An Analysis of Apple Inc.'s Performance and Entrepreneurial Leadership

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Apple Inc.'s performance, focusing on the influence of entrepreneurial leadership, particularly that of Steve Jobs. It examines the company's history, market structure, performance management strategies, and cultural aspects. The report delves into key performance indicators (KPIs), the vision and development of Apple Inc., and the methods used to measure its success. It also explores the company's operational management, including product design, quality management, and decision-making processes. Furthermore, the report assesses Apple's market position, its ability to innovate, and potential areas for improvement, offering insights into its past achievements and future prospects within the technology market. The report also provides a detailed overview of the functioning and cultural aspects of Apple, assessing how the company maintains its performance through strategic approaches to achieve high levels of productivity goals and objectives in an operational management area.

Coursework 2

Table of Contents
Executive Summary.........................................................................................................................3
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
History of Steve Jobs..............................................................................................................4
Overview of the Apple Computers.........................................................................................4
Market structure:....................................................................................................................4
Performance management in the Apple:................................................................................5
Vision and development of the Apple Inc:.............................................................................6
Measurement of the Apple performance:...............................................................................6
Functioning and cultural aspects of the Apple:......................................................................6
Performance management in the Apple:................................................................................7
Key performance indicators: .................................................................................................8
Judging the way Apple operates into the market: .................................................................8
Can Apple do better into the future: ......................................................................................9
Area of major improvements: ..............................................................................................10
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................12

Executive Summary
Entrepreneurial leadership is one of the emerging concepts in current business time to make
structure of an organisation in an effective manner to enhance business expectancy for long time.
Role of an entrepreneurial leadership is necessary, because it has put major influence on
development of work culture and role of ethical working in an organisation to bring
competencies in context of controlling and regulating business for longer period of time
(Hodgkinson, 2015). This report work has been conducted over discussion of the Steve Jobs,
who was the former CEO of Apple and also undertaken on knowledge and proper behaviour of
Apple into the current market. Through this report, user will get appropriate knowledge of
performance measurement along with specific reason behind choosing of the company. Also,
user will get bunch of knowledge which is required to go in perception of quality measurement,
which role is preferable for company.
INTRODUCTION
The entrepreneurial leadership can be referred to as the ability to organise a group of
people to accomplish the organisational objective with the help of the proactive entrepreneurial
behaviour by assuming risk, creating innovations. Also, entrepreneurial leadership is necessary
to undertaken advantage of opportunities, carrying responsibilities and managing the changing
situation of the dynamic environment in effective manner (Koryak, 2018). The present report
will consider the example of the most widely popular entrepreneurial leader Steven Paul “Steve”
Jobs. Steve Jobs was one of its own kind genius American entrepreneur, marketer and the co-
founder, chairman and CEO of Apple Inc. the report will describe the role of a leader in the
organisation and what required steps are taken to make an organisation successful in the market.
This report will provide the brief analysis and evaluation of the performance and the manner of
the operations carried out in the organisation and how the entrepreneurial leadership conduct the
managerial process in effective manner. The methods of the analysis include the steps to measure
the performance of the organisation and to examine the steps that will describe the ways in which
the business operates.

History of Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs was born in San Francisco, California on 24th February, 1995. In 1976 Jobs
and Wozniak formed their business Apple Computer Company. The business organisation
started their business operations by selling the circuit boards. Steve Jobs was person with
disparate ideas and values as well and used to synthesize them to develop an effective outcome
that will result as the key to success for the organisation. He had the qualities of an artist, an
engineer, an ardent Buddhist and the hard-nosed business man and a great leader who inspired
the loyalty among the teams (Eds, 2017). The entrepreneurial leadership lessons from Steve Jobs
can be drawn from looking at his accomplishments of the successful career. A great leader
should hold the skill to work for the organisation in the best possible way and to deliver the god
quality services to the customers to increase the brand image in the market.
Overview of the Apple Computers
The company was started in the garage at the home of Steve Jobs and had to sell his car
to get the investment to commence the business operations. In 1978, they launched their first
personal computer Apple II, and sold it for the $666.66. In the same year they launched the
Apple IPO in a successful manner and made the company registered as the publicly traded
company. By the 1980, Apple had released the three improved versions of the personal
computer and became the multi-millionaire company owners. There was a no competition in the
market as such by then but, after the entry of the IBM in the 1981 (Day, 2017). Steve Paul Jobs
is an impassioned person and a captivating speaker who is the co-founder of Apple. In Apple, a
balanced scorecard is used for measuring the performance of individuals of the organisation.
This scorecard helps the company to innovate and enhance new heights for performance.
Market structure:
Apple is a fierce player in the technology market and this is a well-known brand which
uses balanced scorecard for measurement of the employees and organisation's performance.
There are basically five performance indicators used by Apple such as customer satisfaction,
core competencies, employee commitment and alignment. Market share and shareholder value.
Apple focuses on technology earlier but now it focuses on the level of satisfaction of their
customers. Apple makes equipment’s which are innovative and user friendly and effective
distribution systems are made for developing competencies. This company believes in

