Assignment 1: Discussion-Technology and Strategic/Competitive Position
Apple Inc. is known for its state-of-the-art designs for products such as the iPhone, but most are unaware that Apple has used technology to streamline its supply chain management and operational systems to provide competitive pricing. This use of technology has allowed the company to under price its competitors and yet maintain a 25 percent margin on their products. The use of IT has provided Apple with a strategic and competitive position which most of their competitors find difficult to match or exceed.
Using your company or a real-world example from your research, analyze how information systems affect the firm's strategic and competitive position.
Using the assigned readings and the Argosy University online library resources, explain how information technology:
Impacts competitive rivalry, such as pricing, promotion, and distribution
Enables or dissuades new entrants
Enables customers to achieve greater bargaining power
Enables suppliers to gain more bargaining power
Gives rise to substitute products or services that threaten the existing market
Write your initial response in 300-500 words. Your response should be thorough and address all components of the discussion question in detail, include citations of all sources, where needed, according to the APA Style, and demonstrate accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation
Do the following when responding to your peers:
Read your peers' answers.
Provide substantive comments by contributing new, relevant information from course readings, Web sites, or other sources;
building on the remarks or questions of others; or
sharing practical examples of key concepts from your professional or personal experiences
Respond to feedback on your posting and provide feedback to other students on their ideas.
Make sure your writing
is clear, concise, and organized;
demonstrates ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; and
displays accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
With the advent of scanners and the universality of the portable document format (PDF), the market for optical copiers is shrinking rapidly.
Can a company such as Xerox Corporation survive? In this assignment, you will address this question.
Research the issues faced by Xerox from 2000-2010 and the solutions found using the assigned readings, the Argosy University online library resources, and the Internet. Specifically review the company's annual report at the following:
Respond to the following:
• Identify multiple business pressures on Xerox.
• Describe some of the company's response strategies.
• Identify the role of IT as a contributor to the business technology pressures (for example, obsolescence).
• Identify the role of IT as a facilitator of Xerox's critical response activities.
• Support your positions with reasons and examples based on your research.
Write a 3-5-page paper in Word format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.