W Edwards Deming

Phlebitis keeps him in a wheelchair. The prostate cancer he suffered for years has metastasized to his lungs, tethering him at all times to an oxygen tank. He wears hearing aids in both ears. And his alertness? Well, it often slips these days, as might be expected of any 93-year-old. He is a shriveled version of his once towering, 6-foot, barrel-chested presence. Yet W.

Japan's path from post-war devastation to export powerhouse has involved many important factors, a lot of hard work and a bit of luck. But two Americans who played important parts in the world's greatest economic recovery story--a story that has altered lifestyles around the world and sent countless vehicles, VCRs and Walkmans into our homes--are Gen. Douglas MacArthur and quality guru W. Edwards Deming.

Japan's path from post-war devastation to export powerhouse has involved many important factors, a lot of hard work and a bit of luck. But two Americans who played important parts in the world's greatest economic recovery story--a story that has altered lifestyles around the world and sent countless vehicles, VCRs and Walkmans into our homes--are Gen. Douglas MacArthur and quality guru W. Edwards Deming.

The late W. Edwards Deming's theories of quality control and management technique are followed most closely by industrial companies. But the teachings of the theorist, who died Monday at age 93, had a profound impact on at least one Orange County home building company. In an industry where the most prevalent leadership style is, "Hey! It's my company and I can run it any way I want," Deming's approach made sense to Peter Ochs and Keith Johnson, co-founders of Fieldstone Co.

Dr. W. Edwards Deming, 91, is the kind of fellow who would gladly stride into a room filled with geniuses and tell them in his firm, curmudgeonly voice that everything they know is wrong. Deming's ideas of business management--based on the systems theory tradition made most popular in this country by Fritjof Capra and his book, "The Tao of Physics"--have been as revered in the Japanese corporate world as they have been obscure in his native land. His message: U.S.

W. Edwards Deming, the American quality control guru revered by the Japanese for helping them become the global symbol of industrial reliability, died early Monday at the age of 93. Deming, who suffered from cancer, died peacefully in his sleep at his Washington home, an aide said.

The late W. Edwards Deming's theories of quality control and management technique are followed most closely by industrial companies. But the teachings of the theorist, who died Monday at age 93, had a profound impact on at least one Orange County home building company. In an industry where the most prevalent leadership style is, "Hey! It's my company and I can run it any way I want," Deming's approach made sense to Peter Ochs and Keith Johnson, co-founders of Fieldstone Co.

Re "Boeing Moves to Close Plant," Aug. 19 The looming closure of Boeing in Long Beach is more evidence of why Wall Street is bad for business. There was a time when Boeing was the best at what it did: making new airplanes that were better than anyone else's. That all changed with deregulation and management's new concern with short-term profits. Wall Street did not approve of Boeing's deep investment in research and development, nor of its deep reliance on government. Now, companies can be dismantled and cannibalized in a moment just to make shareholders and stock analysts happy.

"Economists have taken us down the wrong road," harrumphed business analyst W. Edwards Deming on PBS' Sunday broadcast of "The Deming of America." The United States isn't training its work force, he adds, and U.S. companies are self-destructing by thinking only three months, not three decades. If he tuned into PBS starting tonight, Deming would find one economist who agrees with him--Robert B. Reich, whose four-hour "Made in America?" (tonight and Wednesday, 7-9 p.m., KVCR Channel 24; 8-10 p.m.

President Reagan on Monday recognized the winners of a new national business award for quality control, saying their accomplishments helped America become more competitive in world markets. The first Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, to be presented annually, was presented to Motorola Inc. and Westinghouse Electric Corp.'s commercial nuclear fuel division in the manufacturing category, and to Globe Metallurgical Inc. of Beverly, Ohio, in the small company category.

W. Edwards Deming, the American quality control guru revered by the Japanese for helping them become the global symbol of industrial reliability, died early Monday at the age of 93. Deming, who suffered from cancer, died peacefully in his sleep at his Washington home, an aide said.

Phlebitis keeps him in a wheelchair. The prostate cancer he suffered for years has metastasized to his lungs, tethering him at all times to an oxygen tank. He wears hearing aids in both ears. And his alertness? Well, it often slips these days, as might be expected of any 93-year-old. He is a shriveled version of his once towering, 6-foot, barrel-chested presence. Yet W.

Dr. W. Edwards Deming, 91, is the kind of fellow who would gladly stride into a room filled with geniuses and tell them in his firm, curmudgeonly voice that everything they know is wrong. Deming's ideas of business management--based on the systems theory tradition made most popular in this country by Fritjof Capra and his book, "The Tao of Physics"--have been as revered in the Japanese corporate world as they have been obscure in his native land. His message: U.S.

Michael Moore, meet Steve Talbot and Robert Krulwich. What Moore did to General Motors in micro scale in his devastatingly funny "Roger & Me," producer Talbot and host-narrator Krulwich do in macro in the 90-minute "Frontline" and Center for Investigative Reporting co-production, "The Heartbeat of America" (tonight at 9 on KCET-TV Channel 28 and KPBS-TV Channel 15, 8 p.m. on KVCR-TV Channel 24). Sometimes, this "Frontline" season opener is too macro for its own good.

Police questioned a Los Angeles mayoral candidate Thursday on whether he made a death threat against a another candidate. David "Zuma Dogg" Saltsburg -- one of nine contenders trying to unseat Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa -- was met by officers from the Los Angeles Police Department when he arrived for a debate at Claude Pepper Senior Center on La Cienega Boulevard.