Market assessment, planning and strategy of Apple Inc Essay

Market assessment, planning and strategy of Apple Inc - Essay Example The firm that is analyzed in the paper is Apple. It was co-founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in California in 1976 as a micro-computer manufacturer. The following year the company was incorporated and released one of the first commercially successful personal computers, the Apple II. In 1984, the company released the Macintosh, which changed the computing world with its revolutionary graphical user interface. Following the success of these two products in the market, Apple had its IPO in1984. In 2001, the company changed from being a personal computer manufacturer to a consumer electronics company. Today, the company designs, manufactures and markets mobile communication and media devices, personal computers, and portable digital music players, and sells a variety of related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications. Apple Inc. has a worldwide presence and sells its products globally through its retail stores, online stores, and direct sales force, as well as through third-party cellular network carriers, wholesalers, retailers, and value-added resellers. Between 1994 and 1997, the company experienced record-low stock prices and severe financial losses, a scenario that only begun to be corrected with the re-instatement of Steve Jobs as the CEO in July 1997. Currently, the company boasts of being the most valuable company in the world with one share valued at US$ 598.35, net sales in 2011 of US$ 108.6 billion and free cash flow of US$ 33.27 billion. As at September 2011, Apple has a workforce of 63,300 employees.... The company’s obsession with excellence means that it only participates in markets where it can have a significant contribution (Chaffin, 2009). For this reason, Apple Inc. believes in focusing on few projects at any given time. With this mission statement, Apple categorizes its customers into three segments: consumer, small and mid-sized businesses; education; and enterprise and government. The company believes in giving its customers a high quality buying experience, therefore, in its major markets Apple sells many of its products and third-party products directly to consumers and businesses through its retail and online stores. In other markets, the company invests in programs to enhance reseller sales by placing high quality Apple fixtures, merchandising materials and other resources within those locations (Apple, 2011). To better meet the needs of its global market, Apple’s business is divided geographically into the Americas (North and South America), Europe ( Europe, Middle East and Africa), Japan, Asia-Pacific (Australia and Asia) and Retail (Apple-owned retail sales globally). Examination of the Market Environment Cooperative environment With the introduction of services such as iTunes Store, iBookstore, App Store, Mac App Store and iCloud, Apple moved from being merely a product manufacturer and seller to providing a platform that supports different business ecosystems. For example, the iBookstore supports the eBook business that comprises of authors, publishers and customers. In fact, in 2009 Apple came up with a new type of pricing strategy in the eBooks industry that shifted pricing power from the retailers to the publisher. Under the iBookstore agency model,

Should Colleges have Child Care on Campus Essay

Should Colleges have Child Care on Campus - Essay Example The seemingly minute family concern is getting much attention from school administrations and law-makers because of the domino effect the situation can bring not only to the family but to the nation as a whole, affecting its economy and success. Looking at the situation, the individuals who have potentials which are supposed to be nurtured through higher education are forced to drop out in favor of taking the responsibility of being a full time parent. On another angle, when students are able to find child care centers for their children, the centers are usually underrated that the welfare of the children is sacrificed (McBride). For the aforementioned circumstances, it is essential that schools offer child care centers in the campus, enabling students to acquire affordable assistance with high quality performances that caters to the different schedules of students. Every parent wants to provide quality care to their children so that one of the basic considerations in choosing child care centers is the atmosphere the children are exposed to. Statistics shows that children who are given quality early childhood care are more likely to succeed in life (Anderson & Dektar). Therefore, high performance levels of child care centers need to be considered in establishing them inside the school campuses. To ensure this, having the child centers accredited should be a must. One of the accrediting bodies is the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) which aims to strengthen the operational aspects of early childhood systems for the benefit of the children. Such accreditation will provide peace of mind to the parents, knowing that the child care centers they are entrusting their children to are efficient because they are conforming to the requirements demanded by the accrediting body. Simply having one’s child in the care of people who are not able to provide the basic needs of a child would not be sought for as parents will always be parent s, valuing more the safety and care of the children rather than their own education. However, with the accreditation of child care centers in schools, parents would be sure that the staff are well qualified and have the necessary education and training (naeyc.org) to look after their children at affordable prices. Speaking of prices, it is also to be thought of because the people the center services usually come from low-income students who are at the brink of dropping out if they do not find affordable, quality based centers for their children. Affordable prices of course, do not mean they are to be very cheap wherein the child care center will not be able to fund itself and pay for its employees anymore but that the payment should be comparable to the services. This might bring the school child care center to have two or more categories where a cheaper plan would provide the most basic care to the children like feeding, changing diapers and the like. For growing up children who ne ed more attention like being taught how to speak, walk and others, they will be given higher fees. Probably, if there are parents who would like more services to be offered to their children like being taught how to write and read, such can avail of the services at a higher rate as well. In addition, wanting more use of facilities and materials like television, computer, and toys will have to demand additional fees for