Anderson School of Management Theses & Dissertations

Publication Date

5-18-1967

Abstract

One of the major functions of any inspection, quality control or quality assurance organization is to provide assurance to management that their products are of adequate quality. Furthermore, management desires this function to be performed at the minimum cost commensurate with its objectives. It has been reported that inspection organizations used sampling inspection prior to 1920 to achieve their objectives but the sampling plans used were arbitrary with little scientific basis. During the 1920's the Western Electric Company made a major breakthrough with the development of the Shewhart control chart and the Dodge-Romig sampling tables. However, it was not until World War II that widespread industrial use of scientific sampling methods and the Shewhart control chart method developed in the United States. These newer and more scientific methods used smaller inspection samples and better control at the machine, thus achieving substantial reductions in cost. The major impetus or the widespread use of these methods was the insistence of the War Department that sampling plans be used on military contracts.

Since World War II many advances and refinements have obviously been made in sampling inspection and methods of controlling quality. Nevertheless, there still appear to be substantial opportunities left for minimizing the cost of obtaining desired quality.

Language

English

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Business Administration (MBA)

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

Anderson School of Management

First Committee Member

Kenneth W. Olm

Second Committee Member

Everett G. Dillman

Third Committee Member

Ralph Lemon Edgel

Download

Share

COinS