Overview

In this assignment, you are to use the same corporation you selected and focused on for Assignments 1, 2, and 3.

Consider the corporation you have selected to use in your first three assignments. Identify one of the firm’s major competitors that you would consider working for.

Research the company on its own website, the public filings on the Securities and Exchange Commission

EDGAR database

, the University’s

online databases

, the

Nexis Uni database

, and any other sources you can find. The annual report will often provide insights that can help address some of these questions.

You will do a 15-minute presentation to the Board of Directors of the corporation. Develop an eight- to twelve-slide PowerPoint presentation with speaker notes or record a video based upon Assignments 1 through 3. You may choose to compare your chosen corporation to a major competitor with whom you would like to work. You will make recommendations to the Board of Directors based upon your analysis and decision on why the corporation remains or is not a good fit for you. 

Requirements

Determine the impact of the company’s mission, vision, and primary stakeholders on its overall success as a competitive employer in the industry.

• Create a SWOT analysis for the company to determine its major strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
• Based on the SWOT analysis, outline a strategy for the company to capitalize on its strengths and opportunities, and minimize its weaknesses and threats.
• Discuss the various levels and types of strategies the firm may use to maximize its competitiveness and profitability.
• Outline a communications plan the company could use to make the strategies you recommend above known to all stakeholders. 
• Assess efforts by this corporation to be a responsible (ethical) corporate citizen and determine the impact these efforts (or lack thereof) have on the company’s bottom line. Provide specific examples to support your response.
• Develop an executive-level PowerPoint presentation with 8–12 slides with speaker notes and appropriate graphics or professional video.
• Go to Basic Search: Strayer University Online Library and locate at least three quality references. Note: Wikipedia and similar websites do not quality as academic resources.
• References must be submitted on a Works Cited page using SWS format.

Use the

Assignment 4 Template [PPTX]

to ensure that your assignment meets the above requirements.

The specific course learning outcome associated with this assignment is as follows:

• Develop a corporate presentation based on a SWOT analysis, strategies for maximizing competitiveness and profitability, a communications plan, and an assessment of efforts related to ethics.

Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic and organization of the paper, and language and writing skills, using the scoring ru

How to Use This Template

Each slide needed in your submission is provided in this template.

Do not add slides

Do not delete slides (except the “How to Use This Template” slide)

Replace the “blue” font on each slide with your presentation content

Change all font to black

Use bullet points on the slides

Do not type every word you plan to say on the slide

Enter the text/transcript of your talk in the speaker notes section

The speaker notes section is the gray area below each slide

Do not enter your speaker notes in comment boxes

Do not include audio or video clips

Delete this slide before submitting your assignment

Delete this slide before submitting your assignment

Notes: This is the speaker notes section of the PowerPoint presentation.
Do Not type every word you plan to say on the slide.
Everything you would say if you were giving a live presentation should be provided in text form in the speaker notes section of each slide.
1

BUS499 Capstone
Assignment 4
Insert Student’s Name Here

Insert what you would said to introduce yourself to your executive audience and tell them what you are going to cover in your presentation

Do Not type every word you plan to say on the slide. Use bullet points only.
Everything you would say if you were giving a live presentation should be provided in text form in the speaker notes section of each slide.
2

SWOT Analysis of Company Name
Strengths
Insert a bullet or two describing strengths of the firm Weaknesses
Insert a bullet or two describing weaknesses of the firm
Opportunities
Insert a bullet or two describing opportunities available to the firm Threats
Insert a bullet or two describing threats to the firm

Insert exactly what you would say to your executive audience to describe each bullet point on this slide
You should thoroughly outline a strategy for the company to capitalize on its strengths and opportunities.

3

SWOT Analysis Strategy
Strengths and Opportunities
Insert a bullet describing the strategy to capitalize on strengths and opportunities
Insert another bullet describing the strategy to capitalize on strengths and opportunities

Insert exactly what you would say to your executive audience to describe each bullet point on this slide
You should thoroughly outline a strategy for the company to capitalize on its strengths and opportunities.
4

SWOT Analysis Strategy
Weaknesses and Threats
Insert a bullet describing the strategy to minimize weaknesses and threats
Insert another bullet describing the strategy to minimize weaknesses and threats

Insert exactly what you would say to your executive audience to describe each bullet point on this slide
You should thoroughly outline a strategy for the company to minimize its weaknesses and threats.
5

