This article critically contrasts two schools of thought on quality management: Japanese total quality control and Deming's theory of management. An overview of each school of thought is presented in respect to definition of quality, purpose, structure, and intrinsic value. The differences between the two schools of thought are discussed in respect to five issues: purpose and structure, role of competition as a motivational tool to achieve customer satisfaction, use of fear as a managerial tool, use of numeric targets as tools of management, and use of performance appraisal as a tool of management.