Quality Management Case Study: Apple Inc.

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1. Description of Apple Inc.

Apple Inc. is actually four diverse and thriving companies all wrapped up into one. It is a hardware company, a software company, a service company, and a retail company. Most technology companies in the world can manage one or two of these disciplines, but only Apple has all four entities working in harmony. (Bajarin, 2011)

Apple Inc., founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, ad Ronal Wayne in 1976, is now recognized as one of the most innovative companies in the world thanks to its ability to transcend the barriers in the computer industry to tap in other markets; namely the consumer electronics, telecommunication, and music industries. In this sense, in January 2007, Apple Computer changed its name to Apple Inc, …show more content…

If you make something great then everybody will want to use it” (Morris, 2008: 69). In this light, in order to foster disruptive innovations, Apple has introduced “deep collaboration” or “cross-pollination” within the company and can be described as a new approach to product development. Rather than developing products in discrete stages, “deep-collaboration” requires the investment of “all departments at once –design, hardware, software- in endless round of interdisciplinary design reviews” (Grossman, 2005). Furthermore, Apple’s ability to catch the new-technology trends before its competitors is also a factor that leads to insightful and disruptive …show more content…

The first keynote to his team was: “The one thing about Apple that will change going forward is that we’re not going to see one person representing himself as the physical manifestation of all Apple” (Menn and Denbosky, 2011). An employee reported that Cook has been very good at letting them do their thing, that he’s involved at the high end and as needed. In addition, whereas Jobs severely restricted interactions between all his employees and the press, Cook opens it. According to the new CEO this serves one main purpose: it ensures that the world continues to talk about Apple. “A true coach is happy with his star players getting media time,” says Gassée, the ex-Apple

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