...Running Head: APPLE INC. Apple Inc. Eric Walker 02/26/14 Abstract Apple Inc. has been a successful company for many years since its downfall in 1996. Records show how profitable they have been with their new technology advances and innovation. Despite their success in the technology world against many competitors, Apple has issues in internal affairs that must be addressed. With a new CEO since the passing of Steve Jobs, the corporation’s mission statement has become weak and unclear. The technology they use in general has not been compatible for years with other product lines, which is a turn off for customers more and more as the competition raises their game. From the outside looking in, Apple Inc. seems to be a successful, profitable organization that continues to dominate. However, taking a look deeper into their company from the inside we can see how certain factors could be a downfall to their success in the technology field. Table of Contents I. Introduction 4 II. Current situation 4-6 III. Corporate Governance 6 IV. External Environment 6-7 V. Internal Environment 7-9 VI. SWOT Analysis 9-10 VII. Implementation 10 VIII. Conclusion 10-11 IX. References 12 X. Appendix A 13-15 Introduction Apple Inc. began as a small company, formerly known as Apple Computer. Steve Jobs and his...
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...Innovation at Apple | Case Analysis | | Submitted By Aakriti Acharya Animesh KC Sirjana Shrestha Surendra Pandey | Synopsis Apple is the world’s most successful and leading brand. Due to unique vision, philosophy and dedication of Steve jobs and employees, Apple has been able to maintain its competitive position till date. The employees of Apple provide new values to customer through unique design and innovation. Apple has the ability to understand and deliver the customer’s needs in simple and sophisticated way. The major reason behind the success of apple is its strategy where it develops product that are completely differently than competitors i.e. it believes in being innovator rather than imitator. Case Issues The issues in this case can be listed as: * What are the key factors that have contributed to the innovation and creativity at Apple? * Is there any systematic approach to innovation at Apple? * Will Apple be able to keep up with customer’s expectation and continue to be a leading brand without its founder Steve Jobs? * Which is more important? Innovation or Brand image? Case Facts The facts mentioned in the case are listed below: * Apple went through a lot of turbulent phases and had many ups and down in the past but still, it struggled and never gave up. Due to its commitment towards product design and development it has been able to sustain itself as world’s top Brand. * Apple always believed...
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...Case Analysis On Apple Incorporation By Vikram Kataria Submitted To: Dr. Justin C. Matus MBA 591 Introduction The firm started off as “Apple Computer”, best known for its Macintosh line of computers in the 1980s and 1990s. Despite a strong brand, rapid growth and high profits in the late 1980s, Apple nearly went bankrupt in 1996. Steve Jobs took over as CEO again in 1997 after being forced out of the firm in 1985. “Apple Computer” was renamed “Apple Inc.” to reflect the firm’s expansion into consumer electronics market with innovative non-PC products starting in the early 2000s. 1. Various revolutionary products such as the iPod, iPhone and iPad were introduced into the market, gaining a cult-like following behind the brand, with exponential growth and share price rising more than 15-fold since 2003. 2. Today, Apple stands as a global technology powerhouse, surpassing its major competitors, including Microsoft, to become one of the world’s most valuable companies. Current Business Strategy Apple adopts a differentiation strategy with its distinctive marketing campaigns that position itself as a hip alternative to other brands in the industry. Despite being a premium brand that is capable of commanding high price margins, Apple is still able to undercut its competitors pricing with the latest iPad 2 release by leveraging its balance sheet and its position as one of the largest buyers to secure components at low prices. This further gives Apple a competitive...
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...discussing “case” materials in light of theoretical arguments advanced in “readings.” Case materials include standard Harvard Business School cases, book chapters about individuals (Robert Moses and Henry Kissinger), corporations (e.g., Lehman Brothers and Time Warner), and industries (e.g., the auto industry), and in-class videos (e.g., a “Bill Moyer’s Journal” segment on David Rockefeller). COURSE REQUIREMENTS Final course grades will be based on student performance on three written assignments and on student participation in class discussions. Written Assignments. Each student will be expected to submit two individual case analyses that indicate what the student learned from reading and discussing the case in question. The case analyses should be one single spaced typewritten page long and should be submitted the week after the case that they address is discussed in class. Individual case analyses will be graded on a scale from 1-3 and together will comprise 10% of a student’s final grade. Each student should also form a group with three to four other students to complete a case study of a real organization. The research for this case study can be carried out using primary sources (e.g., participation observation and/or interviews) or secondary sources (e.g., books, articles, or prepared cases about a target organization). Thus, group members need not have worked in an organization to use it as the subject of their final case analysis. Other case analysis topics...
