Final Project

SWOT analysis

Strengths

a) Brand equity

Apple stands out as one of the best companies in the production of quality products. The company has maintained its good image in the market. Usually, clients are sure that product quality is not be compromised (Tar, 2013).

b) Tag of innovation

Apple has remained on top of the competition because it has invested enough in ensuring that the products manufactured are technologically competitive. The company has a team of bright young innovators who make sure that apple does not lack a new product for its customers. One of the reasons why apple concentrates so much on employing young youths is because it believes in tapping into their fresh, bright minds which promote innovations. There has been a trend in the information technology industry where apple has always been one of the first companies to bring new products to the market.

c) Consumers loyalty

Consumers have always been given the first priority at Apple Company. Their grievances are listened to, and apple Inc. uses the advancement of technology to keep in touch with its customers. After releasing a new product in the market, apple follows it up in the social media by having conversations with the customers to hear about what they have to say concerning the product.

Weaknesses

a) High prices

The products of apple have been divided along the class line. Not everyone can afford to buy an Apple product. Most IPhones for instance, are expensive as compared to their competitors’ and the main drawback is that the organization commodities have similar features to those of the competitors (Rothwell, 2009).

b) Restrictions on the phone

Apple manufactures quality products. however, there are a number of restrictions that might compromise the competitiveness of the company. Lack of enough memory in apple’s phones forces the customers to buy a product manufactured by another company.

c) No Steve jobs anymore

Steve jobs had a lot of followers, and that worked to the advantage of the company. His exit came with a negative impact since most of the customers were buying apple products because of his presence in the company.

Opportunities

a) Market potential of smartphones

Many people are shifting to Smartphones, and that puts Apple in a better position business wise. There is a possibility that the demand of Smartphones will continue to increase, and apple as a Smartphone manufacturer is likely to experience increased sales.

b) Accessories

The rate at which people are use of phones, tablets, and computers is rising; the demand of accessories will always remain high. As a result of that apple is assured of increased sales in most of its accessories (Tar, 2013).

c) More dependency on digitalization

People rely so much on digitalized gadgets in the modern day. The introduction of elearning and eBooks puts Apple in a better position to expand its markets to as to meet the rising demand of digitalized gadgets.

Threats

a) Androids

Google has taken the world by storm by introducing the Android operating system. Android operating system is one of the threats facing Apple, and if strategies will not be put in place, then apple is likely to suffer.

b) Samsung

One of Apple’s competitors has taken the competition to Apple’s doorsteps. Samsung has been introducing new products in the market almost each and every month. Samsung has shown a potential to hijack a number of apple customers by bringing better and advanced products to the market.

c) Innovation

In the past years apple was one of the most innovative companies globally. Over the past few years, apple has done very little in making sure that it is still as innovative as it was. Despite the competitors flocking new products in the market, Apple has done nothing, and the customers have not seen a new product from the company lately (McLean, 2005).

Immediate resources that are necessary to facilitate the development mode of Apple

Apple has a lot of resources at its disposal. The company has the best manpower that any other company would require to be successful. Manpower plays a crucial role in making sure that a company excels. Most of the employees are loyal and faithful to the company due to how they are treated. In terms of finances, Apple has a lot of money in its accounts. The company has shown its financial might in many instances. For example, the company pays its employees well and allocates a lot of money for innovations. The technology that the company uses is of high quality, and that is evident in the products that Apple manufactures.

The Apple's strategy toward change

With respect to the Apple’s strategy towards change, this section takes a swipe on the Information Systems Strategy Planning, ISSP. The emergence of Strategic thinking in relation to the information technology or IT started as earlier 1980s (Cassidy, 2006). At this time, IT changed its role from automation to a facilitator and then an enabler IT the business sector. Due to its use in many organizations, IT became another important factor that justified for the planning of cost related to the development. In consequence, the development further leads to the long term planning of the costs related to IT, their investments, and their resulting impacts on the business sector (Cassidy, 2006). Further long-term and strategic considerations also lead to the Information Systems planning that still further had another impact on the development of the IT management. For instance, the IT managers had their role in the implementation of technology, operational information systems, and another further influence on costing issues in IT management. For this reason, IT managers only reported to the top brass management of the organization such as the Chief Executive Officers or the General Managers of an organization. With the emergence of the Strategic Information Systems Planning (Cassidy, 2006), there was the emergence of the Chief Information Officer from the initial IT manager. Due to such changes, Chief Information Officers, CIO made their way in strategic business planning, managing the costs related to the IT and also provide for the justification of IT investment in an organization. Since the CIO became the senior most people in the IT department, he in this case only reported to the Chief Executive Officer of an organization in place. The change of the designation of the IT Manager to the Chief Information Officer, however, made it be in line with the Strategic IS Planning (SISP) planning objectives. Ever since, the role of the IT manager formed one of the worrying issues in SISP for the last twenty years (Van Grembergen, 2002). Some of the changes were the Head of the IT Strategy or the Director of IT Strategic Management. The challenges that come practically with the implementation of the SISP in the organization are, however, many though a number of their solutions are today available in the magazines, newspapers, and other journal articles. On the same note, the existing incongruence in research studies related to SISP, knowledge available in texts and the daily practices of the organizations, paved the way for the review of the discussions that relates to SISP. Motivation that comes with the implementation of this fact seems much stronger as there is no any other area that had touched the issues linking SISP with academics.

