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Liberty University
BUSI601-B04
Hannah Maritz
June 10th, 2021
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Introduction
Apple is one of the world's most famous computer software firms founded by Steven
Jobs and Steven Wozniak. On April 1, 1976, the team produced the first Apple computer. As they
say, the rest is history. The development of that first computer, and the subsequent birth of Steve
Jobs' brainchild, set Job’s and Wozniak on the road that has now altered the way many people all
over the globe use a computer, browse the internet, listen to music, and even converse on the
phone. Apple, Inc. is a perfect illustration of how a dream may be realized one step at a time
(Johnston, 2012). Apple is most known for its iPhone, iPads, and MacBook computers. The
device's success stems from its elegant appearance and user-friendly navigation.
S.W.O.T.
According to the
textbook, A critical success
factor (CFS) aids in the
creation of a road map for a
company's competitive
success. A balanced
Strengths
Weakness
•
Branding and image
•
High-profit margins
•
Fast innovation process
•
Product differentiation
•
Retail Strategy
•
Limited distribution
•
Expensive
•
Dependence on high
markets
•
Protective strategy
•
Product security
Opportunities
Threats
•
New Products
•
Higher sales because of
demand
•
Expansion
•
Upgrading products
•
Loyal customer
•
Competition
•
Product imitation
•
Higher labor costs
•
Manufacture costs
•
Tech innovation
•
Supply system
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scorecard (BSC) is a financial report that focuses on four areas: financial performance, customer
happiness, internal processes, and learning and growth. The balance covers coverage of financial
and non - financial data that adds to the company's effectiveness in meeting strategic goals.
(Blocher, 2019).
Balanced Scorecard
Critical Success
Factor
Objective
Measure
Target
Initiative
Financial
Increase their
revenue
Annual revenue
increase
Increased by
10% or more
New product
introduction
Cost-
effectiveness
Annual cost
reduction
Cut costs by 12%
or more
Reduced prices
Customer
Satisfaction
Increase
consumer
pleasure
Boost customer
loyalty
Improve survey
findings on
customer
satisfaction
Obtaining
customer
feedback
Customer service
enhancements
Increases in
customer
satisfaction
ratings
Achieve higher
levels of
satisfaction.
gathering input to
examine findings
Internal Process
Enhancements to
supply chain
efficiency
Increasing
delivery time
Decrease in
delivery time of
at least 20%
Increase in
supply chain
employees
Learning and
Growth
New innovative
concepts
New innovative
features
Create new items
on an annual
basis
Include greater
training for
technical workers
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Financial
Blocher defines “Critical Success Factors (CSF) are measures of those aspects of the
firm’s performance essential to its competitive advantage and, therefore, to its success” (Blocher,
2019). Critical Success Factors must be presented and applied unambiguously. For the firm to be
successful, the strategy and the action must be in sync (Blocher, 2019). Financial resources have
been divided between different sections to spend on study and marketing, both costly and
effective for the development of a corporation.
The expectations of experts broke Apple with $111.4 billion in record sales and a net
profit of $28.8 billion. Sales increased in all areas - China's greatest increases - and all goods and
services of Apple. iPhone revenues have decreased by 17 percent year on year in recent years.
(Business, 2021).
Financial Evaluation
In April 2010, the company also launched an iPad. Innovation is a key component of
every company's success. This invention offers the company a competitive edge over its
competitors. The innovation of the Apple Group has enabled the company, notably Samsung, to
compete successfully with its competitors. The Apple Company was one of Samsung's key
competitors. Apple has sometimes gained a competitive advantage and, as a result, a
considerable market share in the context of competition, the ability of the firm to lead in
innovation. The critical success factors make the customization device customized to client
requirements and improve sales.
Customer Satisfaction
Customer satisfaction is a metric to assess the level of satisfaction of a customer with the
product, service, or experience. Customer happiness is vital to an enterprise and determines
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product repetition. A balance scorecard helps to increase the satisfaction of the client. Research
has proven that the consumer would return for a future purchase if he or she is happy with their
original buy. According to a Statista poll conducted in 2017, half of U.S. consumers were
extremely happy with Apple's customer service, with another 38 percent stating they were
somewhat happy. Only 3% of US consumers who used Apple with their accounts were
dissatisfied with Apple's customer service (Kunst, 2019). Customers that supported Apple's debut
have been loyal to all new product designs, regardless of any fixes or shortcomings. Those that
did not return to Apple ultimately. The company has done a fantastic job with customer service at
its Apple shop. The results of a customer satisfaction study show that consumers will pick
quality.
Customer Satisfaction Evaluation
Apple has noticed that its clients who have their older gadgets receive less service.
