The development and manufacturing of new products are one of the core activities of Apple In. Every year, Apple makes a collection of new goods and new versions of established goods such as iPhones. Therefore, regularly, Apple has to make pertinent decisions about the mode of research and development to undertake. These decisions, in part, depend on marketing research to establish what customers need (Malhotra, 2012). In the last two years, Apple has had to decide whether to undertake R & D for new products or for newer versions of established products.
Advertising decisions
Apple Inc. is among the companies that have excelled in advertising, through a combination of social media and traditional advertising avenues. In this regard, Apple has had to decide how to spread its advertising expenditures between traditional media and social media (Malhotra, 2012). Further, Apple has also had to decide the kinds of social media campaigns to run, such as endorsements or promotions.
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Lean Manufacturing Decisions
Another type of decision Apple has had to make this type of lean manufacturing to invest in. In the last two years, Apple has faced challenges due to stiff competition and may not have been able to benefit fully from premium pricing as a means of augmenting profits (Takakuwa, 2019). Such decisions include combining some processes and balancing between rates of production and warehousing.
Location of Manufacturing Decisions
Apple manufactures a variety of products such as smartphones and computers, all of which comprise of small component and an assembly process. The company has to determine where to carry out the manufacturing of different components and assemble the finished product (Lockamy III, 2017). This type of decision has to factor in the company’s global supply chain system.
Manufacturing Volumes
Manufacturing volumes are also a vital type of decision that Apple regularly makes and would have made in the last two years. Manufacturing volumes refer to the rate of constituent components and finished products that a company will produce at a specified period (Lockamy III, 2017). The company may speed up production in the rundown to significant hikes in demand and slow it down during downturns, such as the one caused by Covid-19.
References
Malhotra, N. K. (2012). Basic marketing research: Integration of social media . Pearson.
Lockamy III, A. (2017, July). An examination of external risk factors in Apple Inc.’s supply chain. In Supply Chain Forum: An International Journal (Vol. 18, No. 3, pp. 177-188). Taylor & Francis.
Takakuwa, K. (2019). Multilevel Product Differentiation in The Smartphone Market. Journal of Strategic Management Studies , 11 (1), 3-18.