The current mission, vision, and culture

Mission

To offer great working environment and also offer treatment to each other based don respect and dignity

To embrace the aspect diversity as a basic component in the manner the company conducts its business.

To bring positive contributions to both the company and the environment

Vision

To be the leader in terms of a customer centric company in the world where people can access and also discover anything they need online

To provide favorable environment to customers, emp0loyees and the shareholders through being relentlessly delivering the desired platform and technology advancements that may be of value in the manner the company performs its duties and also live.

Culture

One question that rings in everyone’s mind is how the SISP process facilitates in the organization of activities carried out in a business such as Apple Company in this scenario. There is also still another issue on whom to include in the organization process (Van Grembergen, 2002). In this case, Information Strategy Planning urges the support from the top brass of management in the organization, but relies on the user built environment.

Need for changes the Apple’s Mission, Vision, or Culture

Yes, I believe there should be change in the mission, culture and the vision of the organization. The implementation of this objective may possible take place through alignment. In general terms, alignment is the bringing together of the business and IT. Alignment comes in business operations (Van Grembergen, 2002), due to the existence of different of business activities and the responsibilities that come with the use of the IT in the business. As such, after the alignment process, there is the reorganization of the business section of the IT to the IT personnel. However, the distinguishing feature of the strategic alignment from the traditional perception of the alignment is that, the modern, strategic alignment has shifted to the operational orientation towards a more strategic case (Van Grembergen, 2002). The strategic alignment occurs with the consideration of such elements like the external marketplace and the future requirements concerning IT/IS resources and the IS organization. Most authors do not see the need for alignment in an organization. However, they agree that it is more modern when there is the separation of IT responsibilities and business planning.

Figure 1: A chart on Information System strategy Planning

Another way possible for changes in the culture, mission and vision of the organization is through adopting the aspect of strategy implementation. Strategic implementation has the least coverage in the SISP discussion ( Galliers and Leidner, 2003). However, strategic implementation still forms part of the SISP concern. Most of the organizations do develop their SISP strategies, but the only problem that comes in is that they fail to implement due to unknown reasons or the hardships that come with the implementation of such strategies. As such, the measurements of strategic implementation are the evaluation of the project’s initiation and completion. All these factors also take the consideration of time the intended benefits that will result from the implementation of such strategies.

The Leadership within Apple Company

Leadership refers to the influence that occurs to group of people as they seek a certain vision or set of goals ( Hotho & Dowling, 2010). On top of this, leadership also defines the relationship between an individual, lead, groups, or followers where what they seek to achieve is under the influence of a leader.

Leadership is an aspect that has various styles of expression in an organization like Apple Company in this paper. Some of these styles are the supportive leadership, the direct leadership, participative leadership, achievement oriented leadership (Hotho & Dowling, 2010). For a leader to execute these styles of leadership he or she must be emotionally intelligent enough. An emotionally intelligent leader has those qualities of being effective on awareness, ability to control and also manage his or her emotions or hunger against people.

In an organization such as Apple in this case, leadership can only be effective if the leader or the manger understand the culture of the organization where he or she operates (Chen, & Silverthorne, 2005). In this case, the leader needs a pattern of beliefs and expectations that a particular organization shares with its members leading to the development of the organization’s norms and shape which in turn contributes towards the shaping of the individuals and groups in the same organization. In short, it entails how things take place in a particular organization or in any way round the rules that constitutes the game altogether.

References

Cassidy, A., (2006). A Practical Guide To Information Systems Strategic Planning. Boca Raton, Fla.: Auerbach Publications.