Apples Value Preposition Development - Essay Example

Apple’s Value Preposition Development Individual Strategy Assignment Apple’s Value Preposition Development Whenever a customer makes a purchase of any item from any organization or company, the company in most instances assures the client that indeed the particular product purchased is of significant value and benefit to the customer. Ideally, the success of any organization is determined by the value of the products that they give to their customers. Competition among the different players in the various industries comes up because the kind of product and the type of service that the organization offers seems better in comparison the other competitors in the same industry. Value proposition, which states the specific benefits that a product or service provider offers the customer, is a necessity for every organization. Indeed, a company that lacks a clear and singular value proposition is similar to an individual without energy and power, and, therefore, lacks the ability to champion the occurrence of various aspects. Additionally, it is only through the value proposition that a company is able to convince the customers that indeed the products and services offered are the best among the other competitors and that the customers should only make purchase choice on their products and services. Apple is such a company with great brand and value proposition. Based on the above perspective, this paper discusses the development of Apple’s value proposition and factors supporting the value proposition including organizational task statements. One critical aspect that every company or organizations put in the minds of the consumers is that their lives will improve significantly by the purchase of the company’s brand. Such is usually the idea that centers on company’s brand building. However, in the case of Apple, the company has gone overboard by creating products that seem like consumers must have. Additionally, in building their brand, Apple works on establishing an idea in the minds of their customers that there were no products and services like any other in the market, and as such, the customers never had an alternative but to buy their products. Ideally, Apple success rests in the building of assets that distinguish them from the rest, enabling the consumers no any alternative to their products. As such, Apple has developed its value proposition with a perception on the consumers’ minds that Apple’s products and services remain the best in the industry. Whenever a customer asks for a reason as to why they should buy a particular company’s product or need their service, the company’s value proposition should always answer the question. Based on such an aspect, it is important for a company’s value proposition to have an in-depth understanding of the idea or product in use, understand the competitors and their abilities in developing certain ideas and strategies, and the ability to be in the consumers’ shoes and associate in all the concerns about the product and services offered. In developing Apple’s value preposition, four major steps are important. These include knowing the customer, knowing the product, idea, and the service offered, knowing the completion, distilling the customer-oriented proposition, and the final stage, which involves pulling all the aspects together. In knowing the customer, Apple identified the various needs in the technological market, and those that the customers need for their daily operations. Equally, consumers are in most instances faced with a number of challenges that need appropriate solutions. In addition to such, the technology industry experiences numerous changes every day, and, therefore, requires that any individual player in the industry make substantive improvements in the various activities that they engage. Apple has made it a necessity, the aspect of making improvement in the currently available products and services in the industry as a means of enhancing the fulfillment of the customers’ livelihood. As such, Apple has developed its brand and by extension value proposition by significantly understanding the customers, their needs, and the technological challenges, they face day by day by developing appropriate solutions to such challenges. Appropriate understanding of the customers’ needs involves establishing a focus on the future through continuous learning, an aspect that Apple fully invested. Continuous learning process ensures the acquisition of new knowledge and skills of making improvements. Knowing the product and service or idea is also essential in the development of value proposition as used by Apple. Indeed, knowing the product or service offered, enables a company make a determination of whether the product or service offers solutions towards certain problems experienced by the customer or does the product or service offer any improvement in the life of the customer. Whenever a service or product offers some life improvements in the life of the customer, it is most definite that the company rendering the service or producing the product will have a competitive advantage over the others. Apple through the development of IPhone and the iPad, provided a platform for customers to access several technological applications in a single device, which would enable them enhance duty performance as well as establish an element of flexibility between their schedules. As such, the IPhone and the iPad made an improvement in the lives of its customers, in addition to solving the problem of carrying so many devices with varied applications for use by the customers. Knowing ones competition remains an essential aspect in the development of value proposition. Knowledge of one’s competition enables a company to determine how their product or service creates move