ANALYSIS AND COMPARITIVE STUDY OF THE SUPPLY CHAIN

MANAGEMENT OF APPLE AND DELL

 Table Of Contents

Executive Summary …………………………………….…...….1

Introduction ……………………………………………………..2

Methodology ………………………………………………….…3

Analysis Of Each Supply Chain …………………………………4

Comparison Of Each Supply Chain ……………………………..8

Findings ………………………………………………………....14

Conclusion ……………………………………………………...18

Recommendations…………………………………….…..….....19

Reference ……………………………………….……..……......20

Appendix …………………………………….…..…………......21
 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The report examines and compares the key strategic and operational issues faced by
Apple and Dell. Apple is a futuristic and innovative company, while Dell is a customized
customer centric company. After thorough analysis and comparison of the supply chains
of both companies, major findings are identified and recommendations are provided to
address the different issues found.
 
One of the findings found was the difference in the way Apple and Dell sources raw
material from their suppliers. Apple has a huge upper hand over Dell when looking at the
relationships with their suppliers. Apple uses this to their advantage and it enables them
to have better negotiation power with their suppliers. They source their products by
visiting suppliers’ factory, testing samples, assessing the capacity of the suppliers and
gaining understanding of the supplier’s supplier. They then use all this information to
select the best few suppliers for them.
 
On the other hand, rather than having a few selected suppliers, Dell uses a lot of
suppliers. In order for Dell to assess whether a supplier meets the benchmark that is
necessary to do business with Dell, a business alliance was formed, called the
Responsible Business Alliance (RBA). RBA assesses the supplier’s performance in areas
such as environment ethics and management system. The suppliers who meet the criteria
set out by RBA could then continue to deliver business with Dell.
 
Another difference found was that Apple assists customers to their products, by educating
them about their products whereas Dell tailors its products to their customers by
personalizing the products to meet the customers’ needs. Although Dell performs well in
areas such as the variety of products they provide, the use of updated technology, unit
drop size, and the relationship with customers, they do not have their own logistics
network. Apple uses research and big scale forecasting to purchase materials and make
their products. They then use their good logistics network to provide overnight delivery
of products to meet the demand of the customers during product launch.

One of the recommendations provided is that Dell could introduce their own logistics
network. Another recommendation is that Dell could invest more in Research and
Development (R&D), in order to improve their patent portfolio and thus better compete
in the lucrative smart phone and tablet industry. Apple has earned their status as an
innovative company and a recommendation for them would be to outsource its
warehousing. This will increase the speed of the supply chain. Visiting stores and data
from research helped to gather the relevant information for the successful completion of
this project.

1
 INTRODUCTION

Apple is renowned for its innovation and plan. However, barely anyone realise that
the way in which Apple deals with stock is another variable that leads to its success.
Apple buys materials and different parts from various suppliers, and then transports
them to China, where the products are assembled. Item are then delivered straight to
customers. For other distribution channels, Apple keeps items at various Warehouses
around the world such as, Elk Grove, California and ships items from there. When a
customer places an order at any store, the product is shipped via UPS/FedEx.

The most noteworthy component of the supply chain of Dell is the use of direct sales
model. This model allows orders to be acknowledged straight from the customers,
with practically no middlemen included. This model assists the organisation to get to
its customers and study their needs and requirements. This model helped Dell with
low stock carrying costs and the capacity to rapidly replace damaged parts as they are
identified. Due to the development of creative advancements and changes in the PC
business, the customers also changed their necessities. Customisation was no longer
an essential criterion. Therefore, in 2010, the organization re-evaluated its production
network and moved to using a segmented model that designated different groups of
customers with various requirements to different products.

For the purpose of this assignment, the main reason for choosing and evaluating the
supply chains of Apple and Dell is because they are both in the same industry, but
follow different models to be successful. The difference between Dell and Apple is
their stock procedure. While Dell utilises ongoing assembling and pursues no
inventories; huge volumes of raw materials early are sought lout early by Apple,
securing in lower costs and furthermore preventing competitors from using them.

These two stock techniques are exceptionally distinctive but each have their own
characteristics which help the companies to advance. Although both these supply
chains possess risks, both companies have specific ways of managing and minimising
these risks. Very lean stock is the center capability of Dell to get to low cost and
survive in the PC market. Apple's exceptional items and showcasing procedures
develop loyal customers which ensure that individuals will purchase their items and
reduce obsolete stock.

