Proclamation 6031—National Quality Month, 1989

Producing quality goods and services is crucial not only to the continued economic growth of the United States, but also to our national security and the well-being of each American family. Our Nation has long been recognized for its leadership in producing quality products. However, in recent years, the position of the United States as quality leader has been challenged by foreign competition in domestic and overseas markets.

Reasserting our leadership position will require a firm commitment to total quality management and the principal of continuous quality improvement. The Uniited States can, and must, excel in this area, setting new standards for world-class quality and competing vigorously in international markets.

Improving quality takes time and resources and can only be achieved through a combination of factors. It takes a long-term commitment by management that involves working with suppliers to improve perforance; educating, training, and motivating workers; developing accurate and responsive information systems; and establishing targets for quality improvement.

Quality improvement principles apply to small companies as well as large corporations, to service industries as well as manufacturing, and to the public sector as well as private enterprise. Improving the quality of goods and services goes hand in hand with improving productivity and lowering costs. It is also essential to enhancing worker fulfillment and customer satisfaction.

Private sector organizations and government institutions across the country are joining forces to promote a national commitment to excellence. At the national, regional, and local level, business executives and public officials are working together to develop the skills and techniques needed for producing quality goods and services.

As part of this important effort, the Federal Government is promoting quality through such programs as the Malcolm Baldrige Natiional Quality Award of the Department of Commerce, the Federal Quality Institute, the President's Council on Management Improvement, the Producitivity Improvement Plan of the Department of Defense, and the NASA Excellence Award for Quality and Productivity.

The American Society for Quality Control -- together with other national professional organizations, businesses, industries, government agencies, and academic institutions -- is sponsoring activities in observance of "National Quality Month." These activities, focused on the theme of "Quality First," are designed to promote awareness of the importance of quality to production and services throughout the United States.

The Congress, by House Joint Resolution 204, has designated October as "National Quality Month" and has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this month.

Now, Therefore, I, George Bush, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 1989 as National Quality Month. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this occasion with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of September, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fourteenth.

GEORGE BUSH