UNIVERSITY CAMPUS SUFFOLK SCHOOL OF BUSINESS LEADERSHIP AND ENTERPRISE MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (MBA) 2012-2013 Module : Global Economic Trends Module Lecturers : Philip NEWMAN, Garry BASTIN, Nigel FRENCH Assignment Title : Economic Trends affecting the organisation and the influence of law on business decisions. Student I.D. Number : S159393 Student Name : Yasin NAR Hand in Date : 30.01.2013 CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................................ 1 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................... 1 2. THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT OF APPLE ............................................................................................ 2 2.1. The Changes in the External Environment of Apple..................................................................... 2 2.2. Opportunities and Threats Faced By Apple Inc. ........................................................................... 3 2.2.1. Opportunities ........................................................................................................................ 3 2.2.1.1. The Shift from the PC to Mobile Era............................................................................... 3 2.2.1.2. Emerging Markets .......................................................................................................... 4 2.2.1.3. Consumer Digital Lifestyle .............................................................................................. 4 2.2.2. Threats ................................................................................................................................... 4 2.2.2.1. Intense Competition ....................................................................................................... 4 2.2.2.2. Risk of International Operations .................................................................................... 4 2.2.2.3. Imitation Risks and Piracy............................................................................................... 5 2.3 Economic Reflection of the Changes in the External Environment of Apple Inc. ......................... 5 3. MANAGING THE PROBLEMS AND DEVELOPING THE STRENGTHS .................................................... 12 3.1 Apple’s Approach to Addressing the Threats and Weaknesses .................................................. 12 3.2 Recommendations....................................................................................................................... 13 4. CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................................... 14 5. REFERENCE LIST ................................................................................................................................. 14 6. BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................................... 16 7. APPENDICES....................................................................................................................................... 19 7.1 Appendix 1 ................................................................................................................................... 19 7.2 Appendix 2 ................................................................................................................................... 19 7.3 Appendix 3 ................................................................................................................................... 20 7.4 Appendix 4 ................................................................................................................................... 21 7.5 Appendix 5 ................................................................................................................................... 21 Apple Inc. in the Current Economic Environment ABSTRACT This report firstly introduces Apple Inc. , emphasizes why it is chosen for this report and then investigates the changes from past to present in external business environment of Apple Inc. , threats & opportunities posed by these changes, current economic reflection of these changes to company now, and examines the company’s approach to addressing the threats and managing the weaknesses as well as recommendations about how company’s position may be strengthened. A brief introduction of organization is initially outlined. The discussion then focuses on the changing in external environment, occurring threats and opportunities and current economic reflections of changes. It is concluded that Apple’s approach to the threats and the weaknesses as well as the recommendations on how the company’s position may be strengthened. 