Background
When we think of innovative computers and technology that’s continuously evolving, the brand that comes to mind first is Apple. Apple started with three men in the 1970’s, Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs, and Mike Markkula. They helped create, design, and market a series of computers. The first line of personal computers launched in the 1980’s. In 1985, Steve Jobs “left” Apple only to return in 1990’s. Around that same time, Apple began building several technological and strategically changes in regards to their business acumen. These changes helped to significantly contributed to the successes of the company.
Introduction
Apple is now a multinational company that sells and creates electronics in stores all over the world. This success can be attributed to its high brand awareness and key financial decisions. Apple’s strategy is mostly based on great financial management; which has helped to allow them to gross well over four hundred and fifty billion dollars as a brand. This amount is significantly higher compared to competitors like IBM, Microsoft, and Google. “Last year, Apple reached a record high of seven hundred billion dollars and is expected to exceed more than one trillion dollars in the upcoming years (Gupta, A., & Prinzinger, J. 2013).”
Thesis
Apple’s financial management strategy has given them the unique ability to set themselves apart from its competitors and become the conglomerate that they are today. In order to better understand how Apple
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 is a global company represented in many parts of the world, but born in the United States by computer wizards by the names of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak who founded the company back in 1976 (Capon, 2008). The organization deals with the design and sale of computer hardware, software and offers tech support to its customers. Examples of the hardware the company manufactures and sells include mobile phones, personal computers, iPads, tablets and iTunes with associated brands, like the MacBook and iPhones that represent Apple’s driving force towards its success. It is recognized as a brand leader in consumer electronics by the world in terms of quality and customer satisfaction and despite the wide product range, Apple manages each product in a distinct way that is a single business unit (Mittan, 2010).
Apple was established as an IT company dealing in exclusively in computers. However, competition in the technology sector forced the firm to focus on other consumer products. The diversification strategy has seen Apple’s sales grow tremendously in the last decade, earning the firm the No. 1 brand position at Forbes. The Apple brand is recognized on an international scale and enjoys a strong recognition thanks to its aggressiveness when it comes to creativity and innovation (Tar, 2013). It has a large number of loyal customers who would purchase the new products regardless of the market price, which guarantees profits from the new division.
Apple, Inc., an American multinational technology company, which founded on April 1, 1976 in California, United States. The company has earned $53 million of income in 2015, which increase $14 million of income compared with 2014 (Apple Inc., 2015). It has developed from a small personal computer company to a multinational corporation that selling various types of electronic products and software such as, iPad, iPhone, iOS, and others (Apple Inc., 2016).
Our analysis of Apple Inc. will incorporate the general overview of the company and how it records it revenues. We will observe how they make an honest effort to be within compliance of all accounting standards according to the Financial Accounting Standards Board for recording and disclosure of its income. Apple’s leading competitor, Google Inc., will also be examined to see whether they are comparable to Apple and still within compliance of the Securities and Exchange Commission and FASB for revenue recognition. Apple takes on design, development and marketing of personal computers, portable digital music players, and media devices that exceed the reach of everyday needs. The company also
CASE ANALYSIS 1 - APPLE COMPUTER: RESEARCH HOW APPLE MANAGED TO REINVENT ITSELF OVER THE YEARS.
We chose to research Apple Incorporated, one of the most innovative companies of our generation. It is safe to say that nearly every one in the US and many foreign countries have used or at least heard of Apple products. We will be looking at the macroeconomic variables that impact Apple’s business as well as how the current developments in the industry have impacted Apple’s financials and we will also look at how Apple competes with other firms in the same industry.
In the last five years, Apple’s market share exceed over 255%, which can be compared to doubling the NASDQ’s returns. Many investors start to invest in Apple which makes their iPads and iPhones very popular. One main component to their competitive advantage is Apple’s long term strengths. Apple’s protected ecosystem and their brand outlook are two of their long term strengths. Apple makes their company unique by
A successful company is like a well-engineered and constructed building. The foundation of the building is well grounded – powerfully anchored to the concrete base and the steel that will support the building. Amid the systematically arranged infrastructure, is the steel skeleton made of cement columns and beams that will support the outer facade. In like manner, a successful company begins with a vision and a mission statement. These two critical elements define what an organization values, and they set clear goals and objectives for every employee to achieve. The Apple Software Corporation is indisputably one of the most successful and profitable companies both within the United States and abroad. In essence, Apple 's value, as determined by its stock price, was $728.35 billion, as of June 2015 (Elgan, 2015). Comparatively, the market value of Apple exceeded the world’s second most valuable company, Exon-Mobile, by a ratio of nearly two to one (Elgan, 2015). With due respect, the Apple Software Company has triumphed in corporate America due to their unique corporate culture - deviating from some of the basic fundamentals that define other business cultures. Some factors contributing to the success of the Apple Corporation can be found in the company’s initial organizational strategy, the leadership techniques used, the leadership’s ability to motivate the workforce and
Apple prides itself on offering innovative technology to a society that has become dependent on it. In markets inundated with companies offering similar products and services, Apple has had to rise above and distinguish itself from the masses. While their products have a cultivated a devoted-customer following (our family is one of them), their organization and the values it espouses are what will help them to remain a relevant and successful company in the tech world.
Nowadays, Apple has positioned itself to be an innovator in the personal computer industry and Apple has developed by offering modern products compared to its competitors. According to Apple’s mission statement last year, “Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.” (Business Management,
One can not guess the number of business that are in existence as there are far too many
Entering the market around April 1976, Apple Inc. has made a huge revolution on electronic devices. In 2008, Apple Inc. was the best branch globally following is Google Inc., and only last year, Apple has sold 110,000 per day which means 48 million phones a year in total. Starting by only 2 people Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, Apple Computer Inc., former name, was making $2 million in profits solely on the strength of the Apple II, by 1978. After 38 years, Apple has grown tremendously to become a giant company with multibillion in revenue a year. Apple’s market type is competitive, and it is a private enterprise. The company’s best known hardware products include Apple II, Macintosh Computer, the Ipod, the Iphone, the Ipad, IMac, MacBook, etc. Apply not only makes good products, but also has good strategy of marketing and sales. Studying Apple, microeconomic students can learn a lot of them by comparing our lessons to their real life strategies.
Apple has always been something of a trendsetter in the tech space. Its product history since Steve Jobs’s return in 1997 gives us a solid list of examples to choose from, from its very first iPod, to Apple’s PowerBook (and later MacBook) lines, to the iPhone and the iPad. Apple’s history is dominated by products that existed before Apple had a crack at them - but it was Apple who simplified them, made them appealing on a much wider scale, and ultimately made them objects of desire for the masses.
Inside apple is a book where the author lets us discover the whole new strategic world of Apple directed first by Steve Jobs. It introduces the original way Apple manages its company. We learned that the business strategy model Apple is using is completely different from what we learned in school. We’ve always learned that a company has to have free flow information contrary to Apple that faces a large secretly managerial structure. By the time you finish reading the book, you will have a completely different idea of what you thought about apple, and you will probably be afraid of working for that firm. The author shares with us many interviews he has done to Apple employees and they help you discover how