1A (TCO A) Compare and contrast the evolution of quality and the role it played in the management of U.S. and Japanese business firms from the 1950s to the present. Answer: Japan’s quality improvement in the 1950s-1970s was oriented toward a structured approach to quality improvement and management commitment. Lower U.S. priority on quality during this period ultimately resulted in the competitive superiority of many Japanese product categories by the end of the 1970s. The subsequent domestic concern with U.S. industrial competitiveness triggered a renewed emphasis on quality management in the 1980s. By the 1990s U.S. products and services met or exceeded foreign offerings in many product categories.
AASCB: Analytic Skills

1B (TCO A) Contrast the mindset of management under total quality and more traditional management structures with respect to employees, manufacturing, and leadership.

Answer: New mindset: employees as critical assets, manufacturing as a value-creating source of competitive advantage, leadership as transforming the organization by encouraging improvement. Old mindset: employees as replaceable factors of production, manufacturing as a function that should focus on low cost and efficiency of production, leadership as more closely resembling managerial control where concern is on keeping current behavior within target.
AACSB: Reflective Thinking Skills

2A (TCO B) Explain each of the following statements as they apply to modern quality management.
a. Customer service is the rule, not the exception.
b.. The absence of defects is a given rather than a source of competitive advantage.

Answer: Response to both statements should focus on rising customer expectations and market standards that have resulted from quality improvements and competition.
AASCB: Reflective Thinking Skills

2B (TCO B) Explain the key management and