1. INTRODUCTION The purpose of this report is to introduce Apple Inc. and to briefly examine Apple’s approach to current threats, managing problems and to handle new ways how to strengthen its position. By researching a range of recently published journal articles, magazine articles and internet sites about Apple Inc. , this report examines changes in external business environment of Apple from past to present. The report then emphasizes the significant changes occurring to Apple’s external environment, the opportunities and threats posed by these changes, and economical reflections of them to Apple Inc. . Apple Inc. , formerly Apple Computer, Inc. , is an American multinational corporation headquartered in California that designs, develops, and sells consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company was founded on April 1st, 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ron Wayne. The word "Computer" was removed from its name in 2007, to reflect its shifted focus towards consumer electronics after the introduction of the iPhone. Its best-known hardware products are the Mac line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad. As of November 2012, Apple has 394 retail stores in fourteen countries as well as the online Apple Store and iTunes Store. It is the largest publicly traded corporation in the world by market capitalization, with an estimated value of US$626 billion as of September 2012. As of September 29, 2012, the company had 72,800 permanent full-time employees and 3,300 temporary full-time employees worldwide. Its worldwide annual revenue was $156 billion in 2012 (Apple, 2012). Apple has been chosen for this report, because it has managed to be the most valuable company of all time(BBC, 2012) by showing that in-depth analysis of the external environment which provides to see where the world goes, trends, so to take the right steps for the future, improve the company’s economic performance and make the organization more successful and even market leader in consumer electronics that is such a difficult sector including risk factors such as changing global economic conditions, fluctuating consumer demand, worldwide-competition and potential supply chain disruptions. 1 2. THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT OF APPLE 2.1. The Changes in the External Environment of Apple Since Apple introduced Apple II in 1977, one of the first truly successful commercial personal computers, many significant and major changes have occurred in Apple’s business environment. IBM responded to the success of the Apple II with the IBM PC in 1981 and it got a great success. IBM PC marked an era by becoming the industry standard. In 1983 and 1984, Apple introduced the first mass-marketed computers with a graphical user interface the Lisa and the Macintosh respectively. While Lisa became a commercial failure, the Macintosh sold well because it was offered with the first PostScript laser printer and an early desktop publishing package, PageMaker. The combination of these three products created the desktop publishing market. In 1985 in a power struggle in company Steve Jobs was forced out of Apple. During Jobs' hiatus from Apple, competition between Apple and IBM continued until the early 1990s. In the 1980s many firms entered the computer business. Compaq and Dell Computers were founded in 1982 and 1984. In the early 1980s, Japan was in the midst of an economic awakening which started in the 1970s. Large Japanese electronics firms such as NEC, Sharp, Fujitsu, Sony, Toshiba started to enter the computer market. After a decade Taiwanese Acer and Asus and South Korean Samsung and LG also would join in competition. Throughout the 80s and early 90s the Asian Tiger economies – Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore – had an enviable reputation in the west with their rapid rates of growth and booming stock markets(Worthington and Britton, 2009, p.96). China’s economic boom has started since the 80s(Wearden, 2010). It’s been the world’s fastestgrowing major economy over the past 30 years.(See Appendix 1). Another significant event in the late 80s and early 90s was the collapse of communism in the former Soviet bloc. China and Soviet countries opened more to the world in time. The 90s witnessed two great technological developments: the Internet and Mobile phones. The Internet was commercialized in 1995 with removing the last restrictions on the use of the Internet and expanded rapidly to all the world(Harris and Gerich, 1996). Although the first hand-held mobile phone was invented in the 70's, widespread use of them by public was realized in the 90s. Since the mid-1990s the Internet and mobile phone has had a tremendous impact on people’s cultural and commercial lives. People were informed of all around the world. When a new trend emerged, it was spreading all around the world. Globalization was at full speed. In the mid-1990s Compaq and Dell became the world's largest computer manufacturers. During the '90s, Apple remained at a low market share as the primary choice for creative professionals, particularly those in the graphics and publishing industries. The '90s were golden ages of Microsoft. Almost all PC manufacturers used Microsoft's Windows operating systems. Apple came to the brink of bankruptcy in the late 90s. The greatest corporate comeback story of all time realized when Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997(Shontell, 2010). 