The main aim of this assignment is to highlight the order qualifier and order winner in the context of operation management. Order qualifiers and order winners are two processes to be attained in the market place by any kind of organization. The definition of both criterions will be discussed under this assignment for the purpose of giving depth understanding towards both concepts. The literature review will be elaborated by taking consideration of various journal articles, books and online sources. Apple Inc. will be taken in order to emphasise both concepts in an effective manner. Background of the company will be demonstrated in this paper with challenges in the operations of the company. Recommendations will be made in the context of bringing attention of the company towards a right approach for supply chain so that improvement can be done in order qualifier or winner.
Apple was founded by Steve Jobs in 1976 with the motto of “Think Differently”. The company has introduced Macintosh in 1984 and then the company has transformed into the multinational company that is able to design, sells and develops computer software, consumer electronics and online services (Mourdoukoutas, 2018). The company manages its business in different locations such as Japan, Asia Pacific, Europe and America. The sale of Apple is continually growing due to high-quality products. The company has opened around 86 stores in USA (McGregor, 2012). There are some competitors IBM, Dell, Hewlett-Packard. The company has faced a number of challenges in the context of developing high-quality services to the customers. It is required by the company to set marketing and communication aims before introducing project to people due to lots of competitors in the market.
According to Leuschner, Rogers and Charvet, (2013), there are major two criteria in the business that is ordered qualifiers and order winners that should be achieved by the company. It has been found that the concept of order winners and order qualifier is developing from an endeavor to elaborate how internal capabilities can be liable to attain the competitive advantages and market success. Christopher, (2016), argued that the role of the operational strategy in any kind of organization keeps huge value as it is developed within the business in order to achieve the aims of low-cost production, improve quality of the products, improve delivery times and maintain the quality of output. Moreover, it is necessary for the company to keep the focus on the objective for the purpose of delivering the products as per the requirements. It has been found that it is hard for many organizations to expand all strategic areas of operation for the purpose of planning their operation strategy in a way in which the quality is high, the cost is low and speed of delivery is fast.
Lee, Hu, Yen and Tsai, (2008), elaborated that order winners and order qualifiers are two major terms in operation management that refer the way of converting the internal operational capabilities into the criteria which helps the company to bring market success. It represents the connection between operations and marketing. Employees who handle operations are liable for attaining order winner and order qualifying of marketing that handles the products in order to win the orders in the competitive market. In the context of an order qualifier, it is the context that considers the features of the product that is needed by the customers and order winners. Nielsen, Chambers and Farr, CertusView Tech, (2015), defined the order qualifiers and stated that it is the concept that covers those criteria on which the company must comply in an effective manner in the form of the supplier. Moreover, he defined that the success or more focus on such concept can lead the company into saving zone where the company can convert order qualifiers key candidate into order winners.
Laudon and Laudon, (2016), stated in the context of order winner that the function of order winner is a feature of attracting customer and mind their change towards product into buying. In the growth of the business, both concepts contribute in a significant manner by being value drivers for the business in order to get growth in the linked industry. It is required by the company to keep the focus on the competition by being good competitors. Along with that the organization needs to be cautious while handling with such concepts. If the company generate that kind of high level of quality products which is the cause of raising the cost of productions and amplifies the market price then enhancement in the quality of the products can lead the company into loss of order (Lockett, Johnson, Evans and Bastl, 2011). The company should focus on the strategically plan at the time of making order qualifier against order winner in the market.
With respect to Apple Inc, it has been found that the concept of order qualifier and order winner are different for the company. The target customer of Apple is high-income customers that have limited store all over the world. It has been found that opened a separate retail channel for iPhone that has collaborated with number of various mobile operators for the purpose of reaching maximum customers for purchasing of Iphone.
There are various competitive priorities that reflect the importance of the operation managers which shows that they need to work nearly with marketing for the purpose of getting better understanding of the competitive situation in the market of the company earlier than they can decide which kind of competitive priorities keep significant value. The quality of the products of Apple is well known all over the world. The reason behind such activity is that Apple has an upper level of benefit to meet the demand of the high end customers (Lyles, Flynn and Frohlich, 2008). The main motive of the company is to bring the attention of those people who love their standards and believe in high quality products instead of focusing on cost. It has been found that the company develop two products with high quality and latest technology and spend a lot of investment of them in order to satisfy the customers instead of crowding the market with lots of product. It has been analyzed that the company has been fully outsourced in the market of Taiwan in order to lower the cost of production by redesigning the value chain system of the company. In the context of the strength of the company, it has been found that the company believes in low investment cost as it has outsourced its production (Kerzner and Kerzner, 2017). It was apparent that the order winner strategy of this company is aligned with high end customers.
In the context of Apple Inc, it has been analyzed that the order qualifiers are categorized into two segments such as the low end segment and high end segment. The order qualifiers in the reference of the low end segment are that availability of phones and functionality. With respect to high end segment, order qualifiers cover prestige, trendiness, image and availability of data content. Apple has tried to be available for all kind of person for which the phones, iPods, computer and other items of the company are available on instalment so that one can approach it without pressuring by high cost. The main motive of the company is to provide high quality to the customers which consume high cost. The company has taken various initiatives in order to attain competitive advantages (Huo, 2012). The company has started to develop products that would support anywhere and there is an example of iphone 6 that supports 16 and 20 different long-term evolution bands relying on the model. It shows that if someone buys iphone in US can use all over Europe and Asia with rapid download speeds.
