The Business of the Company
Apple Inc. is a technological company that focuses on designing, development, and sale of electronics, software, and online services. The company capitalizes on the production of quality products that help in meeting the needs of the customers within a given market. The technological developments and advancements within the industry has helped in ensuring that the companies concentrate on the production of technologically advanced products with the ability to meet the needs of the market considering the use of information systems (Taylor & Levin, 2014). The engagement of the company in the production of hardware and software products helped the company to earn a competitive advantage within the industry thus making it to be the world’s largest company dealing with information technology. Considering the business operations undertaken within the company regarding the technological advancements in the technological industry, the company enjoys brand loyalty, where the products of the company are valued based on their quality.
The Information Needs of the Company
Considering Apple is a technological company, the company requires the implementation of various information technology systems to help in obtaining the required information regarding the effective running of the business. The company requires a wide range of information that assist the company to undertake its operations effectively with the sole aim of meeting the needs of the customers in the market. The first information need of the company entails the market research to assist in the implementation of proper and effective marketing strategies (Cecez-Kecmanovic, Galliers, Henfridsson, Newell, & Vidgen, 2014). The company requires engaging in market research in order to obtain vital information regarding the products offered by the competitors. The information regarding the competitors’ products help the company to focus on enhancing the quality of their product, which is considered a marketing strategy for earning a greater market share within the industry.
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Another critical information need by the company entails understanding the market needs, which include customers’ information and their needs. Apple Inc. Company capitalizes on the production of products and services that are intended to meet the needs of customers within a given market. The company focuses on a niche market that has different needs regarding the use of technological devices in the information technology systems. Understanding the needs of the given niche market provides the company with the ability to engage in an effective production of products and services that meet the identified needs of the customer in the market (Cecez-Kecmanovic, Galliers, Henfridsson, Newell, & Vidgen, 2014). Lastly, the company has an information need concerning the product differentiation in the market in order to identify distinct features that help in creating a competitive advantage against other products offered within the market. The acquisition of the given information helps in ensuring that the company remains competitive and consistent within the market.
Current Use of Information Systems
The following are some of the information systems that Apple has adopted, as well as, some of the uses associated with the systems.
iCloud
iCloud is one of the most distinctive feature within the products offered by Apple , which allows users to back up their information online to avoid issues of data loss. Apple uses this information system with an aim of trying to ensure that clients are able to use the iCloud service as part of their use for Apple products (Fichman, Dos Santos, & Zheng, 2014). However, the iCloud has been of great value towards building Apple’s competitive advantage in the technological market considering that it is much easier for it to differentiate itself from other products. When compared to other products in the market, Apple is the only company with the capability of offering the iCloud, thus, highlighting its use of this information system.
Apple Support Communities
Support is one of the key demands when dealing with technological products considering that clients may encounter a wide array of issues or queries regarding their use of these products. From that perspective, Apple uses the ‘Apple Support Communities’ information system as a tool allowing the company to engage with its customers in the market. The system allows customers to ask any questions or raise any queries that they would have against the company with the sole focus of building a progressive avenue for improving customer satisfaction levels (Yoo, Henfridsson, & Lyytinen, 2010). Through this information system, the company is able to identify any technical issues associated with its products in the market, which, in turn, enhances the possibility of increasing customer value for the company.
Tumblr
Apple also uses Tumblr as a key information system through which it engages in marketing and advertisement of its new products aimed at meeting customer demands in the market. Dumais, Cutrell, Cadiz, Jancke, Sarin, & Robbins (2016) take note of the fact that Apple used Tumblr to engage in a 15 second advertisement for the iPhone 5c in different color. Apple, being a technological company, relies on marketing and advertisement to help ensure that it meets some of its sales targets in the market. Thus, this information system provides that effective platform for the company to establish an advertisement platform reaching Apple product users around the world. Largely, the idea of Tumblr has been successful considering that the company has been able to build a strong platform from which to advance its ability to market new products or services offered by the company.
Supplier Information Database
The last information system that Apple uses is the Supplier Information Database, which allows the company to find the best suppliers within different consumer markets. The introduction of this information system was aimed at ensuring that the company would position itself much more effectively within the market as a way of increasing its market share. The system allows customers to register with SID, thus, providing the company with a leeway from which to contact customers in the event that the company intends to explore new opportunities. The success of this information system has been pegged on the fact that the company has been able to find suppliers matching the needs and demands within the markets around the world. Additionally, it can be noted that the company has also been successful in highlighting new opportunities for its customers while taking into account the information that they have provided within the SID.
Evaluation and Recommendations
Based on the information needs and current uses of information system, it is important to highlight notable recommendations that would seek to enhance the company’s ability to build its performance in the market. The key recommendation for the company would touch on the issue of privacy based on the amount of customer information that the company collects. Privacy remains as one of the key concerns for majority of users for different technological products, as some of the companies tend to lack the capacity to protect customer privacy (Parra-Arnau, Rebollo-Monedero, & Forné, 2014). The concern may also be evident among users of different Apple products taking into account that the information systems tend to collect a significant amount of information. In the case of Apple, the company must invest significantly towards ensuring that it creates a front for enhanced privacy levels as a way of increasing capacity for the company to meet set standards.
References
Cecez-Kecmanovic, D., Galliers, R. D., Henfridsson, O., Newell, S., & Vidgen, R. (2014). The sociomateriality of information systems: current status, future directions. Mis Quarterly , 38 (3), 809-830.
Dumais, S., Cutrell, E., Cadiz, J. J., Jancke, G., Sarin, R., & Robbins, D. C. (2016, January). Stuff I've seen: a system for personal information retrieval and re-use. In ACM SIGIR Forum (Vol. 49, No. 2, pp. 28-35). ACM.
Fichman, R. G., Dos Santos, B. L., & Zheng, Z. E. (2014). Digital innovation as a fundamental and powerful concept in the information systems curriculum. MIS quarterly , 38 (2).
Parra-Arnau, J., Rebollo-Monedero, D., & Forné, J. (2014). Measuring the privacy of user profiles in personalized information systems. Future Generation Computer Systems , 33 , 53-63.
Taylor, G. D., & Levin, M. (2014). Predicting mobile app usage for purchasing and information-sharing. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management , 42 (8), 759-774.
Yoo, Y., Henfridsson, O., & Lyytinen, K. (2010). Research commentary—the new organizing logic of digital innovation: an agenda for information systems research. Information systems research , 21 (4), 724-735.
