Free Essay on Apple's Investment and Project Activities and Sources of Competitive Advantage

Apple is one of the leading brands in technology development. Like any other organization, the firm has several strategies that it uses to gain competitive advantage. This paper is a research about the current investment activities, project, competitive benefits and future development opportunities at the organization. The research study also conducts an in-depth study of the organization's competitive advantage methods and future investment plans it has in place to foster further development and success.

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Current Investment and Project Activities of Apple Inc

A research study reveals that Apple Inc has invested in various products. As a technological organization, some of the products that the company has invested in include a wide range of products such as iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, headphones, Apple watch, computers and laptops. The organization has also invested in varied areas such as solar products for use in different companies in countries such as Korea, China and Japan. According to research, Apple has explored the investment in solar panels that can be used as sources of renewable energy with the aim of joining the race to a green economy. Similarly, manufacturing and use of solar panels for in various sectors also puts the firm in the list of organizations that have decided to use renewable energy sources with the aim of helping to preserve the use of non-renewable energy sources such as coal to conserve them for future use (Apple.Com, 2016). The firm also invested in using safe materials in the manufacture of their products.

For example, the leaders believe that a substance like mercury is not safe for the human body. Therefore, they make all their products free from this element. The organization also invests in activities that protect the environment. For example, their report states that the paper used in the company is safe and reusable. According to the source, the paper is perfect. Protecting the environment is one of the firms priorities. Therefore, they make sure that they utilize materials that help them to keep the environment safe. On the same note, leaders at Apple Inc report that they take part in recycling materials used in their environment. Leaders in the firm believe in producing new products such as TV and other products by reusing or recycling remains from the previous products (Apple.Com, 2016). This is to mean that apart from producing technologically oriented products, the firm also considers investing in environmentally friendly activities and projects.

Future Investment

Every organization needs to invest in the future to ensure constant success. Apple Inc has decided to invest in their future operations. The first method that the organization uses to ensure that they focus in future is through heavy research and development projects. According to their report, the organization has embarked on heavy spending on research and development project with different clear goals. Firstly, Apple has invested over ten billion dollars on research and development (Cybert, 2016). They aim to invest and produce more software, hardware and provide better services to their clients. The organization is also seeking to build a new company with numerous capabilities to add to their already better brand. For example, the firm wants to venture into other opportunities such as making materials that other organizations can purchase to help maintain a greener economy. On the other hand, Apple wants to invest in wearable products such as watches, which they have started producing. They want to include Apple clothes, shoes, and sports products for their clients. The firm also aims to invest in transport initiatives such as coming up with a powerful transport system that most people can use in their daily lives (Wakabayashi & McMillan, 2016). The investment in wearable and transport initiatives shows that Apple is willing to get out of its comfort zone of making phones and other software products into a more unique and new field of investment.

Competitive Advantage

The organization recognizes the fact that maintaining a healthy competition is an important factor for future success. One of their competitive advantage strategies is to produce high-quality products for their clients. Research shows that Apple has some of the most high-quality merchandise in the market (Cybert, 2016). Their clients have reported longevity and high rates of usability of all the products manufactured and sold in the organization. The second method is by focusing on their clients. The organization ensures that their products meet the needs and demands of their customers. Focusing on their clients also ensures customer satisfaction and client value. The organization also can focus in future and come up with products the clients will need. According to research, Apple Inc has the opportunity to invest in the future product using current market trends. For example, the research and development studies show that the organization is investing heavily in the area of research to be able to investigate future changes in market trends and find out how the changes will affect the profitability of their current products.

The leaders in the organization are weary of the fact that product maturation and hence product life cycle plays an important role in its profitability. Therefore, the organization has come up with a strategy to invest in the future of their products using current and future market trends. Similarly, the firm gains competitive advantage by researching on the future needs of their clients. For example, they stay ahead of the likely changes in the technology industry and focus on how the changes will affect the demands of their client (Wakabayashi & McMillan, 2016). By so doing they will be able to make merchandise that matches the changing needs of their clients. The firm also has the opportunity to venture into other projects and activities that enable them to explore other areas such as wearable and transportation among others. For example, research shows that Apple is investing in solar panels as a source of energy.

Conclusion

Apple Inc is an organization that is known globally for its superior technological products. The organization currently invests in products such as TV, watches, iPhone, iPad, Mac computers and other laptops. They have also decided to come up with solar panels used in different countries to provide an alternative source of energy for their daily operations. The organization has the opportunity to invest n other sectors such as transportation, wearable, and further development of software, hardware and improve their service delivery to their clients. To achieve competitive advantage, the leaders in the company have focused on factors such as caring for the environment, using safe materials for their productions, meeting clients needs and producing high-quality products that meet the demands of their customers.

References

Apple.Com. (2016). Environment . Apple Inc.

Cybert, N. (2016). Apple R&D reveals a pivot is coming. Above Avalon.

Wakabayashi, D., & McMillan, D. (2016). Apples Latest $1 Billion Bet Is on the Future of Cars. The Wall Street Journal.