BJMQ3013 QUALITY MANAGEMENT

Question 1 : Find at least 3 similar articles from journals related to Quality Management
t topics

JOURNAL 1: The TQM Magazine 2: International Journal 3: International

of Quality & Reliability Journal of
Management Operations &
Production
Management
TITLE Quality management How product quality Management
approach in China dimensions relate to perception of the link
defining quality between product
quality and customers
view of product quality
AUTHORS Zhihai Zhang - Rose Sebastianelli - Matthew A. Waller
- Nabil Tamimi - Sanjay Ahire
YEAR 2000 2002 1996
SETTING/ Chinas revolution in 872 questionnaires were 1,035 managers was
PLACE/ product quality mailed to the membership obtained from Dun &
SAMPLE listing of the (ASQ) Bradstreet Marketing
Services.
OBJECTIVES To explore better To examine a national To explore the global
understanding of sample of quality drive towards
Chinas approach to managers to examine the implementing total
quality management, relationship between how quality management
the main quality a firm defines quality and (TQM), the number of
management efforts what product quality TQM failures is also
adopted by the dimensions it considers increasing.
Chinese government, important to its
the product quality competitive strategy.
situation, and the
reasons for product
quality problems.
ANALYSIS Using exploratory The research was to This research refers to
analysis to encourage determine the effect of Dillmans total design
Chinas enterprises to these extracted method (TDM) of
strengthen quality dimensions on how questionnaire design
management, quality is defined, was
implement TQM, and regression analysis was followed to improve
improve product and performed using the the response rate of
service quality, the resulting factor scores as the main survey. The
activity of the quality independent variables survey was
certification was and each of the five conducted in three
introduced. definitions as the waves, spaced about
dependent variable. four weeks apart.
FINDINGS The research finds This research was all This finding dispels the
that the top managers about understanding notion that managers
should have strong quality in terms of product do not see a link
quality awareness and dimensions may be a between their firms
responsibility, accept step toward developing quality efforts and
TQM training, the necessary measures customers view of the
personally involve that could ensure a firms firms quality efforts.
themselves in the success with TQM
implementation of TQM programs, and ultimately
continuously in order to ensure a firms production
be successful. of high quality products.

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Question 2 : Based on your reading above, write an article about how the concept of
quality management is applied at the selected company. The article should have the
following sub headings:

A. INTRODUCTION
Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company that headquartered in
Cupertino, California that designs, develops, and sells consumer electronics, computer
software, and online services. The company's hardware products include the iPhone
smartphone, the iPad tablet computer, the Mac personal computer, the iPod portable media
player, the Apple Watch smartwatch, the Apple TV digital media player, and the HomePod
smart speaker. Apple's consumer software includes the macOS and iOS operating systems,
the iTunes media player, the Safari web browser, and the iLife and iWork creativity and
productivity suites. Its online services include the iTunes Store, the iOS App Store and Mac
App Store, Apple Music, and iCloud.

Apple was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne in April 1976 to
develop and sell personal computers. It was incorporated as Apple Computer, Inc. in January
1977, and sales of its computers saw significant momentum and revenue growth for the
company. Within a few years, they had hired a staff of computer designers and had a
production line. Apple went public in 1980 to instant financial success. Over the next few years,
Apple shipped new computers featuring innovative graphical user interfaces, and Apple's
marketing commercials for its products received widespread critical acclaim. However, the
high price tag of its products and limited software titles caused problems, as did power
struggles between executives at the company. Jobs resigned from Apple and created his own
company. As the market for personal computers increased, Apple's computers saw
diminishing sales due to lower-priced products from competitors, in particular those offered
with the Microsoft Windows operating system. More executive job shuffles happened at Apple
until then-CEO Gil Amelio in 1997 decided to buy Jobs' company to bring him back. Jobs
regained position as CEO, and began a process to rebuild Apple's status, which included
opening Apple's own retail stores in 2001, making numerous acquisitions of software
companies to create a portfolio of software titles, and changed some of the hardware
technology used in its computers.

It again saw success and returned to profitability. In January 2007, Jobs announced that
Apple Computer, Inc. would be renamed Apple Inc. to reflect its shifted focus toward consumer
electronics and announced the iPhone, which saw critical acclaim and significant financial
success. In August 2011, Jobs resigned as CEO due to health complications, and Tim Cook

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became the new CEO. Two months later, Jobs died, marking the end of an era for the
company.

Apple is the world's largest information technology company by revenue and the world's
second-largest mobile phone manufacturer after Samsung. In February 2015, Apple became
the first U.S. company to be valued at over US$700 billion. The company employs 116,000
full-time employees as of October 2016 and maintains 498 retail stores in 22 countries as of
July 2017. It operates the iTunes Store, which is the world's largest music retailer. As of
January 2016, more than one billion Apple products are actively in use worldwide.

