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Strategic Process and Analysis

Strategic Process and Analysis

Kendra Coleman

Capella University

Professor Steve Callender

Business Strategy

Table of content

Introduction: 3

Executive Summary: 4

AFI Strategic Planning Framework: 5

Analysis: 5

Internal Analysis: 5

External Analysis: 5

Formulation: 6

Implementation:7

Role of Leadership in Strategic Planning: 7

Recommendations: 8

Conclusion: 8

References: 9

Introduction

Apple Inc Company’s newly initiated strategic planning process, this study objectively reviews the company’s internal and external surroundings. This study, prepared by a strategic analyst working for the organization, is meant to assist senior executive leadership in comparing for the company’s future. The report is broken down into three main sections that cover the key components of the AFI strategic planning framework, the internal and external environment of organization, and role of leadership in the process of strategic planning using VRIO or Value Chain analysis, the PESTLE analysis, and the Five Forces model.

The research examines the importance of employing a strategic planning framework for long-term success and sustainable competitive advantage. It then examines the company’s internal workings, such as the results of the VRIO or Value Chain analysis, the strengths and weaknesses of the company can apply to its business plan. The report then examines the company’s external environment, drawing on the PESTLE and Five Forces studies results to draw conclusions and suggest how Apple Inc company might alter its response. The paper also discusses leaders’ ethical obligations in strategic planning, outlines leadership’s role in the process and provides recommendations for leadership based on the findings.

Executive Summary

This study examines Apple Inc Company’s internal and external settings and presents suggestions for the company’s future course of action. The AFI strategic planning framework is the basis for the report’s study, using the Value Chain Analysis, Porter’s Five Forces Model, and the PRESTLE analysis (Soffa, n.d). Strategic planning, the research gather, is crucial for long-term success and maintaining a competitive edge. At the same time, VRIO OR Value Chain analysis of the internal environment reveals the company’s strength, which it may then use to gather the business plan. It has been determined that Apple Inc’s strategy is well supported by the organizational structure and management system architecture. Some important takeaways emerge from applying tools like PRESTLE analysis and the Five Forces model to examine the external environment. The competitive dynamics that impact the industry’s profitability are also noted, along with the political, economic, sociocultural, technical, legal, and environmental aspects that affect the firm. The corporation may adapt to these factors by increasing its technology spending, broadening its product offering, and enhancing its supply chain management, among other things.

Ethical issues are essential for strategic planning, and leadership plays an important role. The research suggests that the company’s leaders make strategic decisions consistent with the company’s principles and ethical standards and prioritize openness and accountability. Based on the data, the firm would benefit from capitalizing on its strengths, investing in technology, and extending its product range. The business should also make strategic decision- making transparent and accountable.

AFI Strategic Planning Framework

The AFI Strategic Framework is a paradigm that connects three related strategic management activities that, when combined, aid businesses in developing and enacting a strategy to boost performance and gain a competitive advantage. The three main pillars of the AFI strategic planning framework are analysis, formulation, and execution (Kasibo,2022). Formulation entails developing a plan considering the analysis, and implementation is implementing that strategy. Long-term success and competitive edge rely a lot on the strategic planning framework.

Analysis

Internal Analysis

Based on the analysis within Apple Inc, the firm possesses a high-powered brand reputation, significant intellectual property, and highly inventive culture, enabling it to produce and market successful products constantly. A VRIO or Value Chain analysis may show that Apple’s supply chain management and marketing skills are crucial assets that the firm effectively utilize to carry out its business plan (Juan & Li, 2023). Apple Inc is one of the strongest brands in the world, with significant profit margins thanks to premium pricing, efficient, quick innovation processes, and a lavish history of technological advancement. Apple’s organizational structure and management system layout has been shown to be beneficial in driving innovation and facilitating the company’s ability to make decisions quickly and effectively.

External Analysis

While doing an external analysis, it is common practice to go beyond the confines of the firm and into the larger industry in which it operates. Macroeconomics, global politics, society, demographics, and technology are all components of external analysis. An intensive external analysis entails exploring the PESTLE analysis and Porter’s Fives Forces model.

The PESTLE Analysis

The PESTLE analysis is a method that can be used to look over the external macro environmental factors that can potentially affect a company’s operations (Nandonde, 2019). An examination using PESTLE framework might show that Apple is confronted with obstacles such as fluctuating political and economic policies, rapidly developing and advancing technological advancement, and intense competition in the market. On the other hand, Apple has many opportunities to improve its environmental sustainability practices, widen its product line, and other similar endeavors.