commitment and alignment among employees. Market share is considered by Apple to evaluate
the profit of the company. Shareholder value in Apple is put into their sales vision, product
design, global operations and manufacturing. This helps in evaluating the activities of units and
trying this to company's appraisal system.
Performance management in the Apple:
These indicators helps management in managing the long term performance of the
organisation. The balance scorecard helps Apple to have a track of their performance and meet
the goals and objectives of the company. After specifying the goals and objectives of the
company the managers faces the challenge to measure the performance of individuals. The
managers of Apple identifies financial performance measurement concepts for knowing the
factors which drive the success of operations in Apple (Antonakis, 2014). There must be
development of financial aspects and drivers that have to be specified by operational drivers and
aspects. The implementation of these in the organisation will help in letting know about the
productivity and efficiency of the company. There are several ways to ensure high performance
and one of them is including performance goals in the product design and measure product
against the goals throughout the development process. Apple has certain tools for monitoring and
analysing the performance of the employees and organisations.
As, everyone knows that Apple when enters into the market, they in reality comes up
with small devices such as iPhone, which was first generation phone and now Apple series has
been recognised as most popular series around the world. Measuring performance could not be
done in how business is performing in market, but also they are committed about their quality
products. When, there is any discussion about quality, here it means product quality plus service
quality which is highly provided by Apple. This has to be considered, when we have discussion
over measuring the performance of an individual (Brännback, 2015). For organisation, especially
engaging and working in tech industry needs to have quality measurement planning, as there
performance will be measured on that basis. Managing long term performance with support of
quality is a big deal which needs to be acquired to make Apple products famous all over the
world.

Vision and development of the Apple Inc:
Steve Jobs has saw vision of being to be most innovative and development brands with evolving
the role of tech knowledge & information into a physical product to make more innovative and
creative to use for people to buy again and again. Also, he linked that vision to actual
performance of Apple and from its long term operations. Apple manages their business operation
in very creative and innovative manner to enhance business competencies of these tech giant.
They have huge infrastructure, which are divided into different sub section and with support of
different working department. Working pattern of Apple is very unique, as they believes in each
and every individual to contribute and take decision’s making power on basis. Apple
performance is actually depends on their working culture, which is unique and positive. Apple
Former CEO has led previously an initiative to bring collectivism culture in business firm to
bring kind of initiative to enhance power and morale of their employee’s to unbelievable task in
ease and comfort manner to generate long term performance of the Apple.
Measurement of the Apple performance:
Apple, which is a leading tech company have their uniqueness in maintaining their clear
and cut performance through checking how they are responding to current needs and wants of
the market. Also, performance can also be measured on the basis of how business firm are highly
respond able to generate valid outcomes and results for Apple business performance and their
profit in an effective and co-related manner or ways (Carsrud, 2017). Apple operational
management involves an application of 10 different decision making of operations to ensures,
whether is running smoothly or not. When having major talk over effective decision making
taken business leaders of Apple to run this organisation effectively. There involves major
decision making such as: product design, quality management, process and capacity design,
locating strategy and overall marketing process to make their product delivered to customer.
Apple has stated that their employee are not simple employee’s, there are in entrepreneur itself
who right to share any kind of information and knowledge, in case of launching any new
products or services to enhance work and business sustainability (McAdam, 2015).
Functioning and cultural aspects of the Apple:
Apple most unified working culture, which involves different departments such as HR,
finance, marketing, operational role, in which talent is diverse and spirit of dedication working.
Apple Inc., is an example of success in addressing all these different decision area of operational