2 Source:http://mjperry.blogspot.co.uk/2010/04/what-if-i-had-bought-apple-stock.html In 1998 Apple launched the iMac computer which brought Apple back into profit. In 2001, Apple introduced the iPod music player and opened the first official Apple Retail Stores. iPod was phenomenally successful: over 100 million units were sold within six years. In 2003, Apple's iTunes Store was introduced, offering online music downloads for integration with the iPod. The service quickly became the market leader in online music services and an important force in the music industry as well. On the other hand, competition in the computer market was continuing. In the mid-2000s HP became the world's largest PC manufacturer. In 2004, IBM announced the proposed sale of its PC business to Chinese computer maker Lenovo Group, which is partially owned by the Chinese government. IBM also would have a 19% stake in Lenovo (Forney, 2004). In January 2007 Jobs introduced the Apple TV and the iPhone mobile phone which has upset the balances in all cellular phone industry and got an unbelievable success. In the following year, Apple launched the App Store to sell applications for the iPhone and iPod and within a month, the store sold 60 million applications and brought in $1 million daily on average. In 2010, Jobs this time introduced the iPad tablet computer. It sold more than 300,000 on the device’s first day. Following year, Jobs introduced iCloud, an online storage and syncing service for music, photos, files and software. In October 2011, Steve Jobs died after successfully transforming Apple into a giant technology company from the verge of bankruptcy, and leaving deep impressions in people’s technological lives. As measured by the value of its stock, in May 2010 Apple has been the world’s most valuable technology company(The New York Times, 2012), in 2011 world's most valuable brand(Indvik, 2011), and in 2012 the most valuable company of all time(BBC, 2012). 2.2. Opportunities and Threats Faced By Apple Inc. 2.2.1. Opportunities 2.2.1.1. The Shift from the PC to Mobile Era The unstoppable rise of smartphones and tablets will see 1.2 billion of the devices being bought worldwide in 2013, analyst Gartner is predicting. It also forecasts tablet purchases by businesses will grow three times by 2016 and two-thirds of the mobile workforce will own a smartphone in 2016(Lomas, 2012). A new survey sponsored by IBM asked 2,000 IT professionals from around the world about where the industry is going. More than half said that "within the next five years, more developers will be working on mobile applications." (McKenzie, 2010). These results further show 3 that the mobile industry has a bright future. Apple that has a strong position in the market can benefit more from this growing opportunity by developing its existing core competencies. 2.2.1.2. Emerging Markets Although there is a shift towards the mobile era, research shows worldwide PC use is increasing constantly over years and it is forecast that this trend will continue for the next few years, with exponential increases in the Asia Pacific and Middle East/Africa regions. (eTForecasts, 2011) (See Appendix 2) Another research indicates that the consumers in urban areas of emerging markets have spent a greater percentage of their annual income on consumer electronics devices in the past 12 months than have those in mature markets. (Accenture, 2012)( See Appendix 3) Furthermore, China looks a great market with its rapid economic growth rates and big population for international companies. 2.2.1.3. Consumer Digital Lifestyle People are more engaged in a wide range of technological activities in the 21st century. (See Appendix 4)They are more entrenched in the digital lifestyle with the usage of computing devices such as PCs and smartphones becoming part of their daily lives (Hogan, 2011). 2.2.2. Threats 2.2.2.1. Intense Competition Consumer electronics are fast-cycle and highly competitive markets. That’s why some firms even try to collaborate with rivals to be able to be more competitive in the market. For example, Nokia associated with Microsoft to use Microsoft’s Operating systems on Nokia phones. The iPad’s success led rivals to ship their plans to tablets. Apple currently commands 50% of the tablet market share while it had 60% in 2011(IDC, 2012). The nature of the industry shows that it is only a time matter for the competitors to catch up with Apple’s leadership position. 