Abu Dhabi University MEM 504: Quality Engineering Report - Apple Inc.

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of quality engineering principles, focusing on their application within Apple Inc. The report begins with an executive summary, followed by an introduction to quality management and its significance in ensuring product consistency. A literature review establishes the theoretical foundation of quality engineering, encompassing quality systems, management, leadership, and design. The report then addresses specific assignment questions, outlining Apple's quality objectives related to minimal defects, durability, and customer satisfaction. The analysis delves into the effectiveness, presentation, and reliability of Apple's products, supported by data and research, including a discussion on the cost basis of the products. The report concludes with recommendations for improvement and a list of references. The report highlights Apple's commitment to quality, emphasizing its impact on customer satisfaction and market success. The report provides a detailed examination of how Apple achieves its quality objectives, demonstrating the importance of quality engineering in the competitive technology market.

Running head: QUALITY ENGINEERING
QUALITY ENGINEERING
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Executive Summary
Quality can be essentially considered to be one of the most important aspects of a product or a
service which can be used as a key point of differentiation for the company at large. Various
successful companies present around the company have often adopted quality to be an essential
aspect of an organization and with respect to this they have been largely successful in gaining a
larger customer base. The main purpose of the paper is throw light on the concept of Quality
Engineering. Quality Engineering can be essentially said to be a discipline which deals with the
manner in which the different companies can improve upon their quality aspects and ensure
better production in the long run of the organization. The report has analyzed the literature
available in regard to the concept of Quality Engineering and thereby discussed the dynamics of
quality in relation to the performance of the products of the manufacturing company Apple Inc.
The results as well as discussions have also been presented. A set of recommendations to
improve the study has been provided.

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Background/Theory/Literature Review...........................................................................................3
Assignment Questions.....................................................................................................................6
Quality Objectives of Apple........................................................................................................6
Analysis of Objectives with the Definition of Quality................................................................6
Effectiveness of the Apple Products............................................................................................7
Presentation of the product..........................................................................................................7
Reliability of Apple Products......................................................................................................8
Cost basis of the Apple product`s price.......................................................................................9
Results............................................................................................................................................10
Discussion......................................................................................................................................11
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................12
Recommendations..........................................................................................................................12
References......................................................................................................................................14

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Introduction
Quality management is an upcoming field of study which is essentially involved in
ensuring that a firm at large engages in activities which ensures that the products or services
produced are consistent in nature. The main aspects of Quality Management involves quality
planning, quality control, improvement of quality as well as quality assurance. According to
Fortune.com. (2018), initially it was believed that Quality is just associated with the
manufacturing products but it was later on formulated that quality management is also largely
concerned with the service management. Hence, the Quality Management looks out to use the
medium of quality assurance to ensure that the products are of better quality (Aquilani et al.
2015). The subject related to Quality Engineering largely involves ensuring that the practices as
well as principles of quality assurance as well as control are implemented well into the family
functioning’s of the organization at large. The primary aim of the report is to highlight the
concept of quality engineering and management along with highlighting the role of quality in a
manufacturing organization of Apple Inc. Moreover, the four aspects of quality like the
Effectiveness, Presentation, Reliability and Cost will be discussed. The related results and
achievements will also be highlighted.
Background/Theory/Literature Review
According to Molina-Azorín et al. (2015), Quality Engineering can be described as the
engineering discipline which is primarily concerned with the practice of maintain product as well
as the service quality. Quality forms the basis of any business operations and in order to assure
long term success with respect to the various business operations, it becomes critical for the
businesses to engage in quality engineering and adopt related strategies with respect to assuring
quality for the business. The quality assurance aspect is concerned with the development of the

