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The domain of International Marketing can be described to be visibly complicated in nature and greatly influenced by certain governing forces which tend to have a strong impact on the overall operations of the organization (Albaum, Albaum and Duerr 2008). The standardization can be described as a procedure based on which an organization tends to implement as well as develop the technical standards based on the consensus of various parties involved such as the users, interested parties and the government. This technique can be considered to be a popular technique adopted by the different organizations (Cateora 2007). On the other hand, the Adaptation strategies can be taken to be a strategy whereby the enterprise tends to modify the price, place and promotional activities of the product with respect to the country requirements and needs. Hence, all the firms which are operating in the competitive markets would be required to certify that they are being able to come up with solutions to combat the forces which are present in the external environment. Hence, the focus of this report lies in understanding how the chosen organization, Apple has been forming strategies in order to combat against the different forces of nature. In addition to this, the report shall also focus on the ways in which the competitive positioning of the firm has been and what recent strategies have been adopted by the organization which has thereby assisted it to attain its long term and short term objectives.
The primary hardware products of the organization comprise of the iPhone smartphone, the iPad tablet, the Mac personal computer, the iPod which is a media player, the Apple Software and the Apple TV (Apple.com 2019). Apart from these goods, the organization also has goods like the HomePod smart speaker, Air Pods and other such goods. The software section of the firm comprises of the macOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS and the watchOS operating software systems. Additionally, the organization also provides services such as the AppleCare, AppleCash, the Apply Card, the Apple Store and the iMessage. The company was found back in April 1976 by Steve Wozniak and the partnership between these partners began several years later. The firm has created a considerable brand positioning for itself whereby it has been successful in reaching out every media which thereby assists it in attaining success and a sustainable competitive positioning.
Apple has always been strategic with respect to the marketing activities which the firm would be required to adopt. The first slogan, `Byte into an Apple` was coined in 1970s and from the time frame 1997 to 2002, the Apple had a slogan of `Think Different` which was then advertised in various campaigns and has remained associated with Apple. The organization has also developed various slogans for the specific product lines like iThink , therefore iMac and Say hello to iPhone which has been made use of to attract the target audience. Additionally, Apple has been continuously applauded for its advertising and marketing efforts and has used eye popping graphics along with catchy tunes (Doole and Lowe 2008). The Musicians have also greatly benefitted from the improved profile in the advertisements. For instance, Apple simply adopts the Standardization strategy on the other hand, the other firms like Samsung, Lenovo and the Blackberry have adopted the Adaptation strategy whereby the promotional content, the product features and the pricing strategies as per the different countries where they have their operations.
All the enterprises, which have aimed to achieve its objectives while performing internationally, are often faced by certain Global challenges which limit the operations of the firm. In consideration to this, it can be mentioned that the following challenges are generally faced by the organization while carrying out the operations:
According to Hollensen (2007), although the smartphone and the laptop industries have advanced to a great extent, it is critical to note that the consumer needs have been changing to a great extent and with reference to this, it is critical to note that, although Apple has been trying its best to come up with the competitive products and offerings, it is finding it increasingly difficult to satisfy the needs of the various clients and in consideration to this, the growth remains subjected by this challenge faced by the organization.
The innovation challenges which are faced by the organization Apple can be mentioned to be the innovative challenges. Along with Apple, there are various other firms which are present in the same technology industry as Apple and very often these companies are also able to come up with different inventions which are able to attract the audience and hence, with respect to this, Apple faces a considerable number of challenges with respect to which, it is critical for the firm to come up with initiatives supporting their competitive abilities (Hollensen 2010).
The Apple can be understood to be a market leader especially in the mobile phone and laptop segment. The firm has excelled in the manner in which it has been able to come up with an exquisite design for its phones and created a niche market for itself (Czinkota and Ronkainen 2013). The unique design, exceptional features as well as the brand image of Apple has assisted the enterprise in becoming one of the best in the market.
Figure 1: The Positioning map of the Smartphone Industry
(Source: As created by the author)
Figure 2: The Positioning map of the Laptop Industry
(Source: As created by the author)
It can be seen that in both its major segments which can be classified as the Laptop Tablet and the Smartphone segment, the firm has been successful in maintaining a High quality High Price positioning. This means that although the firm has been labelled as a high priced retailer, it is essential to note that, the firm has been able to maintain the overall quality of its offerings (Solomon 2010). In addition to this, it has been successful in carrying out the various operations successfully. Today, Apple is regarded as one of the top players in the competitive market.
All the firms in the competitive environment would be required to adopt certain competitive strategies for the success. Hence, with reference to this, it can be mentioned that Apple applies the following strategies
Keeganm , Green and Fu (2005) believe that in terms of the Differentiation strategy, it can be mentioned that Apple has applied a differentiation strategy based on which it provided the different customers with offerings which are essentially aimed at serving a niche group which wants the premium designed and priced phones. Usunier, Lee and Lee (2005) argued that these phones and other product line offerings made by Apple are based on the differentiation aspects which are made by focusing the design, functionality and technological advancement in mind. Apple has adopted the strategy by coming up with its unique software which is differentiated to meet the needs of the various customers.
On the other hand, Solomon (2010) states that another strategy which Apple popularly adopts can be mentioned to be the Dual extension strategy. In the dual extension strategy, Apple seeks to provide a standard product for every market and is highly profitable in nature. Additionally, Terpstra, Foley and Sarathy (2012) opined that the firm also makes use of the same advertising as well as promotional technique in the different countries which further ads to the savings of costs and improves the appeal of the firm. For instance, by adopting this strategy, Apple has been able to provide same kind of products in Australia, America, India, China and the Europe and hence the costs of the customization are saved. This pertains to the products like iPhone, iPad and the Mac laptops.
Therefore, from the section it can be mentioned that Apple as an organization has adapted the standardization strategy and has been performing very well. The firm has a wide range of product offerings and by making use of the capabilities of the firm, it has been able to overcome the global challenges. The firm has applied the differentiation and the Dual extension strategy which has been critically analyzed in the paper.
Albaum, G.S., Albaum, G. and Duerr, E., 2008. International marketing and export management. Pearson Education.
Apple.com 2019. Apple [online]. Available at: https://www.apple.com/choose-country-region/ (Retrieved on: 24.Oct. 2019)
Cateora, P.R., 2007. International Marketing 13E (Sie). Tata McGraw-Hill Education.
Czinkota, M.R. and Ronkainen, I.A., 2013. International marketing. Cengage Learning.
Doole, I. and Lowe, R., 2008. International marketing strategy: analysis, development and implementation. Cengage Learning EMEA.
Hollensen, S., 2007. Global marketing: A decision-oriented approach. Pearson education.
Hollensen, S., 2010. Marketing management: A relationship approach. Pearson Education.
Keegan, W.J., Green, M.C. and Fu, H., 2005. Global marketing (Vol. 7). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Solomon, M.R., 2010. Consumer behaviour: A European perspective. Pearson education.
Terpstra, V., Foley, J. and Sarathy, R., 2012. International marketing. Naper Press.
Usunier, J.C., Lee, J.A. and Lee, J., 2005. Marketing across cultures. Pearson Education.
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