An Analysis of Vodafone Group Plc and Apple's Business Activities

This report provides a comprehensive comparison and contrast of the business activities of Vodafone Group Plc and Apple within the international business environment. The analysis begins with brief introductions of both companies, highlighting their overviews and key operations. The main body delves into a critical comparison of their activities in the telecommunications sector, focusing on their network infrastructure, supply chain management, research and development, customer retention strategies, and marketing and branding. The report then contrasts their activities, examining Vodafone's voice, messaging, data, and fixed-line services alongside Apple's software, hardware, and online services. The report also explores their current achievements and potential for sustaining high performance. The study concludes with a summary of the key findings, emphasizing the competitive dynamics and strategic differentiators of these two major players in the telecommunications industry, drawing on various sources to support its arguments.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
ENVIRONMENT

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Brief introduction of Vodafone Group Plc..................................................................................1
Brief introduction of Apple..........................................................................................................2
Critically compare the activities of companies in the telecommunications' sector.....................3
Critically contrast the activities of companies in the telecommunications' sector.......................5
Current achievements and potential for sustaining high performance.........................................7
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
International Business Environment is defined as the multi dimensional framework of
understanding the components like cultural differences, legal issues, exchange risks and more to
know the operational practices of organizations. The focus is on bringing effectiveness and
maintain productivity in the activities of companies to generate revenues and profits. Moreover,
it highlights the risks, scope and elemental features to enhance the macro environment aspects in
terms of economic, technological, legal, socio-political and demographic. This type of business
analysis describe the comparative business operations to provide the customer centric approaches
and techniques. Additionally, it focuses on emerging opportunities and identifying new and
innovative ways of doing businesses. This assignment is based on comparing and contrasting the
activities of two telecommunication companies, that is Vodafone Group Plc and Apple. It is
mainly elucidating on the development of technologies and the maintenance of competition in
the marketplaces. This also involves about current achievements and the potential threats and
opportunities to sustain the high performance.
MAIN BODY
Brief introduction of Vodafone Group Plc
Overview: This is the British based telecommunications company which is headquartered at two
prime locations namely in Newbury, Berkshire and London in England. It is under the public
limited company and has primary listing on London Stock Exchange and secondary listing in
NASDAQ (Nasdaq Stock Market). Its operations have been widely expanded in all the
continents of the world excluding the Antarctica. In the year 2018, Vodafone has received the
fourth ranked among the mobile operator groups and was placed after China mobile, Airtel and
Vodafone Idea (Kwenin, Muathe and Nzulwa, 2013). Its networks is operable over 25 countries
around the world and provides IT services with telecommunications to their customers and
clients.
Activities: The objective is to connect everybody for a better today and creating a better
tomorrow. Their aim is to create sustainable and responsible methods to bring value in the
society and make the customers lives more convenient and easier. Its investment plans revolve
around delivering qualitative services to individuals and other clients at any location in the world
to make financial gains by establishing comfort. The major activity include a digital
infrastructure to create robust and four core programmes. These four components consist of
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customer experience excellence, fit for growth, network leadership and people and culture-the
Vodafone way. For this, 'Reconnect' has been initiated where approximately 1000 customers,
mostly women have been recruited in around 26 countries. Here the Vodafone's is focusing on
the strategic differentiators to improve the costs efficiencies and maintain the network leadership
and experience of customers' excellence.
Brief introduction of Apple
Overview: This is an American based multinational company and is headquartered in California.
It is mainly dealing with designing, executing and selling of the software, online services and
electronics for the customers' accessibility (Deasy and et.al., 2016). This is refereed as one of the
largest technological companies in the world and is included in the big fours (Facebook, Amazon
and Google). It is into manufacturing hardware products such as iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV,
apple smart watch and many more such products. Additionally, it also includes about software
like iOS and macOS along with iTunes media player, productivity suites, iLife and iWork. There
is also inclusion of online services such as iOS app store, apple music, iMessage and more.
