Premium Essay

Apple Inc. Group Case

In:

Submitted By nrod
Words 10734
Pages 43
Group Case
Group #8

The Information Technology Industry

MAN4720-011
GLOBAL STRATEGY AND POLICY
Fall 2014

CRITICAL CASE ISSUES:
(CI #1) INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT: Leadership
The change in leadership led to changes in the internal environment and marketing strategies.
(CI #2) ECONOMIC: Domestic Market
Apple (iOS capable) phones are losing market share to Android capable phones.
(CI #3) EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT: Foreign Markets
The Apple Corporation is criticized for manufacture issues and the lack of ability to acquire market share from foreign competitors overseas.
(CI #4) SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT: Technological
The Apple Corporation constantly faces criticism for various technological and security issues.

I. CURRENT SITUATION
A. CURRENT PERFORMANCE
2013 was a rough year for the Apple Corporation, closing the fiscal year down 29.1%. Despite the record breaking release of the iPhone 5S and 5C and a total revenue of $170 Billion, up 9.55%, net income was only $37 Billion, down 11.25% from the previous year. The Apple Corporation’s market share in smartphones was only 12.9% and 18% in application downloads. The Apple Corporation controls only a relatively small section of the computer market, but its market share has grown with the decrease in sale of windows machines.
B. STRATEGIC POSTURE
1. Mission
a. As of 2013: “Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.”
b. Prior to 2013: “The company is committed to bringing the best personal computing, portable digital music and mobile communication experience to

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Apple Case Study

...Course Name: Unit Number: Case Name: Apple Inc. Case Study Analysis Introduction This analysis is based on Apple Inc. case study in which the strategic management is analyzed. In the process of analyzing this concept, the article also indentifies the issues and problems as they are presented together with the identification of the major issues surrounding the organization and individuals that are involved with the Apple Inc. Alternative course of action is addressed together with the recommendation that is based on the analysis. Understanding strategic management Through strategic management, a series of moves are developed and executed with an aim of enhancing the organization to be successful in the current situation and also in the future. As the Apple Inc aggressive history is analyzed, a slew of examples are unveiled with an illustration of the irreproducible ability in the effort to have an adoption as well as own market creation. Apple’s strategic management The success of Apple Inc. has been based on its ability to integrate into its model of business operation a management that is strategic. Through strategic management diligent involvement, Apple Inc. has been able to ensure that it is not maneuvered; a strategy that has enabled the company for the past 3 decades to emerge as successful in the competition. However, believing that Apple Inc. has not gone through some setbacks would be illogical. In fact, this...

Words: 1005 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Leadership

...Leadership and business performance Assignment of “a good leader influence a group of individuals to achieve a common goal and perform well, without having to watch over them” Word count: 2,927 Introduction Leadership is always considering as an important managerial topic because a good leader does not only able to guide behaviors from followers, but also leads individuals within an organization to achieve their common objectives (Morrill, 2010). The commonly accepted definition of leadership is contributed by David and Vince (2008, p2), who defined leadership as a person has “abilities of leading a group of people, and also has abilities of supporting group of people to achieve common objectives”. More specifically, Bass (1990) defines leadership as the ability to adapt the setting so everyone feels empowered to contribute creatively to solving the problems. The primary aim of this assignment is to critically discuss the topic of “a good leader influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal and perform well, without having to watch over them.” In order to answer this question well, the author selects Steve Jobs as the leader, and then with reference to Apple Inc to discuss why a good leader as Jobs influences group of individuals without watching them. As an essay based assignment, the author organizes this paper in three main parts, including introduction, main body and conclusion. In introduction section, the definition and importance of leadership...

