Apple Inc.’s Business Strategy Evaluation

Products and Services

Description of the Offered Products and Services

For this evaluation, Apple was chosen as the company due to its global presence, popularity, and effective business strategy. This company has effective marketing and business models, ensuring its high sales rates worldwide. Its head office is situated in California, and it is associated with the American quality of technologies (Hageloh & Vandehey, 2019). Apple proposes electronic gadgets and services connected with their functioning, creating an ecosystem for its clients. It is possible to hypothesize that the success of Apple’s business strategy is associated with the thorough and detailed approach to its products and services, which makes them convenient to use.

The company sells Macbooks, iPhones, and Apple watches, among the company’s products. It provides its customers with the operational systems that work on its products and online services, including the Apple Store for downloading necessary programs, Apple Pay for financial operations, Apple Care for monitoring the client’s health state, and iTunes for watching and downloading media content (Hageloh & Vandehey, 2019). The number of services is more extended than this list, allowing Apple users to access all types of information from their gadgets.

Understanding and meeting all client’s needs are essential in providing high-quality services. Apple focuses on smart assistance, writing original software for its devices, streaming video and audio content, and providing its users with insurance against the potential damage or loss of data. The products that the company offers cover all needs of its clients, which makes them popular. For instance, iPhones have all the necessary functions of smartphones, while Macbooks provide their owners with opportunities for work, not only leisure activities. Apple Watches allow people to track their activity level, evaluate their workout results, and control their health (Hageloh & Vandehey, 2019). Therefore, Apple products and services enable people to perform various tasks and satisfy their diverse needs.

Geographical Coverage

As was already mentioned, Apple has an international presence, making it a global corporation. Its business model has several major geographical segments, including Asia Pacific, Japan, Greater China, Europe, and the Americas (Laricchia, 2022). According to the statistical information, these countries constitute the most important markets for Apply products. This division shows that the segments are united mainly by the geographical location and the brand’s popularity. At the same time, it disregards the requirements of the particular market and does not include localization, which is an integral part of making the product popular among the target audience in the region.

Target Groups

The target audience of Apple is diverse due to the brand’s popularity and its spread in society. It is critical to mention that Apple products cost more than similar products of other brands. Therefore, Apple targets the upper-middle class and luxury segment of the market in electronics. Typically, people with comparatively high income can afford to pay for the products Apple sells and the brand name associated with premium quality. According to the estimates, more than 90% of clients who buy Apple products have a higher income than those who purchase gadgets from other brands (Laricchia, 2022). The peculiar detail is that Millenials are the leading group buying Apple products, predominantly for its quality and technological innovations. Most clients of Apple are from 35 to 44 years old, while approximately 25% of its customers are from 18 to 34 years old (Laricchia, 2022). Therefore, from the demographic point of view, Apple’s target group consists of comparatively young people with an income higher than average.

It is critical to mention that Apple targets people who work with music, photo, and movies. The official website of Apple describes the company’s vision as providing people with the most innovative software and hardware for creativity, education, and leisure worldwide. Apple’s software is convenient for professional creators, and the hardware corresponds to their needs (Hageloh & Vandehey, 2019). Moreover, those users who value eligible purchase, storage, and sharing of the media content find Apple products the optimal solution that fits their expectations. This information is consistent with the idea that Apple produces tools for creators with extended functionality on their devices for musicians, photographers, and directors.

The combination of technological innovation and simplicity of the interface makes Apple products popular among a broad audience. Therefore, Apple devices and services’ popularity is logical among those who prefer this brand. The peculiar detail is that the number of products Apple produces is not extremely big, but still, it is sufficient to satisfy all needs of its clients. It explains the limited participation of Apple in the side projects because they chose only those domains where they can make a significant high quality and valuable contribution.

Distribution and Promotion Channels

Apple uses all possible channels to promote and distribute its products. Both online and offline official stores sell their devices and are certified by the company. There are more than 500 stores in all countries where the company is represented, which means that Apple actively uses direct channels of distribution (Laricchia, 2022). At the same time, carrier providers and third-party sellers sell the devices produced by Apple. It means that there are indirect distribution channels that sell the company’s certified products. The vital detail is that offline stores allow Apple to represent the brand’s image and policy better than resellers, which creates an adequate perception of the company’s products among clients (Laricchia, 2022). For example, offline stores have a similar interior design globally: the stores are spacious and white, and many employees work there, which allows them to approach every customer individually.

