• While any of several combinations of superior materials usage, styling/features expenditures, TQM/Six
Sigma spending, and expenditures for best practices training can be used to achieve, say, a 6-star S/Q
rating, some combinations are likely to entail lower costs per pair than others. Thus, it is wise to
experiment with different combinations and search out the lowest-cost combination to achieve the
desired S/Q rating. You and your co-managers have the flexibility to vary the percentage of superior
materials used, styling/features expenditures, and TQM/Six Sigma spending from plant to plant, thus
producing branded shoes of varying S/Q ratings at different plants. This gives you the strategic option
to market branded footwear with different S/Q ratings in different geographic regions.
• The S/Q rating(s) of the shoes you produce, when shipped to the distribution centers, shoul