Words: 3299 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

Apple Inc. Case Study

...GB520: Strategic Human Resource Management Professor Susan Pettine Kaplan University Apple Inc. Case Study 2008 Apple Inc. Case Analysis Introduction The 2008 Harvard Business Case Study on Apple Inc, describes the illustrious company which is fast becoming the wealthiest company ever with a net worth of $500 billion dollars. It illustrates how the company has had some issues, but still find a way to yet sustain its’ name and position over the years. The status of the company was examined in detail by the article which revealed a number of strategic moves under the leadership of several CEO’s in marketing, the PC industry and the consumer electronics industry. This paper offers an analysis of how I view Apple Inc. using the Strategic Management Process. Therefore, the latter part will offer recommendations of some difficulties Apple Inc. faced as it made successful changes (Slind & Yoffie, 2008). Synopsis (Background) of the Situation April 1, 1976 Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak cofounded Apple Computer in Los Angeles, California from Jobs garage; they built a computer circuit board and named it Apple I. In just a few months they sold 200, in less than three years Apple had annual sales of $1billion which quickly propelled them an industry leader. Apple was thriving to a degree that seemed to be beyond the capacity of Apple computer. Although Mac sales surged in recent years, Apple’s share of the PC market consistently...

Words: 1437 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Preparing to Conduct Business Research: Part 4

...I believe I could use the internet on the Apple Inc., site which customers visit on a daily basis and have a survey on the electric car that the company plans to design and that why I could get positive or negative feedback on Apples plan for an electric car. I could also do random surveys with different age groups to see how popular this would be amongst different age ranges at malls or popular hangouts. Then finally I could do telephone surveys with the various range groups ranging from 18- 65 to find what their input and opinions are when it comes to driving an electric car designed by Apple Inc. since most know Apple for the design of the I phone and I pads. These different methods will give Apple Inc. feedback whether it is positive or negative and then it can be used to analysis all the data and information and decide how to use it. I believe when it comes to collecting data for Apple Inc. for the design I could use different methods of collecting and documenting it. I could use the nominal data where I would categorize all the information on a bar chart and or I could use a rank order about what was liked and disliked about the electric car. I believe I would use a line graph or a pie chart and break it down in various sections with all the data that would have been collected with this research (Cooper, D. R., & Schindler, P. S. 2014). . Then I would analyses, observe and interview various personnel with the research and data that will be collected. I could use photographs...

Words: 1505 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Ms Manager

...5/28/2014 Apple Ife Matrix Analysis - Research Papers - Alexpadron MOZHISH1 UPGRADE Get Access to over 1,709,571 More Essays. Upgrade Your Account Now. RESEARCH DOCUMENTS BOOK NOTES AP NOTES Home » Miscellaneous Apple Ife Matrix Analysis By alexpadron | March 2008 Add to Library (0) Download Print Report this Essay Page 1 of 1 Apple IFE Matrix Analysis It was pretty surprising to me to find that all the different groups came up with fairly similar ratings in their IFE matrix for Apple Inc. My group, management, had the second highest rating at a 2.78 and I felt that we were fairly critical of the different strengths and weaknesses for the company. The groups that pertained to a more financial aspect like finance and accounting seemed to have lower scores, which were not as far above the average for utilization of resources internally. This seems interesting because many companies use resources outside their company to assist them in correcting financial problems. Also, there were a few strengths and weaknesses that every group mentioned in their matrix and they were: Steve Jobs leaving and then returning(W), large increase in inventory(W), products are globalized(S). It was interesting to see that Steve Jobs leaving and then returning was on everyone groups list because with out him these last few years Apple Inc. would probably not be where it is at today. The only downside to this is that there seems to be this great dependency on one person in...

Words: 591 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Mirror Worlds vs. Apple, Inc.

...Running Head: MIRROR WORLDS VERSUS APPLE, INC. 1 Mirror Worlds versus Apple, Inc. Willful Infringement MIRROR WORLDS VERSUS APPLE, INC. 2 ABSTRACT This paper will discuss the lawsuit filed by Mirror Worlds LLC against Apple, Inc. for infringement of four patents owned by Mirror Worlds. Mirror Worlds’ patents cover intellectual property; namely that of digital and visual media and the consolidation and sorting thereof. The jury’s verdict in this case awarded Mirror Worlds a substantial amount of money for damages caused by the supposed willful infringement of Apple, Inc. In addition, Apple, Inc.’s arguments, namely involving the claim of willful infringement, evolving into a counterclaim against Mirror Worlds will also be discussed. Keywords: intellectual property, patents, infringement, software, documents, counterclaim, willful infringement MIRROR WORLDS VERSUS APPLE, INC. 3 Mirror Worlds versus Apple, Inc. Willful Infringement In February of 2010, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, USPTO, granted Apple Inc. a design patent on Cover Flow, which covers the design and display of specific documents, but not the functionality. “A patent is a legal right, for a limited term, to exclude others from using, selling or making an invention or discovery.” (Kay, Millonzi and Passannante, 2001). Patent D609715 regards an “animated graphical user interface for a display screen or portion thereof. The process or period in which an image transitions to...

