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    Quality: a Total Management Concept: A Philosophical Approach
    Quality: a Total Management Concept: A Philosophical Approach
    Quality: a Total Management Concept: A Philosophical Approach
    Ebook201 pages2 hours

    Quality: a Total Management Concept: A Philosophical Approach

    By John W. Bynum

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    About this ebook

    This book delineates a management style which is bottom-up rather than top-down, that is, it is employee-centered and allows employees to influence management decisions. Shrouded in the mist the reader will recognize both old established and newly innovative management styles and embedded in these the Japanese concept of Kaizen will be clandestinely apparent.


    An employee-centered management system is a dynamic function capable or successfully competing in an environment of economic fluctuations and changing market trends. The interaction of employees and the creative forces they generate as they solve and re-synthesize labor and production problems is an aggressive strategy which is nurtured and sustained by its own internal energy. Employees are the most important asset of business and industry and their full and effective utilization is a major responsibility of business management.


    People perform to the standards of their leaders, and business enterprises are no exception. Managers who lead by example are the most effective leaders; it is character through which leadership is exercised and it is character that sets the example and is imitated in turn. It is the character of management that projects the corporate image and personifies the philosophy of the business.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAuthorHouse
    Release dateApr 27, 2005
    ISBN9781418420413
    Quality: a Total Management Concept: A Philosophical Approach
    Author

    John W. Bynum

    Early in his life while anticipating future careers the author pondered the age old question: What is the meaning of it all; why do we exist? While each of us must answer this question for himself, the author achieved resolution through a path of humanitarianism. First he relegated materialism to a secondary position of consideration; wealth is a tool for existing and not existence itself. Then he adopted a noble purpose; he decided that he wanted to alleviate suffering. He existed to ease the pain of others. The author has a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and Mathematics from Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona Beach, Florida and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Biochemistry from Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. He had three additional years of postdoctoral study at the University of Tennessee Biomedical School in the Biology Division of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. His training and career efforts were directed toward curing cancer. In this endeavor he was rather successful in that he published numerous scientific articles and technical reports. Tragically, he discovered that in our society many consider money to be the meaning of life; obstacles were imposed and he changed careers. This book is his effort to eliminate suffering in the workplace. While the ingredients such as the eggs, flour and sugar were derived from other scholars and authors, the cake represents his personal philosophy. Some may share this philosophy, others may resent it, but all will find it tasty: Bon appetit!

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      Book preview

      Quality - John W. Bynum

      Contents

      PREFACE

      CHAPTER 1.

      QUALITY

      CHAPTER 2.

      ONE MORE CUSTOMER

      CHAPTER 3.

      THE TEAM

      CHAPTER 4.

      PERSONNEL DEVELOPMENT

      CHAPTER 5.

      PRODUCTION CONTROL

      CHAPTER 6.

      QUALITY ASSURANCE

      CHAPTER 7.

      MARKETING

      CHAPTER 8.

      INTERNATIONAL MARKETING

      CHAPTER 9.

      FISCAL MANAGEMENT

      REFERENCES

      GLOSSARY

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      A sudden shower-

      I am riding naked

      On a naked horse.

      KOBAYASHI ISSA

      PREFACE

      My formal training is in biochemistry with emphasis on molecular biology and cellular physiology. I enjoyed my work, but scientist are not the direct beneficiaries of a capitalist society: the capitalist are. Scientist require funding for technical support and modern instrumentation. The capitalists provide this funding and in return they own the ideas of the scientists. They selectively exploit the ideas of the scientists and direct the commercialization of new concepts and new technologies. Only the most profitable drugs are developed and marketed by the pharmaceutical industry while effective inexpensive treatments receive no promulgation. Poor people and poor countries are denied good health because they cannot afford to pay the price demanded for publicized drugs and treatments. Inventions, or even health and environmental concepts, detrimental to the profitability of a major industrial segment are vigorously opposed, both economically and politically. It is clearly understood that profit is the impetus behind technological success, but there are other humanitarian considerations. I believe it is possible to be a capitalist and a humanitarian; I believe it is possible to make a profit and still provide quality health care for the poor; I believe we can expand our industrial development without destroying the environment or the health of the earth’s people; and I believe that capitalists have an obligation to protect the financial and psychological welfare of the workers. Consequently, to implement my beliefs, I decided to become a capitalist. I decided I wanted to own and manage my own business.

