Will Quality Eat up the U.S. Lead in Software? If U.S. software companies dont pay more attention to quality, they could kiss their business good-bye. Both India and Brazil are developing a world-class software industry. Their weapon is quality and one of their jobs is to attract the top U.S. quality specialists whose voices are not listened to in their country. Already, of the worlds 12 software houses that have earned the highest rating in the world, seven are in India. Thats largely because they have used new methodologies rejected by American software specialists. For example, for decades, quality specialists, W. Edwards Deming and J. M. Juran had urged U.S. software companies to change their attitudes to quality. But their quality call mainly fell on deaf ears in the U.S. -but not in Japan. By the 1970s and 1980s, Japan was grabbing market share with better, cheaper products. They used Demings and Jurans ideas to bring down the cost of good quality to as little as 5% of total production costs. In U.S. factories, the cost of quality then was 10 times as high: 50%. In software, it still is. Watts S. Humphrey spent 27 years at IBM heading up software production and then quality assurance. But his advice was seldom paid attention to. He retired from IBM in 1986. In 1987, he worked out a system for assessing and improving software quality. It has proved its value time and again. For example, in 1990 the cost of quality at Raytheon Electronics Systems was almost 60% of total software production costs. It fell to 15% in 1996 and has since further dropped to below 10%. Like Deming and Juran, Humphrey seems to be wining more praises overseas than at home. The India government and several companies have just founded the Watts Humphrey Software Quality Institute at the Software Technology Park in Chennai, India. Lets hope that U.S. lead in software will not be eaten up by its quality problems. EXERCISE: 1. what country has more highest-rating companies in the world than any other country has? A) Germany. B) The U.S. C) Brazil D) India 2. Which of the following statements about Humphrey is true? A) He is now still an IBM employer. B) He has worked for IBM for 37 years. C) The US pays much attention to his quality advice. D) India honors him highly. 3. By what means did Japan grab its large market share by the 1970s and the 1980s? A) Its products were cheaper in price and better in quality. B) Its advertising was most successful. C) The US hardware industry was lagging behind . D) Japan hired a lot of India software specialists. 4.What does the founding of the Watts Humphrey Software Quality Institute symbolize? A) It symbolizes the US determination to move ahead with its software B) It symbolizes the India ambition to take the lead in software. C) It symbolizes the Japanese efforts to solve the software quality problem. D) It symbolizes the Chinese policy on importing software. 5.What is the writer worrying about? A) Many US software specialists are working for Japan. B) The quality problem has become a worldwide problem. C) The US will no longer be the first software player in the world. D) India and Japan are joining hands to compete with the US. Key: D D A B C
下一篇: 职称英语综合类阅读理解练习题9
体坛英语资讯:Celtics star Irving to miss game against Pelicans with shoulder injury
体坛英语资讯:Malaysian badminton legend Lee Chong Wei to return to training in two weeks
国际英语资讯:UN chief calls for violence-free environment for DRC elections
体坛英语资讯:Warriors center Cousins to practice with G League affiliate
The Ancient Poems We learn 我们学习的古诗
Dont Wait For Tomorrow 不要等待明天
国际英语资讯:2 Vietnamese tourists killed in bus blast near Egypts pyramids
体坛英语资讯:Messi on fire while Bale back on target in Spanish La Liga
国际英语资讯:Iraqi president calls for strengthening army
Writing Stories 写故事
国际英语资讯:Death toll in landslides, flooding in Philippines rises to 50
国际英语资讯:Yearender: U.S. economy could slow down in 2019 amid risks: economists
体坛英语资讯:Barcelona decide not to play LaLiga game in USA
国际英语资讯:British new pay regulations come into force
国际英语资讯:U.S. adviser Bolton says U.S. conditions Syria withdrawal with safeguarding Kurds
国际英语资讯:Moscow regrets Merkel, Macron stance on Russia-Ukraine relations
国际英语资讯:Sudanese army reiterates support for leadership, vows to preserve security
国际英语资讯:Trump threatens to close southern border amid govt shutdown
体坛英语资讯:Han Yu wins 2018 Women’s 9-ball World Championship
国际英语资讯:Bolsonaro sworn in as Brazils president, calls for rebuilding Brazil
I Love You, China 我爱你,中国
国际英语资讯:Number of injured in Indonesia tsunami surges to over 14,000
国际英语资讯:Putin, Macron discuss Syria, Ukraine by phone
体坛英语资讯:Mauresmo decides to withdraw from captaincy of French tennis team
国际英语资讯:Merkel addresses climate change, migration and terrorism in New Years speech
体坛英语资讯:Pressure on Kenya rugby team coach after dismal show in S. Africa Sevens
国内英语资讯:Highlights of Chinas 2019 economic work plans
国际英语资讯:U.S. federal immigration authorities concerned about California sanctuary law
国际英语资讯:Illegal crossings at Europes borders lowest in 5 years
国际英语资讯:UAE flag raised over reopened embassy in Syrian capital after 7 years