...typically a short summary of the contents of the document. Type the abstract of the document here. The abstract is typically a short summary of the contents of the document.] | Apple, Inc. is an know name in computer technology, Apple leads the computer and technology industry in innovation thanks to the award winning desktop and notebook computer known as OX X operating system (Yoffie & Slind 2008). Apple management style has been documented and used to study how to be a successful business. Steve Job was a pioneer in the way he took the company leadership to become a top company. Apple success is no secret even if secrecy is part of their strategic strategy. They invest in their employee and this help them not only a strong company but a company that people tops in the technology field are flocking to work with. For Apple to be a successful organization it has to have a successful strategic management plan, the managers must learn to think strategically and have the ability to evaluate their environment and develop new ideas. Steve Jobs one of the founding fathers of Apple Inc. used strategic planning to his advantage by making Apple mission simple one-bringing easy to use computers to the market place and revolutionizing the industry with simple easy computers and devices for consumers to use. Apple strategic management is the process by which an organization drafts, implements and evaluates cross-functional decisions that enable the organization to achieve its long-term...
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...computer, the single-board Apple I, in a garage workshop in 1976. After selling 200 or so of the computer, Jobs attracted the attention of some investors, co-founding Apple Computer with Wozniak, and introducing the Apple II computer in 1977. Steven Wozniak and Steven Jobs had been friends in high school. They had both been interested in electronics, and both had been perceived as outsiders. They kept in touch after graduation, and both ended up dropping out of school and getting jobs working for companies in Silicon Valley. (Woz for Hewlett-Packard, Jobs for Atari) Wozniak had been dabbling in computer-design for some time when, in 1976, he designed what would become the Apple I. Jobs, who had an eye for the future, insisted that he and Wozniak try to sell the machine, and on April 1, 1976, Apple Computer was born. Hobbyists did not take the Apple I very seriously, and Apple did not begin to take off until 1977, when the Apple II debuted at a local computer trade show. The first personal computer to come in a plastic case and include color graphics, the Apple II was an impressive machine. Orders for Apple machines were multiplied by several times after its introduction. And with the introduction in early '78 of the Apple Disk II, the most inexpensive, easy to use floppy drive ever (at the time), Apple sales further increased. With the increase in sales, however, came an increase in company size, and by 1980, when the Apple III was released, Apple had several thousand employees...
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...reasons, but these people have many of the same characteristics that link them together. Successful people are passionate, determined, and risk takers. A prime example of a successful person is Steve Jobs, cofounder of Apple Computer Co. Passion is probably the most important characteristic of successful people. Without passion and motivation, many great ideas would have never been willed into existence. Everyone who knew Steve Jobs knew he was passionate about everything he did. From a very early age it was clear that Jobs had a brilliant mind. He would sit alongside his father in the family garage tinkering with electronics, this early exposure to how things worked and functioned, jumpstarted a lifelong passion for electronics. His parents saw the spark in their child’s eye, and encouraged him in any way they could. His passion also spilled over into his education, although, not in the normal sense. Jobs’ brilliance was not challenged in school and thus he got bored. Passionate about learning, Jobs’ continued to audit classes in college even after he dropped out. One such class was a calligraphy class. He became so enthralled with the artistry of the script that later in life he would integrate many typefaces and properly spaced fonts into Apple computers (Windows later copied these fonts). Without his passion for learning and appreciation of the fine details, fonts on computers wouldn’t be what they are today. When Jobs and Steve Wozniak...
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...Apple is an innovative design industry; it represents an Americans individualism culture. No matter in the company defines, products design and the company logo, we can be found that it’s have a creative culture and anti-tradition characteristics. Their products illustrate the Americans have deep love for simple and freedom style. Thus, they beliefs their product was different from the other industry and different from other companies. The Apple Company perceived as a distinctiveness creative brand because they have built a loyalty customer base, their products are subject to local people and loving creative professionals to pursuit. Apple Inc, formerly Apple Computer Inc. It was established by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and his friends Ronald Wayne. When Jobs first met Steve Wozniak and began building computers in a bedroom of his parents’ house in 1976. At that time, they were contrary to popular wisdom because both are college dropouts to establish the Apple Company. At the beginning, they build the computer boxes that just allowed him to make long-distance phone calls for free, it was a small business. “Until the introduction of the Macintosh line of personal computers in 1984 established the company as an innovator in industrial design whose products became renowned for their intuitive case of use”. In 1985, John Sculley presumes the helm after a management shakeup that causes the leave out of Steve Jobs and several other high level executives. However creative like...
