Continuous improvement in business practices is also known as what?

• A. Kaizen
• B. External Growth
• C. Diversification
• D. Vertical Integration (Backwards)

Answer: (A)

Continuous improvement in how a business works is called Kaizen. It comes from a Japanese phrase meaning “good change” and focuses on making small, ongoing adjustments to processes to boost efficiency, quality, and customer satisfaction. Everyone in the company—from frontline staff to managers—looks for tiny ways to remove waste, speed up work, and prevent problems, using quick cycles of planning, testing, checking, and acting.

This differs from the other options: external growth is about expanding by acquiring or merging with other companies; diversification means adding new products or entering new markets; vertical integration backwards involves taking control of suppliers in the supply chain.