Using the information gathered from your SWOT analysis that I have attached. Create an external factor analysis (EFAS) table for the company you researched. Use Microsoft Word, or a similar program, to create your table. It should have five columns. The first column heading should be titled External Factors, the second column should be titled Weight, the third column should be titled Rating, the fourth column should be titled Weighted Score, and the fifth column should be titled Comments. You may also use the template I have attached. I have also attached an example EFAS table.

In the External Factors column, list at least six opportunities you saw in the company you researched. Underneath the opportunities, list at least six threats you saw in the company you researched.

In the Weight column, assign an importance factor to each of these issues. It is important to note that whenever working with weighted averages, the weight column should always total 1.0, or 100%, regardless of how many factors are included in the EFAS analysis. It is up to the analyst to decide how much weight each individual external factor is assigned based on the probable impact on a particular company’s current strategic position. The higher the weight, the more important the factor to the current and future success of the company. An important factor may have a weight of 0.5 (50%),while a less important factor may have a weight of .05 (5%). When all is finished, however, all factor weights should total 1.0, or 100%. You may not be privy to the exact information for this company, so in some cases you will need to use your best judgment. (You will justify your weighting in column five.)

In the Rating column, assign a rating factor from 5.0-1.0 (5.0 is outstanding; 1.0 is poor). These ratings are based on the company’s response to that particular factor. It is your judgment call on how the company is currently dealing with each specific factor. Once again, you may need to make an estimate in this area if you are not privy to all of the information. (You will justify your weighting in column five.)

In the Weighted Score column, multiply the weight from column 2 by the rating in column 3 to get the factor’s weighted score.

In the Comments column, explain why a particular factor was selected and how its weight and rating were estimated.

At the bottom of column 4, add the weighted scores for the external factors. Is the company doing better or worse than others in the same industry? Complete this answer underneath your table.

Format your assignment using APA Style. Use your own words, and include citations and references as needed to avoid plagiarism.

It is important to remember that whenever working with weighted averages, the weight column should always total 1.0, or 100%, regardless of how many factors are included in the EFAS analysis. It is up to the analyst to decide how much weight each individual external factor is assigned. An important factor may have a weight of 0.5 (50%) while a less important factor may have a weight of .05 (5%). When all is finished, however, all factor weights should total 1.0 or 100%. Please also note that the total weighted score for an average firm in an industry is always 3.0. When the EFAS analysis is complete, the subject company weighted score is evaluated against the industry average score of 3.0 to determine how well it is doing. A weighted total score greater than 3.0 indicates the subject company is doing better than the average industry firm. A weighted average score less than 3.0 indicates that the subject company is doing worse than the average industry firm.

In this section, add your commentary about if the company is doing better or worse than others in the same industry. At the end of this section, add any references you may have used for the assignment.

External Factor Analysis Summary Table for DigiPhone 7 (Example)

External Factors Weight Rating Weighted

Score

Comments

Opportunities

Expand optional

video

.1 3.5 .35

Many reviews mention the video quality

has been improved over the previous

model, but is still not the same quality

compared to other phones in this price

point

(Amazer, 2015).

Expand markets

outside Asia

.15 4 .6 The phones manufactured in China have a

good foothold there, but are only available

outside Asia through online retailers

(Amazer, 2015).

Include Bluetooth

functionality

.05 1 .05 The phone currently lacks Bluetooth

functionality, which has become a

standard feature of phones in this class.

Integrate front

facing camera

.05 1.50 .075 This was a requested feature for the older

versions, and it finally made it to the

DigiPhone 7.

Parental Controls .05 1 .05 Not much is mentioned about built-in

parental controls for phones, but the

options are starting to emerge for parents

to have direct control over talk time,

texting, and other aspects of the phone

(Minor, 2016).

Use Wi-Fi

802.11ac

.1 2 .2 Wifi N is quickly being replaced by Wifi

802-11ac, which is up to 12x faster

(Lendino, 2015).

