...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...
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...will be hard to duplicate from the competition (Dess, et al., 2005). Sustaining a competitive advantage became hard for Apple Inc. as noticed in the Harvard Business School Premier Case. Therefore, this paper is an analysis of Apple, Inc. based on a 7-year old case written by David Yoffie and Michael Slind published by Harvard Business School (Yoffie, et al., 2008). The following paper examines in detail the strategies utilized by the company as outlined in the strategic management steps. Several recommendations are also proposed to handle the issues surrounding the organization. Summation Apple Inc. was created by two college dropouts, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak and later joined by A.C. Markkula, Jr; they created the company with one circuit board (Apple I) and turned into 200 sales within two months time (Yoffie, et al., 2008). The company developed a premium-price differentiation strategy; in which two years later, Apple II was introduced to the world. Apple II tripled company sales to more than 100,000 in less than two years compared to Apple I (Yoffie, et al., 2008). This paper analyzes and reviews the strategies utilized by Apple Inc. based on my comprehension of strategic management; and propose recommendations for several problems that Apple faced to become a successful billion dollar company. Situation and Pending Decision Analyzing the case presented a huge problem for Steve Jobs and his management team, was the company’s success acquired recently a temporary...
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...Unit One – Case Analysis: Apple, inc. Strategic Human Resources Management Unit One – Case Analysis The intended goal of this paper is to explain strategic management and why it is crucial to the success of an organization in meeting its goals and mission. The focus will be on the case study provided by the Harvard Business School on the company Apple, Inc. from the year 2008. I will give a brief overview of the case and identify issues or problems therein. Alternate solutions to solve the problems Apple, Inc. faces will be identified. The best solution to permanently resolve these issues and problems and an implementation plan will be outlined. The computer circuit board, named Apple I, created in a garage on April Fools’ Day 1976 was the beginning of Apple, Inc. Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and A. C. Markkula Jr., the creators, became the industry leaders in 4 years, finally launching their IPO in 1980. Since its inception, Apple has fought to continually and steadily increase its market share and profits worldwide. Technical innovation has been no problem for this company with its numerous devices available. Their competition from Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Acer, and others and trying to compete made the company falter. According to Slind and Yoffie, Hewlett-Packard led the market share with 18.8% and Apple followed with a mere 2.6% in 2007 (2008, pg. 21). But after some hard work and diligence on Jobs’ end, Apple once again began to flourish. One obvious problem for...
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...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...
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...Apple Inc. in 2012 case study Executive Summary According to the case “Apple Inc. in 2012”, it was clearly illustrate that Apple Inc. is one the largest computer manufacturer in the world. The Apple company has a perfect concept and operating systems of manufacturing new products in which launch to the customers. Also, there are some other companies try to imitate the Apple Inc., but some of them were failed. The main purpose of this report is to seek the problems of the Apple Inc. and give an efficient recommendation for the company to help them get better development in the future. 1. Introduction Apple company began as “Apple Computer” and best known for sell Macintosh personal computers in the 1980s and 1990s. (David B, Y, Rossano, P 2012) When Steve Jobs became CEO of Apple Inc. in 1997, the company had changed from near bankruptcy to one of the largest and most profitable companies in the world. Also there are a number of challenges while Jobs need to face his successor. After that, Tim Cook became the new CEO of Apple Inc., he was decided to choose different approach in which distinguish with Steve Jobs to develop the company perform well in the future. However, with the different period, Apple Inc. to change their management very often in these years, such as Sculley, or Spindler, Amelio were served in the company in different period. The liquid management should be an issue in which connected with Apple Inc.. Furthermore, Apple Inc. was using the market...
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...A Critical Analysis about Competitive Advantage of Apple Inc. based on the Porter`s Five Force Model Northeastern University Strategic Leadership Xiaolong Cao Instructed by James Lux June 6th 2016 Abstract This article aims to detect two key areas in Apple`s competitive advantage through using Porter`s Five Force model. According to the knowledge learned from class, there is no forever lasting competitive advantage, so through analyzing the case of Steve Jobs competitive strategy it presents a clear and reasonable structure and explanation of their competitive advantage. After doing this analysis, this article helps to fine both the disadvantage and advantage of their competitive advantage, and each of them contains two aspects according to Porter`s Five Force Model, which provides a reliable and meaningful support to test and excavate the effect of competitive advantage and future developing orientation. Introduction In the modern time, there are numerous resources that identify the importance of the competitive strategy. The ever growing technological trends and volatility within business operations in today's society make it extremely difficult for organizations to stay complacent with their strategies. Adjustments and new ideas need to constantly be developed to be able to maintain a competitive edge. The most obvious examples happen in IT industry, high performance laptop was a competitive advantage 2 years...