2.2.2.2. Risk of International Operations A bigger portion of Apple’s revenue comes from international markets. Over the last three years, international sales accounted for 56%, 61% and 61% of ıts ıncome for Fiscal Years 2010, 2011 and 2012 respectively(Apple, 2012)( See Appendix 5). This shows international operations aboard are 4 important and required to pay attention on foreign laws and regulations about anti-competition and labour. 2.2.2.3. Imitation Risks and Piracy The success of Apple’s products caused new emerging products to resemble Apple’s. To some people, the other big players of the industry like Samsung, LG and Sony Ericsson even imitated some of the iPhone’s functionalities and design within their own smartphones (Gikas, 2008). Apple’s products are highly vulnerable and prone to imitation. In China iPhone imitations have been rampant (Chang, 2010). 2.3 Economic Reflection of the Changes in the External Environment of Apple Inc. The following all tables and charts are adapted from information in Apple Inc. Annual Report Form 10-K [Filed October 31, 2012]. 5 6 Net Sales and Net Income of Apple Inc. 2008-2012 $160,000 $156,508 $140,000 $120,000 $100,000 $108,249 Net income $80,000 Net sales $60,000 $65,225 $40,000 $37,491 $42,905 $41,733 $20,000 $25,922 $6,119 $8,235 $14,013 $2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Earnings per share (Basic) 2008-2012 $50.00 $44.64 $40.00 $30.00 $28.05 $20.00 $15.41 $10.00 $6.94 $9.22 $2008 2009 2010 7 2011 2012 Apple Inc. Net Sales by Operating Segments between 2010-2012 $70,000 (dollars in millions) $60,000 $50,000 Americas net sales $40,000 Europe net sales Japan net sales $30,000 Asia-Pacific net sales $20,000 Retail net sales $10,000 $2010 2011 2012 Apple Inc. Net Sales by Product between 2010-2012 (dollars in millions) $90,000 $80,000 Total Mac net sales $70,000 iPod (c)(i) $60,000 Other music related products and services (d) iPhone and related products and services (e)(i) iPad and related products and services(f)(i) Peripherals and other hardware (g) $50,000 $40,000 $30,000 $20,000 $10,000 Software, service and other sales (h) $2010 2011 2012 8 Apple Inc. Net Sales(dollars in millions) by Product in 2012 $2,778 2% $3,459 2% Total Mac net sales $23,221 15% $5,615 4% $32,424 21% $8,534 5% iPod (c)(i) Other music related products and services (d) iPhone and related products and services (e)(i) iPad and related products and services(f)(i) Peripherals and other hardware (g) $80,477 51% Software, service and other sales (h) Apple Inc. Unit Sales By Product in 2012 18,158 8% 58,310 24% Total Mac unit sales 35,165 15% iPod unit sales iPhone units sold iPad units sold 125,046 53% 9 10 11 3. MANAGING THE PROBLEMS AND DEVELOPING THE STRENGTHS 3.1 Apple’s Approach to Addressing the Threats and Weaknesses Apple’s Pricing Policy and Next Strategy Against Rivals Apple uses a premium pricing strategy to keep its profit maximum. But the high pricing strategy causes the low end of the market to be left unaddressed by Apple. Now Apple thinks a smaller, cheaper “iPhone Mini” in 2013 to grab market share by targeting demand from users of lower-end smartphones. (Worstall, 2013) Apple has released iPad mini to compete with its rivals’ smaller, less expensive tablets. The company wants to win back customers lost to Amazon and Samsung. It is seen that Apple follows true strategy (Forbes, 2012). Source:http://www.macworld.com/article/2026112/iphone-ipad-sales-up-macs-fall-as-apple-sees-recordsales.html Apple’s approach against collaborations in the industry Nokia builds hardware, and Microsoft builds software. Apple builds both. Apple has a great advantage of having both hardware and software teams constantly working together to deliver the best possible consumer experience as a total product. That’s why any two companies’ partnership in industry is no problem for Apple. Apple focuses on only its own strategic alliances(Etherington, 2011). Behind Apple's successful business lies a web of suppliers and distributors such as AT&T, Verizon, Foxconn, and TPK Holdings(Naidu-Ghelani and Bagchee, 2011). Apple continues and strengthens its relations with these firms tightly against the other collaborations in the market. Risk of International Operations The bigger proportion of Apple’s revenue comes from international markets. Therefore Apple tries to take notice of international laws and regulations and to be sensitive in this subject all the way. Lastly, Apple was criticized that its supplier Foxconn’s workers frequently described unsafe working conditions at factories. This event tarnished Apple’s brand image. Although Apple doesn't own Foxconn, its close ties with the manufacturer, which produces iPhones and iPads, have put Apple in critics' crosshairs. Apple launched fair-labour inspections of Foxconn. Apple announced any supplier who intentionally uses underage labour could be fired and will begin reporting data each month on the conditions of its suppliers to be more transparent. (Cheng and Lowensohn, 2012). 