Threats

Recognizable

design

.05 1.0 .05 Most complaints were about their color

selection. Only black or gray are

available, and many other manufactures

are coming out with other color options

(Amazer, 2015).

Cost of

DigiPhone

.1 3 .3 The DigiPhone is marketed at the mid-

level phone section, but is missing some

key technologies that keep it from

competing with those phones. It is

competitively priced within this section.

Growth of

competition

.2 5 1 Other companies are innovating; that will

set them apart from the competition

(Crago, 2008).

Unknown

company

.05 2 .1 DigiPhone is not a household name, and

outside of smart phone enthusiasts they

External Factor Analysis Summary Table for DigiPhone 7 (Example)

Overall, Digiphone is doing better than other phones in the same market share. Their

annual stockholder report has shown shares increasing in value in the last quarter (Digiphone,

2016). The version 7 of their phone is priced aggressively within this market segment, but is also

missing some key technologies that would make it more comparable to other phones at the same

price. The company doesn’t seem to be aggressively trying to expand outside of its Asian market,

and this could translate into lost opportunities to increase revenue in a new market. They have

been available from online retailers, and the data supports the trend that Americans are shopping

online more than in stores (Greenberg, 2015). As long as they maintain their costs and online

presence, and they meet customer expectations for features and design, the company will

continue to be a market leader.

are relatively unknown. They need to

increase brand awareness.

Corporate

espionage

.05 3.5 .175 All emerging technology companies face

this threat and it costs companies

hundreds of billions of dollars annually

(Federal Bureau of Investigation, n.d.).

Negative reviews .05 3 .15 DigiPhone has been slow to respond to

consumer desires, but every version has

shown progress.

1.00 3.1

External Factor Analysis Summary Table for DigiPhone 7 (Example)

References

Amazer. (2015). Reviews of DigiPhone 7. Retrieved from

http://www.amazer.com/reviews/digiphone7.html

Crago, A. (2015, February 14). Top 5 emerging phone technologies. Retrieved from

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/emerging-phone-technologies.htm

Digiphone. (2016). 2015 annual stockholder report. Retrieved from

http://digiphone.com/stockholder_report

Federal Bureau of Investigation. (n.d.). Counterintelligence: Economic espionage. Retrieved

from https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/counterintelligence/economic-espionage

Greenberg, J. (2015, November 30). More Americans shopped online than in stores this

weekend. Wired Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/2015/11/more-

americans-shopped-online-than-in-stores-this-weekend/

Lendino, J. (2015, April 20). What is 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and how much faster than 802.11n is it?

Extreme Tech. Retrieved from http://www.extremetech.com/computing/160837-what-is-

802-11ac-and-how-much-faster-than-802-11n-is-it

Minor, J. (2016, March 10). The best parental control apps for your phone. PC Magazine.

Retrieved from http://www.pcmag.com/roundup/342731/the-best-parental-control-apps-

for-your-phone

APPLECOMPANY 1

APPLE COMPANY 7

The Apple Company

Jermaine Griffin

Columbia Southern University

The Apple is as an American international company with its headquarters at Cupertino, California. It designs, develops and also sells consumer electronics and online services. It also deals in computer software. The hardware products for the company includes the smart phone by the name iPhone, the iPad tablet computer and a mobile media player by the name of iPod. There are also other products such as watches television sets and other devices. The focus of this paper is to come up with the SWOT analysis for the company. (Yee 2015)

STRENGTHS

The approach of the strengths for this company is based on the way the company is able to thrive in this market. The strengths could either be internal or external with much emphasis being made on the internal strengths. Generally, these are specific factors within the organization with the most notable ones including the following.

1. A strong brand image- the company has been in the market for long winning a great approval from its clients due to the quality products that it offers. The electronic products that the company deals with, though expensive, are of high quality.

2. High profit margins- the company has been making huge amounts of profits for the last few decades. It therefore a stronghold for the success of the company.

3. The company has a rapid innovative processes that make it to adapt to technological changes hence coping with the market adjustments.