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...Elexa Powell Unit 1 – Apple Case Analysis Strategic Human Resources Management GM520-01 December 6, 2011 Introduction Organizations experience changes throughout the course of business. Industries experience natural up’s and downs, it is the in between times that organization must focus its efforts to determine if the organization is headed in the right direction. Bliss (n.d.) believed that strategic management was the art of making plans and implementing the plans to exhibit long term profits for and organization. Analysis Apple Inc has experienced many industry highs and lowers from its inception over thirty years ago. In an industry that was previously unheard of Apple Inc forged its way to the top experiencing many setbacks, restructures and changes in leadership style and plan. Not all of the changes were beneficial for the organization but ultimately the organization was able to make adjustment and stabilize to become a household name (Yoffie, D. & Slind, M., 2008). Major Issue The major issues surrounding Apple Inc. history is the contrast leadership changes. With each change the new leader had a better way of doing business and many instances it was incorrect. One key component in strategic management is to understand the cause and affect of leadership decisions both long term and short term (Bliss, n.d.). The leadership team believed that sudden changes would bring immediate results when in fact it result in significant...
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...Harvard Business School Case Study Analysis Harvard Business School Case Study Analysis Description At the end of 2014, Apple Inc. recorded the most profitable quarter of any firm in history, and its market capitalization soon topped $700 billion. 'Apple Inc. in 2015' explores the history of Apple, its successes under Jobs, its continued growth under Tim Cook, and the challenges facing the company in 2015. With iPod sales continuing their freefall, tablet sales in decline, and the Macintosh's market share remaining small, Apple was increasingly dependent on the iPhone to drive its growth. Could Cook continue Apple's dominance in the smartphone market in the face of growing competition? Could he revitalize the iPad business, become a leader in payments, with Apple Pay, and replicate Apple's success in other device categories, such as the Apple Watch, the first new product the company had released since 2010? Introduction: Apple Inc has been an icon in American industry over the last three decades. The CEO Steve Jobs did a remarkable job turning around the company that was nearly bankrupt in 1996, however after his death in 2011 the questions has been brought forward of how sustainable will Apple be without Steve Jobs. Apple has always been trying to be simple and bring easy to use products to a large market of consumers. On the beginning Apple focused on producing low-cost computers merged with...
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...Chapters | Cases | Core Curriculum Course Modules | Simulations | Video Harvard Business Publishing serves the finest learning institutions worldwide with a comprehensive catalog of case studies, journal articles, books, and elearning programs, including online courses and simulations. In addition to material from Harvard Business School and Harvard Business Review, we also offer course material from these renowned institutions and publications: ABCC at Nanyang Tech University Babson College Berrett-Koehler Publishers Business Enterprise Trust Business Expert Press Business Horizons California Management Review Crimson Group USA Darden School of Business Design Management Institute European School of Management and Technology (ESMT) Haas School of Business Harvard Kennedy School of Government Harvard Medical School/Global Health Delivery HEC Montréal Centre for Case Studies IESE Business School Indian Institute of Management Bangalore Indian School of Business INSEAD International Institute for Management Development (IMD) Ivey Publishing Journal of Information Technology Kellogg School of Management McGraw-Hill MIT Sloan Management Review North American Case Research Association (NACRA) Perseus Books Princeton University Press Rotman Magazine Social Enterprise Knowledge Network Stanford Graduate School of Business Thunderbird...
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...9-486-083 REV: SEPTEMBER 16, 2011 TODD D. JICK MARY GENTILE Donna Dubinsky and Apple Computer, Inc. (A) At 7:00 a.m. on Friday, April 19, 1985, Donna Dubinsky placed an urgent phone call to her boss’s boss, Bill Campbell, executive vice president for sales and marketing at Apple Computer, Inc. Dubinsky, director of distribution and sales administration, was attending a management leadership seminar located more than two hours away. Her words were crisp and to the point: “Bill, I really need to talk to you. Will you wait for me today? I’ll be back at the office around 5:00.” “Absolutely, I’ll be here,” Campbell replied, although he knew nothing about the purpose of her call. Dubinsky inhaled a deep breath. She felt the time had come to “bet her Apple career” on the ultimatum she was going to deliver to Campbell at the head office in Cupertino, California. Still, she could hardly believe it had come to this. Her first three years at Apple, from July 1981 through the fall of 1984, were ones of continuous success with increasing authority and recognition. She had refined and formalized much of the Apple product distribution policy, and she worked closely with the six distribution centers spread across the country. Unexpectedly, however, in early 1985, Steve Jobs, Apple’s chairman of the board and general manager of the Macintosh Division, had proposed that the existing distribution system be dismantled and replaced by the “just-in-time” method. Job’s proposal...
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...author trying to convey. These three parts are Strategic Management from the writer’s point of views, Strategic Management from the participants or students’ perspectives in class discussions and application Strategic Management in everyday life, especially in the military context. 1. Strategic Management from My Point of Views Before implementing a selected strategy from several alternatives, we should carefully analyze and consider the selected strategy. Strategy analysis can take a longer time before coming to the decision-making process. The intention is that an organization will be on the effective condition and position in attempting created goals and objectives in various influences from internal as well as external factors. Sometimes internal and external factors change the level of intensity and urgency in conducting certain kinds of strategic decisions completely. The orientation of such specific strategies based on various assumptions is related to the assumption which has been used by the planner, in this case, a manager or leader in an organization to produce a decisive strategy. Managers or leaders have to fully aware that all consequences from the implementation of the strategy are being measured and estimated appropriately. After an organization formulating their strategy, then the working units in the organization can set some technical ways in conducting the strategy. The next step is an organization needs to implement their created strategies to gain the best results...
