Apple Inc Business Analysis

Document Type:Article

Subject Area:Business

Document 1

The various companies across the world desire to establish a business that will provide a competitive edge which will deliver a comparative advantage when it comes to meeting the market and consumer needs. The stiff competition and growing consumer preference make business to take corporate entrepreneurship on another level where innovation, transformational leadership, and strategic initiatives play a pivotal role towards ensuring exponential growth and profitability. Apple has been in operation for a considerable long time in which it has managed to experience different phases of business growth. The growth trajectory of the corporation has been marred with varied experiences in the market that has defined their level of success through learning from instances of failure to better place their business in the midst of significant competitive pressure. The paper will look into Apple Corporation to review their history and how they have maneuvered through the industry to establish some comparative advantage against competitors.

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Apple Corporation experienced a lot of challenges despite the significant gains it made in the computer and technology industry. The leadership of the company experienced several difficulties that saw Steve Jobs move out to form his company NeXT Software before he came back later to further revolutionize the brand. The company lost a lot of opportunities at a time in 1985 that impacted the business later when John Scully the CEO declined a licensing appeal from Bill Gates of Microsoft (Case Study on Apple's Business Strategies, 2014). The decision did not auger well for the company since it faced substantive competition from Microsoft due to their Windows operating system featuring a graphical interface similar to Apple’s. Apple faced significant growth in the 1990s but by 1996 things were not looking good as competition reduced their market niche (Khan, Alam, & Alam, 2015).

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It seeks to explain the effects of globalization on the business. Besides, the analysis gives a recommendation on ways the company can leverage its market position in the global market. As at October 2014, Apple's iPhone 6 and 6 Plus was available in more than 69 countries around the world. Besides, Apple offers a similar product to all regardless of the region meaning that it does not customize its product based on either the features or the looks (Case Study on Apple's Business Strategies, 2014). It designs one product with the same features and looks which are sold all over the world. Steve Jobs and his friends Steve Wozniak and Ron Wayne established the company in 1976 as Apple Computer Inc. and the company went public early 1977. Its stock trades on New York Stock Exchange as AAPL NASDAQ.

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The company specializes in designing, manufacturing, and marketing of mobile communication and media devices portable digital music players and personal computers (Sherman, Rowley & Armandi, 2007). It is the largest music vendor in the world. It has an excellent retail strategy in which it has its own outlets across the world. The company has more than 300 stores in 11 countries in which 87 are outside the United States. Apple appreciates direct interaction with consumers so that they can fully understand their needs and direct selling enhance such interactions. Apple Inc. Business Model Apple Inc. It was alarming for the investors, but Crook assured them that the firm was focused on the future and promised a series of new products during the financial year that followed (Case Study on Apple's Business Strategies, 2014). Cook was trying to communicate to the stakeholders that he would be able to take from where Steve Jobs had left following his death.

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However, the industry observers were a skeptic of Cook's promise concerning the introduction of new products. They did not trust that Cook would reshape the culture that Steve Jobs had built. Cook’s strategy to continue what Steve Jobs had left was to review the supply chain in the aspects of procurement, product assembly and logistics (Wheelen, Hunger, Hoffman & Bamford, 2017). Innovation has been the driving tool for Apple Inc. in the external corporate venturing efforts through constant research and development that provides an edge cutting product development in the market (Cojocaru, and Cojocaru, 2014). The company has from time to time emerged as a market leader through evidently posting an increased sales volume managing to maneuver the different stages of entrepreneurial performance around the world. Apple’s launch of the iPod in 2001 as a portable player with unique features represents the effort and expertise on a product differentiation strategy.

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The differentiation strategy is indicative of the competent entrepreneurial strategy responsible for establishing the comparative benefit on the operations of the organization. A look at Apple's SWOT analysis across different market segments indicates that innovation stands out as a critical strength point for the company thereby enabling the organization to emerge as a market leader in the global technology industry. Application of innovation and a charismatic type of leadership that inspires the actions of the employees towards the voluntary implementation of a process that yields tremendous product development (Barsh, Capozzi, and Davidson, 2008). Innovation delivered by the dedication of the organization through investment on research and development to predict what will fascinate the consumers. Apple strives to lead the competitive war in the industry as other organizations follow suit through their rare and elaborate product differentiation that cannot be imitated by any organization.

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The role of innovation through to the different stages of entrepreneurial growth require that organizations undertake all the measures critically into consideration like the establishment of ways and items in the market that respond to the consumer expectations. Apple delivers a more organized and positive entrepreneurial performance that espouses the principles of corporate entrepreneurship making it stands the test of time through innovation. From the analysis of Apple Inc globalization, the global supply chain business model may not be sustainable therefore the company should opt for a business model that incorporates social economic and as well environmental performance. References Barsh, J. Capozzi, M. M. S. Patent No. Washington, DC: U. S. Patent and Trademark Office. Dedrick, J. Who captures value in a global innovation network?: the case of Apple's iPod.  Communications of the ACM, 52(3), 140-144.

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Lindgardt, Z. Reeves, M. G.  Corporate entrepreneurship & innovation. Cengage Learning. Pontiskoski, E. Asakawa, K. L. Hunger, J. D. Hoffman, A. N. Case Study on Apple's Business Strategies. February 14). Retrieved from https://www. mbaknol. com/management-case-studies/case-study-on-apples-business-strategies/.

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