2
 METHODOLOGY

The findings for this report were collected by analysing and identifying the problems
within the supply chains of Apple and Dell. Conclusions and recommendations were then
made to address these problems. The supply chain was analysed by assessing the supply
chain functions, the order winners and qualifiers, the market each supply chain support,
the product and service each supply chain provide, alternative suppliers and the
infrastructure of the supply chains. Visits to department stores and conducting interviews
with customers and managers, collecting information from the official websites of Apple
and Dell and using previous research data enabled each of these factors to be understood
more in depth.  

Apple has their own department stores, retail partners and online stores whereas Dell has
a very few of their own department stores, retail partners and online stores. Both Apple
stores and some retail partners of Dell were visited in order to gather information. In the
store, questions (Appendix 1) were asked to both customers and managers, to gain better
understanding of how the supply chain was performing. From these interviews it was
understood that customers as well as managers of the Apple store was satisfied with the
way products were delivered in a timely manner and that the needs of the customers were
always met, if not in one store, in another. Having spoken to customers of Dell products
and a department manager in John Lewis, a retail partner of Dell, it was noted that
customers were satisfied with the products of Dell but it solely depended on a customers’
specific needs. If a customer was found to have specific needs, it was possible for them to
meet those needs by visiting the official Dell website and customising the products. Both
Apple and Dell meet customers’ needs but in different ways. Conducting these interviews
also enabled order qualifiers and order winner to be identified.

The same questions were asked to all customers visiting both stores, making it reliable.
The managers were also asked the same questions making the research method valid.

Past research data as well as information from the official website of Apple and Dell
helped to gain better understanding of the infrastructure of the supply chains of both these
companies. The official websites of both Apple and Dell are written by experts in the
field and uses up-to-date information. This also makes the information reliable and
relevant to this study.

The recommendations were tested using comparison with companies which use similar
strategies as the recommendations provided. This report explains this methodology in
more detail.

3
 ANALYSIS OF EACH SUPPLY CHAIN

APPLE

Apple was created in 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steven Wozniak. Following an internal
quarrel, he departed Apple in 1986, and the firm suffered until 1996, when Steve
returned. Apple has been a spectacular success since then. Apple products are modern,
customer-friendly and fashionable. Apple is oriented to deliver efficiency in performance
since they develop the product from the ground up.

The following are the key components of its strategy:

 Unique products
 In-store experience and combination of networking and visuals
 Customer behavior encouraged through marketing.

The following sections address the coherence of several aspects of Apple's strategy.
SEGMENTATION OF CUSTOMERS

Apple feels it is offering an experience along with its goods. As a result, the customers
which it targets are people who appreciate the simplicity of the use of Apple products as
well as their experience within Apple stores. Mac operating system is used in Apple
computer, which many PC users are unfamiliar with. To mitigate this issue, Apple has
trained employees within Apple stores who can explain and demonstrate the functions,
making customers acclimated to Apple products. Innovation, excellent quality and
durability, aesthetics, and user-friendliness are all important to Apple customers. Small
companies are also catered to by Apple, which helps them set up their IT systems.
MANUFACTURING

Apple's production process has been outsourced. It buys materials in bulk and uses scale
economies in the production process and through marketing Apple looks to sell these
products. Apple concentrates on a few lines of products and does not do a lot of
customisation, giving it a significant production edge and saves money. Apple produces
in large quantities, giving them an advantage over suppliers, contractors, and
transportation businesses.

Apple's operations rely on demand forecasting, and it is able to estimate demand at each
shop location. This effectively reduces Apple's manufacturing risk, which is partially
mitigated by frequent product introductions. Apple's suppliers are maintained at a safe
distance, but the volumes are sufficient to entice them to join.
4
DISTRIBUTION

Apple's distribution system and efficiency are unrivalled. Because the distribution
function aids Apple's marketing efforts, issues like leaks during product distribution are
treated extremely seriously. Apple stores are the last link in the distribution chain, and
they're crucial for maintaining anonymity while also providing a shopping experience.
Apple receives huge savings for air travel as a result of its enormous volume. Apple's
ability to run a successful distribution and logistics business is aided by all of this.
DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH

Apple invests much on research and development. It creates an impression of being an

innovative corporation by releasing new and inventive items on a regular basis. The
concept is to overspend when it is necessary and reap the rewards afterwards. Apple's
creativity isn't limited to product innovations; it also includes operational improvements.
In an industry dominated by component manufacturers, both hardware and software, it is
feasible to come up with architectural advances. The product's visual components, as well
as integrated networking and media functions that would improve the user experience,
are all part of the R&D effort.

