HI6006 Competitive Strategy: Report on Apple Inc. Case Study Analysis

This report provides a case study analysis of Apple Inc.'s competitive strategy. It explores the company's business strategies, including differentiation, customer-driven product development, and diversification. The analysis examines Apple's responses to market challenges, the role of innovation, and its focus on design. The report also covers Apple's pricing, manufacturing, and supply chain strategies, as well as its approach to sustainability and process innovation. The study references academic sources and provides a comprehensive overview of Apple's strategic choices and their impact on the company's market position and success. The assignment was done for Holmes Institute, HI6006 Competitive Strategy course.

COMPETITIVE STRATEGY
Case study of Apple Inc.

INTRODUCTION
• Business strategies plays a bigger role in the
success of the firm as it enables that firm do
not lag in any region.
• Innovation is highly useful business strategy
that any firm can use.
• Business strategy is a combination of decisions
taken by the organisations to accomplish
business goals while facing the challenges.

Brief about case study
• Apple is a global leader in technology industry.
• Apple was facing different types of challenges
when Steve Jobs returned.
• They made innovation as their base of
strategies especially design thinking.
• Customer-driven strategy is used as the base
of product development.

Strategic issues at Apple
• Finance related issues.
• Unstable strategy due to change in the upper
management.
• No differentiation in their and their rivals
products.
• Highly competitive market.
• Vision and strategies of the company was not
clearly communicated to the stakeholders.

Business strategy
Differentiation strategy
• They have been regularly
innovating their products
so that their products
remains different from
their rivals.
• They focused on design of
their products.
• They have taken customer
centric approach to
product development.

Continue
Diversification
• This strategy has helped them
in expanding in different parts
of the world at much faster
rate.
• This has expanded their
consumer base and helped
them in improving their
product port-folio.
• They develop new products
on the basis of the
requirement of the people.

Continue
Customer focus
• They have continuously worked towards resolving
the challenges faced by the customers in their
daily life.
• They interact with their customers regularly so as
to understand the requirement of the people.
• They improve their services regularly to add value
to their product.
• They have kept design simple and user-friendly.

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Pricing strategy
• Due to the value they add to their products, they are able to
keep the pricing on the premium side.
• This helps them in creating a different brand image from
their rivals.
Manufacturing and Supply strategy
• They have outsourced the manufacturing of their hardware
products and concentrates on development of software.
• They have optimised their supply chain to meet the demand
in the market.

Continue
Other Strategies
• For ensuring growth, they have maintained the
quality of their products.
• Their strategies related to sustainability has given
them chance to stay ahead of their competitors.
• They also innovate their processes so as to
improve the business model and hence make it
ready for upcoming challenges.

Conclusion
• Apple is the leader in innovating product.
• Product design has been their major area of focus.
• They have made differentiation in their product while
keeping customers at the centre.
• They have made diversification in their product range
which has strengthened their position in the market.
• Quality maintenance has given them edge in the
market and hence they have been able to beat their
rivals.

References
• Fogliasso, C.E. and Williams, A., 2014. Analysis
Of The Business, Societal And Governmental
Relationships Of Apple Inc. Leadership &
Organizational Management Journal, 2014(1).
• Heracleous, L., 2013. Quantum strategy at
apple inc. Organizational Dynamics, 42(2),
pp.92-99.