Apple Inc. I. SWOT Analysis Strengths Weaknesses Strong Brand Image Faulty Products Financial Performance is Robust Infringement on Patents The Company has a focus on research and product development Launch of iPad reported as revolutionary Mac OS lacks gaming capabilities Strong reliable OS Nonupgradable Mac PC Easy to use and intuitive gadgets Limited Product Range Small products with stylish designs Product integrations Opportunities Threats Smartphones Competition is intense New Retail Outlets Global economic conditions uncertain Mobile advertising market looks strong Declining sales in PCs Product diversification Dependent on certain suppliers Negative publicity of competitors Popularity of Android Phone growing Provision of Better Warranty Support Product Substitutability Acquisition of Competitors Business Improving Competitors Technology Leadership gap II. Explanation of SWOT Analysis Factors Identified Strengths It is clear that a strong brand image is very important for Apple Inc. because a strong brand image is one that consumers trust and feel is a sound investment representing value for their money. The company's financial performance is robust and this certainly is a positive attribute and predictor for survival of the company in the present economic crisis because Apple Inc. is well established and financially sound. Apple Inc. focuses on research and development which means that the company will stay abreast
The paper would focus on Bank of America as one company that makes use of differentiation strategy that concentrates on product form, and the brand image The orientation herein focuses on primary factors that associate with the strategy pointing out the different specific company activities that support the company. Through the business strategy, Bank of America’s prospects have proved matchless to other notable and established companies such as Airbus and United Technologies, who offer competition in the aviation-based business. Bank of America is a multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is ranked 2nd on the list of largest banks in the United States by assets.
Apple came back from near extinction to become one of the most revered technology companies in recent memory. They achieved this status by developing innovative design products and pushing the limits of their marketing prowess. Apple is known for their ability to listen to consumers and revolutionize market segments by providing modern design laden and feature rich alternatives to the target markets. They employ strategies that might contradict normal convention by keeping their prices high to build a brand image of prestige and promote their products through word of mouth. The impact on marketing is hugely noticeable by other companies following suit with store models
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is one of the world leaders in the research, development, marketing, sales and service of personal digital music & video devices, in addition to personal computers globally. Its' innovative music and digital content delivery service, iTunes, has sold over 1 billion songs to date. As of the close of their latest fiscal year the company generated $156B in Sales and generated a Gross Profit of $68B earning a Net Income of $41B (Apple Investor Relations, 2013). The intent of this analysis is to evaluate Apple's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) and provide an analysis of each. The cause, impact and recommendations for each specific strength, weakness, opportunity and threat are provided along with an action plan of how to maximize strengths and opportunities and mitigate the effects of weaknesses and threats. The Apple brand is among the most valuable in the world and its ability to innovate with successive product generations unmatched, yet this has led to a high dependence on its iPhone and iPad platforms, to the exclusion of entirely new businesses. The Apple iTunes platform and ecosystem delivers 30% of all profits and a significant portion of overall revenue, making this single business a stabilizing force in their strategic product and services roadmap (Apple Investor Relations, 2013). Despite these challenges however Apple continues to attain
Apple Inc. has prided itself on product innovation since the company was first founded. Apple's recent breakthroughs were a result of a new technologies convergence upon the "digital hub" strategy that has been in play for many years now (Mortensen, 2010). This strategy represents the core of Apple's success over the last several years. In fact, it was this strategy that ultimately led to the development such as the iPad, iPod, and iPhone. Furthermore, Apple has also carved out a unique market niche by creating products with innovative and user friendly designs. The combinations of these factors have created some of the most loyal customers in the entire business world.
In the brand report card, Kevin Keller presented ten attributes that the world’s strongest brands share. This list of characteristics provides a powerful toolset to measure how well a brand, as well as its competitors are managed. This assignment applies Keller’s brand report card to Apple Inc., brand and evaluates its brand strengths and vulnerabilities against its competitors (Google ®, Samsung ®, and Microsoft®) in efforts to discover areas of weakness and possible opportunities for improvement.