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...| Entrepreneurial Growth | | Fall Semester, 2013 Man 385.24 Unique #04780 | Professor John N. Doggett Class Days Monday and Wednesdays from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. Class Room UTC 4.104 Office CBA 5.124k Office Hours Wednesdays, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. or by appointment Phone 512-232-7671 E-Mail john.doggett@mccombs.utexas.edu Course Web Page via Canvas ------------------------------------------------- Teaching Assistants Grant Garlinghouse (grant.garlinghouse@mba14.mccombs.utexas.edu) Course Objectives I have taught this course since late in the last century. Today, as we approach a second global recession, helping people learn how to grow firms as astutely as possible will play a role in speeding the beginning of a new recovery. When companies like Cisco and HP abandon major market segments, it is even more important to think critically about how to grow a firm’s products. Given the chaotic period that we are entering, I have made several significant changes to this course. First, I have done away with the individual midterm. The “next” recovery will be a group effort. So will your midterm. Second, I have assigned three books. These are some of the best books out there on how to think about innovation, competition and how to grow a business. They will become “let me read that again” go-to books that you will use long after you graduate from UT. To compensate for the heavy reading load, I have eliminated...
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...credit/no credit basis or for a letter grade. Students must petition the MCBE if they wish to take the course for a letter grade within the first two weeks of the course. Your selection cannot be changed, so choose wisely! ------------------------------------------------- Common Body of Knowledge Content Coverage: 0 ------------------------------------------------- Business communication for domestic and international markets: case reports, electronic communication, meetings; audience, style and tone (I, II, III)* 1 ------------------------------------------------- Credibility; personal and corporate ethics (I)* 2 ------------------------------------------------- Analysis of business articles and cases (I-V)* 3 ------------------------------------------------- Interpretation of data, critical evaluation of information 4 ------------------------------------------------- Synthesis of data and information 5 ------------------------------------------------- Planning, organizing, writing, and presenting business cases and reports (I)* 6 ------------------------------------------------- Visual presentation technology: PowerPoint, Excel 7 ------------------------------------------------- International, intercultural,...
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...Management s374: General Management & Strategy The University of Texas at Austin - Summer 2015 Dennis S. Passovoy (Professor) (512) 471-2195 GSB 5.124G (in McCombs) via Canvas INBOX Davit Davtyan (TA) Phone: Office: E-Mail: Office Hours: M T W TH 1:00 – 1:45pm, or by appointment M T W TH 9:00 – 9:45am, or by appointment Class: #72305 (July 13 – August 14) M T W TH 2:00 – 3:45pm CBA 4.328 CBA 4.304A (in McCombs) via Canvas INBOX Prerequisites • • • • • • Upper-division standing Seventy-five semester hours of coursework, including: Management 336 or 336H Credit or registration for Finance 357 or 357H, and Marketing 337 or 337H And credit or registration for one of the following: Accounting 353J, 366P, Business Administration 353H, Finance 353, 366P, Management 353, 366P, Management Information Systems 353, 366P, Marketing 353, 366P, Operations Management 353, or 366P. May be counted toward the writing flag requirement. May be counted toward the independent inquiry flag requirement. Course Description This course is restricted to students in a McCombs School of Business major. It is designed to enable students to analyze business situations from the point of view of the practicing general manager. Addresses key tasks involved in general management, including strategic decisions that ensure the longterm health of the entire firm or a major division. Writing Flag This course carries the Writing Flag as well as the Independent...