Competitiveness Strategy
Competitiveness
1st bullet point of levels and types of strategies to maximize competitiveness
2nd bullet point of levels and types of strategies to maximize competitiveness

Insert exactly what you would say to your executive audience to describe each bullet point on this slide
You should thoroughly discuss the various levels and types of strategies the firm may use to maximize its competitiveness.
6

Profitability Strategy
Profitability
1st bullet point of levels and types of strategies to maximize profitability
2nd bullet point of levels and types of strategies to maximize profitability

Insert exactly what you would say to your executive audience to describe each bullet point on this slide
You should thoroughly discuss the various levels and types of strategies the firm may use to maximize its profitability.
7

Communications Plan
Competitiveness Strategies
1st bullet point on the plan to communicate the competitiveness strategies to stakeholders
2nd bullet point on the plan to communicate the competitiveness strategies to stakeholders

Insert exactly what you would say to your executive audience to describe each bullet point on this slide
You should thoroughly outline a communications plan the company could use to make the strategies you recommended on the previous slide known to all stakeholders.
8

Communications Plan
Profitability Strategies
1st bullet point on the plan to communicate the profitability strategies to stakeholders
2nd bullet point on the plan to communicate the profitability strategies to stakeholders

Insert exactly what you would say to your executive audience to describe each bullet point on this slide
You should thoroughly outline a communications plan the company could use to make the strategies you recommended known to all stakeholders.
9

Corporate Social Responsibility
Responsible (ethical) corporate citizen
1st bullet point on the assessment of efforts by the corporation to be a responsible (ethical) corporate citizen – specific example
2nd bullet point on the assessment of efforts by the corporation to be a responsible (ethical) corporate citizen – specific example
Impact of efforts on company’s bottom line
1st bullet point on the impact the efforts have on the company’s bottom line – specific example
2nd bullet point on the impact the efforts have on the company’s bottom line – specific example

Insert exactly what you would say to your executive audience to describe each bullet point on this slide
You should thoroughly assess efforts by this corporation to be a responsible (ethical) corporate citizen and thoroughly determine the impact these efforts (or lack thereof) have on the company’s bottom line. Provide specific examples to support your response.
10

References
Hitt, M. A., Ireland, R. D., & Hoskisson, R. E. (2013). Strategic management: Concepts and cases: Competiveness and globalization (10th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.
Insert second source
Insert third source
Insert any additional sources

You should use at least three (3) quality references, one of which should be the course textbook. Wikipedia and similar websites do not quality as academic resources.
11

Running Head: APPLE INC BUSINESS–LEVEL AND CORPORATE-LEVEL STRATEGY 1

APPLE INC BUSINESS–LEVEL AND CORPORATE-LEVEL STRATEGY 8

Business-Level and Corporate-Level Strategies: Case of Apple

Latonya Louden

BUS499 Business Administration Capstone

Professor Brian Grizzell

03/01/2020

Apple Inc Business –level and corporate-level Strategy
Introduction

The advancements in technology have accelerated the growth of the business across the world. The vital role of information technology has made a sharp surge in demand for computers and other electronic devices, which have proven to make life better. Apple Company was started in 1976. Through its sound business and corporate strategy, the company has risen to be a world leader in the design, production, and sale of computer software, consumer electronics, semiconductors, and other services like artificial intelligence, financial technology, and cloud computing.
The company’s business model and organizational culture have enabled it to survive turbulent times through all these decades (Montgomerie, & Roscoe, 2013). Apple Inc continues to lead in design, development, and sales of consumer electronics not only in the US, where the company has its headquarters but also throughout the world. Apple continues to dominate the market over its competitors, like Samsung. The business and corporate-level strategy provide the American-multinational company with a competitive edge. The company remains on the competitive advantage of the market and continues to churn out profits turning to billions of dollars. This paper intrigues Apple’s business strategy of remaining relevant in the market, and the corporate-level Strategy adopted by the company to stay profitable in the highly competitive market of Silicon Valley.
Business-Level Strategies

Apple Inc. adopts a unique strategy that is characteristic of product differentiation. The California-based company offers attractive but straightforward designs with advanced functionality. The technology company focuses on the design and functionality of its products. The company has enhanced features and functions of its list of products and services (Dudovskiy, & Dudovskkiy, 2019). Apple’s list of innovations includes the introduction of the iPod, the development of Macintosh, and the launching of iMac. These life-changing innovations were ranging from devices storing thousands of songs, to computers using graphical-user interphone and the iMac, a transformative technology that changed the computer design outlook. These innovations put Apple on the competitive edge of the market as the company.