Words: 2081 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Strategic Managemrent Apple

...Apple in case study Question 1/ Analyze the microenvironment and drivers of changes of the PC industry. What are the opportunities and threats facing Apple, Inc. (PESTEL analysis, “Uncertainty/Impact” drivers’ analysis and Scenario Planning)? 20% : a) Opportunities and threats facing Apple, Inc. Opportunities: * Entrance in new markets; * High levels of demand of Apple’s products (IPhone, IPad); * Damages from competitors who doesn’t respect Apple’s patent; * Exploitation of new advertising methods. Threats: * High levels of competitiveness; * Dependence on specific suppliers; * Android system Vs. iOS; * Inflation; * Levels of taxes. b) PESTEL analysis Political factors: According to Datamonitor (2012), 38.6% of the total revenues of Apple Inc. were from U.S. during 2011. Therefore, 61.4% of sales of Apple Inc. were from outside America. Bad global relations, wars, and terrorism can affect the business of Apple Inc. Furthermore, Apple Inc. manufactures many of its products and parts outside the U.S., like in Czech Republic, Korea, Ireland, Cork, and China. Economical factors: The global recession might have influence on Apple Inc. The inflation rate is high, while consumer’s earning did not have significant changes. Moreover, the unemployment rate has amplified, affecting consumers to spend less, especially on ‘Luxury products’. However, Apple’s revenue is not affected by this economic recession although most of...

Words: 1905 - Pages: 8

Free Essay

Apple Inc Marketing Strategies

...of Apple Marketing Strategy on Consumer Self-concept and How Various Products Appeal to the Different Types of Self In their marketing strategy, Apple Inc capitalizes on their consumer’s self-concept such as their beliefs, opinions, preferences, attitudes and what they think about the Apples brand (Schneiders, 2011). As explained by (Budnikas, 2010), Apple Inc marketing strategy focuses on the customer experience as it is fully aware that all aspects of the consumer experience are important to the success of their brands. Apple Inc develops products that are beautifully designed, innovative, ergonomically simple to use and user friendly interface. Additionally, Apple has also spent as much time and resources on the design of their products packaging as on their products hence they have created an experience among their customers that is impossible to match. Apple Inc also uses scarcity as its marketing strategy (Katie, 2013). The company stocks a limited number of their products. Due to the limited availability of the products, people perceive their products as high quality and of great value (McCormack, 2016). This creates very long queues which helps publicize their products and increase demand. Apple has also come up with Apple Genius. These are employees trained and certified to provide technical assistance to apple stores. This creates trust in their products and conveys their products as superior. Apple Inc products include Mac, iPod, iPad, iPhone and Apple stores...

Words: 812 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Itgyitidcuytg

... * Assessing The Goal Of Sports Products, Inc. Case Study September 24, 2012 John Rapa Assessing the Goal of Sports Products, Inc. case study Introduction Sports Products Inc. is a large producer of boating... Premium * Assessing The Goals Of Sports Products Inc Assessing the Goals of Sports Products, Inc. Case Study Paper What should the management of Sports Products, Inc., pursue as its overriding goal? Why What... Premium * Case Analysis: Assessing The Goal Of Sports Products, Inc. Case Analysis: Assessing the Goal of Sports Products, Inc. Submitted by: Group 1 Acebedo, Gladys Bandiola, Penuel Bautista, Jherwienne Cruz... Premium * Assessing The Goals Of Sports Products, Inc. Assessing the Goals of Sports Products, Inc. Assessing the Goals of Sports Products, Inc. Establishing and monitoring goals of any organization can be a... Premium * Assessing The Goal Of Sports Products, Inc. Maples University of Phoenix Finance for Decision Making FIN/419 Thomas Ster November 19, 2012 Assessing the Goal of Sports Products, Inc. Loren Seguara... Premium * Assessing The Goal Of Sports Product the firms stock price is falling. The management of Sports Products, Inc. should pursue its overriding goal by understanding the objectives needed for the firms... Premium * Assesing The Goal Of Sports Products, Inc specific recommendations would you offer the firm? Ans: From the information available in the case study, we get a picture that this company has...

