Book excerpt: Designed to enable readers to recognize the cornerstones of creating and sustaining organizational effectiveness, the First Edition is based on key quality initiatives including Six Sigma, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, ISO 9000, lean manufacturing, and value creation. This book explores how quality management has progressed from an emphasis on the management of quality to a focus on the quality of managing, operating, and integrating customer service, marketing, production, delivery, information, and finance areas throughout an organization's value chain. For professionals with a career or interest in business, engineering, engineering technology, and quality management.