Collectve Noun For "lean", ""six Sigma", "tps".

[Asiacat]

Trivial question.

I'm putting the final touches to an e-mail writing program and am currently working on the handout covering capitalization.

The message I want to get across iis that programs such as Lean, Six Sigma and Toyota Production System are always capitalized in business English writing.

I want a collective noun so that I can say "<_______>" such as Lean, Six Sigma and Toyota Production System are always capitalized."

Basically what should I put in the "<________>". The best I can come up with is "Formal production processes". I do however feel I'm not hitting the nail on the head with this one.

Can anybody come up with something more suitable?

[withnail]

Just a couple of ideas, I don't really know the subject matter but a quick google brought up some of these terms.

names of production systems

trademarks

trademark names

methodologies

generic process management philosophies

[T_Dog]

I like the ones in the previous post, and I would improve a bit and call them

manufacturing improvement methodologies

I have taught all of these concepts and they fall generally within the sphere of manufacturing science as we called it back at Hewlett-Packard.

Good luck!

[withnail]

If T_Dog knows the industry then I'd go with his suggestion. A problem that often arises when teaching ESP is that industries/companies often have their own terminology so despite being an English speaker it is often difficult to give your student the best answer.

A layman would probably say something like names of things, or names of systems and that would be understood but not what someone who knew the industry would say.

[wangsuda]

I want a collective noun so that I can say "<_______>" such as Lean, Six Sigma and Toyota Production System are always capitalized."

What you're describing are proper nouns, eg: the proper name of a person, place or thing. IMO, you should say, "Proper nouns, such as Lean, Six Sigma and Toyota Production System are always capitalized."