12 Imitation Risks and Piracy With great success of Iphone and Ipad, similar products emerged in the market. This caused to start patent wars. So far Apple sued Samsung, HTC, Motorola and Nokia as big players of industry for patent infringements.(The New York Times, 2012) . In this way, Apple aims to protect the products which will be released in the next years rather than get compensation. In 2012, Samsung had to pay Apple more than $1 billion in a patent-infringement case against Apple(Bedigian, 2012). Apple struggles to get ammunitions with which to fight the rampant piracy of its products that is an ongoing problem in China. It has been granted 40 patents in China so far. The new patents will help Apple better defend its interests in China(Etherington, 2011). 3.2 Recommendations By the nature of the industry where technological advancements and product obsolescence are rapid, Apple should continue to invest in Research & Development in order to keep its lead. With new innovations, Apple should continue its new product launches by turning them into an Apple show as Jobs does the best. Because they reflect firm’s energy, passion and enthusiasm to their audience even providing rivals to admire Apple whıch increases brand value. Apple should take notice of both positive and negative feedback from its consumers and transform these ideas into winning solutions. It is important for Apple to minimize product limitations without compromising on its core values and product uniqueness. By this way Apple can increase its strength in the market. Apple products are very popular in some growing economies such as Brazil and China. Apple can give weight to these markets. Apple should expand its market towards new countries which have unsaturated markets. Apple’s premium pricing strategy can exceed what some consumers can’t afford. For example, the low end of the market is being left unaddressed by Apple. Apple should follow a product diversification manufacture to expand the potential market to different segments. Apple uses Digital Hub strategy which provides to position Apple as the center of its consumers’ digital lifestyle. This means there is a tight connectivity and compatibility among all Apple products which is exclusive to Apple. Once a person buys one of Apple’s products, he/she will start to buy again, because an Apple product works best with the other Apple product. Therefore, Apple should access more customer segments. Apple should expand Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) services in the education sector. Apple could donate, or sell at a discount, these excess stocks to schools and aid in upgrading the school’s infrastructure, as well as enhancing the learning experience of youths. Thus, it both will have helped in frame of CSR and increased Apple’s brand value and awareness. 13 4. CONCLUSION This report has identified the changes in the external and internal environment of Apple. Since Apple’s foundation, many significant and major political, economic, social, and technological changes have occurred in its external environment including evolution of technological devices, economic boom of China, the collapse of Soviet bloc and changes in people’s lifestyles after internet and mobile phone. Apple also has changed itself to adjust to new trends. Apple is now the world’s the most valuable technology company. Its worldwide annual revenue was $156 billion in 2012 rising almost 300% in last 4 years. Apple’s stock performance and earning per share show significant increases compared with last year. Although America has the greatest share in Apple’s Sales, a bigger portion of Apple’s revenue comes from international markets. Obviously, Apple’s the most profitable product is iPhone making 51% of total revenue. Apple tripled its R&D expense to $3.4 billion from $1.7 billion in last three years. While Apple has some opportunities including emerging markets, shift from the PC to Mobile Era, and Consumer Digital Lifestyle, it faced threats such as intense competition, international operations, and Imitation. Apple addresses its weaknesses and threats with competitive ways. Apple’s strategic direction for the future is to focus on the success of the iPhone and iPad, expand into emerging markets and continue innovation. Apple’s growth and to keep its lead depend on innovation and its future business strategy. 5. REFERENCE LIST Apple (2012) Form 10-K Annual Report (Filed Oct 31, 2012). [Online] Available at: http://investor.apple.com/secfiling.cfm?filingID=1193125-12-444068&CIK=320193 [Accessed 25 December 2012]. Accenture (2012) The 2012 Accenture Consumer Electronics Products and Services Usage Report. [Online] Available at: http://www.accenture.