Regardless of the emphasis, Apple puts on offline stores and the brand’s physical representation, most sales are connected with indirect distribution channels. More than 70% of the total revenue comes from indirect sales, including such marketplaces as Walmart, Amazon, or BestBuy (Laricchia, 2022). The marketplaces in different countries sell certified devices produced by Apple, but still, they are not regarded as direct sellers. Choosing indirect sellers is often profitable and convenient for customers due to the various discounts available. It allows us to conclude that both indirect and direct distribution of Apple devices are essential in its selling because they have different functions and solid sides for clients and the brand.

Company History

Apple is one of the prominent technology companies that function actively in the modern world. Apple was created in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Ronald Wayne, and Steve Wozniak, and it was initially the company that focused on hardware and software production (Hageloh & Vandehey, 2019). From that moment, the company made numerous steps to develop its store chain, promote technological innovations in consumer electronics, and gain popularity among millions of people. Apple has comparatively high buying bargaining power, which allows the company to preserve the balance between the quality and quantity of its production (Hageloh &Vandehey, 2019). Innovative technologies and a convenient interface are the essential parts of the brand’s image, and Apple has supported it for several decades, which allows it to preserve its popularity.

In 1984, the company created the operational system Macintosh on their first personal computer Apple I. This product was not popular among clients due to its high price and unclear functions it provided. The number of computers Apple sold increased significantly with the introduction of convenient programs like PageMaker and LaserWriter, which are simple software for printing, editing, and publishing (Hageloh &Vandehey, 2019). From that moment, Apple paid more attention to software development to make the solutions for personal computers more convenient for customers. This tendency is preserved nowadays, which is the company’s distinctive feature.

From the beginning of the 2000s, Apple has invested more in creating media content and educational options. The Mac operational system was launched in 2001, and it was a milestone in making the personal computer easy to use for most clients (Hageloh & Vandehey, 2019). Until this moment, the personal computer remained the working tool for professionals, and it was difficult for most people to use it. iPod appeared during that period, and clients acquired the opportunity to listen to high-quality music. It has become a popular portable device and was among the critical steps in gaining international popularity for Apple. The market share of iPods was more than 75% globally in 2005 (Laricchia, 2022). This information proves the idea that this product was revolutionary in the sphere of consumer electronics.

In first iPhone appeared in 2007, and it changed the market of smartphones that was only starting to develop. Three years later, Apple launched the bigger version of the iPhone, the iPad, and it became the trend in the technological sphere. Its popularity showed that people wanted to have more giant screens without physical keyboards to navigate the Internet, watch videos, and listen to music (Hageloh & Vandehey, 2019). Therefore, Apple was among those companies that set the most innovative trends in consumer electronics in recent decades. Its products inspired other companies to use similar formats in the production of their devices and software solutions because they reflected clients’ needs.

People associated Apple with Steve Jobs, the ideologist and the promoter of these devices. After Tim Cook substituted him in 2011, the company’s business strategy changed slightly (Hageloh & Vandehey, 2019). For instance, Apple started to produce iPhones with significantly more giant screens than it was before because it corresponded to the market’s expectations. At the same time, the changes in the company’s policy did not decrease its popularity or the quality of the devices. Therefore, Apple remains one of the most popular companies in consumer electronics nowadays.

Basic Financial Data for the Last Five Years

The statistical information about the financial situation of Apple reflects the processes that happen in the global economy. The years 2019 and 2020 were marked by a significant recession in the worldwide market due to the inability to produce new gadgets, lockdown in most countries, and financial crisis (Laricchia, 2022). Thus, the decrease in the turnover during these years was logical. At the same time, the analysis of the primary financial data for the last five years shows that the company manages to cope with the crisis successfully, and its earnings continue to increase regardless of all adverse circumstances.

