This book offers a unique overview of Quality and its tools, thus filling an important gap in the quality-control literature. The emphasis is on the system approach and the stakes and the role of Quality in life and policies of an organization or company; the book also touches on how the world of Quality is spilling over onto other management systems, such as environmental protection, the sustainability of an organization and its social responsibility. It highlights the rise of American management methods and how they were boosted by contributions from the Japanese industrial organization.