Words: 543 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Change and Development in Apple Inc.

...and development inAplle Inc. Apple Inc. Change and Development Efforts. Abstract This research seeks to explore the issues that affect Apple Inc. and reveal how best they can be addressed. The research methodology utilized in the study will be a mixed methods approach. This utilizes both qualitative and quantitative methods as they will be used concurrently through both numerical and other word analysis. Some of the solutions proposed include the adoption of human process interventions, which helps in team building and the completion of tasks to make an organization more effective. The institution of team building allows members to detect group problems and solve them in a collective way. Changes in structural design that focus on division of labor, which defines who is to do which work is also vital. Apples Inc. also needs to move from the traditional way of division of labor to modern division of labor. This can help in improving Apple Inc.’s effectiveness. Apple Inc. should also change from rapid launching of new technology to the market and start gradual introduction to make sure that customers understand one brand before they introduce another to avoid any confusion between the models. Addressing such changes and development follows organizational development strategies such as human process intervention Introduction Apple Inc. represents a multinational...

Words: 1738 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Apple Inc.

...Organizational Behavior at Apple Inc Brandi Hobbs Upper Iowa University Organizational Behavior at Apple Inc Thesis statement “The success of Apple Inc is the result of effective organizational culture and organizational behavior at the organization.” Introduction Apple Inc is an US based global organization. The company’s headquarter is located in California. The company designs, sells and advances computers, consumer electronics and software. The famous hardware of Apple is Mac series of computers, the iPod music players, Smartphone and iPad tablet PCs. The famous software are iOS & OS X operating systems, the media browsers of iTunes, the safari web browser and iWork and iLife production and originality suits (Yohe, 2011). The company was founded in the year 1976 by Steve Jobs. It was incorporated as Apple computers Inc. However, later on the word computer was eradicated from its title, since the launch of iPhone Smartphone mobile. Apple has achieved the second position in information technology industry after Samsung Electronics with respect to income. Moreover, the company is the third largest mobile making organization after Nokia and Samsung. The company has been considered as the most regarded firm by Fortune magazines and all over the world. All the credit for these achievements goes to the organizational commitment and management approach at Apple Inc. the management at Apple Inc is most organized with focus on employees and job...

Words: 3435 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

Strategic Management

...Introduction This case study highlights Apple Inc. position on the consumer electronics retail within the United Kingdom’s market. The competitive conditions are highlighted using Porter’s five forces theory. The second part of this case study shows how Apple Inc handles the different forces and threat to remain competitive on the market. Porter’s five forces The Porters five forces is a model helping to analyse the forces that shape an industry’s competitive environment. The tool can be used to define the attractiveness of an industry as well as plan the strategy of a company within a market. Competitive rivalry within the industry The main actors of the consumer electronic goods are divided depending of the type of products their providing. Based on Apple’s product, we can identify the following competition’s group: * Computers: Lenovo, HP, Acer, LG, Fujitsu, etc. * Smartphones: Samsung, HTC, Sony Ericsson, LG, Nokia, Blackberry, etc. * Music players: HP, Samsung, etc. * Tablets: Samsung, Tesco, Acer, Microsoft, Blackberry, etc. The competitive rivalry is intense within the consumer electronic goods retail. Entering this market as a new brand is very difficult as the current actors are well settle. Also many companies having a step in the market are diversifying their type of electronic products, and each of them is a potential competitor for any other brand. Bargaining power of buyers The buyers have the opportunity to compare the products prices using...