      To acquire the knowledge and background needed to accomplish my task, I decide to write a book, initially, a book for myself. I reviewed the many management theories perpetuating our market economy and I participated in several manufacturing and retail endeavors. I found that the business practitioners ignored established business procedures and practices. They merely went through the motions of conducting business in pursuit of a nebulous objective called profit, never stopping to ponder why, how or should I. This is unfortunate because many of the management concepts are basic and many are derived from common sense and golden rule principles. While the small business is the backbone of our enterprise system, nearly seventy percent of all new businesses fail. Montgomery Ward, an established national retail chain started in 1872, announced in December of 2000 that it was closing its doors permanently because of continued deficiencies in sales performance. The retailer had 250 store locations, 28,000 employees and over four billions dollars in annual sales. So both the large and the small suffer from this affliction. For some the symptoms are catastrophic, some overcome the difficulties and survive while others grow and prosper. I decided that others needed to read my book.

      The principles presented are well established, reasonably simple and compatible with my personal beliefs. The villains of the book are the inattentiveness of retail managers in department stores and the procedural disorientation of managers in small and medium size manufacturing concerns. While small and medium size businesses are targeted, it should be noted that a large business is nothing more than a coordinated collection of small businesses and therefore, the principle are applicable to large businesses as well. The reader is challenged to focus on the details of procedures: to understand why a procedure exist and what should be done to make it better. Details must be closely evaluated and re-evaluated. Facts and flaws which are missed the first or second time are recognized upon repeated re-evaluation. Sometimes, even the obvious is overlooked.

      On the grassy plains of Salisbury in southern England stands the prehistoric monument known as Stonehenge. What is obvious? The monument is a series of concentric circles and the standing stones form the mathematical symbol pi, �. Pi is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to the diameter, C/D and is approximately 3.14159, a constant. Although, concentric circles change in size, pi for each of the circles remains the same. In ancient symbolism the circle with its perfect symmetry represents God and the circle with a dot in the middle represents sentient beings, humanity or otherwise. Man is made in God’s image only with certain finite constraints. The circle still represents God and man in oriental philosophy as seen in the Tai Chi, the supreme-ultimate. Stonehenge is a message and it states: As man grows he will seek the stars; this is the way. There are other details, but first we must recognize the obvious.

      John W. Bynum, Ph.D.

      CHAPTER 1.

       "

      QUALITY"

      If quality is defined as the essential character of something, then what is the quality of management? If management is defined as the act of supervising or controlling, then what is the essential character of supervising and controlling? If quality is also defined as the degree or grade of excellence, then does the essential character of supervising and controlling have a quality of its own? This is the beginning of the journey.

      As alluded to in the introductory questions, quality and management are inherently related. Which quality? It doesn’t matter because the relationship is a circular spiral of infinite duration and proportion. The next question in the series is: if the essential character of supervising and controlling has a quality of its own, then can this quality be managed? The answer is yes and yes to infinity.

      The essential character of supervising and controlling is rather simple; it is to accomplish tasks under prescribed conditions. In total, management is the act of supervising or controlling resources in an effort to accomplish specific tasks under prescribed conditions. But don’t get the wrong impression, the essential character of supervising and controlling is not a static or a permanent concept and while being simple, it is far from being easy. This is mainly because it is susceptible to the turbulent influence of time, conditions and the human psyche. These three fickle factors determine the degree or grade of excellence; they determine quality.

      In 1588 the invincible armada set sail from the shores of Spain with the intention of invading and conquering England. Plans had been carefully made, the rendezvous time schedule with the land army had been meticulously mapped and the resources and personnel had been properly allocated. Then suddenly there came a storm, a storm which battered and scattered the invincible armada. Just as suddenly resources were inadequate, time schedules and rendezvous were in disarray and the essential character of supervising and controlling suddenly lacked sufficient quality. The invincible armada was decimated by a smaller, weaker British fleet. The conditions changed and in spite of quality management the task was not accomplished.

