On Quality

Featuring long-awaited selections from Robert M. Pirsig's unpublished writings, from before and after Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, an original collection illuminating the central theme of Pirsig's thought: “Quality” “The ultimate goal in the pursuit of excellence is enlightenment." —Robert M. Pirsig, 1962 More than a decade before the release of the book that would make him famous, Robert M. Pirsig had already caught hold of the central theme that would animate Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: “Quality,” a concept loosely likened to “excellence,” “rightness,” or “fitness” that Pirsig saw as kindred to the Buddhist ideas of “dharma” or the “Tao.” As he later wrote in Zen, “Quality is the Buddha.” Though he was revered by fans who considered him a guru, the famously private Pirsig published only two books and consented to few interviews and almost no public appearances in later decades. Yet he wrote and thought almost continually, refining his “Metaphysics of Quality” until his death in 2017. Now, for the first time, readers will be granted access to five decades of Pirsig’s personal writings in this posthumous collection that illuminates the evolution of his thinking to an unprecedented degree. Skillfully edited and introduced by Wendy K. Pirsig, Robert’s wife of four decades, the collection includes previously unpublished texts, speeches, letters, interviews, and private notes, as well as key excerpts from Zen and the Art of the Motorcycle Maintenance and his second book, Lila. Since its publication in 1974, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance has established itself as a modern classic of popular philosophy; selling millions of copies and inspiring a generation, while serving as a perennial touchstone for the generations that follow. On Quality is a remarkable contribution to our understanding of one of the most influential thinkers and writers of our time.

Over the past decade, increasing competition has created immense opportunities for businesses globally. As such, it important to research new methods and systems for creating optimal business cultures. Cases on Quality Initiatives for Organizational Longevity is a scholarly publication that examines cases on practices in organizations and how they have facilitated transformation over the years. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as customer loyalty, benchmarking, and employee training, this book is geared toward business owners, managers, entrepreneurs, professionals, researchers, and students seeking current and relevant research on contemporary cases in the field of business quality management.

Anything that has to do with people, anywhere across the globe, has surely something to do with their Quality of Life. The concept has been discussed and finds reference right from ancient literature dating back to early Greek philosophers like Socrates (469-399 BC), his student Plato (427/428-348/347BC), and Aristotle (384-322 BC) and stays on the radar of researchers and policy makers until today. Aristotle had written about the nature of happiness and what people require in order to have ‘a good life’. The concept of QoL still holds a strong place in psychological studies, social research as well as policy-making because the various national and international bodies – like World Health Organization, United Nations, and many others, have a strong focus on improving the QoL of the people. The book is a comprehensive compilation of the large number of definitions of QoL, multiple underlying theories, various concepts, derivative models, how QoL is essentially linked with the UN’s SDGs, and the crucial global rankings used for international comparative analysis of QoL. As the world is changing fast, while recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic, there are many changing trends that have an integral role in QoL assessments. The book attempts to cover almost all of this in lucid and comprehendible language.