Sharp - a Strategic Analysis

Describe the characteristics of the industry in which Intel operates. How is Intel positioned in the industry?

Sharp has a strong international presence and is a well known brand. It offers a variety of diverse products to its customers, including TV’s, laptops, and home appliances. A diversification of product portfolio is important as it protects company against risk of exposure in any particular line of business (Johnson, 2006). Therefore Sharp is relatively strong in this aspect. In addition, Sharp places an intense focus on research and development of new technologies and products, ensuring that their output is the best in the industry.

1. What are the lessons useful for their future microprocessor business that you think Intel should have taken away from their experience in the DRAM industry?

One key element of Apple’s strategy in computers, personal media players, tablet computers, and smart phones is product innovation, diversification and development. Over the years Apple has been very successful in integrating software and hardware in new developing products. Despite the struggling economy in recent years, Apple has been able to grow their market share and stay ahead of the game.

Apple Inc manufactures both hardware and software uniquely with methods of their own. Apple’s computer operating system is highly secured and is not subject to viruses and hackers and the products are designed to be concerned about the consumers’ style life. Apple is successful with their marketing is this is because of Apple build strong name and image in the market. Apple’s products are different as mentioned and it has a lot of unique features. This is another method of Apple doing marketing.

Apple uses a very own made image that can be apart from the other companies that share the same market. That images helps the target people to differentiate the products, for example, there are many kinds of media player, but the apples’ media player are known as one of the best, with a sound resolution that exceed the competition, making that product wanted by a large slice of the market. That same differentiation can also be seen in every Apple’s products. Apple is one of the best examples when talking about differentiation of products.

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).

1. What is their business strategy to grow profitably and compete over the long term?

4. How effective have competitors been in responding to the challenge posed by Dell 's advantage? How big is Dell 's advantage?

The multi billion-dollar corporation, Apple Inc., designs and manufactures some of today’s highest technological gizmos and gadgets. Among their best known products are the Apple and Macintosh computers, iPods, iTunes, iPhones and iPads. Apple is one of the most powerful and influential high tech companies in the world. The success of Apple Inc. stems from the innovation and visions of co-founder and entrepreneur, Steve Jobs, the excellence of the stylish, user-friendly products, and the ability to create innovative products that consumer’s desire.

New Product Development : the aggressive investment strategy into R&D division led to speed in releasing new products in the market. This gave the company higher ROI returns projections. The faster cycle of innovation led to multiple product availability in the market which led to further increasing the gap between them and the competitions and also the company indulged in manufacturing self brand products rather than Co-branded or Partnerships.

When Steve Jobs back to Apple and became CEO, Apple give marketing campaigns such as the successful “Think Different” and catchy slogan such as “The ultimate all-in-one design”,”It just works”, the other is highlighted “greenest lineup of notebooks”. From this start we can say that Apple want give new image that Apple is different than other digital product that we

As we all known, Sony and Matsushita are two of the largest consumer electronic makers in Japan or even in the world. And in this reading, it points out the different strategies Sony and Matsushita use when they were facing the fierce competition in China ----- Matushita was accelerating its pace on stretching the supply chain in China while Sony unexpectedly decided to shift some of its manufacturing business in China back to Japan. In this article, I will discuss the reasons that lead them to make different decision as well as analysize the advantages and the disadvantages of their decision.

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.

2． Powerful brand image associated with quality and superior hardware design: Apple continues to innovate in the area of hardware design. Some innovations are:their own A-series chips for iDevices: Where others use general purpose ARM based integrated circuit chips to drive their devices, each A-series chip is designed specifically for the devices it is to power, designed explicitly to meet Apple’s specific requirements; the unibody design for the laptops: provides a lighter, stronger case for the MacBooks; the multi-touch track pad on the laptops: was new & innovative; the magnetic charger connection on the MacBooks; all the iDevices: the build quality is surpassed by no other; The newest iPhone 5 is regarded as a gold standard in terms of its durability as well as the iOS. In each of these examples, hardware design – aesthetics aside – is always of high quality, and uses the latest technology that is ready.