Final answer:
Product quality is sometimes poorly defined in a firm due to managers' lack of clarity on customer characteristics, the difficulty of developing holistic quality measures, and the different emphasis on quality dimensions by managers in different functional areas.
Step-by-step explanation:
Product quality is sometimes poorly defined in a firm due to several reasons:
- Managers are not clear on what characteristics customers care most about. This means they may not fully understand the needs and preferences of their target market, resulting in a lack of clarity in defining quality.
- Holistic measures of quality are difficult to develop. Quality is a multifaceted concept that includes attributes such as reliability, durability, performance, and aesthetics. It can be challenging for managers to determine the relative importance of each attribute and create a comprehensive measure of quality.
- Managers in different functional areas tend to emphasize different dimensions of quality. Engineers may focus on technical specifications and performance, while marketing managers may prioritize customer satisfaction and perception. This lack of alignment can lead to inconsistent definitions of quality.
Therefore, the correct answer is d. All these answers are correct.