Key Topics
Requirements
• Each student is to critically analyze the provided information on Apple Computers. In particular, each student updates the information by additional research to include Apple’s newer product lines, its competitors, and recent events, and decides the lessons that have been learned for enterprise information systems managers, in a succinct report that includes a results-filled executive summary.
• Each student also researches for evidence, if any, that Apple uses any of the following in its business activities: “business intelligence”, “enterprise resource planning (ERP)”, “customer relationship management (CRM)”, “data mining”, and ”intelligent systems”, and assesses the results in the report
• You should take pains to clearly establish the purpose of your analysis in your executive summary and in the analysis itself. In general, the purpose of any business case analysis is to draw appropriate lessons learned. Your lessons learned should include those for enterprise managers - for example, provide an answer to the question, should an enterprise use more Apple products? If so, which ones?
Solution
Introduction
Apple Inc. an American MNC which develops, designs and sells computer software, consumer electronics and online services and has its headquarters in Cupertino, California. The hardware products include iPad, iPhone, Mac personal computer, Apple TV digital media player, Apple Watch Smartwatch, iPod and the software include iTunes media player, iOS, macOS, Safari web browser, iWork and iLife productivity and creativity suites. Apart from these services, Apple also provides iOS App Store, iTunes Stores, Apple Music, Mac App store and iCloud. The organization was founded by Steve Jobs, Ronald Wayne and Steve Wozniak. The organization is known widely for its consumer-centric products designs and innovative marketing strategy. It has been considered to be perfect for the work use by the consumers. The company started its journey in 1977 by launching their first computer Apple 1 and has managed to become the best company by launching innovative devices since then.
Below given is the representation of new apple launches after 2012.
An annual event is held by Apple every year The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), announcing the latest trends and launches. The Apple WWDC 2015 launched significant products like iOS 9, Apple Music and new feature of proactive assistance for iPhone devices.
Competitors
The company has various healthy competitors like Amazon.com, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Dell Inc., International Business Machines Corporation, Google Inc., Lenovo Group Limited, Cisco Systems Microsoft Corporation, Sony Corporation, LG Electronics, Hewlett-Packard Company, and many other computer hardware, computer software, Internet companies and consumer electronics. However, the company is considered to be the most preferred of all amidst intense competition due to its innovative technology and alluring designs.
Lessons and Executive Summary of Apple Inc.
Apple is considered to be the most preferred brand even with intense competition from rival brands due to its advertising capabilities which has led to increased brand awareness and for creating intense demand for the products launched by the company. Additionally, Apple has been listed as the most valuable brand of 2015 is recognized as a considerably growing brand on the basis of value. This has helped in making the company one of the most recognizable and reputable brands in the world. It has a brand awareness that is not matched by its rivals and other technology in the world due to its leading position in the smartphone marketplace, wide ecosystem of the products and excellent advertising as well as marketing capabilities. The company offers best alluring designs, quality and service trust attracting more customers to buy the company’s products. Additionally the net income, growth, low debt, cash reserves help in providing the company with enough resources so as to invest in research and development, acquisitions, cash-draining activities and marketing without providing an intense threat to the financial situation of the company. iPhone is considered to be the greatest strength of the company as it generated the largest revenue for the company and is the most trusted product among the customers. This also accounts for the biggest threat towards the company making it vulnerable towards changes in the marketplace. The smartphones launched by Apple targets the wealthier consumers and the smartphones’ market responsible for the biggest sales have become highly saturated. The inexpensiveness of the products is seen to pose a great threat to the products launched by the company. The company is expected to grow in the emerging economies but in the long run, the company has to work on the threats for facing serious challenges. It should come up with the same design at a cheaper price for luring the middle section of the society.
The organization has the best set of systems, technology, and operating units and therefore the organization must work their best foot forward to keep up with the existing systems and update it from time to time. The company should make its product less expensive, smaller products along with providing complementary applications and features. The managers must understand the competitive advantage using the resources and capabilities, customer focus, strategic vision and quality of the branding.
Apple: Business Intelligence
A company using Business Intelligence is seen to have a large number of metrics and data which require serious managing with security and intelligence. Apple is expected to use business intelligence (BI) for handling its data. However, the company is in a vulnerable position due to endless competitors and therefore the use of Business Intelligence would help the organization in working as a savior and a predictor of the intense competition and workforce thereby giving various future suggestions and methodology for dealing with them (Ben Kerschberg, December 2014). iPad has already changed the existence of Business Intelligence and the reports and data can easily be flipped at a single glance. Therefore, Business Intelligence will help in increasing the application usage and will alter the way people work. This has led to intense decision making outside the office owing to the fact that people are accessing Business Intelligence on their mobile computing devices.