Table 1. Financial Data

2017 2018 2019 2020
Turnover $141.2 billion $166.2 billion $142.3 billion $137.7 billion
Earnings $229 billion $265.4 billion $260,17 billion $274.3 billion
Number of indicators 5 5 5 5

The statistical data provided by Apple includes five number indicators, which means that the company’s financial activity is evaluated using these categories. The primary indicators are divided by Apple’s products, including Apple Services, Mac statistics, Wearable, Home and Accessories statistics, iPad statistics, and iPhone statistics. The company introduced these categories after 2017, which explains the persistence of the number of indicators. Starting from 2008, iPhone sales were the central part of the company’s revenue regardless of its attempts of Apple to make its income more diversified (Laricchia, 2022). In general, different products that clients can buy show that apple tries to meet the various needs of its target audience and provide them with the solutions they need. Introducing additional accessories and home gadgets to the products Apple sells illustrates this hypothesis vividly.

According to the information provided by Apple, the turnover decreased in 2019 and 2020 due to the global economic crisis and the pandemic. The number of new products that Apple launched during this period was lower compared to 2018 and 2017, and the buying capacity of most people decreased, which did not allow them to buy new models of gadgets. These two reasons contributed to the decrease in revenue in recent years, leading to a slight decline in net earnings in 2019. Though in 2020, the situation with earnings improved, the amount of profit was higher than it was before the pandemic in 2018 (Laricchia, 2022). It allows us to state that the earnings increased regardless of the decrease in the overall revenue in 2020.

External Environment of the Company

Macroeconomic factors are essential in understanding the peculiarities of business development and functioning. Several significant categories are critical for the external business environment. They include environmental, legal, political, technical, sociocultural, and economic factors that negatively and positively impact business. Managers need to consider these factors to make an accurate prognosis concerning the choice of business strategy.

The external environment of the company is a dynamic system that constantly develops. Therefore, managers and business analysts need to determine how the context influences the company and the organization changes the surrounding reality (Hageloh & Vandehey, 2019). For instance, sociocultural facts, including public health concerns and pandemic that leads to the national lockdown, has an apparent adverse impact on the production of new gadgets and buying capacity of people. The company, in its turn, influences the environment due to the pollution during the production of consumer electronics. It shows that all macroeconomic factors are interconnected, which foregrounds the need for precise attention.

PEST-DG Analysis. Wider Macro-Environment

PEST-DG analysis is a critical tool in analyzing the business strategy the company uses because it allows managers to objectively evaluate the existing external factors and the ways the organization adapts to them. The division of the company’s work into general categories will enable managers to focus on discussing the details connected with the macroeconomic impact on the organization. It is possible to assume that Apple adapts to the changing environment successfully, which allows the company to preserve stable growth in critical situations.

The economic environment that Apple faces includes the market’s growth in developing countries where people acquire the opportunity to buy Apple products and the economic recession of the previous years caused by the pandemic of COVID-19. According to the estimates, the expected economic growth is 4.2% in 2020, which means that Apple might receive expansion opportunities (Laricchia, 2022). It is especially relevant in developing countries where the consumer electronics market grows. For example, there was a dramatic growth in the company’s revenue in the Asian Pacific region in 2017. The company’s income increased from $15,199 million to $19,593 million (Laricchia, 2022). This information shows that Apple has markets for expansion, and it will use these economic opportunities in the nearest future.

The technological environment of Apple includes such trends as the global need for cloud computing technologies and the increased competition in all related spheres. Cloud computing is the opportunity that the company should use to preserve its stable economic performance and develop. Currently, Apple provides its clients with the iCloud services, and all its users have 2 TB of storage. The revenue from iCloud increased from almost $33 million in 2017 to approximately $53,8 million in 2020 (Laricchia, 2022). This data shows that cloud computing is the technological sphere that develops actively, and clients need these services from the company.

