... practice. The findings are useful for firms wanting to benchmark against the business excellence of leading firms which have survived and grown despite the two global oil crises and the recent Asian financial turmoil. © MCB UP Limited 1999 ISO 9000 Japan Quality circles TQM...

... to management throughout the world of the importance of quality, and the means of achieving it. Quality Circles Quality circles are small groups of employees committed to achieving quality. The principle behind them is smallgroup participation. The successful use of quality circles by the Japanese has spread...

...-collar Quality circles should not be avoided but there is a need to be aware of probable pitfalls. A Study of Quality Circles in White-collar Areas by A.I. Temple and B.G. Dale Are white-collar quality circles more difficult to initiate and sustain than their blue-collar counterparts? Previous research[l...