Words: 1167 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Apple Inc

...A Critical Assessment Of �Apple Inc.� Table of Contents Page A. Company History, Overview of Primary Business Operations, and Its Fortune 500 Ranking 3 B. Assessment of Apple Inc.�s Vision, Mission and Strategic Goals/Objectives 5 C. SWOT Analysis and Assessment of Apple Inc. 7 D. Value Chain Analysis of Apple�s iPhone 10 E. BGC Matrix for the Macintosh Computer and iTunes 12 F. Overview Analysis of Apple Inc. and Investment Recommendation 16 G. References 18 A. Company History, Overview of Primary Business Operations, and Its Fortune 500 Ranking Apple Computer Inc. was founded in April 1, 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne in order to sell hand built personal computer kits called the Apple I. By today�s standards, Apple I would be considered a motherboard, which was marketed at $666.66 and included the CPU, RAM and basic textual video chips. On April 16, 1977, the Apple II was introduced with color graphics, and the introduction of the five-quarter-inch floppy disk drive. In the late 1970s, the Apple II took off due to its compatibility with the latest spreadsheet program at the time, the VisiCalc. In May 1980, the Apple III was introduced to compete in the market along side IBM and Microsoft.[1] In 1983, Apple successfully introduced the first personal computer with a Graphical User Interface (GUI) called the �Lisa� (Local Integrated Software Architecture)...

Words: 4023 - Pages: 17

Premium Essay

Essay on Apple

...4 2. External environment of Apple 4 2.1. Macro-environment Analyse PESTEL 4 2.1.1. Political 4 Contents Page Abstract 3 1. Introduction 4 2. External environment of Apple 4 2.1. Macro-environment Analyse PESTEL 4 2.1.1. Political 4 2.1.2. Economic 5 2.1.3. Social 5 2.1.4. Technological 5 2.1.5. Environmental 6 2.1.6. Legal 6 2.2. Industries and sectors - Analyse Five Forces framework 6 2.2.1. The bargaining power of suppliers 7 2.2.2. The bargaining power of customers 7 2.2.3. Risk of entry by potential competitors 8 2.2.4. Substitutes 8 2.2.5. Rivalry 9 3. Internal environment of Apple 9 3.1. Brand positioning 9 3.2. Life cycle of Apple Inc. Core Product 10 3.3. Finance 10 3.4. Human Resource Process 11 CEO 11 4. Current Strategy 12 4.1. Business-level strategy 12 4.1.1. Differentiation strategy 12 4.1.2. Strategy to manage rivalry 14 4.2. Global Strategy 15 4.2.1. Apple’s foreign operations 15 4.2.2. Global retail stores 16 4.2.3. Brand loyal and value promotion 16 4.2.4. Acquisition strategy 16 4.2.5. Methods used by Apple in order to enter new markets 17 5. Conclusion 18 6. References 19 7. Bibliography 21 8. Appendix 22 9. Group log 25 9.1. First meeting 25 9.2. Second meeting 25 9.3. Third meeting 25 9.4. Fourth meeting 26 9.5. Fifth meeting 26 9.6. Sixth meeting 26 10. Reflection 28 Nguyen Thi Diu 28 Hany Jawad 28 He Miao 28 Hani Elyas 29 Yousaf Khan 29 Abstract Apple made several hugely successful...

Words: 6472 - Pages: 26

Free Essay

Economic Factors for Apple Inc in Usa

...Introduction: Apple and Samsung are the two greatest companies in the world, when it comes to supply of Mobiles phones, laptops And TV’s. The fierce competition between Apple and Samsung is going on from a long time. And surely the consumer’s across the World are benefited by this competition. Apple Inc. is an American multinational partnership headquartered in Cupertino, California, that plans, creates, and offers buyer gadgets, machine programming, online administrations, and Pcs. Apple was established by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne on April 1, 1976 to create and offer Pcs. It was named Apple Inc. on January 9, 2007 to reflect its moved center towards buyer hardware. Its best-known fittings items are the Mac line of machines, the ipod media player, the iphone cell phone, and the ipad tablet machine. Apple has ceaselessly concocted imaginative items making it the most significant organization on the planet and abandoning all its rivals Samsung (Hangul: 삼성; hanja: 三星; Korean articulation: [sʰamsʰʌŋ ɡɯɾup]) is a South Korean multinational combination organization headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul Samsung was established by Lee Byung-chul in 1938 as an exchanging organization. Throughout the following three decades, the gathering broadened into zones including sustenance transforming, materials, protection, securities and retail. Samsung entered the hardware business in the late 1960s and the development and shipbuilding commercial enterprises in the mid-1970s;...

Words: 1105 - Pages: 5