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/PDF/Accenture_EHT_Research_2012_Consum er_Technology_Report.pdf [Accessed: 10 December 2012] BBC (2012). Apple becomes the 'most valuable company of all time'. [Online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19325913 [Accessed: 20 November 2012]. Bedigian, L. (2012) Apple Made $1 Billion Without Selling a Single Product. [Online] Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/benzingainsights/2012/12/18/apple-made-1-billion-without-selling-asingle-product/ . [Accessed 12 January 2013] Chang, C., (2010) Chinese knockoff company sells the fake iPhone 4 online. [Online] Available at: http://micgadget.com/6984/chinese-knockoff-company-sells-the-fake-iphone-4-online/ [Accessed: 18 January 2013] Cheng, R., Lowensohn, J. (2012) Cook: Apple's improved working conditions more than anyone. [Online] Available at: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57377749-37/cook-apples-improvedworking-conditions-more-than-anyone/ [Accessed 12 January 2013] eTForecasts (2011) Worldwide Pc Market. [Online] Available at: http://www.etforecasts.com/products/ES_pcww1203.htm .[Accessed: 10 December 2012] Etherington, D. (2011) Apple gains ground in China piracy battle with new patents. [Online] Available at: http://gigaom.com/apple/apple-gains-ground-in-china-piracy-battle-with-new-patents/ . [Accessed 12 January 2013]. 14 Etherington, D. (2011) Microsoft / Nokia Partnerships Not Enough to Challenge Apple. [Online] Available at: http://www.gigaom.com/apple/microsoftnokia-partnership-not-enough-to-challengeapple/. [Accessed 12 January 2013]. Forney, M. (2004) A Whole Lot to Swallow. [Online] Available at: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1006694,00.html [Accessed 21 December]. Gikas, M., 2008. Send in the iClones. [Online] Available at: http://news.consumerreports.org/electronics/2008/04/send-in-the-icl.html [Accessed 21 December]. Harris, S. R. and Gerich, E. (1996) Retiring the NSFNET Backbone Service: Chronicling the End of an Era. [Online] Available at: http://www.merit.edu/research/nsfnet_article.php [Accessed: 15 November 2012] Hogan, Kurt M. (2011). From digital lifestyle to digital lifeblood: The increasing value of technology that works. [Online] Available at: http://www.accenture.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/PDF/Accenture_Communications_Research_P TS_Digital_Lifestyle_to_Digital_Lifeblood.pdf . [Accessed 14 December 2012] IDC, (2012) Android Tablets Gain Momentum in the Third Quarter, Expectations Remain High for the Holiday Quarter, According to IDC. [Online] Available at: http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS23772412 [Accessed: 28 January 2013] Indvik, L. (2011) Apple Now World's Most Valuable Brand. [Online] Available at: http://mashable.com/2011/05/09/apple-google-brandz-study/ [Accessed: 10 December 2012] Lomas, N. (2012) Gartner: 1.2 Billion Smartphones, Tablets To Be Bought Worldwide In 2013; 821 Million This Year: 70% Of Total Device Sales. [Online] Available at: http://techcrunch.com/2012/11/06/gartner-1-2-billion-smartphones-tablets-to-be-boughtworldwide-in-2013-821-million-this-year-70-of-total-device-sales/ [Accessed: 10 December 2012] McKenzie, M. (2010) The End Is Near for Enterprise IT. [Online] Available at: http://www.enterpriseefficiency.com/author.asp?section_id=900&doc_id=198633 [Accessed: 10 December 2012] Naidu-Ghelani, R., Bagchee, D. (2011) 10 Significant Apple Business Partners. [Online] Available at: http://www.cnbc.com/id/44269115/10_Significant_Apple_Business_Partners [Accessed 12 January 2013]. Shontell, A. (2010) The Greatest Comeback Story Of All Time: How Apple Went From Near Bankruptcy To Billions In 13 Years. [Online] Available at: http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-comeback-story2010-10?op=1 [Accessed at: 10 January 2013] The New York Times (2012) Apple Incorporated. [Online] Available at: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/apple_computer_inc/index.html . [Accessed: 08 December 2012]. The New York Times (2012) Fighters in a Patent War. [Online] Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/10/08/business/Fighters-in-a-Patent-War.html . [Accessed 12 January 2013]. Wearden, G. (2010) Chinese economic boom has been 30 years in the making. [Online] Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/aug/16/chinese-economic-boom [Accessed 25 December 2012]. Worstall, T. (2013) Are We Going To Get An Apple iPhone Mini This Year? [Online] Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2013/01/05/are-we-going-to-get-an-apple-iphone-minithis-year/ [Accessed 12 January 2013]. 15 Worthington, I. and Britton, C. (2009) The business environment. 6th edn. Harlow: Prentice Hall Financial Times. 6. BIBLIOGRAPHY Accenture (2012) The 2012 Accenture Consumer Electronics Products and Services Usage Report. [Online] Available at: http://www.accenture.