Some Attitudes to BS 5750: A Study

Managing quality at an engineering maintenance centre: from QCC to ISO 9001 and beyond

Describes the quality journey that began as quality control circles, moved to implement an international quality management system, and now continues its TQM programme called “Quest for excellence”. Kowloon‐Canton Railway Corporation is the first railway company in Asia to have a part of its operations ISO 9001 certified. Examines some of the important lessons learned when several hundred non‐English‐speaking employees were required to be involved in the process of preparing for certification.

A Comparison of the Work Activity of Quality Assurance and Production Managers

Reporting data collected by observation of the total work activities of 21 manufacturing managers in the UK, this article investigates the controversy: “Are managerial jobs similar or different to each other?” The data shows that, contrary to substantial inference within the literature, significant differences can be distinguished between managerial jobs. Specific attention is directed towards the work activity differences between quality assurance and production managers. The former are shown to work with less physical intensity, make more non‐routine decisions, pursue less definable objectives and enjoy a less cooperative environment than the latter. Finally, the article raises the question of whether manufacturing managers (other than quality assurance managers) are sympathetic to the wider aims of quality assurance.