Basic backgrounds of quality management

Some important aspects of quality management are highlighted which are not so frequently discussed elsewhere. Various definitions and statements on qu ality lead to the fact that quality depends essentially on people. Hence, s ome ideas on the quality control of top management as well as on the qualit y control of ourselves are expressed and it is shown how this is related to ethical principles. Some thoughts are developed on the Japanese quality cu lture which contributed essential impulses to the evolution of certain qual ity installations such as quality circles. The Japanese also developed a ph ilosophy of quality which is significantly different from western industria l quality concepts. Installations of total quality management such as syste m audits, procedural audits and product audits are important facets of mode rn quality assurance. Thoughts on analytical product liability lead to a fi nal key issue of analytical quality management, ie.,analytical methods vali dation on the one hand and laboratory accreditation on the other.