The company has approached number of strategies in order to make changes in the order winner and order qualifier. To maintain the quality of the products and spread the availability of brand, Apple Inc, has developed a website which is purist and standards across 125 world regions and consider as the brand mirror. The company has to make a transformation in the sites and allow different languages on the site so that one could reach as per their comfort. The content on the sites is highly customized through local copywriters (Slack and Brandon-Jones, 2018). Along with that, the company selects country after analyzing all conditions of such country where the company can do business carefully. It has been found that it has happened for the very first time in iphone history that the company is on track in which the company is available around 115 countries. In the context of localization, it has been analyzed that the company can use one kind of strategy for their products, but the role of localization strategy allows them to launch in a number of countries as the company has lower customization to subject their mobile phones to.
Apple has designed the products towards outstanding margins on its products, developing it very much the desire of its rivals in the electronic space of the customers. The company has approached many places through its distributors and applied generic and intensive growth strategy in order to make effective strategies within the company in the context of pricing, marketing and other zones of the business (Prajogo and McDermott, 2011). It has been found from the above discussion that the availability is the order qualifier for the company and it is necessary for the company to bring this aspect in the stage of order winner. The company has taken various initiatives to reach out the customers. Supply chain planning of Apple Inc is appropriate as it initiates from R&D, conduct, manage, resolve and review.
Figure: Supply Chain of Apple Inc.
Source: (Apple Inc. 2018).
The company should focus on the agile supply chain in order to make an effective change within the business. Agile supply chain is developed within the business in order to be the upper level of flexible in order to be able to quickly focus on changing situations. Order winner for the company is quality that is why it is vital for the company to keep focus on the agile supply chain as an agile supply chain of the company keeps focus on the good processes. It is the system by which the company can align the demand of the customers to make them satisfied. The capabilities of the agile supply chain are measured and made in order to purchase products from outside approach. It has been found that the operational planning of agile supply chain has major focused on the abilities for receptiveness sudden changes in demand.
It is succeeded in its approach as it helps company to expand its business globally.
Conclusion
It has been concluded from the above discussion that the role of the operation management is huge in the growth of the company. Apple Inc has been taken in order to demonstrate the key concepts of order qualifier and order winner. The definition of both concepts has been elaborated under this assignment by taking help of various journal articles, books and online sources. It is required by the company to keep the focus on the competition by being good competitors. It has been found that the company had an effective supply chain on which the company should focus on both order winner and order qualifiers to remain in the competitive market.
References
Apple Inc. 2018. Technology designed for all the ways your employees want to work. Available [online] https://www.apple.com/in/business/products-platform/ Accessed on 21 Dec 2018.
Christopher, M., 2016. Logistics & supply chain management. Pearson UK.
Huo, B., 2012. The impact of supply chain integration on company performance: an organizational capability perspective. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 17(6), pp.596-610.
Kerzner, H. and Kerzner, H.R., 2017. Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons.
Laudon, K.C. and Laudon, J.P., 2016. Management information system. Pearson Education India.
Lee, Y.C., Hu, H.Y., Yen, T.M. and Tsai, C.H., 2008. Kano’s model and decision making trial and evaluation laboratory applied to order-winners and qualifiers improvement: a study of computer industry. Information Technology Journal, 7(5), pp.702-714.
Leuschner, R., Rogers, D.S. and Charvet, F.F., 2013. A meta?analysis of supply chain integration and firm performance. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 49(2), pp.34-57.
Lockett, H., Johnson, M., Evans, S. and Bastl, M., 2011. Product Service Systems and supply network relationships: an exploratory case study. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 22(3), pp.293-313.
Lyles, M.A., Flynn, B.B. and Frohlich, M.T., 2008. All supply chains don’t flow through: Understanding supply chain issues in product recalls. Management and Organization Review, 4(2), pp.167-182.
McGregor, J. 2012. Apple’s Tim Cook faces leadership challenge on labour issue. Available [online] https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-leadership/post/apple-ceo-tim-cooks-leadership-challenge-with-foxconn-suppliers-in-china-and-the-new-labor-report/2011/04/01/gIQAiLM9kS_blog.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.44b5b1a78aa5 Accessed on 21 Dec 2018.
Mourdoukoutas, P. Apple’s Four Challenges. Available [online] https://www.forbes.com/sites/panosmourdoukoutas/2011/10/05/apples-four-challenges/#4b3c1c14149e. Accessed on 21 Dec 2018.
Nielsen, S., Chambers, C. and Farr, J., CertusView Tech LLC, 2015. Methods and apparatus for managing locate and/or marking operations. U.S. Patent 9,185,176.
Slack, N. and Brandon-Jones, A., 2018. Operations and process management: principles and practice for strategic impact. Pearson UK.
Zorzini, M., Corti, D. and Pozzetti, A., 2008. Due date (DD) quotation and capacity planning in make-to-order companies: Results from an empirical analysis. International Journal of Production Economics, 112(2), pp.919-933.
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