Value Chain, VRIN, and SWOT analysis of Apple INC.

Apple’s Current Market Position
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Apple’s Current Market Position
Background Information
In any sector, business analysis is an essential practice that helps one understand its current market position and thus make strategic decisions. Value chain, VRIN, and SWOT analysis are among the commonly used techniques to analyze the position of a firm. In the contemporary world, Apple is among the leading technology companies globally. It has reported continuous growth in sales, net income, and market share (Zhang, 2018). This paper provides the current position of Apple based on the value chain, VRIN, and SWOT analysis.
VRIN Analysis
VRIN analysis generally evaluates and analyses the internal environment and resources of a firm and its potential for using those resources to develop competitive advantages. Regarding value, Apple has a good R&D that enables them to consistently improve their existing products’ features, launch new innovative features and acknowledge trends from competitors and take advantage. With these factors combined, Apple can regularly develop new versions of its products while adding customer value to boost their demand. Compared to its competitors, Apple has rare R&D costs. In 2020, Apple’s R&D costs constituted 6.8% of its revenues while Samsung’s R&D costs constituted 8.9% of their revenue, and Alphabet’s, parent company of Google, were 15.1% of their income (Aliekpov, 2020). Regarding imitation, Apple’s processes are inimitable because they evolve from Apple’s culture. Finally, the company’s R&D cannot be substituted within the industry, requiring competitors to innovate and create new technology to compete with Apple. If utilized effectively, Apple’s brand and R&D capabilities can develop the company’s sustainable competitive advantage.
SWOT Analysis
A SWOT analysis evaluates the position of a firm based on its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Apple’s strengths include R&D efficiency an...