DELL

Michael Dell was the founder of Dell Computer Corporation in 1984 with the goal of
improving computer sales. Direct sales to customers, according to Dell, provide a
considerably higher level of service and are considered as the ultimate competing
ingredient in an established industry. Dell has handled offering service as a product by
designing its PCs as assembled equipment. Dell's approach is based on a number of
factors, including:

 Build-to-order, mass customization

 Direct sales, customer service
 Just-in-time manufacturing
 Supplier collaboration and broad data and information exchange

Dell uses this method to establish real-time virtual integration with its suppliers and
customers, making them appear to be part of the same company.
CUSTOMER SEGMENTATION

Dell's main customer category is the business sector, to whom it mostly sells to large
organisations. This segment targeting is very certainly the result of the company's

5
operational strategy, rather than the other way around. Dell, on the other hand, is ideal for
corporate customers looking for dependable, high-performance, and cost-effective
products. Customers who want to get their hands on the most up-to-date technology and
enjoy the idea of personalizing their PCs will prefer Dell.
PRODUCTION

Dell, more than any other company, has implemented lean manufacturing and just-in-
time delivery. It has formed cross-company design teams to provide better quality
products after forming agreements with its suppliers. Some of Dell's suppliers are located
close to the company's manufacturing plants, reducing lead times and prices.

This has three benefits:

i. Dell isn't in the component design and manufacturing business, which is quite
competitive. It evaluates potential suppliers and chooses the one that is most suited
to its requirements.
ii. ii. The just-in-time production method has resulted in cost reductions that may be
passed on to price-sensitive clients, allowing the company to steal market share
from competitors.
iii. iii. Because of its production methods, Dell can be significantly more responsive
in releasing component-based improvements into the marketplace.

Dell also uses build-to-order manufacturing and offers large customization options,
which adds to the value proposition for consumers. It also reduces inventory carrying
costs and the danger of obsolescence.

DISTRIBUTION

Dell offers its products to customers directly. Because service is such an important part of
Dell's offering, direct sales allowed the company to gain a deeper understanding of its
customers' needs. Dell got quick feedback on its goods as well as instances of bugs,
which it was able to address in a matter of days. It was able to spot sales patterns rapidly,
and by sharing this information with its suppliers, it was able to organise its operations
more efficiently. It is striving to connect suppliers, manufacturers, and logistic networks
in its supply chain, which has integrated demand. The direct sales strategy works in
tandem with the just-in-time, made-to-order, bespoke production system.

6
DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH

Dell's research and development efforts are mostly aimed at enhancing its assembly
process and quality control. It also collaborated with its vendors to assist and track
component changes, so assisting in the creation of the computer models it could supply.
For example, due of its links with its suppliers and participation in their research work,
Dell delivered longer-lasting batteries in its PCs. In general, development work include
improving quality and implementing cutting-edge technology in order to make goods
more user-friendly and save money.

7
 COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

To compete in this extremely competitive industry, Dell and Apple have pursued two
quite different tactics. Marketing, operations, HR, and other areas are all aligned in a
similar fashion. The table below summaries the comparative examination of each of these
aspects.

FUNCTION CHARACTERISTIC DELL APPLE

CUSTOMERS Customer Behaviour Reasoners: Prefer Believers: Base their
to gather all the buy choice on past
data alone, prior to purchase inclinations.
making their
decision to buy.
Customer Value  Customized Advantageous
solutions Differentiation
intended to • Highlight
satisfy distinguishing features
customer's such as high resolution
needs and long battery life.
• Product has an
experiential worth due
to its quality,
advancement, innovati
on, and sleek design.
Customer Needs Customers require Customers require
utilitarian products. something aspirational.
• High • High quality 
performance  • Easy to use 
• Low cost  • Innovative features 
• Reliability  • Aesthetic value
• Cutting-edge
technology
Customer Segment Institutions of Private companies
business and focusing on arranging
government new IT framework
Customers from Individuals who are

8
 large corporations value seekers, steadfast

MARKETING Product Customization Standard models

 Intended to  Intended to give
client's customer
requirement experience
s,  Restricted
straightforw assortment -
ard minor
 There is a components like
wide range disk storage and
of products colors
available on
the market.
Packaged with Give pre-buy and post
services and buy experience
support
Products are Product integration
offered with most with advanced features
recent innovation and innovative style
in terms of parts
and components
Price Affordability Considered to be
premium price
 But not
necessarily  Hard to beat the
price cost for
competition comparable
 Satisfy features
price-  Customers who
conscious partner cost
customers with quality
Place Direct Sales Through Apple stores
 Company  Buy through
website site accessible,
however it is
not popular

