The meaning of quality

The word 'quality' seems to have different meanings depending on who uses it. Until the 1960s, quality meant the same as excellence: a quality product was simply the best of its kind, and this is what most people still understand by quality. A Longiness is the best watch in the world, like a Rolls Royce is the best car ever. The fact that very few people need, or can afford to buy a Longiness or a Rolls is considered irrelevant. In the business world, however, the word has acquired a new meaning. Quality means consistency, a lack of defect; it is relative to what you set out to achieve. By these standards, Korean and Japanese cars are very good quality because they rarely break down. And McDonald's hamburgers, which are roughly the same all over the world, are examples of high quality food.