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...at Urbana-Champaign College of Business Department of Business Administration BADM 449: STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT / BUSINESS POLICY (FALL 2015) Section J: Tuesday – Thursday 11:00 A.M. – 12:20 P.M. BIF 2041 Name: Shinjinee Chattopadhyay Visting Assistant Professor Office: 465 Wohlers Hall Office Hours: Tuesday, 2-3.20 pm (Or by appointment) Office Phone: 217-300-1033 Email: schattop@illinois.edu Website: Maintained on Illinois Compass 2g INTRODUCTION AND COURSE OBJECTIVES Strategic management deals with decisions that fundamentally influence the direction of the organization and effective implementation of the direction chosen. Strategic management addresses the organizational structure, resources & capabilities, and the strategic positioning of the organization to create, capture, and sustain competitive advantage. In addition to economic value creation, management also must make decisions concerning the distribution of this economic value across stakeholders. In BADM 449, you will develop your skills at: • Understanding how firms create, capture, and sustain competitive advantage; • Analyzing strategic business situations and formulating strategy; and • Implementing strategy and organizing the firm for strategic success. Success ultimately depends not only on the soundness of the formulated strategy, but also on effective implementation through appropriate organizational choices. This capstone business course focuses on strategic decisions...
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...COURSE DESCRIPTION FORM School/Faculty/Institute Sabancı University, Faculty of Management Program B.A. in Management Semester Summer 2014 Course Code MKTG405 Course Title in English Marketing Strategy Course Title in Turkish Pazarlama Stratejisi Language of Instruction English Type of Course Lecture/Seminar/Practical/Fieldwork Level of Course Senior, Junior Intermediate Semester Summer Hours per Week 3 Number of Credits 5 ECTS Grading Mode Letter Grades (A: 100-93, A-: 92-86, B+: 85-78, B: 77-70, B-: 69-63, C+: 62-50, F:49-0) Pre-requisites Principles of Marketing or Introduction to Marketing Course Description MKTG405 will deepen students’ knowledge of marketing strategy. Students will not only be provided with a capstone class that enables integration of their learning in marketing (“pull it all together”), but they will be equipped with thinking strategically when making and implementing marketing decisions (“strategic decision making”). Extensive application of specific analytical approaches and tools for understanding customers, competition, and markets (“applications of marketing data and information”) will help students in developing an appreciation for the relationship between marketing and the other functional areas of business. Course Description in Turkish MKTG405, öğrencilerin pazarlama stratejisi bilgisini derinleştirmeyi hedefler. Öğrencilere pazarlama bilgilerini entegre edebilme kabiliyeti kazandırmanın yanı sıra, pazarlama kararlarına...
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...In te r n a ti o n a l J o u r n a l o f M a n a g e me n t C a s es BOOTSTRAP FINANCING: FOUR CASE STUDIES OF TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES EVA M.TOMORY UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO, CANADA Abstract Innovative businesses, especially in the early stages of their life cycles, often encounter difficulty in obtaining long-term external financing. Their founders tend to seek financing through nontraditional bootstrapping methods to launch their ventures. Bootstrap financing refers to a range of creative ways to acquire resources without relying on borrowing money or raising equity from traditional sources (Freear et al., 1995a). The paper examines how successful technology entrepreneurs used bootstrap financing: the founders of Microsoft Corporation, Apple Inc., Dell Inc. and Research in Motion Ltd. The research investigates the elements of bootstrapping as described in Freear et al. (1995a) and in Winborg and Landström (2001), finding that entrepreneurs use bootstrapping extensively during the early stages of growth for both product and business developments. Bootstrapping methods change as the business develops with certain methods used more at the beginning of the life cycle, and different variations used as the business starts to grow. The study also points out that even the most successful technology-based consumer goods businesses relied on bootstrap financing at the early stages of their development. This technique deserves more attention from the scholarly community since it is certain...
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...PORTERS FIVE FORCES Porter's Five Forces is a framework for industry analysis and business strategy development formed by Michael E. Porter of Harvard Business School in 1979. Porter referred to these forces as the micro environment. They consist of those forces close to a company that affect its ability to serve its customers and make a profit. The overall industry attractiveness does not imply that every firm in the industry will return the same profitability. Firms are able to apply their core competencies, business model or network to achieve a profit above the industry average. The five forces of porter’s five forces model are as follows: 1. The threat of the entry of new competitors 2. The threat of substitute products or services 3. The bargaining power of customers (buyers) 4. The bargaining power of suppliers 5. The intensity of competitive rivalry 1. The threat of the entry of new competitors Profitable markets that yield high returns will attract new firms. This results in many new entrants, which eventually will decrease profitability for all firms in the industry. The new entrants face barriers to entry. They need to overcome them to compete successfully. Some of the barriers are capital requirement, customer loyalty, experience, etc. Specialized technology, production and distribution require high capital costs which acts as one of the barrier. The high customer’s loyalty and experience of the established firms also...
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