WMBA6990 Discussion 1 Case Study With Discussion Options for Growth in a Competitive Ecosystem—Apple Question # 00601625 Course Code : WMBA6990 Subject: Business Due on: 05/25/2019 Posted On: 05/25/2019 04:00 AM Tutorials: 1 Rating: 4.9/5

Discussion 1: Case Study With Discussion: Options for Growth
in a CompetitiveEcosystem—Apple

Observers often consider the competitive ecosystem of the
smartphone and mobile electronics industry to be a “red ocean” industry. Many
rivals engage in direct competition with each other, with increasingly less
room to differentiate one product from the others. In such industries,
consumers often have the power to drive prices down as rival firms have few
other ways to compete. Increased competition leads to thinner profit margins as
rivals drop prices further and further.

Yet, even in these conditions, some innovative companies
find a strategy to exploit opportunities for growth that rivals cannot easily
imitate. For example, in the airline industry, Southwest Airlines and Virgin
Airlines have found room to grow, even in the fiercely competitive “red ocean”
ecosystem of the airlines industry. This week, you examine a case study of
Apple, Inc., which both established a “blue ocean” space in the smartphone
industry, and has found room to grow in what is becoming an increasingly global
and competitivespace.

The essence of the five-force, competitive analysis is to
examine whether one might find it attractive or not to compete in a given
industry, and where, specifically, there might be “dominant positions” within
an industry, and to identify the forces that shape the potential to make money
in an industry, given a particular “competitive position.” That is, how will
you win? (How will you create unique value?)

To prepare for this Discussion:

Review all required readings, including the Weekly Briefing,
which provides additional guidance on how to complete the Assignment.

Review this week’s case study. You can, and should, scan it
multiple times.

Identify and review all relevant readings from the MBA
Capstone Program Bibliography.

Review the figure below to re-familiarize yourself with the
elements of a five-forces analysis, which you have used in a couple of other
contexts within the MBA program.

The five forces that shape competitive elements in an
industry.

By Day 3

Post a polished, researched, and well documented response to
the following prompts:

A detailed explanation of the critical competitive forces
(and their underlying dynamics) in the smartphone industry that may threaten
Apple based on a relevant five-forces analysis and other concepts you’ve
learned from your MBA program. Be sure to explain how and why you’ve focused on
the critical forces that you’ve identified.

A detailed explanation of the potential for new entry and/or
effective substitute competition, based on a relevant blue ocean strategy
analysis and other concepts you’ve learned from your MBA program. Be sure to
explain how and why you’ve focused on a particular new entry or substitute
threats to Apple.

An explanation of the strategic implications of the
competitive forces you identified above: what are the opportunities and threats
to Apple’s position in the ecosystem of the smartphone industry that it must
factor into its strategy for the future, based on your analysis, and why?
Provide evidence from the case and any other research you might do, and support
your reasoning with references to this week’s readings and from prior MBA
program course concepts.

General Guidance: Your original post, due by Day 3, will
typically be approximately 1 single-spaced page in length (cut and pasted into
the Discussion) as a general expectation/estimate. Refer to the Week 5
Discussion 1 rubric for grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use
the rubric to assess your work.

Read a selection of your colleagues’ posts.

By Day 5

Respond to at least two colleagues’ analyses in one or more
of the following ways:

Comment on what you learned from their analyses that is new
to you and that will help you improve your Strategy Playbook and how you will
use it to do so.

Offer constructive ideas for how your peer might extend or
improve his or her summary analysis.

Provide your observations about your peers’ comments based
on your synthesis of several of the original posts, explaining how those posts
better inform what your peer wrote