Identify the task environment of Apple Computer: its customer base, the relationship is has with its suppliers, competitors, as well as the relations the organization has with its regulators.
Task Environment of Apple
1. Customers
2. Suppliers
3. Competitors (Microsoft)
4. Regulators
Prepare a SWOT analysis of the Apple Computer. What are the organization's core competencies? Identify the organization's niche. Does Apple have a competitive edge relative to its competitors? If so, what is the source of Apple’s competitive edge?
Analysis of Apple
1. SWOT
2. Core Competencies
3. Niche
4. Competitive Edge
Compare Apple Computer to Microsoft. Discuss how the two are differentiated.
Apple and Microsoft
Discuss motivation at Apple Computer. Address how the following approaches to motivation are operative at Apple: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, equity theory of motivation, Herzberg’s dual factor theory of motivation and Vroom’s expectancy theory of motivation.
Motivation of Apple
Motivation is the factor that plays an important and central role in innovative companies like Apple and Microsoft, it is also a significant influence that shaping the knowledge workers’ behavior and performance. On the other hand, as motivation is absolutely goal-directed for any employee of a certain company, it can be used in reducing knowledge workers need deficiencies by managers. Apple operates four approaches in real to motivate its employees and reduce their need deficiencies.
1. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory
Maslow assumes that a person would satisfy himself with the more basic needs, which are physiological, before directing behavior toward filling higher level of self-recognition needs. He arranged humans’ needs in a five-level hierarc...
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... the company. Under Steve Jobs, employees were paid very little and often publicly berated for poor customer service. However, employees continued to be motivated to produce innovative products and satisfy consumers.
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These customers are the ones that continue to buy Apple products and constantly purchase the newer models of the product as soon as they debut. Technology is an industry where the consumer needs to have the newest, innovative product to keep up with an ever-changing world.
The first level of the hierarchy is the physiological needs, which include, the need for food, water, shelter and warmth. Most people should achieve this as a baby. These are the needs that are necessary for survival. Without these it is impossible for a human to function.
People have long considered general theories of motivation, and the question regarding the specific motives that direct and energize our human behavior has undergone tremendous speculation. To this day the question still stands: what is it that humans seek most in life? In an effort to answer this question, Abraham Maslow proposed what he called the hierarchy of needs. Maslow theorizes that human beings are motivated to fulfill this hierarchy, which consists of needs ranging from those that are basic for survival up to those that promote growth and self-enhancement (Kassin 300).
Maslow developed his ‘hierarchy of needs’ in an attempt to describe patterns of human behaviour, and to try to understand the processes behind the actions of consumers. In essence, his theory centres on the idea of ‘motivation’, which he sees as a driving force in a person’s movement from one level of need priorities to the next.
Motivation play an important role in today’s work environment as motivated employees are more productive employees. However, the ways how we motivate the employees have to be improved from time to time as employees are being more demanding and that they are more concern about their needs than before. Motivational strategies have probably affected the most by employee concerns and values (Greiner 1986, p. 82). ‘A motivational strategy is any effort to induce employees to initiate and sustain activities that can directly or indirectly improve service productivity’ (Greiner 1986, p. 82). Motivation can have an effect on the output of your business and concerns both quantity and quality. For example, if you are in a manufacturing company, your business actually relies heavily on your production staff to make sure that quality product are being produce and being delivered to your client at the right time. However, if your production employees are lack of motivation they will be not motivated to produce the amount of product demanded, thus will be very costly. In the essay below, we will be discussing on the strength and weaknesses of McClelland’s acquired needs theory and the expectancy theory.
The company not only produces the number of highly technological devices, but also has a great brand ideology lying behind. The following chapters would review each of factors determining Apple`s success.
