Quality, Product Quality, and Market Share Increase: A Perspective for Management Decisions

Starting with the meaning of the word quality, diverse concepts connoted by the term are examined. Instead of a bathtub curve, the desirable shape of a failure rate covering the entire life of a good product, which might be called hockey-stick line, is introduced. From the hockey-stick line and the definition of reliability, two measurements are extracted. The terms reliability, failure rate, product life, and durability are explained. From the customer's standpoint, the concept of product quality is classified in five factors, according to related technology: performance, reliability, conformance to specifications, customer perception, and fundamentals advantage. The correlation of the five factors for a first-class product is discussed, Since the market share of a company is determined as the competition result of its product value, defined as product quality and price, the market share increase is derived mathematically from the increment of product value. The market share increase, $\Delta$S, can be calculated from the present market share, S, and the oriented relative value increment of new product, R, to the current product in the same company for the same market target: $\Delta$S : $\Delta$(1-S). R/(1+S.R). Finally, the importance of separating warranty cost from the profit equation for the durables is explained.