Porter’s Five Forces model

Applying the Five Forces model might indicate that Apple is up against moderate to high levels of competition and that the bargaining power of suppliers and consumers could be crucial considerations to consider as a result of this (Kohnova & Salajova, 2023). Apple separates its goods from its competitors by setting its prices higher than its rivals. This suggests that Apples’s products are of superior quality and feature the most recent technology. Through astute marketing and distribution techniques, the corporation also piques the curiosity of the potential customers by creating a buzz in advance of the debut of new products.

Formulation

Considering the research findings, Apple could devise a plan to widen the scope of its product line, increase its investment in environmentally friendly initiatives, and maintain its focus on selling its products effectively while doing so. Apple may also make sustaining a robust culture of the invention a primary priority of its efforts to remain ahead of the competition. Apple’s strategic aims include expanding its market share in major product categories, enhancing it environmental sustainability policies, and maintaining its innovative spirit in a new product domain.

Implementation

Apple might focus on producing new goods, such as wearables, that align with its sustainability aims and appeal to a wide variety of customers to put the plan into action. Apple may also spend time on research and development to remain an industry leader in inno vative fields like augmented reality and machine intelligence. For Apple to successfully implement the plan, the company would need to continue cultivating innovation and recruiting and retaining bright staff.

Role of Leadership in Strategic Planning

Leaders have the major burden of responsibility for putting the selected plan into action. While developing an action plan entails several distinct activities, the leader’s primary responsibility for developing the company culture and the organizational capabilities to carry out the plan. The leadership of an organization significantly impacts the strategic planning process. Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, is noted for his strategic decision-making abilities and his focus on sustainability, both of which might connect with the ethical ideals the the firm upholds (Martin et al, 2022). As a result of this research, some potential suggestions for Apple’s future course of action include recommending that the company prioritize the expansion of its product line, engage in sustainability initiatives, and continue to harness its strong brand recognition and marketing skills. Effective leaders are tasked with determining the overall courses of the business, coming to strategic conclusions, and putting the company’s resources in the best position to accomplish their goals (Ali & Anwar, 2021). In addition to being essential in strategic planning, ethical leadership is essential because it guarantees that a business is socially responsible and environmentally sustainable.

Recommendations

Considering the study’s findings, it has been suggested that Apple Inc. places. A greater emphasis on innovation and difference to improve its standing in the highly competitive business. In order to more effectively harness its strength and put its business plan into action, the firm must change its management system’s architecture and the organizational structure it operates under for effective outcomes and improved productivity. Ethical issues should be prioritized during strategic planning, and the leadership should work to guarantee that the firm runs in socially responsible and environmentally sustainable manner.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this report has analyzed the internal and external environments in which Apple Inc. operates using the AFI strategic planning framework. It has highlighted the importance of strategic planning and strong leadership to attain both short-term and long-term success and a prolonged competitive edge. The extremely competitive industry is addressed in the research, which includes advice on how the firm might improve its position in the market. When analyzing an organization’s external environment, the PESTLE analysis and the Five Forces model are two of the most helpful tools available. By utilizing these frameworks, organizations can gain a deeper understanding of the external factors that impact their company and take steps to strengthen their position in the competitive landscape. The report employs both conceptual frameworks to analyze the external environment in which Apple Inc. operates and then suggests how the company can respond to the various forces at play to improve its position.

References

Ali, B. J., & Anwar, G. (2021). Strategic leadership effectiveness and its influence on organizational effectiveness.  International Journal of Electrical, Electronics and Computers,  6(2), 11–24.  https://doi.org/10.22161/eec.62.2

Soffa, I. R. N. (2023). Marketing Strategy to Increase Sales during a New Normal Era on PT. Promedika Mitra Utama (Distributor in the Medical Device Sector). 

Nandonde, F. A. (2019). A PESTLE analysis of international retailing in the East African Community.  Global Business and Organizational Excellence,  38(4), 54–61.

Kohnová, L., & Salajová, N. (2023). Re-Thinking Industry 4.0 Effect on Competitive Forces: Empirical Study on Innovation. Sustainability, 15(3), 2637

Martin, K., Shilton, K., & Smith, J. A. (2019). Business and the Ethical Implications of Technology: Introduction to the symposium. Journal of Business Ethics, 160(2), 307–317.

Juan, S., & Li, E. Y. (2023). Financial performance of firms with supply chains during the COVID-19 pandemic: the roles of dynamic capability and supply chain resilience. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 43(5), 712–737

Kasibo, U. (2022). Perception of Strategic Planning Implementation and Performance of Kenya Revenue Authority (Doctoral dissertation, University of Nairobi).

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