Apple and the iPod Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Apple and the iPod - Case Study Example Competitiveness in terms of the creation of an advantage for a company emanates from having in place and or developing competitive strategies to achieve that end. In the fast paced world of corporate operations companies cannot afford to stand pat on their developments, and or market positioning as its competitors are always seeking to gain market share through acquiring customers as well as retaining their own brand franchise. The pace of technological change, along with fast changing consumer wants, needs, and desires represents a serious challenge that must be planned for as well as implemented. To fully appreciate the context of this examination, one needs to understand that innovation is defined as "the introduction of something new a new idea, method or device (Merriam Webster Online, 2008). Within a corporate mode, this is not a process that can or does happen overnight, it is a corporate culture that emanates from the top of the leadership structure, and is fostered by an atm osphere that prides new ideas and directions (Tidd et al, 201, p. 228). In helping us to understand the context of innovation in a corporate setting Degraff and Lawrence (2002, p. 2) tell us that creativity is a fundamental part of innovation, and in that sense, today's corporations need to be more creative than in the past as a result of the competitiveness of globalisation, and the increased sophistication of consumers who can access the Internet to compare and analyse products. The information age has heightened the stakes in the consumer arena, thus companies must respond in the product segment of their business. In providing us with a further illustration of this new business climate Degraff and Lawrence (2002, p. 2) advise "Creativity, in short, is the core of all the competencies of an organization because creativity is what makes something better or new". The preceding is a core facet of innovation, which also includes new approaches to the creation of products, maintaining active communication with customers to understand the dynamics of their w ants, needs and desires, and then translating this into innovative products (Degraff and Lawrence, 2002, p. 2). The preceding areas have been covered as they represent important considerations in the study of innovation on