Word: top
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...American, British and Soviet leaders met at Yalta at a time when the Red Army had liberated most of Eastern Europe from Hitler's troops and were poised to take Berlin. Although the ailing Roosevelt knew that the U.S. could soon assault Japan with the first atom bomb, his top military advisers doubted that its use would be immediately decisive. An American priority at Yalta was to ensure Japan's quick defeat by persuading Stalin to join the Far East conflict once Germany surrendered...
Critics assailed Yalta as a sellout. Even George Kennan, then a top State Department official, denounced the West's refusal "to name any limit for Russian expansion and Russian responsibilities." But Charles Bohlen, assistant to the Secretary of State and one of the designers of the deal, called such criticism naive. Neither Britain nor the U.S. had any way to coerce Stalin, he argued, and "either our pals intend to limit themselves or they...
Declaring that high quality in U.S. goods and services is a top national priority, the President maintained that companies like Xerox and Milliken are leading a comeback from the days when many American products were being shunned because of a well-deserved reputation for shoddiness. Said he: "No competitor gave them a tougher time than they gave themselves. Both of these manufacturing firms were well-established leaders in their markets, and yet both were being steadily squeezed out by the intensive foreign and domestic competition. And in the midst of this crisis, the men and women of these companies found...
...giving the worker a greater sense of importance was not enough. A change in corporate philosophy was needed, the sort of disruptive and often expensive change that works only if the commitment starts at the top. In companies where impressive quality gains have been made -- Ford, Hewlett-Packard, 3M, Corning Glass, Apple, Motorola and Rubbermaid -- the chief executive lays down the rules and makes sure they are followed. Says Rubbermaid Chairman Stanley Gault: "Everyone has to know that shoddy work will not be tolerated. Our customers are not there to field-test our products." At Apple, says Chairman John Sculley...
...most dramatic improvements have been made by U.S. automakers, who developed an infamous reputation for poor craftsmanship in the 1970s and early 1980s. Yet for every gain the Big Three have made, their Japanese competitors have continued to earn top ratings for quality and to expand market share. In a survey by J.D. Power Associates, a leading automotive analyst, buyers of this year's Japanese imports reported only 119 problems per 100 cars during the first 90 days, while owners of new American cars reported 163 glitches. Even so, the quality competition has drastically boosted value for the car buyer...