case study on customer relationship management conflicts in apple
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CASE STUDY ON CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP
MANAGEMENT CONFLICTS IN APPLE
Apple Inc., formerly Apple Computer, Inc., is an American multinational corporation
headquartered inCupertino,California[2]that designs, develops, and sellsconsumer electronics,
computer software and personal computers. Its best-known hardware products are theMacline
of computers, the iPodmusic player, the iPhonesmartphone, and the iPad tablet computer. Its
consumer software includes theOS XandiOSoperating systems, theiTunesmedia browser, the
Safariweb browser, and the iLifeandiWorkcreativity and production suites.
The company was founded on April 1, 1976, and incorporated as Apple Computer, Inc. on
January 3, 1977.[6] The word "Computer" was removed from its name on January 9, 2007,
reflecting its shifted focus towards consumer electronics after the introduction of the
iPhone.[7][8][9]
Apple is theworld's second-largest information technology companyby revenue afterSamsung
Electronics, and the world's third-largest mobile phone maker after Samsung and Nokia.[10]
Fortunemagazine named Apple the most admired company in the United States in 2008, and in
the world from 2008 to 2012.[11][12][13][14][15]However, the company has receivedcriticismfor its
contractors' labor practices, and for Apple's own environmental and business practices.[16][17][18]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multinational_corporationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multinational_corporationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupertino,_Californiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupertino,_Californiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupertino,_Californiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Californiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Californiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Californiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Californiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_electronicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_electronicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_electronicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintoshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintoshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintoshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smartphonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smartphonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tablet_computerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tablet_computerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OS_Xhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OS_Xhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OS_Xhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IOShttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IOShttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITuneshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITuneshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITuneshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safari_%28web_browser%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safari_%28web_browser%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ILifehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ILifehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IWorkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IWorkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IWorkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-orgincpr-6http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-orgincpr-6http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-orgincpr-6http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_electronicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_electronicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-7http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-7http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-9http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-9http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_largest_information_technology_companieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_largest_information_technology_companieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_largest_information_technology_companieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Electronicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Electronicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Electronicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Electronicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phone#Manufacturershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phone#Manufacturershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Telecommunicationshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Telecommunicationshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-10http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-10http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-10http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortune_%28magazine%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortune_%28magazine%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-11http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-11http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-13http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-15http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-15http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Apple_Inc.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Apple_Inc.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Apple_Inc.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-wpsweatshop-16http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-wpsweatshop-16http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-studentsforced-18http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-studentsforced-18http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-studentsforced-18http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-wpsweatshop-16http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-wpsweatshop-16http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Apple_Inc.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-15http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-13http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-13http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-11http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-11http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortune_%28magazine%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-10http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Telecommunicationshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phone#Manufacturershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Electronicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Electronicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_largest_information_technology_companieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-9http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-7http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-7http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_electronicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.