Among the sociocultural factors that influence Apple’s business performance are tendencies towards remote studying and working that started during the pandemic. The pandemic and remote working determined the public interest in Apple’s services in education, playing, and working. The sales of iPods and MacBooks increased dramatically because their formats were most convenient for these activities (Laricchia, 2022). Moreover, this category includes the increasing critique of Apple’s products and services, and the company has to deal with this adverse feedback concerning the results of its work. It was especially evident among Chinese clients due to their support of domestic consumer electronics brands in recent years. It shows that Apple needs to cope with these sociocultural factors that significantly affect the company’s development.

The political-legal issues connected with Apple’s development are conflicts in international trade between countries and the significant need to improve free trade policies. For instance, the existing political tensions between China and the United States lead to adverse outcomes for international trade. Apple is affected by these political relationships because Chine is one of the most important markets for Apple (Hageloh & Vandehey, 2019). Moreover, the company produces some parts of its gadgets in China, making Apple’s political background critical.

Demographic and global factors are more general categories than previously mentioned categories, and they feature the numbers and the trends from those aspects. For example, the demographic environment of Apple is connected with the loss of popularity among the target audience. The global environment, in its turn, is the category that unites the aspects that affect international business (Hageloh & Vandehey, 2019). Therefore, Apple’s business strategy and performance are affected by the elements mentioned earlier due to the company’s global presence.

Porter Analysis. Competitive (Micro) Environment Analysis

The first aspect of Porter’s analysis is the threat of entry of new businesses that affect the working environment. Apple is among the most influential and famous companies in consumer electronics. The high and stable quality of its products creates the company’s brand name, which guarantees its popularity among clients. At the same time, the competition in this sphere is high, and new companies enter the industry regularly. In the case of Apple, the competition with such companies as Samsung, which works in the high-end segment of consumer electronics, has potential risks (Hageloh & Vandehey, 2019). There is the possibility of substituting Apple’s services and products with the similar ones that other companies provide at lower prices.

The second critical aspect of Porter’s analysis is the bargaining power of suppliers. This notion is connected with the stability of the services the company provides its clients globally. Apple has the same business strategy for all countries where it works, and it supplies clients with stable high quality. Another issue that is part of Porter’s analysis is the bargaining power of buyers (Hageloh & Vandehey, 2019). For instance, Apple has a stable connection with its target audience, and it has many loyal customers. It is possible to assume that loyal clients are an essential part of the company’s success because they traditionally prefer the production of this brand to others.

Internal Environment

Organizational Structure

Apple’s organizational structure is functional, which signifies that the company focuses on particular spheres instead of products. The products can vary depending on the market demand and the overall context. For example, when the need for smartwatches became evident in consumer electronics, Apple developed this gadget, and it has become popular among the users of the brand. The specialization of the company, in its turn, was not affected by the implementation of the new product.

Fundamental Abilities

Several departments in Apple make it a functional organization with autonomous fundamental abilities of every segment. The department is responsible for machine learning, software and hardware development, and operations. These divisions have their heads and are partially autonomous. They all understand the essence of the product or service they design, which means that their actions and decisions are consistent with the company’s vision and ultimate aim.

Degree in Vertical Integration

Even though Apple’s evident hierarchy is evident, every unit is comparatively independent. The employees who work in the company understand their duties in the context of the production of the final project. It gives them the feeling of being a part of the community and being independent at the same time, which is essential in the balanced organization of the company’s work. Another critical point is the integration of employment made by departments located in different countries. Apple is a global company that makes the standard rules of work, a vision of the ultimate product, and corporate policy critical in its vertical integration.

Analysis of Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT)

One of the most common methods for analyzing a company’s performance is a SWOT analysis. It entails a thorough examination of the firm’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The pros and cons of assessing teamwork, including the degree of professionalism, networking, reputation), technological elements, and other competitive advantages of the particular firm, are essential in the analysis. Being objective in the assessments is vital since knowing weak and robust points incorporate work allows leaders to make sound strategic decisions. Leaders frequently focus on instant concerns while ignoring the general picture, preventing them from drawing impartial conclusions (Kordova et al., 2018). Using a variety of measures to assess organizational capacity, infrastructure, performance evaluation, and excellence can assist leaders in reaching objective judgments about the company’s performance (Kordova et al., 2018). The essential point is that all systems are dynamic, implying that they adapt to changing circumstances (Kordova et al., 2018). As a result, the business should adapt to changing conditions and improve its performance according to the market’s requirements. The systematic renewal of data regarding the company’s functioning and the factors influencing its success is known as organization assessment.