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...C1. Apple Inc. in 2012 Q1. Apple’s historical competitive advantage Concept of easy-to-use computer, Its control of software and hardware, marketing, digital asset management, retail strategy, product differentiation, Jobs’ strategical decisions. Elegant hardware design. Q2. The reason Apple fail in PC industry. : More knowledgeable PC consumers Apple attempted to fix market share –Market share numbers are meaningful for companies that directly compete for the same sales. However, overall market share numbers convey less useful information when comparing specialized companies with an entirely different product mix. Apple sells premium computers with a unique operation system. Of course, almost all other PC manufacturers also sell premium PCs, in fact, this is where they earn most of their profits. Low-end PC sales are a high volume, low profit business, but a critical segment of the Windows PC market. The decrease in ASPs is structural and permanent PCs are becoming a service business not selling old products. Post PC (PC+) : different from tablets, window8 which is different claims for every device 5 forces 1) barriers to entry : very easy (Chinese, Japanese companies entered) 2) Substitues : be connected to the internet (PC shipment decreased, Tablet shipment increased) 3) Role of suppliers : many resources but few suppliers (huge power of suppliers) 4) Complements : search engine, easy to download software, printers, the internet...
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...computers, Apple computers (the name used in the past) have an early mover advantage in the personal computer market. Subsequently, Macintosh was introduced, demonstrating high level of user-friendliness, industrial design and technical elegance. Constantly innovating and differentiating its products from its competitors, Apple enjoys a reputation of being a revolutionary and versatile company in the industry. Apple also controlled its products software licensing and peripherals where they directly produce their own computers, their own operating system, and own suite of software, ports and even mouse. This allowed seamless and non-disruptive design concepts making Apple a choice for users demanding unique and beautifully designed machines. While the strict controls of Apple software and peripherals allowed Apple to create a preferred user experience, it is also arguably a weakness that has greatly restricted the rate of penetration of Macintosh in the personal computer industry during the Apple’s OS war with Microsoft. Apple placed great emphasis in marketing, research and development- perhaps the most important factors that allow Apple to create and sustain its loyal following. In marketing, John Sculley, the man behind the Pepsi’s challenge campaign was invited to the board and subsequently replaced Steve jobs, demonstrating Apple’s early emphasis in marketing. A higher than industry level of revenue was also channeled to research and development, allowing Apple to create...
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...Apple Computer Successes and Failures In 1976, The Apple Computer Company is founded by Steve Jobs and Stephen Wosniak. The first computer was little more than a kit computer that sold for $666 dollars and had limited mass market appeal. The following year, the Apple II is introduced and represents the first computer that is designed for the mass market. In 1978, the Apple Disk II is introduced and represents a disk storage solution that is half the price of its competitors and more reliable. In 1984 the original Mac is introduced and is the dubbed “The computer for the rest of us”. At $2,495, the computer is priced for mass market appeal and features an easy to use graphical interface and a push button mouse that revolutionizes the way people will use the computer. Gone are the days where endless commands will need to be memorized in order to harness the utility of the computer. In all of these cases, Apple responds to a previously untapped market with a new innovative product at an attractive price and establishes domination of the personal computer market for several years to come. IBM continues to make advances, closing the gap between their product and the critically acclaimed Mac. They partner with Microsoft to develop the GUI interface and then propose a new approach to development by opening their platform to outsiders to help them erode Apples’ dominance in the marketplace. In their arrogance, Apple decides to maintain proprietary rights to their technology...
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...1. What, historically, have been Apple’s competitive advantages? Apple, one of the most famous, valuable, and competitive company in nowadays marketplace. Although it was once almost bankrupt, its competitive advantages of innovation and differentiation bring Apple to the leader position in the industry. At the beginning of Apple, it was only focus on making computers. However, with Steve Jobs’ innovation, it started to diversify its product lines and successively introduced iPod, iPhone and iPad to the market. The first and most important thing Jobs did to make his products different from the others is build Apple’s own operating system（OS）on PCs while almost all the rest of the market are running on Windows. Combine the OS with chips made by Intel, Office software generated by Microsoft and developed their own iLife suite, Macintosh is a well-developed and efficient computer. Apple’s OS was firstly used in its computer, Macintosh, but it is also adapted well on iPhone and iPad in the later dates. From the year 2001-today, Apple keep on innovating impressed products, software and applications. In the year 2001, launch a large storage MP3 and first legal music download side: the iTunes Store. Then, in 2007, released iPhone along with the App Store- the first application center that allow customers to download apps on mobile. 2010, iPad came out with iBook application. As Apple continues developing, applications like iMessage, Facetime and iCloud came out...