#cite_note-orgincpr-6http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IWorkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ILifehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safari_%28web_browser%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITuneshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IOShttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OS_Xhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tablet_computerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smartphonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintoshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_electronicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Californiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Californiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupertino,_Californiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multinational_corporation 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Case Analysis: Apple Inc., 2008 Sairam Iyer XLRI GMP 034 11/6/2008 2. 1) Competitive Advantages: -Design and innovation oriented -Greater horizontal and
vertical Integration -Designing from scratch to finish bundled with applications and
peripherals. -Plug and Play solutions -R&D oriented -An everything ready device Firm
Infrastructure HRM Technology Development PROCUREMENT Inbound Outbound
Operations Marketing/Sales Service Logistics Logistics Alliances with Design &
Horizontal & Plug and play I-tunes gives a major suppliers Innovation vertical solutions
major edge Integration Linkages with Technology Complete bundle Operating system
independent Driven of applications more secure, and software vendors less prone to virus
attacks Collaborating I-podI-tunes Apples retail with other combo gives experience,
new leaders. brand awareness mac consumers a push. bought more. Apple has been able
to command a premium in the market and gain above average returns owing to its
innovation and differentiation of technologically superior products. This learning and
innovation in its products has led apple to leverage its expertise in the i-pod,i-phone, i-
tunes, i-works suite of products. Over due course of time Apple has been able to perfect
the chain of activities in Innovation and design leading to a fit between the activities
which is difficult to imitate and hence offers them an edge over competitors. Diffusing
products New products: Ideation Designing/funding Product Creation across company
3. 2) Analysis of the PC Industry based on Porters 5 Forces. Low 5-Forces Threat of newEntrants Current Bargaining Bargaining Low Competition: Power of Power of High Very
Intense Suppliers Customers Threat of Substitute products Very High. -Current Rivalry:
Very intense and fierce and the PC industry also has very low switching costs. This
makes current rivalry very high. Apple faces stiff competition from Dell, HP, IBM etc. -
Threat of new Entrants: Since there are considerable investments to be made for setting
up this industry, new entrants would be reluctant. Though there is scope for White-box
PCs having a share of 36% world -wide in 2006, but since the existing companies have
created strong branding awareness, this threat would be low. -Bargaining power of
Suppliers: Two types of suppliers- microprocessors and OS: very few suppliers but
memory chips, keyboards, disk drives: many suppliers. Suppliers will adjust pricing and
quality to make their products more attractive so competition is high leaving them in a
low supplier power position. -Bargaining power of buyers: Switching costs are low. This
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situation places the buyer power in a strong position that can only be countered by
companies with strong product differentiation that would increase the switching costs
4. -Threat of substitute products: The more differentiation of product the less likely theswitch to a substitute will occur. If prices are higher then the company with the higher
price has to provide justification for the increase. Apple's operating system differentiation
can command higher pricing when it is presented to the creative designer community but
not to the individual computer buyer unless they are specifically looking for such
enhanced graphic capabilities. Overall the PC Industry is a very competition intense
sector and with technology undergoing paradigm shifts, coping with these changes can
make life difficult for the players in the sector. These dynamics do not look favourable
for Apple, but at the same time Apple has been able to manage to retain its
technologically savvy and designer approach to come out of this quagmire. Apple could
convert some of these problematic features into opportunities by looking at its SWOT
analysis which is discussed further. 3) Apples difficulty in the PC industry. -Strengths -
Brand awareness/ Halo effect from the i-pod to the PC -Product differentiation- The
system continues to be strength for the company since its closed operating system is not
subject to the computer viruses and hacking that affects the Microsoft Windows operating
system. -Complete package of hardware and software-enabling plug and play and
aesthetics by designing unusual shapes for its computer chassis. -Weaknesses -Heavy
Investment in Research- As compared to other players this forms a major cost for Apple.
-Not a lean operations management- Unlike Dell, where the forecasting is accurate and
inventory costs are minimal, Apple has to bear the cost of components and parts that it
purchases before-hand. -Not completely independent- Apple is reliant on Motorola and
IBM for processor chips so if these companies run short or increase the price on the chips
Apple must either absorb the cost or pass it along to consumers. Either of the two
scenarios is can make Apple vulnerable. -Opportunities -Taking Microsoft head-on with
its image- Apple has always come up with innovative ways to ridicule and expose the
shortcomings of the Microsoft OS- Reference:
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=FxOIebkmrqs. Apple should finally take the plunge and
go all out with its brand image to attack Microsoft. -Taking advantage of the MAC OS-
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Since the Mac OS is seen as a safe, reliable and secure system, apple should leverage the
differences over competing OS. The latest launch
5. of its Leopard-OS received rave reviews with sales totalling 4 million copies, andcreating 20% of the Mac installed base. -The i-pod-i-tunes combo- The halo effect of the
i-pod needs to be capitalised to the maximum extent. The difficulty Apple started off as a
