Project #2

APPLE INC.: MANAGING A GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN

By: Zittu Chowdhary, John Do, James Watkin

1. Review Apple’s Supply Chain for its iPhone product.

What differences set it apart from competitors?
Supply chain refers to the handling of resources to deliver goods and services to the
consumers. It is important and integral part of any business. For a business to be
successful and have high customer satisfaction indexes, it very much depends on
how efficient the organizations supply chain operations is.

Apple’s Distinguishing Strategies

 Control over Supply Chain
 Limited Configurations
 Logistics
 Reseller sales
 Outsourcing
 Customer Service

2. What are Apple’s key advantages in how it manages its

supply chain operations? Support your analysis with
data for the case.

Apple’s Key Advantages

The sections below describe in more detail on how Apple was able to optimize the
above different categories with their innovative approaches that led their supply
chain to be ranked number one.
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 Cost

 Quality

 Time

 Variety

3. What are the challenges that Apple faces in the future,

and what are the implications for its supply chain?

Challenges and Implications for its Supply Chain

 Cost Savings

 Demand Monitoring

 Ethical Challenges

 Suppliers Dilemma’s

 Leadership and Innovation

 Diversification

4. As Jessica Grant, what recommendations would you

make to the company’s VP, Philip Duchene and Why?
As Jessica Grant, I want to make recommendations after thoroughly evaluating the
pros and cons of the company in terms of key supply chain components.

Evaluation
The evaluation is listed in a table format showing the final evaluation decision for
each criterion.
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 New Product Strategy

 Supplier Relationships

 Operational Efficiency

 Logistics and Distribution

Our overall verdict is POSITIVE.

Recommendations
As Jessica Grant, based on my evaluations, I would recommend that BXE capital
increase their holdings of Apple stocks in their portfolio.