Apple, as a technology-based company, is wholesome in both hardware and software. The vertical business integration, as adopted in Apple, is a success factor of its dominance of the market. Competitive advantage is gained from Apple’s products, ease of synchronization. Software and devices from the company work well with one another (Dudovskiy, & Dudovskkiy, 2019). The applications and software work on various Apple devices with less difference to the user interface. Apple’s devices are not compatible with other products in the market. Application and software are created in the fashion of a closed –system. The company’s business strategy has switching costs for the customers, as they must incur the charge when using devices, not from Apple Inc. This secure system provides opportunities for leveraging relationships between the company and its customer base. The company thus stays ahead of the rest in the competitive market.

Apple’s business strategy of decreasing dependence on the sales of the iPhone is a plan to transition from relying on sales of the iPhone to making priorities in its services and other divisions. High-profile changes taking place taking in a short period indicate the company’s new Strategy. Focus is being made on services and different segments of the whole business to avoid dependence on the sale of phones for profits. This has gained track as benefits have been churned out from Apple’s diversified products and services.

The ability to design and come up with its software, applications and other services puts Apple at the top of the market. Customers are provided with innovative solutions for their needs in its core business strategy to remain relevant and profitable amid fierce competition by already existing, and as well as new businesses. In 2018, the company employed 132,000 workers while its net sales increased by USD 36.4 billion thanks to its business strategy, which had put a focus on the design and functionality of products (Dudovskiy and Dudovskiy, 2019). By strengthening the company’s internal environment to enhance profits, Apple has been able to acquire, and penetrate markets effectively.

The company’s hierarchical organizational structure works to its advantage. Integrating product-based groups for collaborations and a proper corporate culture have enabled the technology giant to prosper. The company’s leadership is effective as CEO Tim Cook has been widely recognized for industrial and innovative personality, which he fostered within the organization.

Corporate-Level Strategies

. Corporate –a level strategy adopted by Apple is to ensure a competitive advantage over other technology-based firms which make a try to control the lucrative market of today’s world. Apple’s corporate strategic plan is to leverage competition on different levels. Apple’s corporate-level Strategy is based on the dominant business type of business, in which between 70% and 95% originates from a single transaction. The period of the low level of diversification lasted from 1976 to 1996, in which virtually all the products sold were related to computers (Dudovskiy, & Dudovskkiy, 2019). The company started with Apple 1 and developed their products to Macintosh, a faster but lighter machine. The company’s growth was restrained on computers, chips, and software. This showed a low rate of diversification compared to the period after 1996.

The company’s Strategy on the corporate level has involved the production of devices and gadgets with a similar design; these designs can work on numerous other devices. The company’s products like Apple TV, iMac, iPad, iPhone and iPods are on retail in stores worldwide. The advantage of having retails worldwide is for a considerable market share. The company is the only one with complementing online-stores that provides customers with a better purchasing experience (Kuratko, Hornsby & Covin, 2014). Apple’s retail Strategy adds many software, apps, music, and games for purchase on the iTunes store. The excellent customer care support complements the robust retailing Strategy, which not only maximizes profits but also increases customer loyalty.

The period after 1996 has seen massive advancements in the field of technology, and Apple has moved with the pace. Apple’s layout was designed to improve the flow of returns (Cusumano, 2010). The company’s experience offline, as well as online, was woven together for an efficient store with the ability to care for the increasing number of customers. The company has made an incredible marketing record by operating over three hundred and sixty retail stores and hosts an average of a million online visitors each day.

By 2020, Apple projected $20 billion in profits from its retails. The company had made losses in the period before 1996. Back then, it sold its products through retailers like Sears and CompUSA. The competition rife did not favor the company, as the band deteriorated, and the market shrank. The company thrived upon entering the retail market. By operating direct-to-customer retails, Apple’s success penetrating the market was the reason for the downfall of GateWay and CompUSA, two businesses that competed with Apple for the market share.

Apple’s growth is accredited to its change of perception and attitude towards retail marketing. The innovations brought in its products appealed to its customer base. Marketing strategy on its products and well as professional development to its customers are reasons for the company’s soar in the highly competitive market.

