Apple SWOT Analysis

Apple SWOT Analysis

Business 51 Spring 2018 – Semester Paper (10 Points) Due, Sunday, Sunday May 13th , 2018 The below should serve as your guide for this paper. The paper should be at a minimum eight (8) pages, typed and double spaced. Please take note of grammar, spelling etc. Your paper should flow as you focus on each section. Take the time to read and re-read your final submission and ensure that your arguments are logical and makes sense. SWOT – the acronym stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. The best strategies (1) exploit opportunities and strengths, (2) neutralize threats and (3) avoid or correct weaknesses. A) You are to identify a publicly traded company a. Provide an overview of the company. Hint – look to see what is available on the company’s website or on Yahoo Finance; other sources are available as well. b. Determine what the company’s Strategic Alternatives are, i.e., what is its Business-level strategy and what is its Corporate Level strategy. B) Prepare an in depth analysis of the firm’s Strengths and Weaknesses and its environmental Opportunities and Threats. a. In so doing, determine whether or not the firm has any distinctive competencies, does it have a competitive advantage over its rivals and whether or not the firm has been able to maintain a sustainable competitive advantage. b. For the identified weaknesses and threats, provide alternatives to neutralizing or correcting for same. C) How has the firm been able to formulate its Business Level Strategy using any of the three approaches to formulating this strategy? How has the firm chosen to implement same? a. Porter’s Generic, Miles and Snow Typology, The Product Life cycle. D) What has been the firm’s Corporate Level Strategy. i. Single ii. Related iii. Unrelated b. Clearly identify what product or products the company utilizes, does the company operate multiple businesses that are related to each other and if so, what are the bases of relatedness. c. What have been the advantages of its related diversification? d. If unrelated, what has been the benefit of this strategy? E) How has the firm chosen to implement its Corporate Level Strategy? THERE WILL BE ABSOLUTELY NO ACCEPTANCE OF ANY LATE SUBMISSION OF THIS PAPER.