Strategic Leadership and Innovation at Apple

MASTER COURSE CREATING STRATEGIC ADVANTAGESCourse No.: 269.060Winter Semester 2012/2013

Group Members:Lisa Schacherbauer (0955399)Alexandra Baba (0851997)Arlind Rexhepi (1057883)Ching Yi Mou(1256776)

Table of content

Introduction Company analysis Industry analysis Strategy Corporate culuture and leadership Conclusion References

``Think different``

Brand name

Corporate culture

Strategy

Steve Jobs

Tim Cook

Introduction

Company analysis

Figure 1: SWOT Analysis

Company analysis

Figure 2: Apple’s share price (The Economist, 2012)

Industry analysis

industry competitors

potentialentrants

buyers

substitutes

suppliers

Figure 3: Porter’s Five Forces – Industry Analysis

Industry analysis

New entrants it can be said that it is rather difficult for new companies to enter

this market as high investments are needed in order to be able to produce high-tech devices.

Buyers User-friendly, light and practical devices Loyal consumer base

Substitutes Direct substitutes form the product portfolio of the whole industry Indirect substitutes refer to product of the whole entertainment

sector Industry competitors

the industry is characterized by a very fast changing and innovative environment and high competition,

key players: Samsung, Dell, HP, Microsoft

Industry analysis Suppliers

Figure 4: Critical metals and main ratios (Industry Report - Midas Research, 2011, p. 9)

Strategy

Innovativeness The company keeps revolutionizing the market by launching new products which often serve as a sample for the competitor’s products

Strategic alliances with AT&T, Microsoft, Intel, Google, etc. failed alliance with Motorola for ROKR E1 in 2004

Closed ecosystem Apple integrates only its own software, hardware and applications into its products

Corporate culuture and leadership

Apple has the reputation of being one the most secretive international firms

No hierarchical system

Shaped by Steve Jobs

Tim Cook the new CEO of AppleChallenges

to keep Apple as market leader on innovationto compete with big players

AdvantagesCorporate culture built by Steve JobsReady projects for the next 18 month

Conclusion very innovative company that successfully

operates within the fast-changing and extremely competitive high-tech sector

competitors Apple pursues an elaborate strategy of carefully chosen alliances and a loosened proprietary system

After the death of Steve Jobs, Apple has now reached a crucial point

Time will show what will be with Apple in the future

References arbeits-abc (2010): Wo Arbeiten Spaß macht – Die international beliebtesten Arbeitgeber,

September 11th: http://arbeits-abc.de/wo-arbeiten-spass-macht-die-international-beliebtesten-arbeitgeber/, download date: 26.11.2012

  The Economist (2012): Business this week, November 17th:

http://www.economist.com/news/world-week/21566700-business-week, download date: 26.11.2012   Hordenbach O., Rödel T. (2011): Seltene Metalle und Seltene Erden – Rohstoffe für das 21.

Jahrhundert, Industry Report Midas Research, pp. 1-45   Management Issues, Fischer B. (2010): Innovation Lessons from Apple, September 9th:

http://www.management-issues.com/2010/9/9/opinion/innovation-lessons-from-apple.asp, download date: 28.11.2012

  Apple Press Info (2012): Apple Sells Three Million iPads in Three Days http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2012/11/05Apple-Sells-Three-Million-iPads-in-Three-Days.html,

download date: 28.11.2012   Heracleous L., Papachroni A. (2012): Strategic Leadership and Innovation at Apple Inc, Warwick

Business School   Cruikshank J. (2006): The Apple Way, McGraw Hill: New York   Strategic Management (2011): http://mtvanhelder.tumblr.com/, download date: 28.11.2012   Mobile-Review (2010): Apple's Phone, June 17th

http://www.mobile-review.com/print.php?filename=/articles/2010/iphone-history2-en.shtml, download date: 28.11.2012