Quality Management Apple Inc

Introduction

A quality management system, also referred to as Total Quality Management, is a formalized system that documents procedures, processes as well as responsibilities that need to be taken up within an organization in order to be able to achieve quality policies and objectives (American Society of Quality, 2018). Basically they involve steps taken up to ensure products and services delivered to the respective customer are of the highest quality and in certain circumstances, tailor made for their requirement. This report will focus on Apple Inc., An American multinational electronics and Software Company established on April 1, 1976 by Steve Jobs and Stephen Wozniac in California. According to Reuters (2018), Apple Inc. has overtaken its main competitors including Blackberry, Microsoft, Sony Samsung and many others to be the market leader in the industry due to their delivery of price worthy and high quality products and software in terms of technological designs and enhancements, showcasing key principles relevant to management dissertation help. This highlights availability of an efficient total Quality Management system within the organization.

Quality Management

The quality management at apple is spearheaded by the temperamental management technique taken up by the CEO and founder Steve Jobs. Rowland (2017) highlights that his obsession with excellence in the products produced by the company is the main footnote to the approach taken by the organization in quality management which includes numerous trials of a product before it is released into the market. The design of the products and services are handled through a number of organizational components and officials and as emphasized by Chawla (2014), they contain numerous prototypes and mockups which are constantly being edited and revised by passing them back and forth through different designers, engineers, programmers and managers. This enables the alignment of all functions ensuring top quality of a product before it is released in the market.

Rowland (2017) further highlights that the company has a board containing 9 Senior Vice Presidents who are tasked with evaluating the products and services produced and ensuring compliance with the companies set quality standards. This is not only within the sector of product design and development but within all other areas of business including: Retail, Marketing, industrial designs, online sales as well as human resource management. The internal quality metrics of the products by apple as highlighted by Li (2011) are equally important and are ensured through careful choosing of suppliers who are intensively tested to ensure the parts supplied and the suppliers themselves are in the same quality as the company itself.

To further enhance their quality management, Apple Inc. does not only ensure the application of top technological advancements in their products and devises, but also ensure their durability and longer lifetime than any of its other competitors. This according to Lin et al (2012) is one of the reasons why Apple products are considered among the most quality products in the software and electronics industry. Among the tools used by Apple Inc. in its quality management include the Total Quality Management (TQM), a system of nonstop development that engages all the employees within the company to participate in improving the worth and efficiency of the products produced by the company.

The company also applies quality management techniques as highlighted by Rowland (2017) to include developing a strengthened and aggressive position in the market which subsequently maintains its reputation as the leading electronics and Software Company; this outlines the level of quality in the products produced by the company. Other techniques include developing improved market picture, flexibility to altering or rising market circumstances, ecological and other administrative regulations, removal of deficiency and misuse, High productivity, reduced expenses and improved cost organization, enlarged Job safety, improved customer focus and approval. Enhanced stakeholder and investor worth enhanced innovative procedures as well as enhanced employee confidence and satisfaction.

The application of these tools, techniques and system are not only effective in the ensuring of quality products by the company, but has also improved the companies competitive advantage and enabled them to surpass their competitors in terms of quality production and development highlighting both their effectiveness and efficiency in delivering quality.

PDCA Cycle

Apple Inc. can specifically apply the PDCA cycle in further maximization of the quality of apps and the functioning of their App store. PDCA cycle is a process improvement methodology. It includes a flow chart for learning with four phases including: Planning, Doing, Checking and Acting. Apple stores can apply this process in improving their products as well as services to further maintain their competitive advantage (Nayab, 2013).

Plan

One of the ways of ensuring enhanced quality production by the company include planning and establishing different objectives for each process so as to develop a baseline for production and ensuring the delivery of results is in accordance to the expected output and target market. This can take into account the needs and desires expressed by different customers through feedback channel. The products are then improved in line with the specifications provided to ensure increased quality.

Do

Increasing quality also involves improving customer service quality. This can be taken up by the company in enabling door delivery of products bought by customers, documenting consumer feedback, involving the consumer at every level of interaction with the company as wel as offering incentives to loyal customers

Check

One of the major determinants of quality control and improvement include maintaining contact with the market and the consumers and ensuring constant evaluation of the products performance within the market, whether or not the consumer is satisfied, as well as their current taste and preferences. Apple could indulge in the analysis of customer base dynamics with relation to the different Apps they develop as well as incorporate reports by third parties in reviewers and the media.

Act

The company can check the market through carrying out of such activities in order to determine the status of the existing products so as to clarify whether or not improvement actions are working. Checking also enables the devising of a future course of action and enables the company to effectively forge ways of action that are beneficial in the improvement of the quality of products and services.

Conclusion

Quality management is an essential part of the continued performance and growth of a business as well as organization. It not only contributes to ensuring retention of customers through delivering of products and services that meets their needs, but it also adds on to building up an organization brand and reputation and eventually ensuring it maintains a competitive advantage over the rivals in the industry. It is essentially one of the most efficient and effective strategies as highlighted by the study of Apple Inc. Despite limited variety of products compared to their competitors, Apple stays a top the competition due to its quality and durable products which are products of the intense quality management factor at the company.

Continue your journey with our comprehensive guide to Qualitative Research Appraisal.

References

• Chawla C. (2014). Apple Quality Policy. [online] slideshare,net Available at
• Li S. (2011). Sustainability and Quality Assessment: the case of Apple Inc. [online ]slideshare.net. Available at (Accessed 2nd Nov, 2018)
• Lin S. P., Huang J. L., Chang J. and Kao F. C. (2012). How to start continuously improving innovation in organizational Knowledge: A case stucy of Apple Inc. in Technology management for emerging technologies. (PICMET) 2012 proceedings. Pp 2290-2309.
• Nayab N. (2013). Using the Cycle of PDCA for Quality Management. [online]brighthubpm.cpm Available at
• Reuters (2018). Apple Inc. [online] reuters.com Available at
• Rowland C. (2017). Apple Inc. Operations Management: 10 Decisions, Productivity. [online]panmore.cpm Available at