Initial question:

Select an organization and discuss their competitive advantage in the context of value chain?

My response:

Competitive advantage refers to the conditions that set a company at par in terms of the quality of goods or services they offer. Some companies do significantly better than others at providing the same services as others, and this boils down to their strategies and the quality of their services. One such company is Apple. Despite there being so many technology companies, Apple stands out. It is one of the big four technology companies that includes Facebook, Google, and Amazon. Apple stands out because of its unique and quality design, brilliance in advertising, and the ability to think differently.

The one factor that makes Apple different from its competitors is its design expertise. As said by former Apple executive Tony Fadell the company has got great design principles. They aim at providing what other companies can’t. In simple terms, they are always one step ahead of their competitors when it comes to design. In his Stanford commencement speech, Steve talked about his love for calligraphy and how it inspired his thoughts about design. Steve passed on his passion to his employees and embedded the design DNA into them (Li, 2016). When it comes to design, Apple always thinks outside the box and provides what other companies can’t. They always focus on making technology better than it is by involving all the stakeholders (Thomke & Feinberg, 2009).

Another competitive advantage that Apple has is its brilliance in advertising. Most companies rely on advertising either on social media or television, but apple has invested in influencers. Instead of telling people how good their product is, they give the influential people experience so that they could market them to their followers. Apple is also self-sufficient. It owns its software, applications, and the operating system, all combined with their cloud architecture. The uniqueness in the way apple operates sets them apart with other companies.. This makes it the best in what it does as a company.

Respond to this classmates post

Thank you Brad for your insights into the Apple chain. I agree that their design expertise has given them a competitive edge. There is a sleekness and ease of usage with all of their products. In addition, Apple products are extremely interactive and easy to integrate. My sister in law recently purchased her first iphone. She has already connected herself to her other products (Mac laptop and iPad) in a way that was not possible prior to her iphone purchase. There are still technological challenges with any system but it sure does make it easier when the equipment all works in the same manner.

50 words. APA, only one reference.