Apple's worldwide annual revenue totalled $215 billion for the 2016 fiscal year. The
company enjoys a high level of brand loyalty and has been repeatedly ranked as the world's
most valuable brand. However, it receives significant criticism regarding the labor practices of
its contractors and its environmental and business practices, including the origins of source
materials.

B. DISCUSSION

The entrance of the other players in the consumer electronics market meant that Apple is
getting tougher competition, especially since these competitors are turning out the
smartphones and tablets that are significantly lower in price around global. Apple CEO Tim
Cook, however, is unfazed by this non-threat, calling these lower-cost counterparts as the junk
market. According to Cook itself, Apple is not catering to this junk market, which is why it stick
to the offering more expensive products that have a lot more, and better things to offer, than
what these junk markets are currently fielding to buying customers as a whole.

There is no denying, but however that the best product strategy that Apple employs is
coming up with the very good products. They call it as great product strategy. By continuing
to hold on to high standards of the quality, Apple refuses to get on the bandwagon that most
other device makers are using it now, where they pack their products chock-full of features
that, while they may be impressively advanced, actually end up making operating the device
actually more complicated and not at all user-friendly. Packaging is certainly not an area where
Apple is lacking now. It is known for being a company that provides clean and simple, yet
functional packaging to its products. More than being flashy, it tends to boast more of a
utilitarian aesthetic, but without coming across as boring or just plain. But when it comes to
the latest of iPhones, they right now are trying to sell their brands rather than the quality which
they put higher prices for the iPhones and Apple should get back on the their right track to
gain back the loyal customers to prove they are the outstanding company in this globalization
market environment.

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Hence, it should have or added some of the Journal which is International Journal of
Operations & Production Management and the title is Management perception of the link
between product quality and customers view of product quality that consist several
characteristics which is :

(1) performance : a products primary operating characteristics;

(2) features : the additional features or the bells and whistles of the product;

(3) conformance: the extent to which a products design and operating characteristics meet
e established standards;

(4) reliability : the probability that a product will operate properly over a specified period of
t time under stated conditions of use;

(5) durability : the amount of use the customer gets from a product before it physically d
deteriorates or until replacement is preferable;

(6) serviceability : the speed, competence, and courtesy of repair;

(7) aesthetics : how a product appeals to our five senses; and

(8) customer-perceived quality: customers perception of a products quality based on the

r reputation of the firm (Appendix).

The great product strategy also focuses on the quality over quantity. While other
manufacturers strategy entail churning out products one another in a short span of time and
having such a diversified product mix, while Apple preferred to stick to what it does best. This
means that it focuses on selected products and continues to enhancing them, instead of
branching out to create the other products within the same category.

But take a look during the Chinas revolution that can be taken from the Journal which is
The TQM Magazine and the title is Quality management approach in China, since China
instituted an open-door policy in 1978, its economic development has been impressive, both
in terms of comparison with the past and its economic growth rate. China has created so many
of billionaires, example that can take is Jack Ma the founder of Ali Baba Group. He has been
emphasis so many things about the quality to create a good product and it shows a great
performance from time to time. His ideology also can be applied in Apple and take example
from it on how to survive in the future. Jack Ma is one of the world's most powerful people,
and has been a global inspiration to many, giving numerous lectures, enlightenments and
advices throughout his life career.

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If you look at the numbers, it is true that other companies, such as Samsung, are showing
higher figures when it comes to the unit sales. They are starting to occupy a larger share of
the new market. But this does not worry Apple. Instead, it continues to focus on its loyal
customers and, despite being occupying a smaller percentage of the market, it is able to
position itself as a premium brand and a maker and provider of top quality products.

C. RECOMMENDATION & CONCLUSION

In conclusion, Apples product development process is one of the most successful design
process ever implemented in human history. With the company verging on becoming the
worlds first $1 trillion business organization theres a lot that designers can learn and adapt
the value of quality product from Apple and introduce into their own design environments.

Apple is a notoriously secretive business. In Steve Jobs time at the company it would have
been near impossible to find out about the internal workings of the business. This isnt
surprising when a businesss market advantage is its design approach. Its worth keeping it
under wraps. A big thanks to Steve Jobs itself, Apple appeared to be capable of making
products that were perfect right out of the gate. You didnt have to accept the idea that
something wouldnt work the first time you used it, or that there might be a few updates to a
piece of software before it functioned correctly. This is a testament to Jobs fastidiousness.
The products developed under his watch were of such quality that any mistakes seemed
almost unbelievable.

Overall, Steve Jobs enduring legacy will be his products, and the mark that he made on
those products is their quality. This is hard wired into every Apple product he had a hand in
developing. Companies in every industry talk about how they want to be the Apple of whatever
it is that they do. These will always be good goals to have, but unless their focus is 100% on
the craftsmanship and user experience of their products, there will still be no comparison.