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product as well as production and related development of software. The Quality engineering
comprises of a specific body of knowledge which comprises of various domains like the Quality
system, management as well as leadership in relation to quality, the elements of the quality
system, the classification of the characteristics of quality and the design of the process.
O’Neill, Sohal and Teng (2016) state that the Quality engineering body is a relatively
large body of knowledge which comprises of no only the quality system and design but also the
verification of the design, the design inputs, Reliability as well as the different control and
planning tools which can be used ensure that quality is maintained throughout the different
processes of the workplace. Moreover, it also seeks to ensure that different corrective and
preventive actions are also considered to ensure consistency in the firm. According to Papp
(2018), the Risk Management and Statistical process control is also an effective part of the
Quality engineering which ensures to consider that the consumers are provided with the optimum
quality products and procedures
An organization in order to gain new customers and to increase market share of the
company they tend to design and develop new and improved products in order to ensure that they
achieve a competitive edge in the chosen market. Although the new innovative strategies ensure
that they are successful but as there exists a large number of products in the marketplace, quality
can be stated to be the only aspect which needs to be used to differentiate the particular product.
Hence, as stated by Oakland (2014), the businesses tend to make an effective use of the various
Quality Engineering methods and tools to assist them with the product conception,
implementation processes and development which will ensure that the customer request is heard
and that proper quality is built into the product and thereby does not have an impact on the costs
of the firm. Reijers, Mendling and Recker (2015), state that the Quality Engineering tools if used

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in the right way tend to have a great impact on the cost of the product as well as the procedures
of the firm.
Figure 1: The Quality Engineering Service
(Sources: Sallis 2014).
Ross (2017) has laid down the various methodologies as well as tools of the Quality
Engineering which thereby help an organization and assist them in ensuring that the goods
manufactured along way the processes undertaken are able to ensure success of the firm. The
methodologies include instilling a Quality Management System, Integration of the VOC in the
processes, implementation as well as monitoring of the process controls and development of
appropriate tests which will ensure that the process controls becomes effective (Slashdot.org

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2018). Hence, if Quality engineering is applied in an organization it will ensure long term
success and a competitive edge.
Assignment Questions
Quality Objectives of Apple
The objectives are as follows:
 Apple aims to ensure that minimum defects are present in the product and the primary
motive is to ensure that only 0.1% of the products fail the quality conformance.
 The durability target of the product is set to at least 20000 hours.
 To ensure that the customer satisfaction index of the company is maximum.
Analysis of Objectives with the Definition of Quality
Hence, from the given analysis, it can be rightfully stated that the Apple organization
takes the quality of its products very seriously and that it is very crucial for them to ensure that
the different products which are produced by them are of the top quality and tend to ensure
customer satisfaction. According to Medium.com. (2018), quality can be described the degree
to which a particular commodity meets the requirements of the different customers in the
beginning of its life cycle. It is not necessary to use the ISO 9001 quality management system.
Additionally, the primary effects of the Quality are largely experienced by the different
customers and the product quality is largely defined by the different design specifications and the
manufacturing standards which are delivered and achieved.
Hence, quality can be described as the reliability of the features of the product and Apple
ensures whether the product is an iPhone, Mac Laptops or iPads, the specifications are delivered
at large.

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Effectiveness of the Apple Products
The reason why the products of Apple are successful and are good in its domain is
because its focus is largely based on the people and their wants. Other companies often tend to
design their product based on the technology but often lose out on the people aspect of it. Their
engineers create the products based on the manner they want to use them and based on a real
customer. Hence, the features are basic yet perform well which then makes the lives of the
different customers very easy. Moreover, another effectiveness of the Apple Products is that they
are easy to use (Mikelee.org. 2018). The products as well as the software’s used are intuitive
along with the fact that it appears to be stylish which thereby connects with the behavioral
aspects of the people. Moreover, their procedure of the phone is quite simple, as it tends to
minimize the decision making process for the customers which makes the product more
effective. In addition to this, another reason why the product is successful in the market is
because their products tend to integrate well. Apple ensures that their products form a good
combination with respect to the hardware as well as the software and conduct the specific tasks
which it is meant to do well (Moore et al. 2014). Moreover, the idea that the company spends a
large amount of resources for the design and development of the product, makes it approachable
to the different customers and increases its effectiveness.
Presentation of the product
Another notable aspect about the Apple products is that the products are quite fine
looking. All the products whether the iPhone or the Mac Laptops have a unique look and design
which is sleek, appealing as well as durable. The primary reason behind this is that the designers
aim to make the products look distinctive with their exceptional design process. At Apple the
products are designed in a manner such that the different product designers brainstorm and

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thereby come up with various incarnations which are then approved from the senior management
and the feedback is incorporated and then either the cost or a feature is compromised upon to
ensure that the budget remains intact. However, the product design is never compromised upon
and this is the reason why the end product is so beautiful. The Apple products are high in quality,
innovation as well as invention (Macworld.com. 2018). The strategy which Apple applies is
based on quality over quantity and although Apple does not comprise of exceptional features but
all its products are of an optimum quality which thereby makes it impressive to the audience at
large. The products are crafted in a manner such that they make a lasting impression and has
good circuit boards, elegant finish and connect with the different consumers.
Reliability of Apple Products
In addition to the previously mentioned features, another exceptional feature of the Apple
products is that they are quite reliable in nature. The Rescuecom took out a Reliability Report
whereby the Mac products of Apple scored a reliability score of 665 whereby it left behind the
other companies by a score of 400 to the least.