Competitive Environment

Apple Inc has grown to be a giant in the rapidly growing technology sector. The company’s business of manufacturing and marketing varieties of computers and electronics faces fierce competition from other brand s like Samsung. Apple’s muscular brand strength has provided the company with excellent visibility. Product brands and the interrelationship between products ensure the other patronage to the company’s list of innovative products (Takamura, 2011). Apple’s strong brand has enabled it to dominate the market, as it is associated with quality products.

Samsung does not have the enormous margin of the phone that Apple enjoys. The fact is that Samsung has a broader market share than Apple. Apple’s phones sell for more as the company’s share price has risen. Apple has been able to stay ahead of the rest because of its strong integrated supply chain (Montgomerie and Roscoe, 2013). The company’s partners in chip manufacturing, entertainment industry, and marketing provide the company competitive advantage of its rivals. At the same time, its premium pricing strategy and minimum discounts have been applauded by customers (Kuratiko et al., 2014). Apple provides customers with a –high-value product with unique features. Apple offers a high-price strategy to set a benchmark for business rivals and to reinforce the notation of added quality.

Market Cycles

Competition between Apple and Samsung depend on market condition and market cycle. A slow market cycle refers to the scenario when the company maintains a shield over the marker and maintains a monopoly in a manner that competitive pressures cannot penetrate the market (Hitt, Ireland, & Hoskisson, 2020.) Fast market cycles involve competitors in the same market, offering a similar product for the target customers.

The competition will always be present as long as there are competitors around. In a fast-cycle market, the company’s competitive advantage is protected from imitation, and the competitive advantage would not differ because imitations happen, quickly and inexpensively. In a fast-cycle market, competitive advantage is not suitable while in a slow-cycle market, a company, like Apple, maintains a monopoly and controls the market (Samuelson, 2016). In this manner, competitors are not able to make decent profits in the market.

Conclusion

Apple Inc is a classic case of employment of critical organizational tools to enhance profits. The business, from its humble start, grew to a reputable brand with a strong influence on the market. The company’s own business-level Strategy to compete with other brands worked out successfully. By leading in innovation, and ensuring uniqueness as their competitive advantage, Apple has been able to control the market and set unmatched standards in the highly competitive market. The company has battled lawsuits with Samsung, a business competitor of whom it has accused of imitating their products. Corporate level strategy in having an efficient retailing system has involved online stores, and physical stores with proper mechanisms to ensure customer satisfaction. This unmatched customer experience, and the quality products released by the technology firm has helped it acquire a larger market share. Apple’s products still remain a choice for many, as the value of money is proportionate to the quality of the products. The company’s success can be attributed to the organizational culture of innovativeness, and proper Strategy laid at both business and corporate level.

References

Hitt, Ireland, & Hoskisson. 2020. Strategic management: Concepts and Cases: Competitiveness and globalization (13th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning

Dudovskiy, J., & Dudovskkiy, J. (2019, April 21). Apple Business Strategy: a brief overview-Research methodology. Retrieved from

Apple Business Strategy: a brief overview

on 2/28/2020

Montgomerie, J., & Roscoe, S. (2013, December). Owning the consumer—Getting to the core of the Apple business model. In Accounting Forum (Vol. 37, No. 4, pp. 290-299). Taylor & Francis.

Samuelson, P. (2016). Apple v. Samsung and the upcoming design patent wars?. Communications of the ACM, 59(7), 22-24.

Cusumano, M. A. (2010). Staying power: Six enduring principles for managing strategy and innovation in an uncertain world (lessons from Microsoft, Apple, Intel, Google, Toyota, and more). Oxford University Press.

Kuratko, D. F., Hornsby, J. S., & Covin, J. G. (2014). Diagnosing a firm’s internal environment for corporate entrepreneurship. Business Horizons, 57(1), 37-47.

Takamura, J. H. (2011). Concept naming: Exploratory methods in the development of product design and brand DNA. In Handbook of Research on Trends in Product Design and Development: Technological and Organizational Perspectives (pp. 219-244). IGI Global.