4. The wide global coverage enhances the distribution of the electronic products over a wide range of countries.

5. The company has a strong financial base that can eventually be used as capital. This makes the company to be able to open up new branches and meet with expansion costs.

6. The company is known to employ the most qualified staff. This serves a critical role in ensuring that productivity of the company. It is therefore an advantage to the company.

7. The company has strong agency that serves to help in distribution of its productivity.

8. The company’s marketing mix or the 4P that takes care of the pricing strategies enhances high profits. There is a notion that the company sells its products expensively, but the fact is that the products are high class. (Nadkarni 2017)

WEAKNESSES

The weaknesses are the inadequacies of the company. These are normally internal parameters that are hindrances to the growth of the company. The following weaknesses could be easily traced in the Apple Company.

1. There is a limited distribution network. This is due to the policy that the company operates in. for instance, the company makes a conscious selection of its sellers of the products.

2. The company sells its products at high prices. The high prices scares away the middle income earners. This serves as a great weakness to the company.

3. The company also has strong dependence on high-end market segments. This means that the target market for the products of this company is the middle and the high class earners, hence the low class earners find it difficult to purchase these products.

4. The company also has limited staff motivation making them feel not much appreciated. One of the methods used to appreciate employee performance is the issuance of the iPhones.

5. The marketing strategies that the company engages in are tailored to meet the needs of high income earners hence the low income earners are left out. The middle income earners may be privileged but they do not get maximum satisfaction.

OPPORTUNITIES

This analysis identifies the most important and significant opportunities available for the company. (Khan 2015)

1. The expansion of the distribution network could enhance the company. The company’s products will thus be distributed to new clients.

2. Increased volumes of sales based on the increased demand.

3. Coming up with new product lines. This will enhance diversification hence meet the needs of all clients.

4. Coming up with optimum prices that are meeting the needs of low class earners. The inclusion of the low income earners in the market bracket will lead to increased sales.

5. Increase the staff motivation as this will eventually lead to high productivity.

6. There is a rise in demand for the mobile gadgets the company deals. This means that more production will no longer be risk taking.

7. The company could improve on product diversification for more results to be achieved. This is by coming up with new products that addresses the needs of all clients in a good way hence enhancing its growth.

8. The company can come up with more compatible products.

9. The adoption of apple products in the enterprise market is on the increase.

10. The company Pay provides for a big growth opportunity.

THREATS

The analysis focuses on the threats the company experiences especially from its competitors.

1. There is stiff competition from firms like Samsung. This makes the company to face challenges in market leadership.

2. Increasing cos of labor in several countries. The cost is usually incurred by the company using the profits gained hence weakening its capital base.

3. Other firms copy the design of apple products hence posing a great threat.

4. There is an increase in the cost of production. The urge to make high quality products makes the company to spend more in the production process.

5. The demise of jobs is a big loss for the company.

6. The environment in which the company operates in is complex with a lot of challenges.

7. The premium pricing can hinder the growth of emerging markets. The company has the most expensive products in the industry posing a great threat to it.

8. The market in which the products are disposed is highly developed hence competitive. This means that the company will have to employ the most recent technology in order to thrive in the market.

9. There exists low barriers to entry.

10. The company monopoly and the Federal antitrust.

In conclusion it is my hopes that this paper will give you a clear looking into the Apple Company SWOT. All companies have things that they need to work and I hope I have informed you on some of Apple’s area in which they can work on. Within this same paper I hope I have given you areas that they doing well in also. A company is only as strong as its weakest link.

References

Khan, U. A., Alam, M. N., & Alam, S. (2015). A critical analysis of internal and external environment of Apple Inc. International Journal of Economics, Commerce and Management, 3(6), 955-961.

Nadkarni, D. (2017). The Four: The Hidden DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google. Anvesha, 10(3), 55-56.

Yee, F. M., & Yazdanifard, R. (2015). The comparison between ngo marketing and conventional marketing practices from SWOT analysis, marketing mix, and performance evaluation perspectives. Economics, 2(9), 1075-1087.