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Until very recently few U.S. business executives could tell you the difference between "quality control" and "quality management." Today, however, most executives understand that quality control is screening products or services to weed out any that are faulty. Quality management, by contrast, is designed to ensure that faults do not occur in the first place, or at least that they can quickly be traced and corrected once they are detected. While many U.S. executives now understand these differences, and some companies have invested in comprehensive quality management systems, only a small portion of America's businesses are committed to this total approach to quality.
The European Community has adopted quality management as a key strategic element in its drive to improve the competitiveness of European suppliers not only within the EC, but globally. European manufacturers are motivated to implement quality management systems directly through requirements imposed in EC directives affecting their products, and indirectly as their customers demand that purchased goods and services be the result of a process that includes a demonstrably effective quality management system. Some U.S. exporters have already encountered these requirements in their European markets. All companies should consider the implications of this European approach to quality on their export markets.
THE ISO 9000 APPROACH TO QUALITY
With increased focus on quality issues worldwide, various standards-developing organizations had prepared standards and guidelines in the quality field. Although there were similarities among the many standards, the quality picture became quite cloudy. Terms such as "quality management," "quality control," "quality system," "quality assurance," and "quality policy" acquired different, and sometimes conflicting, meanings from country to country, within a country, and even within an industry.
To bring standardization to the international level, in 1987 the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)(1) published international standards defining three levels of quality assurance. These are ISO 9001,9002, and 9003. Two other standards, ISO 9000 and 9004, define the basic elements of a comprehensive quality assurance system and provide guidance on applying the appropriate quality assurance level. Together, these standards are recognized throughout the world as the "ISO 9000 series." Figure 1 summarizes the contents of each standard and the equivalent EC and U.S. standards. (Figure 1 omitted) Currently, 43 countries have adopted the ISO standards and 31 have...