Activities: The focus of their activities is based on innovation and designing technologies to
make the public want to buy or operate it without thinking about pricing. They emphasize on
quality and improved features in all their products (Clarke, Tamaschke and Liesch, 2013). Apple
products are known for its advanced capacities which are able to provide solutions in innovative
ways and led to productivity. The versatility in the platforms and powerful hardware makes the
activities seamless but lot of hard work and brains work together. For e.g. iPhone has additional
features that assist in enhanced vision and hearing alongside it improves motor skills and
adaptability. The aim is to build value, worth and competitive edge over the other contemporary
companies in this sector. Their marketing strategy mix is eye catching which makes their
customers to wait in queue for the launch of this company's products and even to see the first
iteration (Khan, Alam and Alam, 2015). They always believed in unique value proposition
(UVP) and never oriented towards the pricing strategy which played in favour and gained them
loyal customer base including celebrities and other eminent personalities.
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Critically compare the activities of companies in the telecommunications' sector
According to Hinton and Nadalin (2014) it has been shown that telecommunication sector
has as they develop new technology to try to maintain their competitive advantage when they
develop new technology to try to maintain their competitive advantages.
Vodafone's Group Plc
The Company has mobile license in all the countries in which it operates as they are
fundamental to the provision of mobile telecommunication services. The network infrastructure
of the Company connect all the customers together and enables the Group to provide the mobile
and fixed voice, messaging and data services (Cavusgil and et.al., 2014). The Supply chain
management of Vodafone Plc handsets the network equipment which accounts for the majority
of Vodafone purchases with the bulk being sourced from the global suppliers all over the world.
The Company put emphasis on the Research and development work programme that provides
technological analysis and vision that can contribute directly to the business decisions.
Vodafone's Group Plc has employed approximately 712000 people worldwide during the
financial year 2008 with goal to recruit and develop and retain the most talented motivated
people in the Company. Its customer retention strategy endeavours to ensure that customer needs
are at the centre of the action of management. The Vodafone Plc do marketing and branding of
their product by focusing on the delivering superiority consistent and differentiated customer
experience through its brand and communication skills. There is direct distribution channel ODF
Vodafone Plc. In third party distribution there is indirect distribution of the channel. The
independent dealers and distributes and retailers are comes under the indirect distribution of the
Company.
Vodafone plc group has transform the supply chain organisation into the single
community under the one leadership and application of the global material category strategies in
the conjunction with the local market that expertise and enables the saving methodology that
applied across all the operating companies.
The Company is driving the use of new technology enhancement such as the Remote
Radio Heads that are the new type of lower cost base station equipment which improves
coverage and enables improvements to the customer experience. Femtocell are the new way to
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deliver the 4G network deployments. The customers have a small 4G base station that is
connected to the Vodafone network through via a fixed broadband line.
Apple
The Company software is the powerful and intuitive. The products are secured, reliable,
compatible witting the office environment and easy to deploy. The workers together seamlessly
giving the mobile experience that delivers the information and need you when it needed the
most.
The Company products are intuitive and easy for use that means that they are easy for the
support and interference allows the employees to use the families across the swiping and
scrolling and tapping to collaborate, they are organized and adapt to the new programmes and
procedures that are quickly. The iPhone, iPad and mac comes with the powerful assistive
features for vision, hearing and motor skills so that they are sincereness to the customers
The Apple has powerful hardware that make software designed with the most powerful
hardware (Hamilton and Webster, 2018). To built in sensors in the iPhone and iPad that enables
iOS apps to use the data like location and proximity to deliver an intuitive, personalised
experience that has no other platforms. The powerful Apple designed processors in every IPad
and IPhone are pursing the limits of technologies in every iPad and iPhone that are pushing the
limits of the technologies like augmented relater and machine learning.
