At one point in history the idea of strategic planning was identified with planning and maneuvering large military operations into a position of advantage before a battle with an enemy began (Evans, n.d.). Today strategic planning is still used for war, but has been adapted to deal with another enemy, that enemy being the challenges and competition an everyday corporation or business leader faces. If leaders are to implement strategic planning within their organizations great success in defeating their enemies can be had, but to do this one must first be able to understand what strategic planning is and how it can be used. Strategic planning simply defined is a deliberate systematic process where decisions and actions are decided on and
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Apple looks at strategic planning as a process that creates a fit between objectives, resources and market opportunities, which create goals and objectives leading to their success (Javed. 2013). Apple has spent a great deal of time evaluating itself and has come up with a few goals and objectives that contribute to the mission of its company. These goals consist of providing the best product possible, maintaining investor support, ensuring future profitability, reaching customers who are unaware of the Apple brand, producing products people enjoy and creating high demands for its products. From the strategic planning process Apple was not only able to identify what they wanted their goals to be, but they were also able to identify strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities that may affect how they reach these goals. When it comes to strengths, Apple knows that it is an innovator in technology because it has created a reputable brand, has no debt and has a gross profit margin of 43.9% (Javed, 2013). With strengths comes weakness, for Apple that weakness comes in the form of pricing because not all consumers could afford the high prices of their products and often times will opt for a cheaper alternative. Finally, Apple faces the threat of the an ever changing technology market that could take customers away at any time, to deal with this Apple uses it strengths to create opportunities to stay ahead of its competition by continuing to create innovative products. To stay ahead and reach their goals Apple has created a plan which they call the FOUR P’S, product, strategy, promotion and pricing. Apple will continue to create a better product then its last, it will place its products in locations that are easily assessable, it will continue to promote its products in all forms, and it will continue pricing that
Apple looks at strategic planning as a process that creates a fit between objectives, resources and market opportunities, which create goals and objectives leading to their success (Javed. 2013). Apple has spent a great deal of time evaluating itself and has come up with a few goals and objectives that contribute to the mission of its company. These goals consist of providing the best product possible, maintaining investor support, ensuring future profitability, reaching customers who are unaware of the Apple brand, producing products people enjoy and creating high demands for its products. From the strategic planning process Apple was not only able to identify what they wanted their goals to be, but they were also able to identify strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities that may affect how they reach these goals. When it comes to strengths, Apple knows that it is an innovator in technology because it has created a reputable brand, has no debt and has a gross profit margin of 43.9% (Javed, 2013). With strengths comes weakness, for Apple that weakness comes in the form of pricing because not all consumers could afford the high prices of their products and often times will opt for a cheaper alternative. Finally, Apple faces the threat of the an ever changing technology market that could take customers away at any time, to deal with this Apple uses it strengths to create opportunities to stay ahead of its competition by continuing to create innovative products. To stay ahead and reach their goals Apple has created a plan which they call the FOUR P’S, product, strategy, promotion and pricing. Apple will continue to create a better product then its last, it will place its products in locations that are easily assessable, it will continue to promote its products in all forms, and it will continue pricing that