Throughout the years, there have been many great business leaders and influential CEOs; men and women with great leadership qualities and innovative thinking who have changed their companies. Among the many great leaders, there is one man who is highly recognized and praised for his accomplishments; Steve Jobs. Jobs was an extraordinary man. He left his mark and changed many industries, including; personal computers, music, phone, animation and film, and portable computing. However, Jobs was not always the most liked person, in fact, many of his colleagues complained that he was very tough to work with and many quit their jobs because of this. Jobs had an intense drive and demanded only the absolute best from his employees. But Jobs was a very
Apple can adopt the strategy to portray a picture of a not so conducive less profitable market, which could discourage new entrants from picking that path as they will be demotivated by the low return on investment resulting from low profitability levels. In order for apple to create a niche for t numerous products, it needs to adopt and implement such bold strategies of defense to protect their interests and continue to be profitable and successful (Ideavist, 2011). Entry of a new company into the technology sector would spell doom for most companies already struggling for market share as better priced and reliable products could imply consumers would shift their preference to the new entrant leading to a negative volume of sales stir for most already established companies. Another strategy that could be employed as part of Apple’s defense could be the pre-entry strategies that make it even harder for new entrants to compete and enter into the sector and this involve continuous improvement for their products, covering
When it is discovered that a worker can fulfill the requirements of their job, but are experiencing shortcomings in doing so, many times it is believed that worker motivation may be the root of the problem (Laird 95). What, though, is work motivation? According to Laird (2006), “motivation is a fundamental component of performance “ and “is the reason that someone chooses to do some things and chooses not to do others”. In other words, work motivation is what energizes workers to the level of output required to fulfill a task, directs their energy towards the objectives that they need to accomplish, and sustains that level of effort over a period of time (Steers et al., 2004). In essence, worker motivation is what gets the job done. Employee motivation has always been a central problem in the workplace, and, as an individual in a supervisory position, it becomes ones duty to understand and institute systems that ensure the proper motivation of your subordinates. Proper motivation of employees can ensure high productivity and successful workflow, while low worker motivation can result in absenteeism, decreased productivity rates, and turnover. A large body of research has been produced regarding motivation, and much of this research is applicable to the workplace. Due to the nature of man, motivation varies from individual to individual, and, because of this, there is no one system that is the best for ensuring worker motivation in every organizational situation, and, as a product, many theories have been created to outline what drives people to satisfactorily complete their work tasks. Throughout the course of this document, the three main types of these motivational theories will be outlined and examples of each as well...
From 1980 to 1996, Apple’s competitive range in the PC industry was rocky. Although Apples products were unique and well built, they were overpriced compared to competing products from IBM and others. As competitor prices dropped, Apple prices stayed the same and the company saw a decline in sales as customers opted to purchase from its competitors. John Sculley, former CEO of Apple, took many steps to improve the company’s competitive advantage. One of those steps was to compete with price by producing a low-cost computers that appealed to a mass-market. The second step was to form an alliance with rivals IBM and Novel in order to create new operating systems and applications...
Organisation Analysis Apple - Value proposition and Culture Apple - Company Description Apple Inc., was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne on 1976, is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Cupertino, California, that designs, develops, and sells consumer electronics, computer software and personal computers. Its best-known hardware products are the Mac line of computers, the iPod media player, the iPhone smartphone, and the iPad tablet computer. Its consumer software includes the OS X and iOS operating systems, the iTunes media browser, the Safari web browser, and the iLife and iWork creativity and productivity suites. Apple is the world's second-largest information technology company by revenue and the world's third-largest mobile phone maker. “Fortune” magazine named Apple the most admired company in the United States in 2008, and in the world from 2008 to 2012.
After three tumultuous decades, Apple recently surpassed Microsoft to become the largest technology firm in the world. Since his return 13 years ago, Steve Jobs has steered Apple through profound changes to create completely new product lines, such as: iPod, iTunes, iPhone, Apple TV and Macbook Pro. According to the Boston Consulting Group’s growth-share matrix, Apple’s growth coupled with a steady market share is elevating them into “star” status. The company’s ability to dominate the marketplace and reinvent entire industries has strategically positioned Apple and relatively insulated them from the competition (Exhibit A, B). This “Apple bubble” in the market has yet to be penetrated. To avoid repeating historical mistakes, Apple needs to tread carefully on licensing, partnerships, and premium pricing—factors that served as significant obstacles in the founding stages of the company.
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Motivation is the force that transforms and uplifts people to be productive and perform in their jobs. Maximizing employee’s motivation is a necessary and vital to successfully accomplish the organization’s targets and objectives. However, this is a considerable challenge to any organizations managers, due to the complexity of motivation and the fact that, there is no ready made solution or an answer to what motivates people to work well (Mullins,2002).
Motivation, as defined in class, is the energy and commitment a person is prepared to dedicate to a task. In most of organisations, motivation is one of the most troublesome problems. Motivation is about the intensity, direction and persistence of reaching a goal. During the class, we have learned a substantial theories of motivation and many theories of motivations are used in real business. Each theory seems to have different basic values. But, they all have been analysed for one reason, recognising what motivates and increases the performance of employees. Ident...