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...OD Application: Apple and Renewal Apple inc. is one the businesses that evolves rapidly and effectively in this fast growing market. For organizations to succeed in a market with fast growing technology and environment a highly adaptive business model is required. According to the article, Apple stands out of the crowd due to its renewing transformational management model. Apple’s top management high adaptive skill helps the company to forecast the market and create high customer demand through its new product. One of the reasons that Apple leads the innovative product market is its top management adaptive capacity to changes. Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, has a vision to create product to change the computer world. For example, Apple creates a climate within the organization to encourage creativity and innovation. As a result, subsystems within the organization work hard to innovate product that will surprise customers. To impalement such a strategy the top management should quickly adapt the new situation and changes, and find a solution to continue. Apple constantly produces new and high quality products, comparing to its competitors, which increase the demand in consumers toward their product. This renewing managerial characteristic within Apple’s organization and subsystems makes Apple to stands out of crowd. Moreover, active Organizational Development in Apple creates awareness about the future market. Apple moves on planned changes, which helps the organization to stay...
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...Design Thinking and Innovation at Apple | Apple Case Summary | | This documents describes in brief the history of Apple and discuss its strategy to success. In addition this documents also draws similarity between Steve Jobs and the current CEO of Apple Tim Cooks. | | Pradyot Mohanty (Twin Peaks) | 1/17/2012 | | History Apple was founded by Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976 a time when computer was perceived as nothing but a complex computation system which was used only in big corporate firms and operated by qualified professionals. No one had ever imagined that kids at the age of 10 would be playing games, studying science and reading comic books using a small handheld device which does wonders with a simple touch. When one thinks of Apple, the first thing that comes to mind is Steve Jobs and when one is thinking about Steve, Ipod is the first thing that strikes the mind. I believe a company's growth and success is a direct consequence of its leader's vision and direction. And the same is with Apple . Apple's key strength has been innovation by simplicity, the way Steve envisioned it. "Apple's success is not just the result of clever strategic moves or an innate sense of market timing. It came from a deep commitment to understanding how people used computing devices and a desire to develop insanely great products" [Design Thinking and Innovation at Apple, Stefan Thomke]. Apple's history is the proof of its innovative reputation. When Jobs was leading the...
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...Background Apple was founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, two enthusiastic entrepreneurs. They wanted to sell personal computers, designed by Wozniak.After their establishment in 1976, they first introduced Apple I. That computer had some limitations. Removingthose, they release Apple II in the market which got the attention of people. Lateron, an investor named Mike Markkula who was a millionaire joined them to expand the business by investing in Apple computers. They also introduced Apple III but it was unable to grab the attention of consumers. But they sold almost two million Apple II by 1993.Seeing the success of Apple, IBM also concentrate in this industry. Within a short time, they introduced themselves as a strong competitor by providing equal quality product like Apple. As time passed on, Apple started facing some problems because of some lacking’s they had.IBM was going good at that time. Apple incurred a loss for the first time in1985.Because of that and some clashes between the management; Steve Jobs left Apple and opened his own business. After he left, some changes were made. NeXT 5years they did really well and made a strong ground under their feet. But then the problems started again. Mike Sculley,the CEO at that time made some strategic changes which helped Apple to boost their front line but their bottom line shrunk because of high cost and low gross margins. At that point, Sculley left Apple and Michael Spindler took his position. The misery of Apple was not...
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...Case Analysis, Apple Inc. 1 Case Analysis, Apple Inc. 1 of 4 Case Analysis, Apple Inc. 2 This case analysis is written to analyze the topic of Strategic Management and answering the question of why it is critical to the success of an organization in meeting its goals and mission. This analysis will address the major issues surrounding the organization or individuals involved with the organization, will identify alternate courses of action to address the issues identified with a decision/recommendation for action. Once called Apple Computer and historically know for its Macintosh personal computers (PC) line, Apple Computer dropped the latter part of its name in 2007 and became Apple, Inc. Even though non-PC product lines drove the majority of Apple’s financial performance there still seemed to be no real change in the company’s strategic profile. There were several thousand people that were laid off and by lying off employees to try and fix their financial issues, could have been a portion of the problem (Yoffie & Slind, 2008). Jobs are what contribute to a company’s effectiveness. If the jobs had been retained and management had attempted to find new ways of conducting business to survive by being innovative, Apple, Inc. may have witnessed success earlier (Mello, 2011, pp 112-115). Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and John Sculley came on board and made great strides towards increase in effective marketing, partnering with other companies and joint ventures...
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