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A strong corporate procedure is required in case of an appropriately actualized ERP framework which will be beneficial in addressing competitive pressure. In order to accomplish that a subtle business advantage is essential for having a business methodology, business drivers along with the future state course which has to be incorporated with the application. ERP or the enterprise resource planning has been used by Apple successfully for meeting the supply chain demands and for working in a manageable and formal method. Despite of losing the importance and being on the verge of extinction, Apple is likely to utilize every single bit of it along with being highly concerned about its customers and employees. The organization being a user-friendly firms takes into account its employees and customers along with the technology.
Apple uses SAP for ensuring that it is keeping all the inventories as low as possible and uses it in the field of sales and distribution along with material management. SAP further helps in providing the integrated system and this integration is present in the very foundation of Apple and therefore provides an extra edge to the organization.
Apple: Customer Relationship Management
CRM or Customer Relationship Management is a new trend in the field of business management which is used by various companies. However, the trend is not new to Apple as it had been using one of the most accurate CRM which is functioning in almost all operations of the company. It is a system that is beneficial in settling down customers’ issues and disputes on an individual basis (IPhone Lyf Nyc, November 2010). The organization has been using CRM for nearly ten years in all of its customer service departments for focusing on the assessment of the behavior and feedback of the customers. Apple usually focuses on providing a pleasurable experience without making a purchase. The CRM being used by Apple focuses on the encouragement of a long-term relationship between the company and its clients and customers. The company aims to retain a relationship along with providing a unique memory of purchasing a phone. The company and its CRM focuses on teaching their customers to appreciate and love the benefits of having an iPad or iPhone rather than concentrating on persuading their customers to buy an iPhone. This is considered to be the focal strategy of CRM of the company (Apple CRM Case Study, 2016).
Apple: Data Mining & Intelligent Systems
The organization is considered to be the best company in the intelligent system as none of its rival competitors are able to incorporate a fine product or protection and security of their data. Usually, the system for data mining and intelligent system are directly associated with privacy, However, there is a need for the company to incorporate a system which is able to understand all its basic needs along with the functioning. This system if implemented in the right manner will be beneficial in helping the organization (Meta S. Brown, July 2015). Apple has been utilizing data mining for retrieval of analytical information for its staff and employees and for increasing the sales by increasing customer satisfaction using customer reviews along with forecasting the increase of sales.
At apple, the team responsible for data mining is termed as Database Administration and the system that is used in Apple for data mining is developed exclusively and uniquely by and for Apple.
References
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Apple CRM Case Study. (2016). CRM Systems | Expert Market. Retrieved 21 November 2016, from http://crmsystems.expertmarket.co.uk/Apple-CRM-Case-Study
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Iphone Life Nyc(November, 2010) Customer Relationship Management
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Retrieved From- http://applelife1.blogspot.in/2010/11/customer-relationship-management.html
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Mikey Campbell (April,2013)Apple's intelligent security system can tell intruders apart from mistyped passwords. Retrieved From- http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/04/02/apples-intelligent-security-system-can-tell-intruders-apart-from-mistyped-passwords
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Micah Solomon (November, 2014) How To Think Like Apple About The Customer Service Experience. Retrieved From-http://www.forbes.com/sites/micahsolomon/2014/11/21/how-apple-thinks-differently-about-the-customer-service-experience-and-how-it-can-help-you/
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Ben Kerschberg(December, 2014) How Big Data, Business Intelligence and Analytics Are Fueling Mobile Application Development. Retrieved From-http://www.forbes.com/sites/benkerschberg/2014/12/17/how-big-data-business-intelligence-and-analytics-are-fueling-mobile-application-development/
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http://www.forbes.com/sites/benkerschberg/2014/12/17/how-big-data-business-intelligence-and-analytics-are-fueling-mobile-application-development/
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Retrieved From- http://www.forbes.com/sites/metabrown/2015/06/28/what-apples-tim-cook-got-wrong-about-data-mining/
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Meta S. Brown (July, 2015) What Apple's Tim Cook Got Wrong About Data Mining.