Why Quality is Important and How It Applies in Diverse Business and Social Environments, Volume II

CHAPTER 18

Quality and Measurement

Accurate and Reproducible Measures

Accurate and reproducible measures for weight have been vital from time immemorial¹ and are the foundation of our monetary system, trade, and finance. As the world has grown smaller and travel has become easier, accuracy and consistency of measurements such as time and distance have become more and more important.

We all tend to assume consistency of our measurement of time with the advent of internet time—but it has not always been the case. The absence of accurate measurement and the introduction of error can bring disaster and a stark example was the huge loss the British Fleet experienced in 1707 under the command of Sir Cloudesley Shovell² with the shipwreck of four vessels ...