management. Effective operations and strategies involves technological innovation helps thrive
of business, in spite of having competitor such as Dell, Lenovo, Microsoft, Sony etc., which are
unique in their way of operating into the business environment. The major highlight behind
success of Apple Inc., is their strategic approach to achieve high level of productivity goals and
objectives in an operational management area.
Performance management in the Apple:
Here, a question is how makes apple work smartly and nourishing? The answer here is team of
dedicated senior manager, employee’s and other related, who are inspired so hard as to pursue
what they are being given to them and also matter of look, how they will accomplish to have
competency of Apple to enhance their performance on a larger and optimised level of stage.
Apple Inc., has operates their business performance at a different level and creative with full
priority to developing individual goals to accomplish along with support of business support.
Design of Goods and Services: Apple’s effective processes is in their design of its tech
products are handled through a number of organizational components and officials support.
Apple design’s there with understanding current market trends and analyse consumer behaviour
at a larger context (Leitch, 2019). After selection of perfect design to be manufactured, final
decision making comes in hand of Vice president of the Apple to finalise it after full process.
Quality management: This area of operational decision making put its major
emphasises on quality standards and control measures. Senior VP of Apple works for operation
co-ordination with eight other senior VP’s to ensure their compliance with company’s quality of
standards. With support of Steve Jobs, just 10 years back, this leading tech giant has adopted a
holistic approach in ensuring quality to address area of decision related to operational
management. Past performance says that Apple Inc., is well known for its high quality standards
that in reality permeates different area of the business operation. In potential market, they
operates through use of product design, establishing contact with retail sector to increase
visibility of their products, online sales, industrial sales and empowering human resource
management.
The performance of the Apple Inc., will be judged on a basis of current market structure
for this leading tech giant (Harrison, 2018. The performance of the Apple Inc., will be measure
on a basis of tools and techniques which are mainly required to finding suitable ways or

measures to enhance scope of increasing performance of both employee and business
organisation. The explanation over different tools and techniques are as follows:
Key performance indicators:
Key performance indicators (KPI) is at the heart of any system of measuring the
performance and its long term target-setting. When it will be properly used, this is one of the
most powerful management tools which is highly available to growing businesses such as Apple
at a greater and optimised to raise its popularity in an entire world. There are different ways of
setting up the KPI such as:
First, Apple Inc., is linked to possibility to a top level gaols for their businesses and in
response, they need to check most preferred KPI which is need to be quantifiable.
Secondly, before deciding most suitable KPI, it is necessary for management of Apple to
enhance consistency into their business goals and strategic objectives to accomplish their unique
goals in given period of time.
Thirdly, key performance indicator of the Apple is related to their business environment
on which giant has some level of control (Bagheri, 2014). By contrast, business exposure to
major flux in an interest rates which needs to be controlled and so as to use effective KPI.
Judging the way Apple operates into the market:
Apple is one of the leading tech giant with great series of products or services such as
iPhone, iPad, MacBook (Asuimiran, 2016). For being working as big brand, it is necessary to
judge how this leading brand operates into the market structure: The explanation as given below:
With support of their enthusiastic manpower: Apple thinks their employee’s as their
major strategic asset, which is important to be undertaken in order to brilliant outcomes for their
great organisation. Role of leadership is very high, in Apple’s, as Steve Jobs believed that,
person without self-leadership cannot hold or motivate himself for working for longer duration
of Apple.
Higher learning from mistakes and continues adaptation: It was realised that Apple
has done several poor marketing for their old products such as segmenting iPhone as middle
level products, which lets them not to grow and also as a result they were away from increased
profit for longer period of time.
From this, there is bigger level of learning or knowledge has been taken as work as like
enthusiastic person, leadership role in major priority for everyone along with how these has led

