Case Study: Making Changes at Fortsworth Manufacturers

Apple Has definitely surpassed our expectations in portable tablets and computers when it comes to design, features, and not to mention practicality. It is one of the most known computer companies around the world, and perhaps the most appealing especially to young students who want to keep track of their work consistently. It seems that Apple has beaten Microsoft in the war of advanced and reliable operating systems. Apple has certainly changed many people’s views on computers and made them realize how strong and reliable their products are. Although Macintosh was around since the 1990’s, most people at that time had a Microsoft operating system computer. To attract people and convince them that their product was “different” they had to come up with an appealing and compelling advertisement. That’s when they made the “Think Different” commercial; the creator produced an appealing advertisement through the effective use of the ethos, pathos, and historical appeal.

Following the emergence of e-readers, new entrants offered variations similar to the Kindle Fire (Exhibit 1). Apple’s iPad was a major success and dominated the tablet market for its multipurpose and feature rich device. Both Amazon and Apple had

This additional elasticity in Apple’s business strategy shows its aspiration to conquer Dell, HP and Microsoft, done with a exceptional and groundbreaking mixture of digital media and personal computer creations.

This paper will give a short history and descriptions of Apple’s I Pad minicomputer. It will also give factors that affect demand, supply, and equilibrium prices in the market. Issues that Apple faces that affect its competitiveness will also be addressed. Lastly, this paper will identify the long term profitability of the iPad including, price elasticity of demand, technological innovation, and cost structure.

Gang involvement is on the rise in most communities affecting socioeconomic status, racial relationships, and inhabitants (Esbensen et. al., 2012, p. 128). Despite a continuous increase with youth gang affiliations in underserved communities, there is still a scarcity of promising or effectual gang prevention and intervention programs offered by schools. Facing time and resource constraints school administrators need to consider the “cost and benefits” of each possible intervention plan (Esbensen et. al., 2012, p. 142). Consequential to low intervention programs, risk factors such as communal disorganization, poverty, low educational success, acquaintance

For the purpose of the first part of this Project, you are still the InfoSec Specialist for the Makestuff Company. Consider this project a continuation of the work you performed in Projects 1 and 2.

Tommy Jones begged, pleaded, and hoped beyond hope for that new touch screen phone that would immediately move him up the social ranks at his school. His wish was granted on Christmas morning. He was rewarded with that sleek, black phone with 4G capabilities. Two months later the next phone in that series is out; it is almost an exact clone of the first model with the most moderate changes, and suddenly Tommy’s phone is obsolete. There was no great improvement when compared to the old model, no; the corporation knows that it will sell, no matter how small the improvement. This model of constant obsolescence has become the norm in the economy today; companies reap profits with mediocre products, completely uncaring of the consumers. To put

Issue 03: The weak area of Apple Inc. is the fact that most of its products are all available in the market. Consumers around the world have many options to popular hardware and software devices and operating systems. Since PCs are the one that are

Consumers and stakeholders have come to equate the qualities of Apple’s product and its attributes to the organization itself. Apple is one of the companies that made the interdependency between organizational ‘brand’ and product identity more noticeable. Therefore, the features that distinguish the new iPad say a lot about who Apple might be becoming at the time. The iPad has a closed platform and the centralized control of apps, and the content work together to create a technology product that is not so much about creating things as it is about consuming things. Suffix it to say that, iPad runs on a closed platform and reflects a closed vision. All of the software for the iPad is proprietary; it is owned and controlled by Apple; its hardware is also closed. These design decisions by Apple mean that the iPad cannot easily be modified, personalized, or expanded. The iPad cannot be used to create new programs using open-source software by non-Apple software

Even though Apple has encountered many setbacks, it continues to bring new and improve products to the market. Apple’s competitive strategy has been innovation. They have made an extraordinary effort developing, implementing, and executing its very unique strategy through innovation which has resulted in new product, and the enrichment of the existing ones. More specifically, Apple attempts to meet and supply the needs of a global market, by offering eager and enthusiastic consumers with innovated and high-quality products and services. Apple has employed a differentiation strategy linked to innovation with its three core products (computers, personal media player, mobile phones, tablets and other accessories). A key piece of their strategy involves meeting the needs of the converging digital electronics and computer markets. Apple has elected to implement its strategy by designing and developing proprietary operating systems and software technologies, thus allowing for strict protection of its intellectual rights.

To what extent are the following approaches to change embedded in the Dupont story (justify your answer, providing specific examples):

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,

With Apple being so far ahead of their competition, the only problem one can foresee in Apple’s future is how long they can sustain such innovation before they plateau. Apple does a phenomenal job at releasing their innovative products before their competition, but if their innovation cannot hold steady, this may lead to changes in demand for their products considerably. This can be seen with their release of the iPhone, the first successful touch screen cellular phone. Although people swarmed to the iPhone when it was first released because of its advanced technology, as the years have passed, other similar designs, including those with android and windows based operating systems, have drawn a considerable portion of the market. A clear representation of Apple’s attempt to regain some of this market can be seen when the iPhone was released to Verizon Wireless’ customers in

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.

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.