value than that of the competitors. Based on such a perspective, Apple has set high standards for its two major competitors, Microsoft on the computing segment and Samsung in the phone industry. In the computing industry, Apple has developed value proposition through its ability to develop computers with a unique operating systems, which are never prone to virus attack. With such a perspective, Apple has created more value for the consumers who feel once they purchase Apple computers, then they limit the damage of their PCs from viruses by a substantive margin. In the case of phones, Apple has created more value for its customers by the development of phones with numerous applications, which enable the customer access to numerous activities within the same device against Samsung’s phones that only allowed limited applications. Improvements are done in a number of ways, in order to add value to the customers involves the aspect of outsourcing. Many companies outsource for various reasons; however, in the case of Apple, it is mainly for three reasons, strategic focus, access to advanced technology, and improved service levels. Through the outsourcing of both employees and materials, Apple has established products of high quality with advanced technological knowledge, which indeed, add substantive value to the customers. Apple in its development of a strong value proposition has four major task statements, which work as elements that support the development process of value proposition. The task statements include downsizing and restructuring, outsourcing, succession management, and organizational learning. Each of the above aspects has a specific role that it plays in the value development process of ensuring in ensuring that Apple produces goods for the satisfaction of customers needs. Downsizing and restructuring are the activities that involves the reduction of an organization’s workforce, costs, and other work processes in an urge to improve the organization’s competitiveness, efficiency, and productivity. Unlike many technological companies with many employees, Apple has very few employees, although the employees are very competent in their different work operatives. Ideally, one of the greatest roles played by downsizing is that it reduces costs, most especially during the hard business times. Through the increased technological development, many companies prefer to have fewer employees while investing in technology for the performance of their duties. As such, Apple reduced the number of employees as a means of creating space for increased technology. The use of technology in operations enhances the quality of products produced, and, therefore, puts Apple develops value proposition for its customers against the competitors. Outsourcing as already indicated above, also plays a significant role in the development of value proposition for Apple. Apple uses the technology as a means of enhancing technological service. One of the greatest challenges customers faced is the longer periods they had to wait in order to get products. However, with the introduction of technological use through outsourcing, Apple has been able to reduce the production time by almost half, an aspect that provides solutions to the problem of longer wait periods previously experienced by the customers. Having a pool of qualified personnel with the ability of meeting the organization’s strategic goals is one very critical aspect of succession management used by Apple as a means of developing its value proposition. Building a brand requires a continuous process of making improvements and innovations on the already existing products towards the realization of diverse and changing customer needs. As a means of enhancing the development of value proposition, Apple constantly works on the determination of the strategic objectives needed to satisfy the future customers’ needs, as well as beat competition. Such an aspect is followed by the identification of skilled personnel, who show the signs of influencing and enhancing growth within the company, and are then offered developmental opportunities and experiences in readiness for the succession management plan in the event that the current office holders leave office. Succession management has enabled Apple to produce quality products continually, an aspect that puts its level far above the competitors, and, therefore, and aspect of value proposition to its customers. Promoting organizational learning is yet another organizational task for Apple in ensuring that its products remain the best in the market for customer’s choice. Ideally, through organizational learning, Apple has been able to transform its operations through the acquisition and dissemination of new and improved information within the whole organization. For the success in the use of organizational learning, Apple has three major levels of learning; organizational level learning, group-level learning, and individual level learning. For the success of such an aspect, Apple organizes for forums and seminars where members share developmental information on improving quality, which results in value proposition development. The number of job positions in Apple work towards the realization of the company’s strategic goals of becoming the world’s leading technological company. However, of all the positions, that of the Human Resource Manager has a direct implementation of the value proposition. The job is strategic in that it determines the people entering the company. In so doing, the job identifies candidates from diverse backgrounds, which enables the company in identifying and fulfilling the diverse customer needs from the diverse cultures and backgrounds. As such, Apple develops products that meet the diverse customer needs, which in return develops value proposition. Read More