Answer
1. What does ‘quality’ mean for a motor vehicle manufacturer such as Jaguar? This box highlights how Jaguar have always been regarded as excellent at some aspects of quality (such as performance and aesthetics) but very poor at other (such as product reliability). This gives us a clue as to the various ‘dimensions’ of quality which are important to Jaguar. They are as follows. Performance – The speed, power, cornering and other aspects of the way the car drives. Fast speed, powerful acceleration, responsive handling, and so on are generally regarded as the mark of a ‘prestige’ car. Aesthetics – The overall appearance of the car should reflect its values. A Jaguar is smooth, luxurious, dashing and sporty! The key question for Jaguar is ‘does the overall appearance and shape of the car reflect these values and appeal to its target customers?’ Equipment – Is the car equipped with the type of things one would expect from a luxury car such as leather seats, global position system equipment, adjustable headlights and so on? Finish – Are the visible areas of the car free from any marks or blemish? This means an absence of scratches or small marks as well as an appropriate surface finish to all visible surfaces. Build quality – This normally refers to how the car feels as doors open and close, windows are raised and lowered and so on. Is there a satisfying ‘solidity’ about the feel of the car? Reliability – When in use does the car (or some part of the car) break down? Do things go wrong? After sales service – Should the owner have any problems or wishes to know something more about the car, is it easy for him or her to do so? All of these can be expanded considerably but the list does give an overall indication of the very many dimensions of quality which are important to Jaguar. 2. How did the changes which Jaguar made to its operations practice affect the quality of its products?
Answer
1. What does ‘quality’ mean for a motor vehicle manufacturer such as Jaguar? This box highlights how Jaguar have always been regarded as excellent at some aspects of quality (such as performance and aesthetics) but very poor at other (such as product reliability). This gives us a clue as to the various ‘dimensions’ of quality which are important to Jaguar. They are as follows. Performance – The speed, power, cornering and other aspects of the way the car drives. Fast speed, powerful acceleration, responsive handling, and so on are generally regarded as the mark of a ‘prestige’ car. Aesthetics – The overall appearance of the car should reflect its values. A Jaguar is smooth, luxurious, dashing and sporty! The key question for Jaguar is ‘does the overall appearance and shape of the car reflect these values and appeal to its target customers?’ Equipment – Is the car equipped with the type of things one would expect from a luxury car such as leather seats, global position system equipment, adjustable headlights and so on? Finish – Are the visible areas of the car free from any marks or blemish? This means an absence of scratches or small marks as well as an appropriate surface finish to all visible surfaces. Build quality – This normally refers to how the car feels as doors open and close, windows are raised and lowered and so on. Is there a satisfying ‘solidity’ about the feel of the car? Reliability – When in use does the car (or some part of the car) break down? Do things go wrong? After sales service – Should the owner have any problems or wishes to know something more about the car, is it easy for him or her to do so? All of these can be expanded considerably but the list does give an overall indication of the very many dimensions of quality which are important to Jaguar. 2. How did the changes which Jaguar made to its operations practice affect the quality of its products?