Secure by the design that their products to be the simple, intuitive and capable that they
design them to be secure. IOS and Madcaps are built on auxin foundation that makes them both
stable and robust. The constantly encrypt of the information the system level. Features like Face
ID and Touch ID that use to face the fingerprint to unlock the device and authenticate apps. This
safeguards the place to ensure that bought the third party and in house apps can only access data
and authorised ways.
They are also enraged in the business of volume purchasing that makes it easy to buy the
app in the volume then the distribute it from the App Store to the every person in the company.
The distribution network from the App store has gather every information of the company. The
employees can easily reassign their apps to the new users.
The custom app purchasing developers get the existing loops that customised the specific
business needs that they are distribute to the the company privately through the apple business
manager.
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The GE generated by the Assert performance management app to help operates easily
view alerts gestated from predictive analytics. The Face time is introduced to meet the subjective
matter that experts and the images using the IPhone camera to help diagnose equipment issues
that are faster than the ever.
Critically contrast the activities of companies in the telecommunications' sector
Vodafone's Group Plc
Voice – The Voice service of Vodafone Plc continue to make up the largest portion of the
Group 's revenue.
Messaging – The Messaging of the company allows their customers to send and receive
messages using mobile devices.
Data – The Vodafone Plc group offers a number of the products and services that enhance
customers access to data services.
Fixed line – The Company provides customers with the data and fixed voice solutions to meet
their total communications needs. It also includes the mobile line advertising and business to
manage their services.
Handsets – The Group has a wide ranging handset p[portfolio which covers different customer
segments price points and an increasing variety of designs.
Vodafone Mobile connect – It provides their simple and secure access to the internet and to
business customers systems such as email, corporate applications and compact in intranets.
3G and 4G mobile access network – The voice call and data transmission is made ion the
mobile device , voice or data is sent from the device that is transmitted by the low powered radio
signals to meet the nearest network and base station that turn in the connected to the Group core
network via the access transmission infrastructure (Ghods, Jourdaand and Levie, 2013). The
each base station provides the coverage over the given geographic area often referred to as the
cell.
Fixed broad access network – The communication takes places to over the fixed lone networks
the tariff flows overpower tradition wired infrastructure that corporate customers can connect
their local network which accesses transmission infrastructure directly through using the
dedicated link.
Core Network - The core network is responsible for setting up and controlling connections
between the mobile and or fixed line customers that attached to access network by locating the
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party and routing the calls towards it. The core network handles data traffic by allowing the
customers to access service platforms that offers services such as the Vodafone live and web
browsing (Forsgrenand Johanson, 2014). The circuit switches domain enables voice and video
that calls are switches and user databases and stores the information that is needed to provide the
services to each customer. The location in the network list subscribed services and home virus
network.
Apple
Compatible with the existing systems like iOS and MacOS are built to support the most
common productivity and coll ration systems in the company in today's world. Apple products
works seamlessly with the key difference infrastructure services like the Microsoft exchange for
the email and the calenders (Ghods, Jourda and Levie, 2013). The services like Microsoft
exchange makes the product differentiation. The employees switch from the another device to
the Apple that built in the migration from the windows or the Android that makes moving their
data simple.
The Streamlined deployment and the management of the Apple comparably mange the
devices throaty have largest scale. Iphone, IPad and mac that can be set up and the configured
automatically that eliminates the need for the it. Department to handle that each device
individual. The It can also0 push out the apps that correctly to devices individually , it can be
also push the apps directly to the devices that employees can be personalise owned and can also
adds into their own apps.
Apple has made smart investment in its products that are hardware to the test of
longevity put the hardware to the test in the reliability retesting lab. They are using methods that
mimic real world experiences (Glavas and Mathews, 2014). The AppleCare programmes extend
to the life of the hardware where if anything goes wrong. They built in security and use regular
software that updates to keep the products current, protect form them. The costly viruses
enlighten the workload for the IT because people are already familiar with the Apple products,
e4mployees don't need that much help from the Information technology in to order to get the
speed and ultimately lowering the overall labour costs.
