Performance, Strategy, and Decision-Making of Apple Technology Company

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Apple Technology Company, examining its performance, strategies, and decision-making processes. It delves into the company's history, from its inception with Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak to its current status under Tim Cook. The report covers Apple's organizational strategy, including its focus on product differentiation, marketing, and human resources. A SWOT analysis is presented to evaluate the company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The report also explores Apple's financial and accounting practices, competitive advantages, and future outlook, including plans for expansion and innovation. It highlights the key factors contributing to Apple's success, such as its customer-centric approach, innovative products, and strong brand reputation. References to academic sources support the analysis, providing a well-rounded understanding of Apple's business model and market position.

Running head: PERFORMANCE, STRATEGY AND DECISON MAKING
Apple Technology Company
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Executive summary
This report deals with the Apple technology company and its overall performance, strategies
and decision-making. The company, which started holding the hands of the friends Steve
Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976, has been the successful and leaded by company until today.
Its focus is to make the products reach the mass that is the necessary of their customers.
Apple’s imaginations are what even their customers could never imagine and so their
products are back to backs hits for the market and their customers. As Apple is growing in the
market, it was hard hit by the competition IBM Company had given. However, because of its
marketing strategies and powerful stand they are still leading the technology industry. The
strengths are definitely much more than its weaknesses and thus its success rate in the market
is also huge. It has further plans for growing in the upcoming years and make this brand the
remote control for every smart homes.

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Discussion..................................................................................................................................3
Present status of the Company...............................................................................................3
Organizational strategy..........................................................................................................4
SWOT analysis of Apple.......................................................................................................4
Marketing and human resources (HR) of the company.........................................................6
Finance and accounting of the company................................................................................6
Competitive advantages.........................................................................................................7
Outlook of the company.........................................................................................................7
The reason behind the company’s success.............................................................................8
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................8
References................................................................................................................................10

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Introduction
On 1976, the journey of Apple started with its headquarters in Cupertino, California,
United States. The most important founders of apple are Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and
Ronald Wayne. 10percent of the company’s share was given to Wayne as he was convinced
by Jobs to act as an authority but unfortunately, he was found to backing out. Apple Inc.,
previously called as Apple computer, Inc., is a manufacturer of personal computers,
computers outlines and the software of the computers. This is the first prosperous company of
personal computer. Jobs have the thorough understanding that the essential elements needed
for a company to grow are the professional management and the considerable funding. The
invention of Wozniak’s disk controller that let the customers to retrieve information storage
quicker in a cheaper cost made the company instantly successful. Apple grew with its
company’s profit as well as in size by 1980. However, soon Apple encountered with the
competition arising from the International Business Machines Corporation popularly known
as IBM, which is the player of the computer business market (Wathieu, 2014).
Discussion
Present status of the Company
Apple is still an excellent company as it develops large flow of cash, preserves a
wholesome balance sheet and invariably rides in the top line and bottom line advances on a
yearly basis. Apart for all these striking factors, the investors of apple want a growth catalyst,
which is currently not available. As far as the current CEO of apple is concerned, Tim cook
is efficient but when it comes to innovations, he cannot match up Steve Jobs but in this type
of business innovations are the only features that drive a company to the top line. Cook
operates the company in a response to preserve what Job has reinforced but this can be the

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stressing point when Jobs innovations will run their origin and strength of the stock.
Presently, Cook’s only solution is to the current market is to increase the cost of the ipad.
However, this high pricing label took away many prospective customers that means only little
customers are left in the apple scheme. Thus, they can lower their costs for iPhones so that
they can draw the shares of the market.
Organizational strategy
Apple’s strategies straightaway associate to the company’s strategies of pricing,
marketing and different arena of the company. However, considering the Generic strategy
followed by apple, which is built on Porter’s model, synchronizes with the company’s
purpose for growth related strategies. This strategy mainly concentrates on the important
features that compare the company and its products in the market. For instance in relation
with Apple the focus is on sophisticated design compounded with user-friendliness and high
end stigmatization, which is effectively differentiating Apple. This strategy thus means that
Apple’s goal is always to set themselves away from their rivals in the market not by values
but by other attracting features that are advantageous to the customers. However, these
essential features involve unseamed connectivity to devices and cutting-edge philosophy in
the designs. However, this strategy makes the company stand out but still Apple reaches
different segments in the market. The products are designed for everyone in the mass and so
aiming the wide market reach. Thus, in this way this strategy helps Apple in preserving its
leadership and status as a high ending and huge value business (Duhigg & Kocieniewski,
2012).
SWOT analysis of Apple
Strength

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 The innovative products are its primary strength as it is covering everything an
individual needs in a very short time span. Its back-to-back hit products starting from
Mac book to Iwatch strengthens its position hugely in the m market.
 As far as the leadership is concerned, it has been the second largest in manufacturing
smart phones, first organization in the United States to get over 700 billion dollar.
 High brand assets in the market
 Elegancy of its products enhancing the design and technology it offers
 It distributes its products from 470 stores over 17 countries, trade partners, online
channels and premium retail shops.
 It possesses a powerful margin for the company to fund in R&D and brand building.
 Their imagination about their products where they want to offer what even the
customers have never envisioned.
Weaknesses
 Due to high share in markets and being leading products in the market, the customers’
expectations are huge.
 The product’s unmixable nature with any other software and accessories
 In comparison to its competitors, Apple has limited products.
Opportunities
 Apple is currently focusing on making an Apple car which is assumed to be
established in 2020
 In this industry related to technology any technological progress could be an
opportunity.
 The growing market for this developing company

