Mgt 498 Environmental Scan Wk4 - 1292 Words

**************** UOP MGT/498 Dr.****************** Due Date Abstract The paper examines some of the internal and external environmental factors which influence the operations of Wal-Mart and Apple. These two organizations have managed to stay ahead of their competitors in the market over the years and this can certainly be attributed to several factors. The paper delves into some of the competitive advantages enjoyed by these corporations which make them popular with consumers across the world. Indeed, it is realized that several factors account for the success of these global brands. In the same way, it is seen that the success is always subject to many challenges in the process.†¦show more content†¦The market is never static and the preferences of the customers keep changing. In this case the executives at Apple must always ensure that the needs of the clients are effectively addressed at all times. In the same way, the industry has become very competitive in the recent past and the organization has to find ways and means of staying ahead of its competitors. In this case, innovation plays a major role in ensuring that new products are constantly produced by the organization. Competitive advantages The competitive advantages realized by Apple have catapulted the organization to the great heights it enjoys presently. The hardware design forms one of the major competitive advantages. Indeed, the products of Apple are elegant and well designed and every vendor concurs that the products have no equal in the market in terms of design. The laptops, desktops and phones produced by Apple are always designed right for the first time and this puts them ahead of the competitors in the market. Another area where Apple has much competitive advantage is marketing of products (Schulze, 2011). Indeed, the organization recognizes that many people are impressed by the design of its products. As such, the marketing of the products is focused on informing the consumers of how the products can make life better. For instance, the success of iPod was majorly a result of the