Analysis of the Articles and Textbook about Steve Jobs and Apple - Assignment Example

Summary The article “The Trouble with Steve” is an article reflecting on Steve Jobs and his handling of Apple and some of the issues in his personallife that have affected Apple, like his pancreatic cancer and overall health. Apple employees have often reported that Jobs has a very aggressive and demanding personality. He has, for instance, even been labeled as an egomaniac. This could be because of his success with Apple, because, as we can see recently, Apple has become a very impressive product in the computerized world. Therefore, many individuals have switched to Apple computers, and this has created a large boom in the market. However, Jobs cannot be labeled as the easiest individual to deal with. In fact, it has been reported that he can often be quite difficult. His style is temperamental overall, and this can have an effect on the business overall. If the person everyone in the company looks to is often changing moods and demanding certain items, it can create a lot of overall stress in the workplace and in the company itself. This is not necessarily the best management model to enforce when wanting to get things done. However, it does appear to be the strategy most often used by Jobs. Some have claimed that Steve Jobs learned this aggressive and dominant type of management from his adoptive father, Paul Jobs. Paul Jobs has also been labeled as a dominant type of person. For instance, he worked for a finance company and collected on auto loans, sometimes using his own force to do so. He had been a large man, and he was also aggressive, so he had the right characteristics for this type of job. Steve Jobs, however, has had a very good overall vision for his company. He has wanted Apple’s products to be the leaders in the new technology age. He has had success doing this; for instance, with the introduction of the ipod and the iphone. He certainly has a strong focus on innovative technology, and this management style has ensured success in his company. However, whether or not the way he approaches “getting things done” is the best way to handle his employees is still up for some questioning and analysis. Another problem Jobs has had to face is his battle with pancreatic cancer. This affected him in 2004 when he underwent surgery, and it also appears to be coming back to haunt him once again. His health has been a primary concern in the Apple industry. Since Jobs has had many innovative ideas and has done a lot for the company, the concern for his health is apparent. However, Apple employees wish for him to recover and take care of his health, even if it means he has to step out of the center of the business for awhile. In response to his illness, Jobs has taken a leave of absence in order to focus on his health and his diagnosis. However, he is still involved in marketing decisions of the company. This does create some questions about the management overall. Without Jobs being around as often as he was before, it may be more difficult for him to make management decisions as he becomes more and more distant from the company. This can cause significant problems in management, because the person who is away from the company may not always have ideas and visions that are realistic for the company. All of this has to do with the overall environment and production of the company on a day to day basis. However, Apple certainly still wants Jobs to make decisions for it, as he has helped the company to become a major producer of new technology. With their very successful products, like the iphone and the ipod, they can only hope that Jobs can continue to make those types of successful decisions that brought them to the forefront, whether or not he is healthy or present at all of the meetings. If Apple still has the ability to be successful even with Jobs out of everyday interests, Apple will be able to show its strength as a company, and Jobs would have therefore developed a very sturdy industry. This should allow him to take the time he needs to recover while Apple continues to sell successful products to the general public, thus staying at the forefront of technology. Analysis Threats & Opportunities in the external environment For Apple, what are some of the general threats and opportunities while these issues with Jobs continue? First, there is the all consuming threat of Jobs’ management style in itself. Whether or not his strategies are actually effective have been under the microscope for some time. People are not certain if his aggressive style does more to deplete employee morale than it does actually uplift employees to perform their tasks. This could certainly be seen as a problem. Employee morale is very important to the overall productivity and success of a company. Therefore, the company should consider these effects and perhaps revise overall strategies and issues dealing with this. If they do not, there could be serious issues. Apple must also consider the illness of jobs in both its positive and negative aspects as a result. If Jobs is not as involved with the company, others in the company may be able to prove that they can run the company efficiently without him. This would certainly be a solid opportunity for many or the people involved in Apple. The network effect strategy winner takes all Jobs certainly has a “winner takes all” approach to his management style. He has stated several times that he wants his company to be at the forefront of the technological revolution. He has already managed to do this by introducing the ipod and the iphone. He seems to have a very good grasp of the market and the products that will sell in the market. He has thus done a good job of analyzing the field and grabbing a hold of necessary opportunities. Because of this success, Apple has become the leader in innovative technologies, and continues to do well today. Gaining market entry through product differentiation Apple has been able to do some interesting product differentiation over the years. Originally starting with computers, Apple then took ideas in the technological revolution and began to make innovative products. This included the ipod, for instance, which was a major hit and transformed the way people buy and listen to their music. CDs are no longer popular; MP3s are now at the heart of the music industry. The ipod allows people to use their computers to organize and filter their music. The iphone is yet another good idea. This differs from the ipod because it works as an actual phone. It also has great capabilities, like checking Email and connecting to the Internet. The phones became very popular at the outset, and have sold very well. They have many more useful capabilities when compared with other phones. Creating and then dominating a new market Apple has been able to create and dominate new markets with an extreme amount of success. An example of this would be their creation of the ipod. Not only was the ipod the first of its kind, it totally revolutionized the way people bought and listended to music. Many competitors came out and followed Apple, attempting to get some revenue from this new conmcept. However, none of the competitors were able to overcome Apple in its spot as number one in this market. Apple was able to keep the technology innovative and ahead of the others by constantly introducing new forms and different versions of ipods—smaller ones, for instance, that might help individuals that do not need so much music with them. This has helped to keep them at the top of the market. Conclusion In order to take a closer look at Steve Jobs and Apple, and to understand the entire perspective of this business, I do feel that both the article and the textbook have solid opinions when analyzing the market in this industry. For example, as discussed above, Jobs has done a great job in bringing in innovative technology to the forefront and thus making Apple a major leader in the technological business. He has been able to introduce items like the ipod and the iphone, which have kept Apple at the head of both of these markets. The ipod was a very successful and very revolutionary technology, and has changed the way people obtain and listen to their music forever. This is not to say that others did not follow suit and copy the idea of the ipod; they certainly did. However, none of the competitors was able to quite capture the influence of the ipod itself. The ipod stayed at the forefront as the popular Mp3 player. Much like the iphone, the introduction of the new technologies allowed Apple to achieve this. Therefore, Apple has been able to demonstrate a very effective “winner take all” attitude in their approaches. With the possibility of Jobs having to withdraw from Apple for a certain amount of time, there are some issues that may come into play for Apple, and they can either help or hurt the company. In effect, it will depend on how the company decides to handle things. This concept is clearly presented in the article about Jobs. However, information from the book can be used to more clearly define this issue as well. For instance, the opportunities provided in this possibility introduce both a positive and negative aspect. The negative aspect is relatively obvious; Apple could be hurt without Jobs around to make its innovative decisions. While he is still involved in decision making processs, he will not be as readily available as he recovers from his health issues. However, a positive thing could come about as well because of this. Apple may be able to find its own management skills and ideas to keep itself successful, or make itself more successful, without the help of Jobs. There may be room, for instance, for new and innovative ideas that may not have otherwise been considered with Jobs at the helm of management. Therefore, it is apparent that both the article and the textbook can be used to take a deeper look at Steve Jobs and his situation with Apple. The article provides the background and the history needed to understand Jobs and his relationship with Apple, as well as his management style. The book provides one with the material to take a closer look at Jobs’ approaches, and allows one to analyze the concepts used by Apple to retain its success. The article therefore demonstrates the concept of differentiation and how this can help a company. Apple has been able to provide several different and innovative technologies to the general public, and this has helped to increase its success. Read More