Inimitable (costly to imitate) - Best Buy has a lot of retail locations in the US which makes it very easy for consumers to get help purchase electronics. Also, because they have so many locations this makes it easy for customers to get help.
In its long term goals, Apple looks towards attaining the leading position in the market as the most trusted brand by consumers. It looks towards not just profit maximization for its stakeholders but equally ensure that customer satisfaction is at the zenith with new product innovation and applying product differentiation strategy to ensure long term sustainable development of its business. The long term strategies have been further designed to ensure that its mission and vision are achieved at ease with no compromise to its quality and services. It is important for Apple to look towards the following short term strategies which keep in mind the current performance and current marketing opportunities and strengths. These short term strategies shall enable the company to maintain strict control over its current business operations and further fulfilment of its long term desired goals and objectives.
As one of the most well-known and respected companies in the world, Apple Inc. was one of the few companies to emerge from the recession stronger than ever. Started in 1976 as a computer business, most of Apple’s success has been attributed to its music- and video-related products and the iPhone. Quickly became known then as a company that made innovative consumer electronic products instead of just a company that made computers, it changed its name in 2007 from “Apple Computer” to “Apple Inc.”. As Steve Jobs, Apple’s former CEO and co-founder said, “The Mac, iPod, Apple TV and iPhone. Only one of those is a computer. So we’re changing the name.”
In a modern society, human resources management is always a complicated matter; managers find it difficult to give answers to human resource questions such as: how to exploit strengths, overcome weaknesses, or increase ability of competition. There are many solutions to deal with this matter, one of these is using the SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats), it is considered an ideal answer. Many companies were trying to apply that solution in their organizations, however the results were not always what they expected, and some organizations failed in performing the SWOT strategy, some companies also succeeded. The Apple Company is known as typical company which is successful in performing SWOT analysis. This
In this business report, I have decided to carry out a SWOT Analysis on Apple Inc. I have chosen to base this on Apple Inc., as they are a large-scale business in which many people have used or tested one of their products. I wanted to discover whether Apple Inc. is as good a business as people suggest.
The Apple brand is well recognized amongst most consumers. Apple also enjoys a high level of
Walmart is the largest retail chain in the world wide and has most of its business resident in the United States. The shares size and corresponding volumes that it needs to purchase to stock its stores gives it the bargaining power to negotiate lower wholesale prices. This translates into being able to deliver low prices to its customers. The company has been in business for several years and has become a trusted brand and a household name. The size of the company has also allowed it to be able to “cope with compressed prices and margins,” and have stores throughout the country as brick and mortar stores and now online. Walmart had a profit margin of 2.35% in its most recent quarter.
During the initial years, Apple’s brand was quite a challenger as it introduced easy to use computers to consumers and small businesses in a manner that met their specific needs, individuality, and style, rather than technical mandates and conformity of big business. Whereas the brand has evolved over the years, today’s brand still focuses on the company’s initial promises.
GE matrix G.E. multi factorial analysis is a technique used in brand marketing and product management to help a company decide what product(s) to add to its product portfolio and which opportunities in the market they should continue to invest in. It is conceptually similar to B.C.G. analysis, but somewhat more complicated. Like in BCG Analysis, a two-dimensional portfolio matrix is created. However, with the GE model the dimensions are multi factorial. One dimension comprises nine industry attractiveness measures; the other comprises twelve internal business strength measures. The G.E matrix helps a strategic business unit evaluate its overall strength.
According to the annual list of 500 major leading companies has ranked by Fortune 500 Apple lies 5th in its list. Apple is amongst the most valuable and highly money-making companies in the world with its revolutionary iPhone. It is able to gain remarkable success by the ability to create innovative products. Certainly, it is able to gain such huge success due to its products but not only that, there are other factors that plays role such as distinct leading faces of Steve Job and currently Tim Cook along with different strategies applied to motivate its employees and make the company what it is today.