Sampling Inspection and Quality Control by G. Barrie Wetherill; Sampling Inspection inStatistical Quality Control by William C. GuentherReview by: W. R. BucklandThe Journal of the Operational Research Society, Vol. 29, No. 5 (May, 1978), p. 513Published by: Palgrave Macmillan Journals on behalf of the Operational Research SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3009783 .

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Book Selection

up the package. There is quite a lot of detail to be assimilated before it can be used in earnest. The second part contains 10 detailed examples, complete with program list- ings and specimen input and output. They cover many applications and each of the four types of model which GASP can handle, i.e. discrete events, models with continuous variables, combined simulations and systems dynamics. Such a wide range of examples is obviously useful to those learning the language though there are one or two cases of rather poor simulation practice.

At the end of each chapter there are exercises given but most of these require the writing of complete programs. A few simple problems with results that could be verified analytically would, to my mind, have been more useful.

Finally, it seems rather strange to publish program documentation as a book and sell it independently of the program, though this may be common practice in the States.

M. G. MYTTON

Sampling Inspection and Quality Control

G. BARRIE WETHERILL (Second Edition)

Science Paperback. Chapman & Hall, Andover, 1977. 148 pp. ?2.95

Sampling Inspection in Statistical Quality Control

WILLIAM C. GUENTHER

Statistical Monographs & Courses No. 37

Griffin, London, 1977. 206 pp. ?6.00

Quality Assurance has been dubbed "the Achilles heel of British Industry": few would question its central importance but it is an aspect that has appeared to be "alongside" rather than part of the production system which has become a classic field for opera- tional research. This is regrettable because the Q.A. team is multi-disciplinary and could well benefit from an OR atmosphere. However, the subject matter of these two handy- sized books is largely the province of the statistician or other professional perhaps an engineer-endeavouring to "do it himself"; often with considerable success. The authors are well-known on both sides of the Atlantic as academic statisticians with strong practical leanings.

The first book (GBW) covers the basic statistical requirements of process control the original statistical quality control concept-as well as sampling inspection as used for the acceptance of production materials as well as sentencing the finished product. The drafting, with its examples, charts and tables, is for those who are practically involved rather than academically interested; it could be used in connection with a course of lectures for many kinds of non-specialist audiences. The revision concentrates on the topic of acceptance sampling but also provides a new nomogram for designing CUSUM schemes using the decision interval method. The background references have been enlarged by one-half.

The second book (WCG) deals specifically with sampling inspection; three chapters: sampling inspection by attributes, by variables and rectifying inspection are much as would be expected. There is a fourth chapter on Tolerance Intervals that is a surprise bonus, but one fully justified by the author, and very acceptable in default of easy access to the earlier monograph by Guttman in the same series. This book is for the statistician concerned with the technical structure of inspection schemes and is comple- mentary to Wetherill's book.

These two books are a good example of how the literature should be organized to assist the practice of OR at different levels and by people from different disciplines.

W. R. BUCKLAND

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