Abstract
This article presents an overview of the meanings that the notion of quality has acquired when analyzed from different historical and cultural points of view; using a theoretical approach based on the experiences and theories set forward by researchers and quality gurus; by looking at the specific disciplines in which the notion of quality control is applied; and finally by focusing on its practical application by two groups in different contexts, automobile engineers and engineering students. The discussion is centered on questions related to the idea of quality, where there are as many ideas as authors on the subject. The historical antecedents and what these authors have said and written about quality is briefly analyzed with the objective of determining what people mean when they speak of quality.