Leaders can use SWOT analysis to assess the company’s current status and strong and weak points and restructure decisions to obtain ideal results. It is important to note that all organizations operate as systems, influencing how they evaluate their work (McNamara, 2022). Changes in staff, financial feasibility, corporate programs, and the strategic sphere are critical in decision-making. The information should be evaluated based on objective facts and expert judgments, requiring a thorough preparatory examination of the data. Organizational culture significantly impacts business systems because it determines current and desirable cultural contexts. The organizational culture evaluation is critical for detecting current cultural biases and gaps impeding the company’s development (Davis & Cates, 2018). In other words, the working environment is created by team members’ attitudes and beliefs, and beneficial changes are unattainable without a shift in organizational culture.

Every business operates according to its unique rules, making universal advice about their work irrelevant. However, there are several guidelines that all businesses should follow to guarantee that they grow on the proper path. According to the leader, all employees must understand why they should work and the ultimate purpose of their efforts. Only when people trust their leader and share the same principles and values can they lead effectively. It increases the awareness of the working process and yields beneficial long-term results.

Board and commentary on 4 opportunities, 4 threats, 4 weaknesses and 4 strengths

STRENGTHS
  • The use of innovative technologies in its services and products, investments into the research.
  • Good reputation of Apple as the brand of consumer electronics.
  • Stability in quality.
  • Increasing or stable demand in Apple production.
WEAKNESSES
  • Problems with software integration on other platforms.
  • No localization of marketing strategies, one global strategy that does not always reflect the needs of the particular market.
  • High prices comparing to other similar products.
  • Apple is represented only in the high-end market of technologies.
OPPORTUNITITES
  • Possible development of services for home technologies
  • Development of cloud computing services.
  • Development of personal smart gadgets.
  • Software for self-driving.
THREATS
  • Difficult political relationships between the United States and China.
  • Adverse outcomes of the pandemic.
  • Development of technologies from other brands, increasing competition.
  • Increasing cost of labor for production of Apple gadgets and development of services.

Apple is a commercially successful company that uses its strong sides to increase revenue and support clients’ stable interest in its products. Among the vital characteristics of Apple are its high reputation and public awareness of the brand’s name, which ensures its popularity. It is possible to find the brand name of Apple in Forbes, where the brand’s name has been estimated to be more than $241 billion in recent years (Laricchia, 2022). Technological innovations allow the company to develop high-end products, including Macbooks, iPods, iPhones, and Apple Watches, regarded as the best examples of consumer electronics available on the market (Laricchia, 2022). Clients praise Apple for the stability of its software and operating system, iOS, which is essential in choosing the technological device.

Despite all the positive sides of Apple, it has weaknesses that decrease its revenue and the success of its business performance. Even though Apple sells technologically innovative products, its prices are higher than the costs for similar gadgets from other brands. Therefore, Apple became the brand of consumer electronics that is the marker of the financial success of the owner of these gadgets. It contributes to the local target group of customers and reduces the number of sales. Another critical aspect is the lack of public media campaigns and advertisements to promote new products created by Apple, while its competitors, including Samsung or Huawei, use it actively. Stable software of Apple products has its drawback, and it is impossible to use third-party gadgets with iPhones or Macbooks, which reduces the number of people who choose Apple (Laricchia, 2022). The last critical weakness of the company is the lack of flexibility in political questions, which leads to the loss of markets. For instance, Chinese citizens prefer their local brands to Apple due to the inflexible corporate policy of the brand.

It is critical to see the opportunities for the subsequent business development, and Apple focuses on these issues in its strategy. Among these opportunities is developing related online services for its products, including iTunes, Apple TV, and software for the intelligent house environment. The development of cloud computing is the general sphere where the company can develop. In addition, artificial intelligence technologies and self-driving software might develop significantly.

