Strategic Planning: Apple Inc. Strategic Plan Research (Case Study Sample)

STRATEGIC PLANNING
Introduction
Strategic planning is a process which involves clarifying an organization's position and planning what to achieve in the long-term objectives (Clarke, 2001). According to Simmerson (2011), “strategic planning implies taking external and internallyinternal focused consideration while making a decision, thus maximizing certainty, minimizing risk, and optimizing results and outcomes” (p. 4). Strategic planning needs careful outlining of the company's vision and mission statement while setting up a plan to implement them.
In this paper, we will consider how Apple Inc. can apply strategic planning in its business to better their business operations. We will evaluate the company's position in the market while looking at its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Also, we will consider the strategies the company can employ so that it may maximize its profits by increasing the market share, promoting customer loyalty while working towards achieving the organization's vision and mission.
The paper also intends to illustrate ways to measure the company's success. ToIn order to measure a business'scompany's success, someone needs to use business analysis tools. In this paper, we will consider we will use business analysis tools to show how they can evaluate the plan's success.
Apple Inc. Strategic Plan
Strategic planning is the process of defining the organization's position and planning what to achieve in the by setting up organizational goals (Clarke, 2001). This is done in accordance withto the company's vision and mission statement. Therefore, this is a strategic plan for Apple Inc. that is applicable in a timespan of three years. It has been arrived at after continuous consultation with the firm's top management.
Background Information
Apple Inc. is an American corporation that deals with the design and manufacturing of computer hardware, software, and other consumer electronics (Dougherty, 2015). It is popular for its Macintosh computer and Appleapple iPhone. It also deals with other products like iPod, iTunes, and watches. Apple Inc.It was founded in the year 1990 by Steve Jobs. It has since gained popularity worldwide for the production of high- quality products comprising of- Mac computers, iPhones, watches and iTunes. It has also created a strong brand name among its customers, and those who tend to use their electronics tend to be loyal to them.
Although Apple has a strong brand reputation, it has been criticized for overpricing their products. This is done by comparing its product prices with that of its competitors who include- Samsung, LG, Sony, Microsoft, among others. Apple products, therefore, face criticism due to this although they are said to be high quality (Dougherty, 2015).
Apple Inc. boasts of a wide distribution range of their products globally. It has more than 285 retail locations in different countries. Therefore, it is evident that it has a widerwide customer range globally despite tough competition. This has been promoted by the organizational culture advocatedpromoted by the top management over the years since it started. This has helped it rise in the market quickly to be one of the most respected brands in the world.
Some of its successes in the industry areis due to the production of less bulky computer laptops. Apple Inc. concentrates on the satisfaction of its customers. They, therefore, design their products and make them different from those of their competitors. Although they may use third party software, their hardware, and operating systems are customized to be compatible withto customer needs.
Apple faces a major competition in the market. Sony, LG, Samsung, Microsoft, and HP are one of the major competitors of Appleapple in the market. Sony and are said to have the best music devices thus being major competitors for the Apple's iPod product. On the other hand, Samsung has one a wider customer base than Apple due to its mobile phones. It produces high quality and cheap cellmobile phones which are affordable to ordinary people thus a major competitor for Apple' iPhone. Microsoft also, provides a major competition to Apple in the production of software. Its software isare compatible withto many applications and thus being a major challenge to Apple. Hp, on the other hand, produces cheaper laptops, and they have a wider supply network than Apple. Therefore, its products are not limited to specific distributor as it is the case for Apple products
Apple's vision and mission is based on promoting innovativeness. According to Tim Cookcook, the Apple's CEO is that they believe in innovation and that they are going to participate in markets they make a contribution on. Its mission, on the other hand, is based on redefining the mobile media and computing devices. This is achieved by manufacturing unique and customized products for its customers. Therefore, they are basically based on the customer satisfactionsatiscfaction of their product. The main aim of this is to maintain customer loyalty while expanding its customer range.
Goals and strategies of the organization
Revenue growth is a global goal for any organization (Simmerson, 2011). The purposegoal of the organization is to maximize profits. The organization will, therefore, work towards work towards increasing the sales turnover per year. This will be achieved there is an increase in productivity. TimeA time tracking program can be suitable for this as it will followtrack the number of units produced by the employees. Therefore it is the goal of the organization to increase its sales by at least 30% in the next three years.
Reinventing mobile and computing devices. Due to the increase in technological advancements, Apple will invest in research activities that promote innovativeness. Due to this, it should employ people who have the skill and talent of creativity. This will help in having a competitive advantage in the market against its competitors. Therefore, by promoting innovation/product development, it will be achieved.
Providing professional services to customers. This will be done by employing more software consultants. The role of the consultants is to be in touch with clientscustomers who need help with Apple's products. It will promote customer trust on Apple products which may lead to increased sales due to customer satisfaction.
Product diversification. Apple will work on a self-driven car that will be launched in less than three3 years' time. According to Harris (2015), the engineers are already searching for a safe place to launch the car. Therefore, this is a strategy the business can use to maximize on its productivity innovativeness by experimenting withon new products that have not yet reached the market. This is because it will diversify its product network and stop relying only on mobile products.
Improving the supply chain network. Since the firm's supply chain is not as strong as that of its competitors it will aim at improving its supply network by giving more merchants the right to sell their product. Therefore, by doing this, it will enable the firm to reach its prime goal of maximizing revenue.
Staff training. This is a strategy that can be applied by the organization in strategic planning to promote skilled labor. This objective leads to success in strategic planning in that, the skills obtained will be used to better the organization's products and services. Also, it will make the staff aware of recent technology thus promoting technological advancements in the organization. The software will be able to be updated in order to be able to integrate to new technological products.
SWOT Analysis
SWOT analysisSWOT analysis is an acronym for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It is therefore, used to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in an individual venture by an organization (Partridge, 2007). It isforTherefore it is for this reason that we conduct a SWOT analysis on Apple Inc. represented by the following table:
Table 1
SWOT analysis for Apple Inc.
Strengths

Weaknesses

* Customer loyalty
* Strong brand name
* Financial strength
* High profit margin
* Marketing and advertising capabilities
* Good leadership
* Product leadership
*

* Higher prices than competitors
* Incompatibility with third party software
* Narrow product range
* No major improvements to the latest technological products.
* Innovativeness loss due to the loss of their prime founder(Steve Jobs)

Opportunities

Threats

* Investment in research and development
* Increase in mobile devices demand
* Product diversification
* Formation of strategic partnerships
* RisingIncreased use of mobile access and social mediadevices in developing countries
* Dynamic pricing
* Improving free trade policies
* Stable politics in trade policies

* Intensifying competition from Chinachina
* Further increased manufacturing cost
* Changing legislation laws
* I...