Contents
Introduction 2
Features of Apple Industry: 2
Evaluation of Steve Jobs as a strategic leader 4
Strategic Innovation 5
Recommendation 7
Conclusion 8
Reflection of our group work 9
References 12
Introduction
As the first of the World’s Most Innovative Companies (Business week, 2010) and the 17th of the Best Global Brands (Interbrand, 2010), Apple has succeeded in strategic leadership and innovation, which has drawn attention from the world recently. This essay focuses on some key issues of Apple’s innovation. It begins with analyzing the key features of Apple Inc by Porter’s five forces and Kay’s distinctive capabilities. Then, the evaluations of the CEO Steve Jobs as the strategic leader and explanations of Apple’s
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Speaking of management innovation, after Steve job's employment, Apple's management style is successfully transformed from relaxed style to controlled one.
Evaluation of Steve Jobs as a strategic leader
Steve Jobs is known to be eccentric when it comes to strategy and business because he strives to become a market leader by dominating the competitors in customer loyalty, distribution and coverage, perceived value, price, profit and promotional spending. This is evident when we compare Apple and Microsoft because when Microsoft shows profit by sheer quantity, Apple competes strongly with the quality of its products and services.
As an innovative leader, Steve Jobs is legendary which is reflected on his company motto “Think different!” Rethinking, reinventing and revitalizing are the three main ways of doing business according to Steve Jobs. Simplicity and innovation in terms of the product range gave Steve Jobs the edge over other competitors. A well-known
example for this is the annual launch of new and updated versions of the iPod with a simple change in colour, form-factor and memory capacity. His risk-taking approach to business is believed to be unique making him an epitome of courage. His idea of self-belief and a vision enabled him to lead a great career life.
He believes in investing in new innovative products and services that are built on existing technologies to create a “customer and
In 1996, Apple was a struggling company that had lost more than 70% of its market capitalization in the past decade. Apple’s sales had fell dramatically and their new personal computers weren’t particularly popular with consumers. The return of Steve Jobs to the company was a turning point for Apple and initiated a new era for the firm. With the launch of innovative products such as the iPod, iPhone and iPad, Apple became the biggest brand in the world. Now it remained to be seen if Tim Cook would be able to continue to develop new products and maintain Apple’s success.
“Apple was two months from bankruptcy” in September 1997 which led to CEO Steve Jobs to reconstruct their plan. In order to bring Apple back up into the competitive market, Jobs implement a new strategy which “shrunk Apple to a scale and scope suitable to the reality of its being a niche produce in the highly competitive personal computer business. He cut Apple back to a core that could survive” (12). What made Job successful was focusing on the sources and barriers to be successful in the market and to utilize the opportunities that came by. The strategy of eliminating unnecessary cost or reducing risk help transform Apple’s business
In 1997, Steve Jobs returned to Apple as an advisory and with the purposes of reshaping the product line. The changes made by Jobs resulted in increased sales and $309 million in profits. Job changed the mindset of Apples management and development team. He encourage them to have the “think different” management style that promotes the development of products that are ahead of the technology and design curve, and a creative retail strategy. It is this strategy that would eventually make Apple the best-selling company in the PC industry.
Jobs demanded products with ultimate sophistication, high quality, and superior capabilities yet, simple UIs. It was his persuasion to have Apple computers for personal computing, when the rest of the industry was busy creating enterprise solutions. His drive for excellence, and total involvement in every stage of product development and its presentation to the customer, have been the principal elements responsible for the innovation at Apple and the way the company is shaped up.
Steve Jobs on the other hand has a very innovative leadership style; he was a perfectionist who had the courage to change his mind. Steve was a very unconventional leader, he was very `high-maintenance’ who demanded excellence from his staff and was known for his
One of the major challenges facing Apple was to get the appropriate replacement of the company’s visionary Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Steve Jobs who died on October 2011. The CEO was responsible for turning Apple into what it is today. Apple is in this case challenged to purse the strategies employed by Steve, that propelled the company to new heights, and which saw the company become a
Former Apple marketing leader Steve Wilhite mentions that Jobs was such an effective leader. Wilhite’s words were the following, “He was able to guide the company from a high-altitude perspective one moment and dive deep into tiny details the next.”
Introduction The intention of presenting this report is to give a full strategic appraisal and evaluation of Apple Inc. In 1976, the company was founded in a garage in Santa Clara, California. The American multinational corporation mainly involves in designing and marketing consumer electronics, computer software and as well as personal computers. Differentiation is the current strategy position of Apple Inc. There are five main firms in the PC industry and among them; the world’s leading brand is Dell. Apple’s major target is to sustain their present strategic position and to take over the market position as a leader. The key stakeholders include Steve Jobs, employees, lenders and the government.
With the recent passing of Steve Jobs, there has been an intense spotlight focused on both the man and the company he built. Most of the attention has rightfully been focused on Jobs’ passion and creativity, as well as the remarkable period of innovation he preside. As a symbolic leader, the man not only once saving the company from bankruptcy but also building up a well-known brand that had integrate with our daily life – Apple.
According to the Fortune 500 they are number one in innovation. They specialize in finding out what people want in a computer and then give it to them. Apple Inc. is the name and would be a great long term investment in the stock market because the company is really innovative with products like the iPod, iMac, MACBOOK, iTunes, iPhone and their newest product the iPad. Apple is number six in company financial soundness and will be around for years to come. (money.cnn.com)
Eric Reis, a successful entrepreneur, stated that successful companies in the future is need to fast adapt by practicing continuous deployment of idea, planning and more experimentation, ie creating organizations that have the ability to cultivate, test and materialize new ideas (Heskett, 2013). So, in terms of the large scale innovations like what Apple went through, transformational leadership was necessary.
Steve Jobs, a cunning and intelligent man, has always wanted to change the world ever since he was a minority due to the vicissitudes of fate brought upon him, giving him the thought, the meaning, of what he desired most. He started his innovations in his garage with little money, but through experience and hard work, he was able
Despite the fact that organizations have attempted to duplicate the Apple plan of action, none has possessed the capacity to find what it is that makes Apple so elite. Numerous accept that Apple 's prosperity branches from a mix of a few highlights, including the exceptional administration aptitudes of CEO Steve Jobs, a corporate society of energy and development, and the propelled items for which Apple is known. These consolidating qualities have permitted Apple to change the innovation and retail businesses.
In order to survive for the organization in the long run, an efficient organization is one which adapt with the changing external environment. In such case, a leader must be innovative and creative who easily diagnose the situation and implement new ideas to avoid the threat of that factor to the organization. Steve Jobs was known for his new ideas and creativity. His innovations and dedications to quality made his customer brand loyal. He came up with nano
Business leaders of today’s largest companies are expected to produce innovative products, increase profits, and motivate and lead its employees. Leaders have different leadership styles often driven by their unique personalities. This paper will examine one of the most innovative and influential leaders of our time, the late Steve Jobs. The paper will examine his leadership style, his greatest success, and his most significant challenge, providing a peek into what made him successful.