1. Would you recommend that the Carters expand their quality program? If so, specifically what form should it take? The High-Performance Work System As a recent graduate and as a person who keeps up with the business press, Jennifer is familiar with the benefits of programs such as total quality management and highperformance work systems.

Jack has actually installed a total quality program of sorts at Carter, and it has been in place for about 5 years.

This program takes the form of employee meetings. Jack holds employee meetings periodically, but particularly when there is a serious problem in a store such as poor-quality work or machine breakdowns. When problems like these arise, instead of trying to diagnose them himself or with Jennifer, he contacts all the employees in that store and meets with them as soon as the store closes. Hourly employees get extra pay for these meetings. The meetings have been useful in helping Jack to identify and rectify several problems. For example, in one store all the fine white blouses were coming out looking dingy.