Among the threats to Apple’s business are the global crisis, including the pandemic, the competition with other brands, and the political opposition between countries. Apple depends significantly on Chinese manufacturing, and the recent stop of production because of COVID-19 decreased its revenue significantly (Laricchia, 2022). Moreover, trade wars between China and the United States have adverse effects on the business success of Apple. Another threat for the company is the rivalry with such consumer electronics producers as Huawei and Samsung, which work in a similar market segment.

Competitive Strategy

The strategy that might help Apple achieve a competitive advantage in the market is differentiation. It supposes that the company should understand the needs of the diverse populations, which are an essential part of marketing. Apple sells its products globally, which means that clients’ expectations in one country might not correspond to the ones in another state. Moreover, various demographic groups of clients have distinct values represented in the advertising campaign Apple, diversified approach to the product design, and the choice of the products for particular markets. For example, prior investigation can show managers that customers need more smart house technologies like Siri, and if Apple reacts to this need, its revenue will increase (Laricchia, 2022). This situation illustrates the diversification approach to product supply that should reflect various demands on the market.

Corporate Strategy

It is possible to describe the corporate strategy that Apple has followed in the last few years to focus on stability. Even though the company uses innovations in its products and tries to make the most advanced technologies available at the moment, preserving the stable quality is still the most critical thing that Apple values. As mentioned in this paper, Apple has many loyal clients who prefer this brand due to the persistent high quality of hardware, innovative technologies, and software that works without problems. Therefore, the stability of this high quality is a critical component for the high-end consumer electronics brand. Apple uses it as its primary corporate strategy, trying to balance innovations and quality.

Proposed Corporate and Competitive Strategy

It is possible to assume that a growth strategy might improve the business performance of Apple and assist the company in the competition with other brands. Even though the stability strategy has shown positive results for many years, other companies like Samsung sell high-end products belonging to the same market segment. Their products and services are stable, but they usually cost less than Apple. Therefore, the growth of the number of products the company provides its clients, targeting other groups of customers, and making its strategy more diversified might become the exciting parts of the competitive strategy.

Changes to Implement

It is possible to recommend that Apple make its strategy more diversified, flexible, and consumer-oriented to achieve positive results in business performance. For instance, if the company wants to increase its sales in China, it is critical to consider the specific details of life in this region. Using the Face ID that Apple provides is problematic due to the spread of masks people wear to prevent epidemics and reduce the harm from air pollution in the cities. Therefore, if the company develops an alternative method of unlocking its devices, its popularity in China might increase. The achievement of similar goals in strategic management is connected with the transformation of the approach to business and responding to clients’ needs.

It is possible to organize changes in the business strategy using the principles of transformative leadership. It is critical to learn about customers’ reactions to the company’s actions and check the responses regularly using surveys, call centers, and direct communication on social media (Gupta & Sebastian, 2018). It is vital to pay special attention to the analysis of clients’ feedback to learn about the company’s existing weaknesses and develop ways of overcoming these challenges (Cavazotte et al., 2020). Therefore, transformational leadership and corporate change are impossible without constant interaction with customers, and it is crucial to establish it in Apple to understand the expectations of the target audience.

Human resources are essential for the corporate strategy because the company’s success depends on the people who work in it. Therefore, Apple should pursue the principles of ethical leadership to preserve loyalty not only among its clients but among its employees. Every worker at Apple should understand that their contribution is valuable, and the company needs their skills, talents, and dedication (Kuenzi et al., 2020). Therefore, managers should pay special attention to the company’s employees who create the services and products the company sells and support them. They are the company’s core, and without their work, Apple would not have become a high-end brand.

Cover Letter

This research paper describes and analyzes the business performance of Apple and its strategic decisions. There are several parts in the investigation that discuss the services and the products Apple provides its clients, the history of the company, and the basic financial information concerning the last five years. These issues allow us to evaluate the business performance of Apple and the effectiveness of its strategic decisions. The analysis of the company’s external environment, competitive micro-environment, and Porter analysis are essential parts of the evaluation of business strategy. SWOT and PEST analysis allows us to determine all critical components of the corporate policy and performance. Therefore, these approaches will enable us to develop pieces of advice for the current strategy to achieve a competitive advantage in the market. The recommendations concerning the improvements of the corporate policy of Apple aim at diversification of services and products and a more localized view of the corporate strategy. The current paper features a summary of the work on one page, references, and an appendix with the tables. It is possible to hypothesize that this work is a structured analysis of Apple’s business performance that can be used for subsequent research.