positive role in working of an organisation at a bigger and optimised context (Pihie, 2014). I
have learnt that being working an entrepreneurship is necessary to undertaken with major
purpose to enhance role of business competencies and working into big organisation like Apple
Inc., to enhance expectancy of an individual career at a bigger level. This has been proved as
necessary to undertaken to this assessment to arrive at a valid and suitable outcome for future
stage of time.
Current performance of the Apple Inc.: In the current business era is doing fabulous job
in creating value based goods and services such as iPhone, iPad etc., which has simply
transformed customer behaviour and proven their strategy as best. But, in present time, this
brand is facing tougher competition by One-plus, which is new and leading player into the
iPhone segment (Kontinen, 2012). From this brand, they are facing cut throat competition in
terms of value provided, product quality, brand facility and increasing customer trust of the One-
plus. Also, other local tech companies of different countries are giving tougher competition to
Apple which is a major challenges for them, which they needs to overcome into the given point
of time. As, Apple is considered as game changer, which people thinks as major turnaround who
can defeat their competitor, with minimal support of their employee’s and establishing
worldwide support to the market operations.
Can Apple do better into the future:
Apple comes under Forbes most developed and innovation leading company, who’s
major purpose is to generate suitable results out of their business operation by defeating their
rivalries. Also, Apple could do better and better to maintain their quality commitment and also
led greater involvement of the innovation into the business process. This will be continue until
unless Apple will reach at a higher level of product satisfaction by their management (Kansikas,
2016). Apple should give priority to increased leadership in order to make their business
operation wider and also centric towards empowering each and every employee’s in a way to
establish common relationship with their customer’s to take care of their visibility into the mind
of the customer. To overcome Oneplus, Apple must focus on higher customer retention to get
business continue for longer period of time.

Area of major improvements:
Apple must focus on reaching to their customer, because that time has gone,
customer business organisation for purchasing purpose of their products. Also, they must focus
on quality level at a higher and optimised to level to enhance performance level of this giant to
enhance that customer will be acquired in most convenient to buy and purchase their products or
services. Also, major improvement is needed in building leadership as the major scope for
empowering an employee’s for their benefits and advantage for the purpose of bringing higher
scope for improvements into an Apple products to raise their profit stage.

CONCLUSION
From an above report, it has been concluded that entrepreneurial leadership is one of the
most appropriate and required things for business entity to generate suitable results out of the
given business situation into the market condition or not. Performance and quality measurement
is necessary in context of business opportunities or firm. Lastly, it is also concluded business
operation needs to be initiate with major purpose to generate relevant and suitable results over
the given period of time.

REFERENCES
Books & journals
Carsrud, A. L. and Brännback, M., 2015. Understanding and measuring entrepreneurial
leadership style. Journal of Small Business Management. 53(1). pp.54-74.
Antonakis, J. and Day, D. V. Eds., 2017. The nature of leadership. Sage publications.
Koryak, O., and Hodgkinson, G. ., 2015. Entrepreneurial leadership, capabilities and firm
growth. International Small Business Journal. 33(1). pp.89-105.
Leitch, C. M., McMullan, C. and Harrison, R. T., 2013. The development of entrepreneurial
leadership: The role of human, social and institutional capital. British Journal of
Management. 24(3). pp.347-366.
Kansikas, J., and Kontinen, T., 2012. Entrepreneurial leadership and familiness as resources for
strategic entrepreneurship. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research.
18(2). pp.141-158.
Pihie, Z. A. L., Asuimiran, S. and Bagheri, A., 2014. Entrepreneurial leadership practices and
school innovativeness. South African Journal of Education. 34(1).
Harrison, R., Leitch, C. and McAdam, M., 2015. Breaking glass: Toward a gendered analysis of
entrepreneurial leadership. Journal of Small Business Management. 53(3). pp.693-713.
Carland, J. C. and Carland Jr, J. W., 2012. A model of shared entrepreneurial leadership.
Academy of Entrepreneurship Journal. 18(2). p.71.
Henry, C., 2015. Entrepreneurial leadership and gender: Exploring theory and practice in global
contexts. Journal of Small Business Management. 53(3). pp.581-586.
Covin, J. G. and Slevin, D. P., 2017. The entrepreneurial imperatives of strategic leadership.
Strategic entrepreneurship: Creating a new mindset, pp.307-327.
Freeman, D. and Siegfried Jr, R. L., 2015. Entrepreneurial leadership in the context of company
start‐up and growth. Journal of leadership studies. 8(4). pp.35-39.
Engelen, A., and Brettel, M., 2015. Entrepreneurial orientation, firm performance, and the
moderating role of transformational leadership behaviors. Journal of Management. 41(4).
pp.1069-1097.
Online
Performance Management, 2018. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.thebalancecareers.com/performance-management-1918226>