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...Running head: APPLE INC. CASE Apple Inc. Case Andrea Daniel Bethel University Strategy Planning MOD 440 Patti Vinson September 18, 2012 Apple Inc. Case In 1976, Steven Wozniak and Steve Jobs introduced the first Apple computer which cost under $700. Although Apple is known for its high quality electronics, management is concerned if the company can continue its success while the market is more competitive and with the unstable economy. Apple has several strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats which allows one to see keys issues or problems areas. Also, this would allow Apple to plan better moving forward. The three major competitors of Apple are Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Acer; however Apple also competes with Microsoft in software industry. Dell is the largest computer manufacturer with extremely low cost production strategy. Hewlett Packard is a big brand name and leading provider of technology such as televisions and other media devices. Acer became one of the fastest growing manufacturers of PCs. The financial strengths and performance of the company from 2005 to 2008 were quite interesting. The company is still highly liquid but this liquidity trend is in climbing and declining trend as current ratio 2.67 in 2005 declined to 1.81 in 2006 and increased to 1.95 in 2008. This trend was mainly due to increase in collection period of the sale and increase in number of day’s sale in ending inventory. There is an increasing...
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...In the early 1980’s computers were unknown. The only real computers were called mainframe computers and they took up an entire room in size. They used a special code called binary that only worked with 1’s and O’s. All of the data had to be inputted by stretches of tape or by flipping switches. It took people to develop a computer language for the computer to take off. The first language was called Cobal and it was followed by Fortran and Basic. Because of the large size of computers, having one would require having space big enough to house a room size machine. It took a company named Intel and its founder Gordon Moore, to develop a microprocessor, which shrunk down the size of the processor by placing millions of transistors on a single chip. Now computers instead of taking up an entire room could now fit on a desk. After this discovery people wanted to make a computer the average person could afford. Ed Roberts the owner of a computer calculator company called MITS was the architect of this endeavor. He came up with the first P.C. and called it Altair. It was designed as a kit that the buyer had to put together. As with anything, if you did not put it together properly it would not work. After the introduction of Altair other people wanted to make computers as well. People such as Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, and because of all of these “nerds” they help fuel the economic boom of the 1980’s and changed how businesses ran companies. The first P.C Altair was a large box...
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...For a team to work like a well oiled machine, the members of the team must contribute ideas to get the team going and to eventually build or accomplish something amazing. In “La Vida Robot” mexican immigrants come into the country undocumented, but they work together and end up beating some of the smartest kids in the country. In “Steve Jobs” Steve jobs and Wozniak come together and end up being one of the most successful teams in history. They created the Apple 1 and the company they formed still make the phones some of us use today. Both Davis and Isaacson, the authors of “La Vida Robot” and “Steve Jobs” feel that a strong team consists of at least one person who is savy about business. In “La Vida Robot” at least one team member is savy...
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... 10313 MUHAMMAD UMER 10331 Contents Introduction 1 What role Steve played to apple success in the 1970s and early 1980s 1 Steve’s leadership and management style 2 Steve’s steps to increase apples price 3 Was apple dependent on Steve and that without him the company would not be able to perform well? 3 Steve jobs best quotes 3 Introduction: The case examines in detail the leadership and entrepreneurial skills of Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computers (a leading Information Technology company) and Pixar (a leading US animation studio). Steve's role in shaping the computer industry through Apple's revolutionary products and a few 'unconventional' business practices has been explored in detail. The case also discusses the aspects of Steve's personality that were appreciated by many businessmen and industry leaders. The ups and downs in Steve's career graph and the way in which he overcame the obstacles are discussed in detail. Steve's departure from Apple and his comeback have been explored in depth. What role Steve played to apple success in the 1970s and early 1980s Yes the apple was always in the news during this period. There are number of factors that contribute to Apple’s success. Apple computer was a unique one in 1970’s and early 1980’s. The Apple 1 was the first single board computer that had a built in video...