RunningHead

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Technology and Globalization in Apple Corporation

1

Technology and Globalization in Apple Corporation 6

:

Technology and Globalization in Apple Corporation

Latonya Louden

Strayer University

BUS499 Business Administration Capstone

Professor Grizzell

01/24/2020

Technology and Globalization in Apple Corporation

This essay will consider Apple International Corporation in examining the impacts of globalization and technology in its operations, the ability to earn more returns, the influence of its vision and mission statements on the company’s performance and overall success, and how various stakeholders impact the company’s performance. Apple International Company is an example of the top five hundred corporations which have significantly benefited from globalization and advanced technology (Dyer, Furr, & Lefrandt, 2019).

Globalization and Technology

Globalization, a process in which people, organizations, and governments interact and continuously integrate at a global level as dictated by the international investment and trade, is enabled by information and technology. Globalization has a significant influence on the manner through which ideas are generated, implemented, and distributed globally in the form of new or advanced technology. The process of generation and sharing of ideas globally impact the operations and business models of international corporations. For example, a business idea can be generated in one place but end up being implemented in another region due to technological advancements and globalization.

Products from Apple Corporation, including iPods, iPads, iPhones, Apple TVs, among others, include brands that have been utilized significantly in the international market due to the impacts of globalization and technology in terms of design and functionality.

The building of the iPod brand requires expensive and critical components that are acquired from other companies; for example, Samsung Electronics supplies flash memories; Toshiba supplies hard drives while Broadcom Corporation provides multimedia processors. Therefore, the devices are manufactured in different parts of the world, such as Korea, Taiwan, and China. The end product is assembled in Mainland china by Inventec Corporation. The flow of these components across various parts of the world presents an excellent example of how globalization has enabled the manufacturing process of an international commodity.

The organization has been leading among top competitors through innovations. iPhone, in this case, a commodity which was launched by Steve Jobs. It is a device that has three integrations and a piece of separately existing equipment off Apple. The three combinations are a full iPod screen, a touch control, and a revolutionary mobile phone, and internet-enabled connectivity device. The significant touch control, the screen is what makes the device outstanding.

Apple Corporation became outstanding from conventional mobile phone manufacturing companies by providing no menu or main buttons and no keyboard, which was incorporated in devices developed by other key competitors such as Samsung, Nokia, and Motorola. The design replaced the stylus with the smooth and handy pointer, the finger.

Industrial Organization and Resource-based models

Several researchers have analyzed that from the selling price of about three hundred dollars at a retailer price, the production cost, which comprises the fee of components, is less than one hundred and fifty dollars. Therefore, Apple Corporation takes about fifty percent of the profit while the rest is allocated to retailers and distributors (Dempsey, 2019, p. 80).

The proportion of revenue collected by the organization’s designing, delivering, and selling of the products surpass the cost of manufacturing components. Although the iPod commodity is not majorly made in the united states, it is designed and retailed in the country. The United States’ companies performed well in bargaining.

Vision

The vision of the company, which accounts for its approaches in its operations to position itself a dominant corporation in the industry, states that the company believes that it is the face of the earth by providing reliable products. This has been achieved through the following steps.

On March 2013, Apple Corporation patented with the Augmented Reality technology, which is used to identify images in the live streaming videos. In June of the same year, the organization introduced the OS X Mavericks, 7th and 10th iOS operating system and OS X respectively, and the iTunes Radio services. In August of the same year, Apple acquired Embark International Company, a Silicon Valley-based mapping organization. The company develops free applications for smartphone devices utilized in navigation systems of public transport of major cities such as New York, Chicago, among others in the United States.

In November of 2013, Apple Company finalized the acquisition of Prime Sense Company, which is located in Tel Aviv, Israel. The company provides three-dimensional sensing to devices. In December of the same year, Apple acquired another company which had specialized in social analytics, Topsy. The company is among the few corporations which can access real tie messages which appear platforms such as twitter. The notes have a back up since 2006.

At the start of the year 2014, the Apple international corporation had pans of increasing its investments and expansion in Japan. In India, the sale of iPhone products registered an increase of up to four hundred percent in the second quarter of the year 2013. This saw the corporation, Apple India planning on the expansion of its market and operations in India (Polyakov, 2017, p. 81).

In December 2013, Apple company launched the iBeacon technology in more than two hundred and fifty of its stores in the united states. The technology is harnessed in determining the location of users and sends customized information concerning the company’s products. On the 4th of February in 2014, Tim Cook, the company’s CEO, met with the Turkey President Abdullah Gul in Ankara. The two discussed the possibility of the company to involve in the Faith Project of the government. The Faith was a government project aiming at integrating state of the art information technology in the education system of the country. After the meeting, Tim Cook announced that Apple would open its first retail shop in Istanbul in April the same year.

