Apple Inc. is an intercontinental technology company located in the United States of America with its headquarters in Cupertino, California. The company specializes in computer design, development and sale of electronics, computer peripherals and software, and networked services. The company was founded in 1976 by a trio which included Steve Jobs, Ronald Wayne and Steve Wozniak and transmuted into a giant system in the world of telecommunications. Apple Incorporated is regarded as the most valued public company in the world ( Miller & Maxwell, 2016). For these achievements to be attained, it is clear that the Company’s management is well structured. This paper will outline the elements of Retail Strategy embraced by Apple Inc., methods of employee training, and how the company collects customer feedback in the achievement of its objectives. Throughout the decades, Apple Incorporated Company has been the most successful company in history. It continues to influence the world with its electrifying establishments, developments, and achievements that have dominated the world of technology.
Situation Analysis of Apple Inc
The giant multinational tech company has gradually developed over the years from a comparative compact producer of personal computers into a widened manufacturer of electronic equipment and supplier of online services, which ranks it as the highest valued publicly-traded company worldwide. Apple Inc.'s primary mission statement was to empower the human race by enhancing personal computing that is accessible to all people in the world. The mission was to inspire and enhance human thinking, learning and communication as well as easy working. The company’s mission is to integrate effective user experience on computer hardware, software, and services (Straker & Wrigley, 2016). Furthermore, Apple Inc. was the first company to initiate top technology in its product with the establishment of iPhones and iPads, products that have been universally accepted and embraced. The company is anchored on a powerful and strong marketing and advertising brand structures. Due to its popularity, the company's brand is supported by its wide range of products around the globe.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
According to Miller and Maxwell, Apple Inc. is a public company, owned and managed by a board of shareholders. The largest shareholder and chairman of the board is Arthur Levinson (2016). Additionally, Tim Cook, the CEO of the multinational tech giant, is the second-largest shareholder (Miller & Maxwell, 2016). The company’s success in organizational and corporate structures constitutes the combination of workforce groups and their interconnections together with resources. Apple’s success is attributed to innovation and the leadership instilled by Co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs. Now under Tim Cook, the company employs a hierarchical organizational structure. The hierarchical system outlines that the CEO is the ultimate position, who is followed by a team of senior professionals. Apple Inc. utilizes a Weak Functional Matrix where the highest management determines and dictates the operations of the company. The corporation specializes in product-based divisions, where the management is divided according to the features of a product. For example, Apple’s structure contains a Senior Vice President for Software Engineering and another for Hardware Engineering. Apple Inc. employs well laid guidelines in employees’ research and development. The company engages directly with workers to teach them on skills and job awareness and specifications of their requirements. Managers are trained on their responsibility under the Supplier Code of Conduct (Quattlebaum, 2018). This management system ensures that consumer products and components are effective and satisfactory to the user.
Conversely, the company’s products are sold at high prices and often regarded as a luxury due to the premium prices. The high prices are attributed to the low market penetration by Apple products. Moreover, Apple’s products are only compatible with other Apple products. This feature inhibits network interactivity and connection. Lack of competing strategy with other tech companies results in poor advertising, marketing and promotion of the Apple products by the company. More than that, a lack of competition leads to high prices of services and a lack of motivation for consumer satisfaction. Recent escalated competition by a myriad of companies such as Samsung has proved consequential to Apple Corporation. This necessitates the need to introduce new technologies or revise its pricing system to stay ahead of the competitors. Additionally, we wait to see the eradication of the countless lawsuits filed by consumers on product failures and dissatisfaction. The company’s focus on apple electronics and services makes it an ideal manufacturer and designer in the production of high-quality products that constitute iPhone, iPod, Apple TVs, Apple operating systems, iCloud, Apple Pay, and services that render support to the user.
Objectives
Apple Inc. renders products at premium prices, ensuring large market share and high returns. The company has continued providing new trending products that allure customers all over the world. The huge impact is attributed to the company’s capability to dictate the advancement of technology in the world. The products have been made universally available which has increased user demand. With the production of high-quality products, the company sets high prices to reaffirm the superior standards of the products. The high prices escalate the profit margins due to the low market due to competitors’ low prices across the platforms. The company employs a promotion strategy by ensuring that consumers anticipate the release of the next product. The anticipation is spearheaded by the consistency in advanced technology in the products.