9
 Promotion Plentiful Rarely
• Regular  Limited
deals discounts
• Free- accessible to
Shipping specific people
and
• Multi-buy organizations
offers (students)

DISTRIBUTION Channel Direct delivery to Delivery is done

customer through Apple Stores
Logistics Key associations to Negotiations and
empower high discounted savings for
service levels high volumes
Inventory Nearly Nil High inventories,
especially to meet the
 An
demand when product
augmentation
is launched
of just-in-time
assembling
Customer Dell benefits from Retail sales has the
Engagement direct sales since it purpose of:
allows them to • interaction on a
better understand personal level for
their customers' customers
demands.
• Before purchase,
• Detect the trends product can be
• Detect issues and checked and can touch
respond quickly personally.

MANUFACTUR Process On demand Outsourced production

ING Production operations
 Production  Scale economy
areas  Significant
 Supplier components are
provide parts acquired
Supply Not many Providers at a safe
merchants yet long distance

10
 relationship, High volume of
enables just in time products
process Every provider is
controlled
Forecasting Dell able to predict Apple additionally
the demand of its utilizes progressed
products precisely anticipating procedures
as they use direct and can assess the
deals demand at each store
•Exact forecasts are • Production
significant for plans are changed
supporting zero- appropriately
stock and lean • Precise figures
assembling are significant as risk
practices of stock going out of
date is very high due to
frequent product
launch

TECHNOLOGY Technology of the Both Apple and Dell sell high technical and
product innovative things.
Research & • Working on Apple is viewed as a
Development quality profoundly innovative
• Reducing organization. The
Expenses R&D is an important
function and spotlights
• Helping on:
accomplice
providers to further • Creating premium
develop innovation design
• Superior execution
and quality
• Ease of use, customer
experience
Innovation  Dell can  Apple can
carry out come up with
component engineering
based advancement
advanceme which a setup

11
 nt much like Dell can't
rapidly to accomplish
its  Its profoundly
customers coordinated,
in view of easy to
JIT and understand,
direct deals sleek designs
 Empowers are esteemed
customers by target
to exploit customers
latest  Customers can
component exploit top
s to take notch packaged
care of highlights like
processes media and
networking

SERVICE Quality High quality service and support provided by

both Apple and Dell
Complaints by Dell pays special Despite the fact
customers attention to that the support
customers' isn't broad as Dell
problems. the support by
Provides ongoing Apple is liked by
support customers

Support Dell provides When a client is not

all customers with able to hand in a
on-site support. broken product, they
have support centre
where they can pick it
up for repairing.
Reliability Dell provides a Apple is regarded as an
guarantee period of excellent service
30 days to its provider with no
customers. guarantees.
Responsive To assist the The employees are
customers, Dell has trained to assist the
a 24X7 customer customer with multiple
support center queries regarding the

12
 product
Relationship Dell's personal Apple cultivates
salesman maintains consumer relationships
solid relationships through its stores and
with its large face-to-face
clients and makes conversations.
them feel valued.

FINDINGS

APPLE

13
Apple understands the difficulties of sourcing and assembling smartphones in China. The
selection and maintenance of suppliers by Apple is an important element in the success of
the company (Apple, 2022). Apple identifies the suppliers by watching the supplier's
ability to make the samples. Apple requires its suppliers to purchase materials from
sources it recommends. Apple also looks for other suppliers to increase its base of
suppliers and enhance its bargaining power. For example, Foxconn, which has been
assembling iPads and iPhones for years, now has competition with Pegatron which is the
smallest Taiwanese company which makes iPhone for lower prices.

Five best supplier selection strategies used by Apple:

1. Visit the factories: The supplier must have the ability to fulfil orders in a given
time and also the capacity to produce products of better quality. Visiting the
production area offers Apple an impression of the capacity and ability of the
employees. It also gives an insight into the leadership and development potential
of the company. An idea of the product and the way it is made can be gained by
looking at samples and demos.
2. Negotiate and monitor: Having many suppliers for the same goods gives you
greater bargaining power and lowers your risk. When negotiating with suppliers,
Apple focuses not only on money but also on quality. Inspection prior to export is
critical, as the cost of returning faulty items to China is unreasonably high due to
tariffs.
3. Know your supplier’s suppliers: Visibility is essential to reduce risks like poor
quality. Suppliers can often change their suppliers to reduce cost. The source of
the different parts used in a product must be monitored to ensure that the quality of
the product provided to Apple is not compromised.
4. Provide support: Once the high-performance suppliers have been identified,
Apple shows openness to support them by providing training to improve the skills
of the employees and also helps the suppliers to understand that using cheaper
materials in not the only way to improve sustainable margin.
5. Proper flow of information: In order to build a long-term relationship, it is not
enough to just have annual visits and third-party reports. It is crucial to have
ongoing communication with the suppliers by having regular longtime line of
communication which includes constructive feedback. This also helps to avoid
misunderstandings and address issues at the earliest stage before it becomes a big
crisis.

