489 Japan’s post-war economic success: Deming, quality, and contextual realities

The Juran approach. The Juran approach divides the quality effort into three parts: quality
planning, quality control, and quality improvement. The planning process attempts to
discover who the customers are and what their needs are, the control process attempts to reach
new levels of improved quality (e.g. lowering defects, reducing cost, improving customer
satisfaction, etc.), and the improvement process attempts to continuously improve the quality
of the process. Juran was a pioneer in the understanding of the interrelationships among
customers, suppliers, and processes (Juran, 1988).
The Crosby approach. This approach is based on culture change in an organization. By
identifying areas in which quality can be improved in an organization and improving
awareness, instituting teams, setting goals, giving recognition, and continuously repeating
the quality improvement cycle, this approach is a truly human-oriented technique (Crosby,
1989).
The Feigenbaum approach. This cost-accounting approach focused on the importance of
measurement and analysis of quality costs. These are placed into three categories: prevention,
appraisal, and failure costs. Prevention encompasses quality control engineering,
maintenance of tools and equipment, studies to pinpoint causes of defects, and quality
training. Appraisal costs include inspection and product testing. Failure costs are categorized
as external or internal. Internal costs are scrapping, reworking, and correction of defect

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causing conditions. External costs include warranty costs and response to customer
complaints. Total quality control was the underlying theme of cost reduction through an
allocation-of-resources approach (Feigenbaum, 1983). 
2. Zaibatsu conglomerates included: Mitsui, Mitsubishi, Sumitomo, Yusada, Furukawa, Asano,
Okura, and Kawasaki. Postwar keiretsu include: Nissan, Nichitsu, Nisso, Shoden, and Riken.
(Iwata, 1992, p. 172). 
3. A patent is a grant made by a government to an inventor, conveying and securing to that
individual the exclusive right to make, use, and sell the invention for a fixed term of years in
exchange for public disclosure. Patents must be obtained in each country where protection is
desired. (Data compiled from various sources.)
4. “Going beyond statistical instruction, he [Deming] encouraged firms to use a systematic
approach to problem solving. This is known as plan, do, check, action (PDCA) or Deming
cycle. He pushed top managers to get involved in a firm’s quality programs and introduced
modern methods of consumer research” (Reddy, 1994, p. 157; Chisnall, 1995, pp. 460-7).
5. Machine tools are powered machines that shape or form metal by cutting, impact, pressure,
electrical techniques, or a combination of these processes. Machine tools include lathes, drill
presses, machining centers, grinding machines, and forging presses. Machine tools may also
be usefully differentiated between NC types and standard machines. NC machines are those
equipped with a control system that operates the machine by means of numerically coded
programs fed into the system in one of several ways, such as punched tape or by playback of
prerecorded operating programs. In CNCs the control system is based on a microprocessor.
Standard machines are those that are not NC equipped and are controlled by an operator.