Apple Inc. in 2015 Case Solution And Analysis, HBR Case Study Solution & Analysis of Harvard Case Studies

Question 01: What is the company’s major problem (e.g., what decisions must be made? what choices must be faced?)?

The major problem that has been faced by Apple Inc. as per the case “Apple Inc. in 2015” is that in spite of the fact that the company achieved record sales for the year ending 2014, the market capitalization topped to be $700 billion. The major challenges or the problems that are faced in the year 2015 are that the sales for iPod have been declining quite considerably.

The sales of iPad have also been in decline, where the market for the sales of Macintosh has been quite small.Therefore, the company has been solely dependent upon the iPhone as the major source of generating revenues for the firm. The over dependency on iPhone has been an alarming situation as the market for smartphones has been highly competitive with the advent of high technology, and android based smart phones.

The case depicts whether, Cook, the CEO would be able to dominate the Smartphone market. Along with this, can he actually revitalize the iPad business and become a market leader in the Apple Pay and also replicate the success of other devices such as the Apple Watch, which has been the first innovation by Apple Inc. since 2010.

Question 02: What is the company’s current overall objective(s)?

The major objective of Apple Inc. since the takeover by Cook, the CEO, who has replaced Steve Jobs three years back has been still the same. The company has the overall objective of sustaining the market by staying ahead of the competition through innovation. Since the start Apple has been a firm, which believes in innovation. The management has been bringing in new products, improved features; technology to sustain and compete in the market.The major strategy of the firm has been to achieve the first mover advantage rather than being the followers.

The belief of Steve Jobs is to create a product that the customer thinks of, rather than developing a product, which already exists. This has been the major objective of the company since the beginning. Cook has been an inspiration himself, as he has actually lived up to the expectations of the brand loyal customers where he launched iPhone 6, which has been the most successful iPhone until now.

Question 03: What are the current strategies to help the organization achieve its current objective(s)?

The current strategies of Apple Inc. are directed towards achieving the success through innovation. The company has been planning to launch new products and technology, which can remove the current dependency of Apple Inc. upon the sales of iPhone in the future. In order to sustain and to successfully run the company, Cook has been planned to launch a new product Apple Watch and Apple Pay.

The two concepts are the latest innovation, where the management plans to become successful and innovation accordingly. Basically the current strategy of Apple Inc. is to compete in the market by following the differentiation strategy. As the case states, Cook has been planning to launch Apple cars and Apple internet in the future.

Question 04: What would you see as the greatest advantages? Biggest strategic concerns?

The major advantage for Apple Inc. has to be the leadership of the company that has been dedicated and committed to invent and innovate new technologies. This has been the major success factor and the greatest advantage of Apple Inc. where it has been able to satisfy the needs of the customers through constant innovation and breakthrough technologies.

However, the biggest strategic concern for the company is that in spite of being one of the most innovative firms; it has been unable to launch anything substantial since 2010. The last major innovation for Apple Inc. was iPad. Since then all the products that have been initiated by the company have not been able to live up to the expectations of the customers. Moreover, the over dependency on iPhone has also been a strategic concern for the management as it depends heavily on the sales of iPhone.

Question 05: Conduct a SWOT/ Porter’s 5 Forces Analysis (internal and industry analyses) Note: Opportunities and Threats are for all companies in the industry not just Apple.

Strategic Management

SWOT analysis

The SWOT analysis for Apple has been conducted to analyze internal & external factors and threats associated with the company..........................

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