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 Iwatch and TV from apple has been intended for the future when there will be an
increase in the digital presence
Threats
 The breakthrough of other companies with the smart phones
 The huge competition is faced from the other laptop brands in the market like Dell,
Sony and Lenovo (Khan, Alam & Alam, 2015).
Marketing and human resources (HR) of the company
The organizations HR involves the recruitment, remunerations to the employees as
well as providing them with benefits and processing the roles of their jobs. However, Apple
has enforced best approaches to manage its employees. The power of HR department of this
company lays increasing the rise on investment from human capital and decreasing the risk of
finances from Apple. The managers in the HR department handle their responsibilities in an
efficient manner. The marketing of apple includes the key features as cutting down the critics,
making the ordinary into something attracting, confirming the costs and stressing on its value
propositions, understanding the customers so communicating in their language, globalizing to
better experience for the customers, targeting certain customers from the community and
becoming the ultimate brand name. The app stores of apple and their retail shops can be a
role model for the companies who wants to rise in this technology industry (Chan, Pun &
Selden, 2013).
Finance and accounting of the company
The company has recently hired Xerox’s chief financial officer so that the company
can heighten the net profit payment to the shareholders, or may even assist increase in share
redemption. The finance and accounting department within this company is mainly liable for
recording and covering the flow of transactions in Apple. The important roles that they have

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in Apple are accounts- receivable and payable, payroll, reporting financial issues and
conserving controls over financial matters. The advantages of financial and accounting of
Apple is that they work with the business to fit in payment structures to their range in
technology, reducing the compatibility problems and decreasing the costs that are associated
with a number of generations, adding through the increase in lease term when needed.
However as they are very much updated with their finance and accounts thus there are less
chances of surprises.
Competitive advantages
The competitive advantage that apple has are as follows:-
 The brand itself is an advantage that helps the company to sell immense hardware to
its new and the already existing customers. This business of hardware are very
profitable business and thus for apple the brand stamped on each product helps in
increasing the markups than other hardware developer.
 Apple’s service revenue is an immense business, repeating and developing with high
margins.
 The value of the products that apple are coming up with actually making the
customers find the significant value in and thus the Smartphone launched are
becoming more centrally oriented in the life of the customers.
 The valuation of the brand (Amit & Zott, 2012)
Outlook of the company
After a record cracking success by the year 2016, Tim cook the current CEO of apple
has no plans to take a halt. They have plans to make apple concrete and its iPhones the
remote control for any stylish home. He also aims for a huge acquisition in the industry of
media during the earning calls. There are future goals also includes changing its structure of

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operation. Apple needs to focus more on its cloud computers, cognitive computers and data
analysis to modify their business and searching new markets. It has plans to invest more in
proper lay off software, hardware and its marketing departments. They will also be hiring
new talent so that it can guide them grow the new technologies; restore their frameworks of
IT and to build the interaction system more useful with the mobile technology. Further, they
will plan for their grid and cloud computing strategically with time, which means they will
make people’s lifestyles match with digital and interconnection.
The reason behind the company’s success
The main reason behind the success of the Apple is definitely the one-man army Steve
Jobs and his innovations that has taken this company so far but along with him there are
certain other factors also that has worked for its success and they are as follows :-
 The products that apple invents are made keeping in mind that what the customers
want. Therefore, the engineers took a different approach and started making products
for themselves that is following what the mass wants.
 While companies were busy making overcritical components for their products, apple
made its use simple for the customers.
 Great services and in-store experiences when their customers visits the stores so that
they can come across salespersons so are well educated about every product and can
tell make the customers understand it well.
 It only manufactures those products that that they can do better with
 It is always minimum two years ahead of its rivalries (Cuadrado & Dueñas, 2012).
Conclusion
To conclude this report, it can be said that Apple that was started in 1976 has its
headquarters in Cupertino, California, United States. The most promising leaders of this

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company who founded it were Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Jobs brilliant innovational
strategies took apple where it is today. Currently, Tim Cook who is the CEO of apple is
currently taking the company based on the innovations already developed by Jobs. The
products are largely spread over the mass and because of the generic strategy of this
company; it always stays ahead from its competitors. However, from the SWOT analysis it
has been found that Apple has more strengths than weaknesses and has bright future
prospects and plans. Thus, apples success largely depends on the excellent marketing
strategies and policies it applies keeping the viewpoint and necessities of their customers.

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References
Amit, R., & Zott, C. (2012). Creating value through business model innovation. MIT Sloan
Management Review, 53(3), 41.
Chan, J., Pun, N., & Selden, M. (2013). The politics of global production: Apple, Foxconn
and China's new working class. New Technology, Work and Employment, 28(2),
100-115.
Cuadrado, F., & Dueñas, J. C. (2012). Mobile application stores: success factors, existing
approaches, and future developments. IEEE Communications Magazine, 50(11), 160-
167.
Duhigg, C., & Kocieniewski, D. (2012). How Apple sidesteps billions in taxes. The New
York Times, 28, 1-5.
Khan, U. A., Alam, M. N., & Alam, S. (2015). A Critical Analysis of Internal and External
Environment of Apple Inc. International Journal of Economics, Commerce and
Management, 3(6), 955-961.
Wathieu, L. (2014). Apple Stores. JWI 518: Marketing in the Global Environment Strayer
University− Online, 113.