The company relies on its huge brand to boost the growth and success of its sales. The company is seen as a huge tech giant whose products are of premium standards which allow consumers to build enough demand for the products even before they are released. Through progressive surveys, the company can gain feedback from the customers on their products. Additionally, there has been an initiation of platforms of product review where customers can comment on the products based on their experience. Afterward, the company reviews the customers, interactivity for modifications of the products (Estdale, 2016).
Identification of Consumers
The company applies segmentation targeting and positioning in its marketing operations. Apple Inc. positions itself as a high caliber brand that offers products and services with progressive functions and concepts. Apple targets user segments that constitute individuals who are willing to pay extra for advanced technology and services with up-to-date technologies. Additionally, the company targets individuals who are conversant with the technology advancements. Accordingly, Apple Inc. targets user segments along with products and services of their preferences (Heynen et al., 2016). Moreover, in regions with unclear customer targets, the company employ mass marketing for distributing the products within areas they perceive to have a strong customer base.
Overall Strategy
Apple Inc. has been able to make countless impacts and advancement in the technology world. However, it is affected by numerous factors that affect its operations. The death of Steve Jobs the founder in 2011, adversely affected the operations of the company. The organizational structure which constitutes of staff requires competent and qualified professionals. The company has been in charge of recruiting the best of computer professionals, marketers and planners, which has proved to be a salient component in the success of the company.
Additionally the external factors have played a huge role in the operations of the company. Apple Inc. is exposed to a myriad of political problems, as a multinational company, it has a wide range of contracts with nations and governments. These contracts lead to government and political interference which could lead to poor management or collapse of the operations. Apple Company was recently prosecuted for long working hours to its employees (READINGS, 2015). Additionally, the rising and falling effects of the economy lead to adverse effects in the operations of the company. In countries like China which had barred extensive use of American products, challenged the growth of the company in the region (Lovely, 2019).
Throughout its existence, Apple Inc. has been establishing a sequence of changes to its products to fit user specifications. This included alliances with companies such as Sony and Philips. The alliances have led to escalated sales and profits in countries like India due to the incorporation of features that match the users’ requirements in the country. Moreover, Apple is a giant company in the technology sector. Over the decades, it was able to offer constituent technological advancements in the world. But with the technological successes comes with competition. The company has faced stiff competition from companies such as Microsoft and Samsung who continue to battle for the right of the “technological giant.” The competition, however, has led to better products and better prices for consumers.
Specific Activities
Apple Company renders innovative and competitive aspects in its operations. The operations involve expanding and widening its network and operations worldwide. The company targets governments, businesses, and education sectors. The company prioritizes enhancing the distribution capability of its products and services. The corporation focuses on constant and constituent supply and application of computer software and hardware, which has provided a platform to increase product productivity and customer satisfaction.
Control
Apple Inc. has been able to accommodate all customer specifications and has continued to relinquish itself as the best technology company in the world. Through its wide variety of features of customer satisfaction, efficiency and effectiveness in use, the company’s products continue to put headlines in the tech world. The company continues to gain an edge over its competitors due to the premium products produced and the brand name it has created for itself over the years. The company spending on research and development has proved effective in producing sensational products and also ranking the company as the best in the world. Additionally, due to the high profit margins, the company can reap huge benefits in its operations.
However, Apple Inc. high priced products are proving to be inefficient to customers who cannot afford the products. Other companies are producing high-quality products at low prices trying to beat the giant tech company in the technology world. The company should revise its prices to ensure that not only do customers gain quality products but also at affordable prices.
References
Estdale, J. (2016). App stores & ISO/IEC 25000: product certification at last. SQM XXIV: Systems Quality: Trends and Practices , 37-48.
Heynen, P., Goldeen, M., Schulz, E., & Fish, D. E. (2016). U.S. Patent Application No. 15/151,375 .
Lovely, M. E. (2019). Testimony before the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission Hearing on Risks, Rewards, and Results: US Companies in China and Chinese Companies in the United States.
Miller, T., & Maxwell, R. (2016). Apple. In Global Media Giants (pp. 383-396). Routledge.
Quattlebaum, J. A. M. (2018). EEOC v. New Apple, Inc.
READINGS, C. (2015). Labor Studies 575: 338–Mondays 3: 55 pm–6: 55 pm Amy J. Bahruth, MS, IH 908-812-0974 (cell) Email: abahruth@ work. rutgers. edu Office Hours by Appointment. OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH , 1 .
Straker, K., & Wrigley, C. (2016). 11. The role of emotion, experience, and meaning: the comparative case of Apple and Samsung. International perspectives on business innovation and disruption in design , 231.