Research has shown that consumers owning their latest gadgets are given preferences for Apple
customer assistance. Because consumers who purchased previous items from the Apple company
do not receive assistance, the degree of loyalty may decrease as they believe they do not value.
The corporation should thus incorporate essential success criteria of client pleasure. It will
enhance support and inspire people to buy the new Apple items automatically. The corporation
retains its consumers and hence has a substantial market share. The growth of the market share
will lead to a rise in demand for the products of Apple. Furthermore, the Apple Company will
win consumer’s loyalty through customer satisfaction, because of its highly valued brand image.
Internal Process
Blocher stated that “internal processes measure the efficiency and effectiveness with
which the firm produces the product or service.” (Blocher, 2019). In its first year as CEO, Jobs,
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believing that conventional management impeded innovation, fired off the managers of all
business units, (in only one day) placed the entire firm into one P&L, and united the several
business units and divisions into one functioning organization (Podolny, 2021). Apple is
constantly striving to outperform its competition and implementing an internal method will
improve its creativity. Apple has a huge opportunity in terms of market share. The corporation
has entered the worldwide market, with China being one of the nations targeted for iPhone sales.
With Samsung as their main competition, Apple faces a significant hurdle with this strategy. If
Apple implements the internal procedure within the organization, the company's profit share will
improve, and it will be able to staff more for the supply chain.
Internal Process Evaluation
Market share is one of Apple's biggest possibilities. Recently the Apple Company entered
the Pacific areas, particularly China. China is one of the countries with a consistent late
economic growth that will likely increase its market share by building the firm in the region.
China is also a country with a large number of customers for mobile telephones, with over 680
million customers. Research shows, however, that local Chinese telephony companies are
present, proving to be an obstacle to market penetration for Apple products. But Samsung's
forecasts were made to overcome this in the foreseeable future without implementation of
strategic actions. Despite the minor fall in market share in recent times, Apple can grow its
market share stability. The firm would benefit from the internal process and grow the staff of the
supply chain.
Learning and Growth
Apple's primary opponents are competitors. Companies like Samsung have goods that are
similar to those of Apple. Customers, according to research, prefer to buy inexpensive items.
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With its price stance, Apple is undoubtedly losing ground to its competition. The number of
firms that produce computers and their corresponding gadgets has increased. The growth of field
entry on computers and other associated equipment ultimately wiped-out boredom. As
economics explains, monotony affords firm entire market domination and hence entire market
advantages. The growth of the role players on the market, however, leads to competition in
which only the greatest prosper. It has led to a tough rivalry for firms manufacturing items
comparable to that made by Apple devices. In a competitive market, the value of a firm's market
share depends solely on the competitive advantage of the firm.
Learning and Growth Evaluation
The rivalry provided by the other corporations that produce identical items is one of the
biggest risks to Apple. Comparisons between the goods of Apple and its competitors have
revealed that the products of competitors are comparatively economical. Customers are familiar
with the value for money, particularly if they have comparable characteristics with their
competitors. Therefore, Apple Company, due to its price policy, threatens to lose the completion
fight against its competitors. Compared to identical items offered by competitors, Apples' phone
devices were deemed to be less configurable. Due to the varying human demands, the
customization capability of a successful technology should be maximized. Adaptability means
that the equipment is tailor-made to the demands of the consumer. This is another reason that
users are more likely to favor Apple's competitors' cheap cost and highly configurable gadgets.
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Reference:
Blocher, E., Stout, D., Juras, P., & Smith, S. (2019). Cost management: A strategic emphasis
(8th edition). McGraw-Hill.
Business. (2021, January 30). The Economist, 8(US).
https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A649911197/BIC?
u=vic_liberty&sid=summon&xid=371258c3
Johnson, K., Li, Y., Phan, H., Singer, J., & Trinh, H. (2012, January 1). The Innovative Success
that is Apple, Inc.Marshall University. https://mds.marshall.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
referer=https%253A%252F%252Fscholar.google.com%252Fscholar%253Fq%253Dapple
%2520inc
%2520history&=&hl=en&=&as_sdt=0&=&as_vis=1&=&oi=scholart&=&httpsredir=1&=
&article=1420&=&context=etd&=&sei-redir=1#search=%22apple%20inc%20history%22.
Kunst, A. (2019, September 3). U.S. Apple customer service satisfaction 2017. Statista.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/703823/satisfaction-with-the-customer-service-of-
apple/.
Podolny, J. M., & Hansen, M. T. (2021, January 27). How Apple Is Organized for Innovation.
Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2020/11/how-apple-is-organized-for-innovation.