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Figure 2: The Rescuecom Report based on Product Liability
(Source: Zdnet.com. 2018).
Apple has earned an A+ Grade for reliability and the products of the firm represent just a
percentage of 3.2% for all the repairs which it makes. The given number is particularly low when
compared to the total production of Apple laptops (Kwon, Lee and Shin 2014). Even with
respect to the products like the iPhones, iWatch and the iPods, the products are highly reliable
with each product lasting at least two years without any trouble. Such a high reliability rate of the
organization thereby represents that the quality of the Apple products is optimum in nature and
that the firm ensures long term success of the products which is the worth for money.
Cost basis of the Apple product`s price
The cost basis of the Apple products also tend to form an effective basis of considerations
with respect to the Quality and a good quality product can be described as one which is worth the

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total amount of money to be paid. Although the product prices of Apple can be considered to be
considerably higher than its competitors, the product features, reliability and design make up for
the high prices.
The products have a larger shelf life and particularly with respect to a MacBook, the
brand makes sure that its products last longer and that they do not break down easily which
ultimately makes them last longer than the other brands who cost less than an Apple product.
They provide flawless consumer experience and great value for money (Kalpakjian, Vijai Sekar
and Schmid 2014). The products of Apple do not undergo depreciation easily. Moreover, the
main cost basis of Apple comes from the research and development in which it engages in in
order to ensure a better product.
Results
Therefore, from the given analysis, it can be rightfully stated that, the given study on the
Apple organization reflected that Quality Standards can be considered to be a crucial aspect of
any organizations success at large and that if a firm wants to gain a competitive edge in the long
run, it needs to engage in the differentiation of its products based on quality rather than other
factors like price and marketing strategy (Zeng, Phan and Matsui 2015). This is because the
quality of a product tends to speak for itself. The given analysis undertook an examination of the
Apple products based on the different dynamics of quality which are price, reliability, looks and
the reliability with respect to the performance (Hitomi 2017). With respect to the Appearance
aspect, the products of Apple can be stated to be one of the best products present in the
telecommunications industry and have a large audience appeal with respect to their unique as
well as sleek design. Moreover, its appearance and hold have been one of the Unique Selling
Points. Secondly with respect to the reliability, the product has a long shelf life and lasts much

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longer than the other competitor brands. In addition to this, although it can be stated that the
price of the Apple products can be considered to be reasonably high but it is value for money as
these products are associated with good quality and appreciated for their reliability aspect as well
(Goetsch and Davis 2014). Lastly, the examination also revealed that the Apple products are a
class apart when the performance aspect is considered which makes them exceptionally good
with respect to the competition which exists in the dynamic business environment.
Discussion
The given discussion on the concept of Quality engineering and the manner in which
quality provides market sustenance went a long way in clarifying and elaborating upon the
aspects based on the kind of quality which the different customers expect in their purchased
product and how the concept of Quality can be rightfully used as a competitive advantage and
assist in differentiating the product from the others as present in the business environment. The
paper presented a review of literature based on the concept of Quality engineering and the
importance of the chosen component and context in the organization at large (Hartley 2017).
Moreover, the next section presented an analysis of the different aspects of Quality and its
presence in the organization at large. It was believed that Apple has been performing
considerably well and many competitors often wondered the reason behind Apple`s sustained
success which can now be understood well with respect to the fact that the Quality of the
products of Apple with respect to aspects like cost, reliability, presentation and performance are
commendable (Jacobs, Chase and Lummus 2014). Hence, this study was a significant one as it
helped in the understanding of the concept of Quality Management at large and thereby signified
the importance of it for an organization like Apple which is one of the most successful firms as
present in the international business domain.