Mission

Actions and steps taken by Apple Corporation are appreciated in the telecommunication industry. For example, it is the first mobile phone and telecommunications organization to partner with the Fair Labor Association. Similarly, the company has worked with several Chinese groups that protect and conserve the environment and champions for labor rights. Additionally, the Apple Corporation accepts the monitoring of suppliers of components and manufacturing facilities by outside organizations (Sethi & Rovenpor, 2016, p. 7).

Stakeholders

The Apple International company addresses challenges facing its stakeholders and staff members effectively. This is an elaborate mission statement of the company, which has increased the performance of its staff members by addressing their challenges effectively. In the year 2013, the company joined the association of labor, Fair Labor Association, following the public outcry over the unfavorable working conditions at Foxconn Company in china. Foxconn corporate is the largest private employer in China. From this, the Apple Corporation formulated a policy which restricted workers from working for over sixty hours in a week.

On the other hand, Foxconn, which makes Apple devices took steps on reducing workers’ overtime, improving safety measures of working environments, and improving the workers’ housing facilities, among other amenities. Auditors were sent to several companies that were reported for unfair and unfavorable working conditions to asses and recommended possible measures both in working and residential areas.

References

Dempsey, P. (2019). The Teardown: Apple iPad Pro. Engineering & Technology, 14(2), 80-81. DOI:10.1049/et.2019.0227

Dyer, J., Furr, N., & Lefrandt, C. (2019). Innovation Capital: How to Compete–and Win–Like the World’s Most Innovative Leaders. Harvard Business Press.

Polyakov, M. (2017). The positive impact of international companies on the development of the knowledge economy. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 15(2), 81-89. DOI:10.21511/ppm.15(2).2017.08

Sethi, S. P., & Rovenpor, J. L. (2016). The Role of NGOs in Ameliorating Sweatshop-like Conditions in the Global Supply Chain: The Case of Fair Labor Association (FLA), and Social Accountability International (SAI). Business and Society Review, 121(1), 5-36. DOI:10.1111/basr.12079

Running head: BUSINESS 1

BUSINESS 2

Week 3 Assigment 1

Latonya Louden

Strayer University

BUS499 Business Administration Capstone

Brian Grizzell

02/04/2020

Strategic Management and Strategic Competitiveness

Globalization

Apple Inc is one of the most successful public corporations today. It has been ranked number one on the Forbes list for the last decade. Being an American multinational tech company, Apple operates by designing, developing, and selling various technological products and services that have changed the world today (O’Regan, 2015). Apple Company has, in many ways, been impacted by globalization and technology. It has been seen that Apple’s global revenue for September 2015 fiscal year totaled $323 billion (Ahmar, 2017).

Additionally, the organization has been able to maintain over 476 stores in over 15 countries successfully. In this way, Apple continues to expand its products globally aggressively. Furthermore, there is an online iTunes and Apple store, which has over a billion Apple products globally. This is important in stimulating the global economy. It has been seen that globalization and technology have helped Apple to transform the world significantly.

Apple has over ten most essential products that have made it successful over the years. This has made Apple become one of the most significant information technology companies in the world. The company’s total assets are such as OS X operating system, App Stores, iPad, Macintosh Computers, iPod, Touch Technology, iPhone, iBeacons, and Apple TV (O’Rourke, 2017). Today, it has been seen that Apple continues to invent towards the future where it has developed user-faced innovative products and technology. This is important in defining the market time and again.

Industrial Organization Model

Apple Corporation has an excellent opportunity where it can increase its revenues using the industrial organization and the resource-based model (Ning, Fu, & Zheng, 2011). From the economic theory of the industrial organization model, the company can continue with its success globally. This is important in that it can help the organization earn revenues that are above their average returns. Besides, at Apple, the management and personnel in leadership positions carefully understand and know the competition they face in the technological aspect (Budnikas, 2011). Additionally, the company also understands the general industry, assets, strategic formulation, skills, and strategic implementation. These aspects, in particular, help the organization maximize their profits and continue to grow globally.