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...Apple Computer Inc. John V Pugh Strayer University Bus 499 January 29, 2012 Professor Erica Atkins Abstract This paper describes the key strategic challenges facing Apple Computer. This paper will also describe the dimensions along which company success can be measured. We will also describe the critical external and internal environmental factors that have strategic implications for Apple’s future. This paper will further explain how Apple’s strategy stands up against industry rivalry. In closing we will provide recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of the company’s strategy or to change its strategic approach for better results. Key Strategic Challenges facing Apple Computer Apple Computer, INC. We will describe the key strategic challenges facing Apple Computer. We will start with services which contribute minimally to Apple’s revenue but provide enormous influence. Content pricing power- Jobs told Mossberg that digital content can be sold when it’s priced for volume. The success of iTune’s .99 per song pricing demonstrates this but doing so also destroyed the music industry’s business model. Without album pricing, musician royalties and major labels CD revenue have dried up. Regression to the mean- As companies grow, their courage and capacity to “Think Different” abates. While this may sound like heresy relative to Apple history and strong, the uniquely demanding strength and influence of Steve Jobs is integral...
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...creations more than anyone. If something went wrong, he would never blame the products but instead believed something can be done to turn it around and fix it. He was also a bossy person. This may not be classed as a good trait but it was for jobs as it helped him to develop the exact products that he had in mind. He was also a very passionate man with what he did. In some interviews he revealed his secret behind his perseverance. He said that passion fuels a person's journey and that if there was no passion then an ordinary person will certainly quit. One thing that jobs done was that he did not let anything step in his way. Jobs built up apple into an empire from which he got fired from but this did not stop him from sill becoming one of the most successful entrepreneurs this world has and will ever see. After joining Pixar and coming back he turned apple into one of the biggest organisations in our time and this was all due the Jobs believing in himself and what he does. (Anon 3) (Anon...
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...Steve Wozniak was one of the most influential and creative thinkers of our time. He was the co-founder of Apple. Steve’s biggest contribution to society was that he designed the Apple II computer which was the “first commercially successful line of personal computers, featuring a central processing unit, a keyboard, color graphics, and a floppy disk drive.” (Bellis, n.d., para. 3). One major problem back at that time was that computers were extremely expensive so Steve had the idea of creating a computer that the average person could afford (American Masters PBS, 2014, 0:14). Steve had always been fascinated with electronics and this inspired him as a creative thinker. Before Steve created the Apple II, his first attempt at coming up with a solution was known as the Apple I. The Apple I was a printed circuit board that was sold. To implement this solution, Steve approached a local electronics shop named The Byte Shop and inquired if they would carry the product. They agreed and sold through all the product. In total, 200 of the Apple I was produced (http://oldcomputers.net/applei.html, 2013). After the success of the initial Apple I, this inspired Steve to evolve his invention into the Apple II. I believe that Steve’s personal and social environments played a large role in his creativity. Given that his father was an engineer, I bet that Steve was exposed to electronics and technology at an early age. While in high school, he was also president of the electronics...
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...Running head: Internal and External Factors Internal and External Factors MGT/230 Apple Inc. Apple is a household name because of the company’s ability to manage the changes of internal and external factors in the market. Internal and external factors influence the functions of management; planning, organizing, leading and controlling. Internal factors include the business’s reputation, their image, how there company is structured and how they operate. External factors are the things beyond control like lending conditions, government regulations and competition. Apple’s internal factors are functions they have control over like planning, and organizing leading. External factors would influence controlling; learning and changing with the market competition and the ever changing market. Internal and external factors specifically influence innovation, diversity, and ethics. Apple remains flexible and universal due to producing consumer needed products, products that are a common need and ethically leading the way as a successful company. Apple Inc. formerly Apple Computer, Inc. was founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976. During the first phase of management; the planning process, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak designed the Apple I, a handcrafted computer that was sold for $666.66. For more than twenty years Apple Computer was mostly manufacturing personal computers with their own integrated software called the Macintosh, marketed as Mac. The company suffered low...