straight out of the box machine which was easy and simple to use. When IBM-PC entered
the market in 1981, Apple was confident of its position owing to its proprietary designs
and graphics. But this closed system was their undoing, as the IBM- PC started to
spawn clones, who started to collaborate. With windows 3.0 the ease of the apple
products was questioned, and apple was also burdened with maintaining high costs
required for research for premium computers. In 1991 alliances were being forged IBM,
which did not materialise later. Shifting manufacturing costs were also not enough to
sustain profitability. The frequent changes in strategies were responsible for some of the
problems that Apple found itself in. What Apple needed to realise was that it was actually
operating in a Niche market of premium and high end PCs and it was earning handsome
profits per unit sold, but its penetration was an issue. Closed system of the Apple Mac,
Frequent changes of strategies and application software not easily leaders at the helm
available. Reasons for facing difficulties Niche market operator, less Premium segment,
research penetration oriented, hence costly
6. 4) Apples Mac business: In his second stint with Apple as CEO Steve jobs had his taskcut out. He had to turn around CEO, teve the Apple mac business and he undertook
multiple steps to achieve it. -Agreement with Microsoft to invest $150 Million in Apple
Agreement -Macintosh licensing program was abolished, thus restricting clones and
cannibalizing Macintosh restricting -Consolidated product range from 15 to 3
Consolidated -Launched the iMac, plug and play with multiple colours Launched -
outsourcing and restructuring, while expanding to national chains outsourcing -Direct
selling through website and streamlining operations Direct -Pared down inventory and
increased spending on R&D ed -Re-energized apples image as a hip brand energized
Notebook Products Launched: Macbook 1099 1099-1499 USD Macbook Pro 1999
1999-2799 USD Macbook Air 1799 1799-2598 USD Technology and Innovation: -
Integrated with the Intel platform Integrated -Mac users able to operate both windows
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and Mac based applications Mac -Leopard OS launched -Built independent applications
(iLife suite) Built -Web browser Safari -MS-Office suite for MAc Office Distribution and
Sales: -Retail stores opened
7. -Collaboration with Best buy -i-Pod halo effect benefitted sales Owing to all thesemeasures, the Mac sales grew thrice as fast as the overall PC market, which increased by
about 14% in 2007. Apple had become the third-largest PC maker within the US market
with a market share of 8.5%. But to continue the robust trend of the Mac growth saga,
Apple will need to look outward. Since the US market is not growing at a great pace,
Apple will have to look at the emerging asian markets and tap its potential. 5) Sustainable
competitive advantage: Exploitation Launch Counterattack As Apple is operating in a
Fast-cycle market in which the firms capabilities that contribute to competitive advantage
arent shielded from imitation and where imitation is often rapid and inexpensive, its
strategic decisions need to be undertaken quickly and in an effective manner. The i-pod-
itunes business has been a spectacular success for Apple. The Razor/Blade strategy in
Apples case is even more profitable unlike in the case of a printer-toner relation, as in
Apples case its a reverse Razor/Blade, and the returns will be even higher for Apple, as it
is the devices like the i- pod, i-phone which would require replacement. Apple has always
differentiated itself on its innovation and design, and the same is the case for the i- phone
i-tune combination. But this is not a competitive advantage which will last for long, and
hence Apple will have to adapt and offer new services to keep itself one-up from the
competition. Steve Jobs has perfected the art of coming up with a innovative product to
keep this advantage from falling over. It is difficult for firms competing in fast-cycle
markets to maintain a competitive advantage. However, Innovation plays a dominant role
in the competitive dynamics in fast cycle markets, and here is where Apple is able to
leverage its skills.
8. Threats and Competitors: DRM free copies- Amazon Creative, Threats/CompetitionMS-Zune Samsung, Sony Objection from music labels 6) I-Phone: Initial Strategy Phone:
Rationale to launch i-Phone: To integrate the i Pod with a mobile phone service and to
Phone: i-Pod reinvent the phone as a multifunction communication device. Version1
8GB $399, 16GB $499 AT&T plan $59.99 Service revenue sharing model No third
party distribution Edge network 2-2.5G Battery life affected by 3G 19.5% share
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during first quarter Gray markets in China russia- a concern - Los of service-share
revenue
9. Version 2 8GB $199 16GB $299 AT&T plan $69.99 Fixed premium model Bestbuy retail channel 3G bandwidth Google, youtube partnership i-tunes integration
New application packages Launched in 22 markets The initial launch of the i-phone at a
high price band and with exclusivity around it was a good move by Apple. The aura of
exclusivity built a tremendous hype and expectation over the launch of the product. The
early adopters (Fad) were ready to shell out the price which was definitely on the higher
side. Apple capitalised on this and was thus able to offer better prices in its second
version. Reasons for changing its strategy: -Availability of 3G bandwidth and battery life
upgradation -Revenue-sharing model was not generating profit -Price band was on the
higher side, and the early adopters were not interested -Retail channels were a better
option than single distribution channel -Exclusivity to carriers was affecting the growth -
Design improvements -By launching i-phone officially in 22 markets and making it
available in 70 markets including most of the countries which had a gray market
presence, Apple is trying to safe-guard its interests.
10. 7) Strategies for India: The demographics of India can be a major factor for apple tosucceed in India. The cost premium attached to apple products could play a hindrance,
and hence Apple would have to devise a cost leadership strategy while maintaining the
product differentiation. Apple would need to devise a Supply chain initiative to maintain
its operation. The following segments could be targeted by Apple. - There is a huge
demand for better processing powers in Business analytics and Market research firms in
India. Apple could target these companies, by demonstrating its technical expertise over
Microsoft. - By leveraging its expertise in the education segment K-12, Apple could enter
into tie-ups with major educational institutes in India. This would lead to mass awareness
of its products, other than the i-pod. - Animation is another segment which is picking up
in India, Apple along with its association with Pixar could become a huge hit in India, if
it plans to launch its own animation centre of excellence, and thus promoting the brand
Apple.