Resource-Based Model

In this approach, this model is vital to the superior performance of the company. In this aspect, the model included Apple having available resources, which is critical in providing a sustainable competitive advantage in the technology industry. Apple has been seen to continue research and development in various aspects. These efforts are crucial in creating innovative technology and application products and services, which will see its brand loyalty increase in the competitive market (Al-Laham & Huth, 2011).

Apple focuses on staying ahead of its competitors, which allows them to become leaders in the market place. The company has established itself in the market and has been a defined leader in the tech world. Apple’s strategies in marketing and advertising have increased awareness and demand for their products and services globally.

Vision

Apple’s vision statement forms a basis for the success of the company. Apple is one of the most valuable global companies today. Apple’s current vision statement was introduced by the current Apple CEO, Tom Cook (Rowland, 2015). The vision statement is, “We believe that we are on the face of the earth to make great products, and that’s not changing. We are constantly focusing on innovating. We believe in the simple, not the complex. We believe that we need to own and control the primary technologies behind the products that we make and participate only in markets where we can make a significant contribution. We believe in saying no to thousands of projects so that we can focus on the few that are truly important and meaningful to us. We believe in deep collaboration and cross-pollination of our groups, which allow us to innovate in a way that others cannot. And frankly, we don’t settle for anything less than excellence in every group in the company, and we have the self- honesty to admit when we’re wrong and the courage to change. And I think regardless of who is in what job those values are so embedded in this company that Apple will do extremely well” (Rowland, 2015).

From the above vision statement, it is evident that the company’s continued success is emphasized on innovation, market selection, strategies, company direction, organization culture, and product development.

Mission

On the other hand, Apple also has its mission statement. This is also important to make sure the organization stays competitive in the market for an extended time. The current mission statement at Apple is, “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” (Rowland, 2015).

The mission statement is not as detailed as the vision statement, as seen. However, the mission statement can be improved by widening its scope so that it includes details of various business aspects at Apple (Rowland, 2015). The mission statement covers all the current Apple products and technology.

Stakeholders

By satisfying demands imposed by stakeholders, the company has been able to satisfy its stakeholders effectively. Stakeholders impact the business in various ways. Apple stakeholders include the following. Firstly, there are the customers. The company prioritizes these stakeholders. They include individuals and also organizations buyers of the company’s products. Therefore, the company has a top priority in satisfying the demands of its customers. Another type of stakeholders is the employees. They hold the second priority after the customers. Apple’s main interest is to keep employees motivated and develop their careers accordingly (Thompson, 2015). When employees are happy, they have an increased moral, which is vital to create innovative technology. Besides, investors are also another set of stakeholders. They determine organizational finances and research developments. This is because; investors are interested in maximizing return on their investments (Thompson, 2015). Also, the music industry is another critical stakeholder. They are responsible for the quality of the Apple products and ensuring the success of the company.

References

Ahmar, A. S. (2017). Predicting Movement of Stock of Apple Inc. using Suite Indicator. doi:10.31227/osf.io/pcxr5

Al-Laham, A., & Huth, S. (2011). Strategic Repositioning of Apple Inc. Fallstudien zum Internationalen Management, 641-664. DOI:10.1007/978-3-8349-6793-0_38

Budnikas, A. (2011). Apple Inc. Business Policy v. Competition Law. SSRN Electronic Journal. DOI:10.2139/ssrn.1911371

EuGH, Urteil v. 24. 10. 2018 – C-595/17 Apple Sales International, Apple Inc., Apple retail France EURL ./. MJA also Liquidator von eBizcuss.com. (2019). JuristenZeitung, 74(3), 139. DOI:10.1628/jz-2019-0044

Ning, Y., Fu, H., & Zheng, W. (2011). Business model dynamics: A case study of Apple Inc. 2011 IEEE 18th International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management. DOI:10.1109/icieem.2011.6035109

O’Regan, G. (2015). Apple Inc. Pillars of Computing, 25-30. DOI:10.1007/978-3-319-21464-1_5

O’Rourke, D. (2017). Consumer trends in apple sales. Burleigh Dodds Series in Agricultural Science, 511-522. DOI:10.19103/as.2016.0017.28

Rowland, C. (2015, September 3) Apple’s Vision Statement & Mission Statement. Retrieved from

Apple’s Mission Statement & Vision Statement (An Analysis)

Thompson, A.(2015, September 8) Apple Inc. Stakeholders: A CSR Analysis. Retrieved from

Apple’s Stakeholders, CSR & ESG Strategy