DELL

14
Integrity, ethical business practices, and a high ethical standard are at the heart of what
Dell does. Dell holds its supply chain partners to the same standards. Respect for
employees, environment and the communities is a basic expectation, and ensuring these
expectations are met is a requirement of doing business with Dell. Recognising risks,
reinforcing values, and pushing change all require an effective management structure.
COLLABORATION ACROSS INDUSTRIES TO ADDRESS SHARED ISSUES

Many of Dell's vendors offer components to a variety of electronics firms. As a result, it's
critical that businesses collaborate and follow a consistent approach to monitoring
supplier performance, addressing systemic difficulties, and raising the standard. The
Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) was created in 2004 by Dell and other top
electronics businesses to address supplier performance in different areas such as, health
and safety and environment.
IDENTIFYING RISKS

Dell analyses risk of the supplier and produces an yearly audit strategy for their supplier
facilities once a year. Throughout the risk assessment process Dell examines all material
suppliers based on their location, connection with other businesses, procedures used in
production, SER performances in the past, and reports from the public. During the
onboarding of new suppliers, they are subjected to a risk assessment. Suppliers must
undergo an audit depending on their risk level, in line with the RBA Code of Conduct
(Dell, 2022).
REINFORCING VALUES: AUDITS AND CORRECTIVE ACTION PLANS

It is mandatory for all high-risk manufacturing suppliers and select service providers of
Dell to undertake regular audits. All Dell audits are undertaken by third-party audit
companies and follow the RBA's Audit Protocol.
As per Dell (2022) the goal of conducting these audits is to ensure that the drawbacks
which are identified do not re-occur.

Once a problem or need for improvement has been identified, suppliers must create a root
cause analysis and come up with an action plan to make improvements. Once these action
plans have been put into practice, official closure audits and remote closures are
conducted by Dell to make sure that the problems identified have been corrected. This
allows the standards to be regularly reinforced.

ORDER WINNER’S AND ORDER QUALIFIERS

Order Winners, are the 'winning' attributes that lead customers to purchase a product.

15
Order qualifiers are vital qualities that an item should possess to enter into a competition.

As customers’ expectations are expanding, the present order winner turns into the
tomorrow's order qualifier. This is on the grounds that customers experience winning
credits in an item, which turns into a certified trait in the following item. For instance,
finger print recognizing innovation was once a winning attribute for a cell phone, which
could now apparently be viewed as a qualifying attribute.
ORDER WINNER FOR APPLE

Apple is known to be one of the top 10 innovative organisations in the world. Innovation
therefore becomes an order winner for Apple.
ORDER QUALIFIER FOR APPLE

Cost and Quality are the order qualifiers for Apple and as Apple’s products are in the
premium pricing range, they do not complete with low-cost brands
ORDER WINNER FOR DELL

For Dell the order winner is customization. As Dell has a direct sales model, thus
customer can customize it from their end according to their needs. Comparing from its
competitors, Dell gives the freedom to the customer to get what they want.
ORDER QUALIFIER FOR DELL

Dell has competition and customer service as their order qualifiers. Dell has an agile
supply chain, means they does not holds inventory, thus they don’t have to wait for its
inventory to get sold out as most of its competitors has to do. Thus they have an
advantage to introduce new technology into the market which drives the customers
towards them.

CUSTOMER SERVICE
APPLE CUSTOMER SERVICE

16
The Apple Support account acknowledge all feedbacks received. Apple addresses any
complaints effectively and also recognises those people who speak highly of them. This
way both groups of people are made to feel like they are listened to

You can call, or go on the web or visit an Apple store and they will sort the things out for
you. Apple likewise get the things dealt over online media.

Apple shares many new tricks and recordings on their online media page which draws
customer's attention and also helps them to get new customers.
DELL CUSTOMER SERVICE

Initially Dell was considering every customer same by offering one size fit for all the
customers. They changed their strategy by segmenting their customers into three
segments.