References

Cavazotte, F., Moreno, V., & Lasmar, L. C. C. (2020). Enabling customer satisfaction in call center teams: the role of transformational leadership in the service-profit chain. The Service Industries Journal, 40(5-6), 380-393.

Davis, R., & Cates, S. (2018). The implementation of the organizational culture assessment instrument in creating a successful organizational cultural change. International Journal of Business & Public Administration, 15(1), 71–94.

Gupta, M., & Sebastian, S. (2018). Framework to analyze customer’s feedback in smartphone industry using opinion mining. International Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering, 8(5), 3317-3324.

Hageloh, M., & Vandehey, T. (2019). Live from Cupertino: How Apple used words, music, and performance to build the world’s best sales machine. Post Hill Press.

Kordova, S. K., Frank, M., & Miller, A. N. (2018). Systems thinking education – seeing the forest through the trees. Systems, 6(3), 29.

Kuenzi, M., Mayer, D. M., & Greenbaum, R. L. (2020). Creating an ethical organizational environment: The relationship between ethical leadership, ethical organizational climate, and unethical behavior. Personnel Psychology, 73(1), 43-71.

Laricchia, F. (2022). “Apple – statistics and facts.” Statista.

McNamara, C. (2022). How all social organizations are the same: They’re all systems. Management Library.

Summary

Apple is one of the most innovative and popular companies that produce consumer electronics. It specializes in producing smartphones, laptops, personal computers, smart devices, and software. It is possible to state that the company is successful from a business point of view, and the financial data supports this statement. This paper analyzes Apple’s business performance according to PEST, SWOT, and Porter’s approaches. Researching the company’s external and internal environment allows us to evaluate Apple’s corporate strategy. It is possible to hypothesize that Apple has an evident competitive advantage in the market of consumer electronics due to its high and stable quality of products and loyalty to its principles.

At the same time, it is possible to improve Apple’s corporate strategy and increase its revenue by applying specific changes. For instance, developing a more diversified and client-centered approach to the company’s business activity might increase the target group of customers. Elaborating a more personalized approach to working with people in various countries and the localization of the company’s promotional campaign and the product’s characteristics might increase the brand’s popularity. Moreover, working in different consumer electronics segments, including both high-end and middle segments, might attract more clients who use Apple. The company has a significant number of people who are loyal to the production of this particular brand, which means that they buy everything that Apple produces. Therefore, people who start from the middle segment of technological devices might enjoy this experience and become loyal customers of Apple. It might become the smooth transition from the middle segment of consumer electronics to high-end appliances. These actions require transformation within the company, and it is impossible without developed leadership and management.

Appendix

Products and services Website
Apple Web.

Basic financial figures

2017 2018 2019 2020
Turnover $141.2 billion $166.2 billion $142.3 billion $137.7 billion
Earnings $229 billion $265.4 billion $260,17 billion $274.3 billion
Number of indicators 5 5 5 5

SWOT

STRENGTHS
  • The use of innovative technologies in its services and products, investments into the research.
  • Good reputation of Apple as the brand of consumer electronics.
  • Stability in quality.
  • Increasing or stable demand in Apple production.
WEAKNESSES
  • Problems with software integration on other platforms.
  • No localization of marketing strategies, one global strategy that does not always reflect the needs of the particular market.
  • High prices comparing to other similar products.
  • Apple is represented only in the high-end market of technologies.
OPPORTUNITIES
  • Possible development of services for home technologies
  • Development of cloud computing services.
  • Development of personal smart gadgets.
  • Software for self-driving.
THREATS
  • Difficult political relationships between the United States and China.
  • Adverse outcomes of the pandemic.
  • Development of technologies from other brands, increasing competition.
  • Increasing cost of labor for production of Apple gadgets and development of services.

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