Apple Corporation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Apple Corporation - Case Study Example This company analysis is carried out through two different perspectives: business and financial perspectives correspondingly. Business perspective is evaluated through SWOT analysis and for financial perspective; the past five years’ stock trend of the company is carried out. The success of the company is evaluated in this case solution. According to the key findings, the recommendation is developed for future strategic planning of the company for the next five years. Company background Apple Inc. was formerly named Apple Computer Inc. It is an American multinational corporation, which designs and sells high technology electronic goods, personal computers and computer software. The company became popular worldwide because of its innovative products. The company’s best-known products are the Macintosh line of computers, iPod, iPhone and lastly, the current iPad. The company was established on 1 April 1976 in California and incorporated on 3 January 1977. It removed the w ord ‘computer’ from its name in January 2007 and expanded towards producing consumer electronics apart from its then existing computer business. By market capitalization, Apple Inc. became the largest public limited company in the world beating ExxonMobil, Google and Microsoft in revenue and profit. Organization structure The success of Apple is the contribution of the collaborative work of the employees in the organization. The organization follows a collaborative organizational structure and work culture. There are no committees in the organization and everything is organized like the biggest start up in the world. In each department, all the team members meet every day to discuss the current scenario of their business and the company values, the employees participate in the decision making process. Apple has a reputation of influencing individuality and excellence that helps the company in its decision-making (Apple Inc, 2012). Innovation Apple was formed with the id ea of innovation and the company has been following this motive to get a better competitive advantage. The brand has become famous in the world and it has better brand recognition and brand value than other electronic goods companies because each product its own unique innovation, generated exclusively by the Apple only, and not copied from others. Effective use of technology by the company resulted in innovations like Macintosh, iPod, iPhone, and the latest gadget – iPad (SRM University, 2008, p.13). Competitors Apple Inc operates its businesses in multiple industries. The main industry is personal computers. Apart from this, the company is involved in the software industry and consumer electronics. In the personal computer industry, the main competitors of Apple are IBM, Hewlett Packard, Dell Inc., etc. In consumer electronics industry, the main market competitor is Samsung, which has similar products in the market, and Apple has been facing competition from the same in the markets of the developing countries. The direct competitors of Apple are Google, Microsoft and RIMM (Research in Motion Limited). In all these industries Apple holds the leading position and no one can surpass this company in terms of revenue, profit, innovation and brand recognition. SWOT analysis Strength Brand position: Apple Inc. is one of the most desired and prestigious brands among its potential and non-potential customers in the world. The company successfully managed to create a positioning of strong brand value among its customers. The customers associate this brand with the concept of