Customer who wanted the products quickly: Some customers did not have any specific
needs or wants. They only wanted to get the product quickly. Thus, Dell shipped the
finished goods quickly without any wait.

Dell has a direct sales model; thus, it was easy for the customer to contact the support
team directly to fix the issue. Apart from this, Dell has also introduced My Dell Support
system which scans the system periodically and shares any details regarding the
replacement of the hardware or software.

INVENTORY MANAGEMENT

The inventory management of Apple and Dell are carried out in different ways. When
comparing the two, it is evident that Apple uses build-to-stock strategy, known as push
type manufacturing, whereas Dell uses build-to-order strategy, known as pull type
manufacturing (Amit and Zott, 2020). The build-to-stock strategy allows Apple to
produce a huge volume of products even before a customer has placed an order whereas,
Dell has a strategy where the products are only produced once the customer has placed
the order. This difference in the inventory management of both these companies also
mean that Apple concentrates more on mass production and Dell focuses more on mass
customisation. Both meet the needs of the customers but in unique ways.

CONCLUSION

After thorough analysis of both the supply chains of Apple and Dell, it can be seen that
they both have strategies that work in different ways which allows both companies to

17
flourish in their own way. However, there are gaps in both supply chains, where
recommendations can be suggested to improve the supply chain and therefore increase
profitability and improve the business.

RECOMMENDATIONS

18
After having analysed all of the information gathered from the case study and other
sources it was discovered that both companies would benefit from some
recommendations.

Dell’s use of online platform to sell products creates a huge profit and it allows product
versatility. However, it reduces product visibility, which a lot of customers value. While
conducting the questionnaire it was evident that a lot of customers preferred seeing the
physical product before purchasing it. If Dell was to have physical stores like Apple,
customers would be able to see and use more of their products before buying it,
improving customer trust and therefore, customer loyalty.

Another recommendation is that Dell should develop their own logistics network and
increase their Research and Development (R&D) spending. They currently rely on
external logistics support to deliver their services. A much lower percentage of Dell’s
revenue is spent on R&D, when comparing to its major competitors (Projects4mba, 2022).
This has reduced Dell’s patent portfolio and prevents the company from reaching its
potential in the smartphone and tablet industries.

A recommendation for Apple is that it should outsource its warehousing. This will
increase the speed of the supply chain through trade-off inhouse dependability (Rushton,
Croucher & Baker 2017). Apple could also introduce the use of data analytics and
Internet of Things (IOT) to run the supply chain and business more effectively and
efficiently.

Another suggestion for Apple is that they should have better ways of regulating the way
the suppliers work. According to Material Handling and Logistics (2012), (35%) of the
suppliers do not meet workplace safety standards, set out by Apple. This can increase the
number of injuries caused and therefore deficit the relationship with the suppliers. On the
other-hand Dell has set out an Alliance, which allows it to assess the suppliers and
understand whether they meet the criteria set out in the RBA.

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Hilmola,O.P.,Li,W.andTolli,A.,2020.Lowinterestrateenvironment:inventorymanagementi
nFinlandandBalticstates.InternationalJournalofProductivityandPerformanceManagement.
Amit, R. and Zott, C., 2020. Business model innovation strategy. John Wiley & Sons,
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Apple, 2022. Join the Apple Operations and Supply Chain team to bring innovation to
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APPENDIX

SOME QUESTIONS ASKED TO CUSTOMERS AND DEPARTMENT MANAGERS

20
1. As a customer do you prefer to purchase products online or in store?
2. As a manager do you find that customers’ needs are always met within the store?
3. Do you always find the product you are looking for available in the store?
4. What attracts you to this store?
5. What attract you the most of Apple Product?
A: Price [ ] B: Quality [ ]
C: innovation [ ] D: Design [ ]
6. What attract you the most of Dell Product
A: Price [ ] B: Quality [ ]
C: innovation [ ] D: Design [ ]
7. As a manager do you find that there is always enough stock in the stores to meet the
customers’ needs?
8. Rank these following attributes of Apple Product (1 – best and 5- least best)
Innovative, Style, Design, Price and Customer Service
9. Rank these following attributes of Apple Product (1 – best and 5- least best)
Innovative, Style, Design, Price and Customer Service
10. Does Dell allow you to get what you want (specific configurations)?
A: Yes [ ] B: No [ ]
11. 8. Does Apple allow you to get what you want (specific configurations)?
A: Yes [ ] B: No [ ]

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