Apple products that work seamlessness with the key infrastructure services with the
Microsoft exchange for the email and calenders as well as the wireless networks and VPN
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solutions from the Cisco. The employees switch from another device to Apple, to built in
migration from Windows or the Android that makes moving their data simple (Forsgren and
Johanson, 2014). The Apple creates powerful hardware and versatile platforms that create a
unique environment to build the custom apps for the Company. The apps for the businesses are
available at the App store. The IPhone, IPad and mac are the best tools for the businesses that
solves the employees problem in the Apple company.
Current achievements and potential for sustaining high performance
Vodafone Group Plc
This company is trying to maintain its services and the overall quality in terms of
performance and effectiveness. Their data traffic has been in increasing levels and making the
quarterly incremental values exceeded by the targeted limits. Moreover, the customers have been
also using the internet services using the 4G and establishing loyalty and trust with the customers
over their brand. It has also been demonstrated that IoT business revenues also rose by 18.8 %
and this has achieved through the strategic planning of making changes in their network services.
There is approximately more than 33 percent of total value who has taken the sim connections
and raising the bars among the competitors all around the world (Molino, 2013).
In regard to the above, the bundle strategy has played effective part in making potential
results for achieving the high performance. There are also programs and initiatives that has made
the overall business environment while working at Vodafone has been improvised. For instance,
the aim is to purchase 100 % electricity from only renewable sources by the year 2025. It also
offers affordable benefits like insurance, easy replacement options etc. to the customers which is
also helping them in assessing the concerns more properly. Their focus is to build a better
environment to maintain their employees turnover (Gujarathi and Comerford, 2016). Here they
have tried to accompany them by providing opportunities in ensuring benefits in the form of
incentives, reward systems etc. It aids in establishing better initiatives for proper employees'
engagement and also impact the sales and brand value in positive direction.
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Apple
This company is consistently creating innovative products and through adopting the
corporate social responsibility (CSR) to another levels. For instance, the enclosure parts are
manufactured using 100% recycled aluminium and without any compromises made to the
finishing or strength. Such products have the least impacts on the environment and promoting
sustainability. Their plan of reusing the old devices have also led to their current achievements
where credits is give to owners for further use and if not applicable then the recycling is done on
free costs (Bergvall-Kåreborn and Howcroft, 2013). Their designing team is working to make the
Apple products more sustainable to live longer shelf lives by the help of using robust
frameworks in the OS updates, networking through certified repair locations at worldwide levels
and manufacturing by use of durable materials.
Furthermore, this helps in maintaining the high performance in a team at Apple. It leads
towards achieving goals with the help of focused individuals and Apple has separate entities and
smaller units to carry out the competitive advantages in more organised manner. The matrix
teams of Apple is focusing on making such devices which uses less power. This is another useful
standard for maintaining the high performance for all its products and give an enriching
experience to its customers (Morschett, Schramm-Klein and Zentes, 2015). Moreover, it also
highlights the visionary Steve jobs style of leadership and management development. His tactics
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Illustration 1. UK smartphone market penetration (2012-17; 2023 projection)
(Source: Deloitte predicts UK telecommunications sector trends, 2018)

helped Apple reach the positioning it has in the current marketplaces and is going to remain the
same for few more decades.
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CONCLUSION
It has been summarized that international business environment has played crucial role in
the telecommunications' sector. This sector has gained many advantages in connecting and
establishing links with their loyal customer base with the onset of the international business.
Both Vodafone Group Plc and Apple has gained many astonishing results and built a rapport and
created a loyal customers' base at both the local and global markets in the world. Their
performance and current potential treats and opportunities have laid the foundation for sustaining
the high performance and reap the benefits. This report has also conducted a critical analysis by
comparing and contrasting the features in terms of technological advancements of the chosen
two companies. Moreover, it shed light on the management and maintenance of their competitive
advantages and this paved the path of building a sustainable infrastructure for better security
networks and robust frameworks while handling their products and services.
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