A British electronics manufacturer has built a factory in which quartz crystals can be grown in 3 weeks. The natural growth of quartz takes 3 million years, and very often the crystals are not sufficiently pure to satisfy the precise needs of science. However, the manufactured crystals are exceptionally pure, and this is important because quartz, in transistors is used in an astonishing number of devices where constant accuracy is required: radio and television transmitters and receivers, space satellites and computers are familiar examples. In order to make artificial quartz, very small pieces of the natural crystal imported from Brazil are placed in long, narrow, steel cylinders. A high pressure and a high temperature are maintained within the cylinders for 3 weeks, and at the end of this the small fragments have grown to the required weight of one pound. The quartz is then ready to be made into the tiny transistors that have replaced the much larger thermionic valves.

Manager: Mr.Mbu, I would not describe you as an inefficient worker; I therefore find it difficult to understand why the conference room is so untidy, in spite of the fact that I had reminded you of the meeting scheduled to take place there this afternoon.

Secretary: Sir, I did instruct the cleaner to tidy up the place before meeting

Manager: Are you trying to hold the cleaner responsible for the untidy condition of the room?

Secretary: Partly, sir, I gave him an instruction which he failed to carry out. It is certainly my intention to make a formal complaint against him for dereliction of duty.

Manager: And would you wash your hands off any blame after that? Do you think that just making a formal complaint against the cleaner absolves you of all blame? When do you consider an assignment as properly executed; when the execution is properly supervised or not? Was it sufficient for you to give instruction to the cleaner with out ensuring that he actually carried them out?

Secretary: Sir, I do not see what else I could have done, short of doing the job myself. The cleaner Is a six-footer and I could not have intimidated him physically.

Manager: I see, I await your complaints against the cleaner, but I shall not forget that you allowed a board meeting to take place in an untidy conference room.