Business Case Study : Smartphone Industry

- The Threat of Substitutes is high, since mobile product-life cycles are short. For example, Motorola is currently

There are many competing brands of smart phones and Samsung has reported a decline of profits in 2014. Information from GSM arena shows than Samsung released 54 new phone models in 2014 , compared with 24 by HTC , 11 Motorola and 2 by Apple, leading to increased production costs and lack focus on a specific customer segments thereby losing some of its competitive advantage (GSM Arena , 2015).The lack of popularity of its own OS (Tizen ) and dependence on Google’s Android platform makes it vulnerable on google to develop an “ecosystem”. There are component integration issues as well as loss revenue from potential App sales (Strategic Mangement insight , 2015). Negative publicity from litigation due to patents are likely to continue as technology patents are vague and Samsung with is large portfolio is likely to infringe on some of the patents (Tibken, 2014).

Bargaining power of buyers is medium-high because of the low switching costs and wider spectrum of similar products selling at competitive prices due to the influence of developing countries

Apple and Samsung are the major competitors in the smartphone field. We would, like to discuss why they’re leading and conclude which one is better. In the electronic industry these two companies fight are considered as the highest massive ever. They mainly clash for brand image and brand reputation but any consequences regarding this fight, the impact should be faced by both these companies in terms of brand reputation loss and also the loss of huge amount of money over the litigations We would like to discuss the following,

Samsung is a South-Korean company and its headquarters is in Samsung Town, Seoul (Samsung, 2014). Samsung is made up of 80 companies together. At present Samsung branches exists in 61 countries. Samsung is one of the world 's leading manufacturer in the Android mobile (smart) phone industry. Samsung after releasing the smart phones in the name of Samsung galaxy series which started with Galaxy Y basic model. Later Samsung released S series which got overwhelmed response all around the world. On 24 February 2014 Samsung released Galaxy S5 which was an immediate and quick successor after Galaxy S4 the previous model. When designing the Galaxy S5 Samsung worked on the drawbacks of the previous models and improved camera quality, running speed, finger print reader, private mode, dust and water resistance (Andrew, 2014). In this analysis I have researched and proved that Samsung organization used Integrated marketing and communications on basis of their target audiences, message strategy and media choices.

In the modern world of technology, many different companies are attempting to secure their own ground in a particular market. Many companies work in many tech fields & some company focus on software, some on mobile phones, others on television but one of the most recognizable names in the technology field is that of Samsung.

Samsung products range from mobile devices, TV, audio and video, home appliances, cameras, PC and peripherals and print solutions (Samsung 2014). This essay will predominantly look closely at Samsung’s mobile phones market.

Today Samsung has evolved into a group of companies unmatched by others in its range of industries and performance. It is now globally focused and responsive to the needs of each market, and more committed than ever to true innovation. The group’s three core business sectors are electronics, finance and trade and services.

Samsung’s products are based more on the outlook of the smart phone market and their preference to incorporate technology that already has acceptability in the industry. Most of the smart phones of Samsung run on Android which is an open source operating system and is the most widely used mobile phone operating system in the world. Being an open source operating system, the cost incurred by Samsung is reduced significantly. Also, the compatibility with features such as Google store, allows Samsung to compete with Apple’s iTunes without having to incur the cost for developing a similar offering. This helps the company in reducing its cost as well as offer superior product offerings to their consumers. In terms of hardware technology, Samsung has the expertise in developing a number of technological products that include televisions, computers, home appliances and many similar products. The company therefore has a vintage of product development and innovation and has the perception of offering high quality products to the

Smartphone market is fast-moving and very high competitive due to intense competition between two big smartphone producers, Apple and Samsung. At the beginning, Apple dominated this market solely by introducing a new innovative type of smartphone by Steve Jobs that has revolutionized people lifestyle and mobile industry. A few years after launching iPhone, a new fast following competitor, Samsung came into this market, and their sales have outperformed Apple from the year 2011 (According to Chart A1 in Appendix). In term of developing their product, Samsung has created its products by following Apple’s technology since the beginning of producing its smartphone, therefore there are many patent lawsuits between them. Since Steve Job passed away, Apple has continued to develop its core competence, which is an innovation of new type of smartphone that could help them to take back their market share from its rival, Samsung. Nonetheless, the competition between Apple and Samsung will still continue intensively in the future.

Company Background: Samsung is a South Korean multinational company those starting its business as a small trading company and right now becoming world largest corporation. The company deals with its business in several sectors such as advance technology, finance, petrochemical, semiconductors, plant construction, skyscraper, medicine, fashion, hotels, chemical and others. The company was established in 1969 in Suwon, South Korea and known globally for its electronic products (Kelly, 2011). The company is manufacturing several latest technologies, electronic appliances such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops, TVs, refrigerators, air conditioners, washers and other products. The company runs its operations and sales its products in 61 countries with approx 160,000 employees in all over the world (SAMSUNG, 2014). Moreover, the company acquired the position of the world biggest IT maker in 2009 by beating the Hewlett-Packard (HP) previous leader. Its sales revenue in the segment of LCD and LED is the highest in the world. Furthermore, Samsung also becomes world leader in the segment of tablets, mobile phones and gadgets.

Competition in the smartphone world is quite aggressive to say the least. With numerous players, differentiated market segments and shorter product life cycles. This essay will look at the position of the market, the level of competition amongst the major players in the smartphone world, and the economic advantage Samsung possess. Further, it will seek to define who is in the greatest position now to lead the smartphone market moving forward. Samsung will need to continue to gain profit while simultaneously maintaining sustainability and innovation through the proper management of: planning, leading, organizing, controlling, and innovation.

Apple operates with fierce competition in the consumer electronics segment which comes in many different forms. There are a large number of competitors in the different market niches who offer many similar products. Furthermore, many of these competitors' products are priced much less than an Apple branded products. Just as soon as Apple releases a new product, major companies begin imitating it immediately. In the personal computer industry, market pressure is continuously being exerted from such companies such as IBM, Dell, HP, and Toshiba (Wildstrom, 2009). Furthermore, with its flagship product the IPhone, Apple competes with companies like HTC, Palm, Blackberry, and Motorola (Wortham, 2011). Apple has had significant success despite the competitive environment because Apple commands a brand loyalty and dedication to innovation that few companies have ever achieved.

HTC Corporation (HTC) is a Taiwanese operation founded in May 1997 in Taiwan, which is one of the most influential, creative and leading players in global telecommunications with an n increasing influence in the industry’s future (HTC quietly billion, 2012). HTC’s portfolio includes smartphones and tablets powered by the Android and HTC Sense™ operating systems (HTC Annual Report, 2010). Focusing on smartphone market; devoting to innovation and design in the mobile phone industry; and committing to develop exceptional technology and products to cater for the diverse and exceed needs of users are HTC’s current brand strategies. In addition, HTC response to market changes fast and provides

Samsung is one of the world’s premium electronics manufactures. The estimated value of Samsung brand had risen from US$6.37 billion in 2001 to US$10.85 billion in 2003. A major factor behind this impressive growth had been Samsung’s effort to redefine itself as a vendor of cutting-edge, “gee-whiz” consumer technology. Samsung believed that repositioning the brand is a vital to the company’s future success.