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...Apple Computer, Inc. Company Profile Reference Code: 108 Publication Date: Nov 2006 www.datamonitor.com Datamonitor USA 245 5th Avenue 4th Floor New York, NY 10016 USA t: +1 212 686 7400 f: +1 212 686 2626 e: usinfo@datamonitor.com Datamonitor Europe Charles House 108-110 Finchley Road London NW3 5JJ United Kingdom t: +44 20 7675 7000 f: +44 20 7675 7500 e: eurinfo@datamonitor.com Datamonitor Germany Kastor & Pollux Platz der Einheit 1 60327 Frankfurt Deutschland t: +49 69 9754 4517 f: +49 69 9754 4900 e: deinfo@datamonitor.com Datamonitor Hong Kong 2802-2803 Admiralty Centre Tower 1 18 Harcourt Road Hong Kong t: +852 2520 1177 f: +852 2520 1165 e: hkinfo@datamonitor.com ABOUT DATAMONITOR Datamonitor is a leading business information company specializing in industry analysis. Through its proprietary databases and wealth of expertise, Datamonitor provides clients with unbiased expert analysis and in depth forecasts for six industry sectors: Healthcare, Technology, Automotive, Energy, Consumer Markets, and Financial Services. The company also advises clients on the impact that new technology and eCommerce will have on their businesses. Datamonitor maintains its headquarters in London, and regional offices in New York, Frankfurt, and Hong Kong. The company serves the world's largest 5000 companies. Datamonitor's premium reports are based on primary research with industry panels and consumers. We gather information on market segmentation, market growth and pricing, competitors...
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...Steven Wozniak and Steven Jobs were the true founders of Apple. In 1976, Steven Wozniak designed what is now known as the Apple I. Jobs convinced Wozniak that he needed to try to sell the machine, and on April 1, 1976, Apple Computer was created. However, the market was not ready for such an advancement in technology, thus setting back the take off of Apple until 1977. Apple began to increase development with the introduction of the Apple II. The Apple II, included color graphics and came in its own plastic casing. The first real computer to come pre-assembled, there for making it more attractive to a larger group of consumers. After the introduction of the Apple II, the orders for Apples increased dramatically. During 1979, Jobs began working on the Macintosh, when Apple's "Lucy" project began to crumble. The "Lucy" project was originally Jobs idea after visiting the Xerox PARC research facility in Palo Alto. There Jobs first saw and realized the potential or graphical user interface. "I thought it was the best thing I'd ever seen in my life. Now remember it was very flawed, what we saw was incomplete, they'd done a bunch of things wrong. But we didn't know that at the time but still I though they had the gem of the idea was there and they'd done it very well and within you know ten minutes it was obvious to me that all computers would work like this some day." So as Apple's sales began to tumble Jobs started Macintosh. The Macintosh idea was to be an inexpensive DOS PC that...
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...I. Overview: Apple Inc. was founded in 1976 by Steven Wozniak and Steven Jobs. They introduced the first initial version or what was to become the first highly successful mass-produced personal computer, the Apple I. Apple operates in various lines of the computer and music industry today and its operations include not only the designing but also the manufacturing of its computers and software. Apple continues to pursue the personal computer market but not as intently as in the years before. It has opted to change directions a little by venturing into the music world through the marketing of iPod, a digital music player, and iTunes. The opening of 65 new retail outlets, including one in Japan, has precipitated its move into this new world. II. Company Mission: Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in thto students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings. III. Internal/External Analysis: Apple Computer designs, manufactures and markets personal computers and related software, services, peripherals, and networking solutions. The company’s strong operating performance has strengthened its market position and has also increased investor confidence. However, intense competition could affect the company’s margins. a. Strengths Apple has a global presence spanning the Americas, EMEA, and Asia Pacific...
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