      Perhaps a more familiar perspective of management is the macrocosm called government: the management of people and their affairs or the act of supervising or controlling people and their affairs so that specific tasks are accomplished under prescribed conditions. During the early stages of the industrial revolution, worker, managers and idealists extolled the virtues of a classless society, a socio-political system characterized by the common ownership of all means of production and subsistence and by the organization of labor for the common advantage of all members. While the vision percolated through European society, it was Karl Marx, the political philosopher under the tutelage and sponsorship of the industrialist Friedrich Engel, who formally established the doctrine called Communism. Communism professes an economic structure wherein the workers own the means of production and the gains are shared equally among all, a society of no elite and workers, no us and them but only us. This society expounded the credo from each according to his ability and to each according to his need. In this society everyone had adequate medical care, food, shelter and clothing as well as equal access to education and other social opportunities. Certainly from the view of the lowly worker these were Utopian concepts, and idealistically, the intentions were quite noble. The system was evaluated, criticized, modified, re-defined and implemented. Plans were made and re-made, leaders came and went and philosophies evolved, converged and involuted. The thesis engaged the antithesis to create synthesis, at least so it was said. But in spite of the planning and re-planning, close managerial scrutiny and the allocation and re-allocation of resources, the economic performance and technological advancement of the system were far below projections. Quality management could not solve the problem. Noble intentions be damned, the system failed! The Communist Manesfesto Das Capital and plain old good intentions could not buffet the system against the eventual failure that even they themselves had foretold. For in all the mathematical equations, logical suppositions and economic postulations not a single sentence evaluated the impact of the human psyche on the theoretical and actual communist system of government. While the standard of living was adequate, and in many cases laudable, the entire system centered on mediocrity. Without the rewards there was no motivation to achieve. Good enough was good enough, while in reality good enough is never good enough. Why should an individual work harder and sacrifice family and leisure if no one else is working harder and making similar social sacrifices? If others produce five items, why should an individual produce ten items and only be rewarded for producing five? It was not military might, political coercion nor economic turmoil that brought down the communist system; it was the internal inattentiveness to the human psyche. History has shown that tanks, beheadings and prisons are not adequate substitutes for quality government, that is quality management. Strength, brutality and deception do not enhance the quality of government nor do they enhance the quality of management.

      Of the three fickle factors time is the most dominant: all events are performed on the stage of time. Its proper utilization can determine quality or the lack thereof. For instance, a rather small undeveloped country in southeast Asia, known then as Indo-China and now as Viet Nam, was under the colonial influence of the French. During World War II France and Japan were at war and Viet Nam was invaded and conquered by the Japanese. The people of Viet Nam rose up against the invaders and helped the Allied Forces defeat the Japanese. After the war Viet Nam petitioned the Allied Forces for freedom from colonial domination, but the reward for their military efforts and personal sacrifices was not national independence but a return to the slavery chains of French ownership; the forces of freedom chose to support colonialism. With the failure of all diplomatic efforts to acquire independence, the Viet Namese joined the camp of the communists and rebelled against their colonial masters, the French. What ensued was the French Indo-China War. The war for independence with the French began in 1948 and ended in 1954 with the defeat of the French forces at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. Again what was earned with blood and arms was taken away at the negotiation table by the forces of freedom. Instead of receiving national independence Viet Nam was divided and only the northern portion of the country was granted independence. The southern region was to decide its own political affiliation in a public election which was to be held at a later date. The issue was whether there should be two independent Viet Nams, a North and a South, or one unified Viet Nam. The campaigning was very intense with the Americans backing the South Viet Namese and the communists supporting the North Viet Namese. The North Viet Namese had more influence with their kindred in the south than did the Americans or the French and because of this influence they acquired a popular advantage. The compelling issue was not what would be most beneficial to the Viet Namese people, but who would win , the communist backed North or the American backed South. With the Americans lacking a clear majority, it was decided that the election for unification would be postponed. Following this action violence erupted, the Viet Cong was born and the American Indo-China War, the Viet Nam War, began. An impoverished people, scarred from the earlier war with the French and lacking an industrial infra-structure challenged a global superpower with unlimited resources: the duration of the war was projected in months. Engaging in protracted war the courage and determination of the Viet Namese people extended the war into a period exceeding ten years. On April 30, 1975 North Viet Nam defeated South Viet Nam and unified the country. During the long years of the United States involvement in the war a presidency was destroyed, the war spilled over into the neighboring countries of Laos and Cambodia and violent protests erupted in the streets of America.

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