“Quality is Free”: A Comparative Study of Attitudes in the U.S. and Japan

American manufacturing has been criticized for its adherence to economic conformance ideas that allow the acceptance of defects in purchased supplies and components. It has frequently been argued that this adherence is a major factor in losing the competitive edge with Japan. This study provides empirical data showing the extent to which U.S. manufacturing managers have adopted “quality is free” ideas—and how they compare with Japanese manufacturing managers. The article uses these data to derive implications for the U.S. purchasing function in the 1990s.