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/PDF/Accenture_EHT_Research_2012_Consum er_Technology_Report.pdf [Accessed: 10 December 2012] Apple (2012) Form 10-K Annual Report (Filed Oct 31, 2012). [Online] Available at: http://investor.apple.com/secfiling.cfm?filingID=1193125-12-444068&CIK=320193 [Accessed 25 December 2012]. Ausick, P. (2011) Lenovo and NEC Talks: More PC Consolidation. [Online] Available at: http://247wallst.com/2011/01/21/lenovo-and-nec-talks-more-pc-consolidation-dell-hpq-aceif-lnvgynipnf-ibm [Accessed 15 December 2012] BBC (2012). Apple becomes the 'most valuable company of all time'. [Online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19325913 [Accessed: 20 November 2012]. Bedigian, L. (2012) Apple Made $1 Billion Without Selling a Single Product. [Online] Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/benzingainsights/2012/12/18/apple-made-1-billion-without-selling-asingle-product/ . [Accessed 12 January 2013] Brian, M. (2013) Apple announces 40 billion App Store downloads, 500 million active accounts. [Online] Available at: 07 January 2013 http://thenextweb.com/apple/2013/01/07/apple-announces40-billion-app-store-downloads-500-million-active-accounts/ [Accessed 12 January 2013]. Chang, C., (2010) Chinese knockoff company sells the fake iPhone 4 online. [Online] Available at: http://micgadget.com/6984/chinese-knockoff-company-sells-the-fake-iphone-4-online/ [Accessed: 18 January 2013] Cheng, R., Lowensohn, J. (2012) Cook: Apple's improved working conditions more than anyone. [Online] Available at: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57377749-37/cook-apples-improvedworking-conditions-more-than-anyone/ [Accessed 12 January 2013] CNN, (2012) World's Most Admired Companies. [Online] Available at: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/most-admired/ [Accessed: 29 December 2012]. eTForecasts (2011) Worldwide Pc Market. [Online] Available at: http://www.etforecasts.com/products/ES_pcww1203.htm .[Accessed: 10 December 2012] Etherington, D. (2011) Apple gains ground in China piracy battle with new patents. [Online] Available at: http://gigaom.com/apple/apple-gains-ground-in-china-piracy-battle-with-new-patents/ . [Accessed 12 January 2013]. Etherington, D. (2011) Microsoft / Nokia Partnerships Not Enough to Challenge Apple. [Online] Available at: http://www.gigaom.com/apple/microsoftnokia-partnership-not-enough-to-challengeapple/. [Accessed 12 January 2013]. Forbes, 2012. NUTS: Apple's CEO Reveals Future Strategy, Google to Expand Into Hardware. [Online] Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/mobiledia/2012/02/19/nuts-apples-ceo-reveals-futurestrategy-google-to-expand-into-hardware/ [Accessed 12 January 2013]. Forney, M. (2004) A Whole Lot to Swallow. [Online] Available at: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1006694,00.html [Accessed 21 December]. Gikas, M., 2008. Send in the iClones. [Online] Available at: http://news.consumerreports.org/electronics/2008/04/send-in-the-icl.html [Accessed 21 December]. 16 Harris, S. R. and Gerich, E. (1996) Retiring the NSFNET Backbone Service: Chronicling the End of an Era. [Online] Available at: http://www.merit.edu/research/nsfnet_article.php [Accessed: 15 November 2012] Hogan, Kurt M. (2011). From digital lifestyle to digital lifeblood: The increasing value of technology that works. [Online] Available at: http://www.accenture.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/PDF/Accenture_Communications_Research_P TS_Digital_Lifestyle_to_Digital_Lifeblood.pdf . [Accessed 14 December 2012] IDC, (2012) Android Tablets Gain Momentum in the Third Quarter, Expectations Remain High for the Holiday Quarter, According to IDC. [Online] Available at: http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS23772412 [Accessed: 28 January 2013] Indvik, L. (2011) Apple Now World's Most Valuable Brand. [Online] Available at: http://mashable.com/2011/05/09/apple-google-brandz-study/ [Accessed: 10 December 2012] Lai, E. (2011) IDC: 8 Stats why the Post-PC, Mobile Era is upon us. [Online] Available at: http://scn.sap.com/people/eric.lai/blog/2011/03/15/idc-8-stats-why-the-post-pc-mobile-era-isupon-us [Accessed 10 December 2012] Lee, C. (2012) Apple adopts lottery system for iPhone 5 sales in Hong Kong. [Online] Available at: http://www.zdnet.com/cn/apple-adopts-lottery-system-for-iphone-5-sales-in-hong-kong7000004625/ [Accessed 12 January 2013]. Lomas, N. (2012) Gartner: 1.2 Billion Smartphones, Tablets To Be Bought Worldwide In 2013; 821 Million This Year: 70% Of Total Device Sales. [Online] Available at: http://techcrunch.com/2012/11/06/gartner-1-2-billion-smartphones-tablets-to-be-boughtworldwide-in-2013-821-million-this-year-70-of-total-device-sales/ [Accessed: 10 December 2012] McIntyre, G.W., MacDonald, P. (2010) Apple App Store Has Lost $450 Million To Piracy. [Online] Available at: http://247wallst.com/2010/01/13/apple-app-store-has-lost-450-million-to-piracy [Accessed 12 January 2013]. McKenzie, M. (2010) The End Is Near for Enterprise IT. [Online] Available at: http://www.enterpriseefficiency.com/author.asp?section_id=900&doc_id=198633 [Accessed: 10 December 2012] Naidu-Ghelani, R., Bagchee, D. (2011) 10 Significant Apple Business Partners. [Online] Available at: http://www.cnbc.com/id/44269115/10_Significant_Apple_Business_Partners [Accessed 12 January 2013]. Shontell, A. (2010) The Greatest Comeback Story Of All Time: How Apple Went From Near Bankruptcy To Billions In 13 Years. [Online] Available at: http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-comeback-story2010-10?op=1 [Accessed at: 10 January 2013] Sutter, J.D. (2011) Is Google's Android Market dangerous? [Online] Available at: http://articles.cnn.com/2011-03-02/tech/google.android.hack_1_app-store-android-users-google-sandroid-market?_s=PM:TECH [Accessed 12 January 2013]. The New York Times (2012) Apple Incorporated. [Online] Available at: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/apple_computer_inc/index.html . [Accessed: 08 December 2012]. The New York Times (2012) Fighters in a Patent War. [Online] Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/10/08/business/Fighters-in-a-Patent-War.html . [Accessed 12 January 2013]. The New York Times, (2012). Apple Incorporated. [Online] Available at: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/apple_computer_inc/index.html . [Accessed 12 January 2013]. 17 Wearden, G. (2010) Chinese economic boom has been 30 years in the making. [Online] Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/aug/16/chinese-economic-boom [Accessed 25 December 2012]. Wikipedia (2012). Apple Inc. [Online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc [Accessed: 20 November 2012] Wikipedia (2012). Compaq Portable. [Online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compaq_Portable . [Accessed: 05 December 2012] Wikipedia (2012). Economy of the People's Republic of China. [Online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_People's_Republic_of_China [Accessed: 05 December 2012]. Wikipedia (2012). History of Personal Computers. [Online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_personal_computers [Accessed: 05 December 2012] Wikipedia (2012). IBM PC Compatible. [Online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_PC_compatible [Accessed: 05 December 2012] Wikipedia (2012). IBM Personal Computer. [Online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Personal_Computer [Accessed: 05 December 2012] Wikipedia (2012). Internet. [Online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet [Accessed: 05 December 2012] Wikipedia (2012). Mobile phone. [Online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phone . [Accessed: 05 December 2012] Womack, B. (2012) Google Says 700,000 Applications Available for Android. [Online] Available at: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-10-29/google-says-700-000-applications-available-forandroid-devices [Accessed 21 December 2012]. Worstall, T. (2013) Are We Going To Get An Apple iPhone Mini This Year? [Online] Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2013/01/05/are-we-going-to-get-an-apple-iphone-minithis-year/ [Accessed 12 January 2013]. Worthington, I. and Britton, C. (2009) The business environment. 6th edn. Harlow: Prentice Hall Financial Times. Yarow, J. (2012) Tim Cook Used These Charts To Make Fun Of Amazon And Google's Tablet Sales. [Online] Available at: http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-ipad-market-share-2012-9 [Accessed: 21 December 2012] Yoffie, D. B., Kim, R. (2010) Apple Inc. in 2010. Boston : Harvard Business School Publishing 18 7. APPENDICES 7.1 Appendix 1 Proportion of world (countries with data) nominal GDP for the countries with the top 10 highest nominal GDP in 2010, from 1980 to 2010 with IMF projections until 2016. Source:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/Historical_top_10_nominal_GDP_propo rtion.svg/512px-Historical_top_10_nominal_GDP_proportion.svg.png 7.2 Appendix 2 PC’s in Use By Regions : Source: http://www.etforecasts.com/products/ES_pcww1203.htm 19 7.3 Appendix 3 Spending on Consumer Electronics By Countries: Source:http://www.accenture.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/PDF/Accenture_EHT_Research_2012_Consumer_ Technology_Report.pdf 20 7.4 Appendix 4 Consumers’ Digital Lifestyle Survey : Source:http://www.accenture.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/PDF/Accenture_Communications_Research_PTS _Digital_Lifestyle_to_Digital_Lifeblood.pdf 7.5 Appendix 5 Apple's Net Sales between 2010 – 2012 : $160,000 $140,000 $120,000 $95,559 $100,000 $80,000 International $66,437 U.S. $60,000 $40,000 $20,000 $36,592 $28,633 $41,812 $60,949 $0 2010 2011 2012 Source: Adapted from Apple Inc. Annual Report Form 10-K [Filed October 31, 2012] in 02 January 2013. 21