1. (10 pts) PC World Magazine changed its method of rating new products to base
ID: 391437 • Letter: 1
Question
1. (10 pts) PC World Magazine changed its method of rating new products to base scores only on product performance, design, and features, dropping price as a criterion, although it will be clearly stated. Their reasoning was "When we used price as a criterion, high-flying products often got dinged for having higher than average prices, while budget items got a boost based on value. Now, superior products-those that are well designed, easiest to use, rich in features and power packed--get our highest rating. How does this approach relate to the definitions of quality? Does it help or hinder customers?Explanation / Answer
Quality is basically a subjective attribute and may differ from person to person. So usually a basis is set to measure the quality of a product or service as a standard. All the consumers will be required to rate the product or service on a set list of standards. In the given case, PC World Magazine was initially using price as a criteria for measuring the performance of the product, however the results seemed a bit skewed. The consumers did have concerns regarding the price and it got reflected in the results. Hence the previously used criteria cannot be considered as a holistic basis for performance evaluation.
The company realized its mistake and changed the evaluation metrics to product performance, design and features. This will help in evaluating the product in a comprehensive manner. The various perspectives of the magazine performance can be evaluated in the new method of evaluation. However in my views, price needed to be included in the new evaluation criteria as well. This is so because price usually is a major concern for the customers and the product’s performance is majorly dependent on it. So, the new evaluation system cannot be considered as a holistic evaluation and may prove as a hindrance to understand the customers’ perspectives.
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