Apple Business Research

Business Research Project- Part 1

Kristen Gall, Kimberly Heng, Kinita McDaniel, Jordan Paul, Jamal Robinson, Ken Ryan

QNT/561

September 26, 2016

Raj Singh

Business Research Project- Part 1

        Apple Inc. is one company that has been a innovator in the technology industry for quite some time. According to Mallin, M. & Finke, T. (2011), “Apple, Inc. is responsible for bringing to market such products as the Macintosh desktop and portable computer, IPod and ITunes, and most recently the IPhone” (Apple Inc.: Product Portfolio Analysis). The company is in competition with Windows, Microsoft and many cellphone manufacturers, which include but are not limited to HTC, Samsung and many others. Over the years Apple has meet and exceeded the goals they have set for themselves by ensuring that the products that they produce are extremely user friendly as well as competitive and viable. Although Apple has had some challenges, this organization has accomplished a standard of progressively improving products to make them a company of longevity and success.

Independent and Dependent Variables

An independent variable is one which isn’t changed by the business itself but it does have an effect on the business. For example, one independent variable is customer demographics. The customer demographics of the populations that are around Apple store locations have an effect on Apple’s sales. Customer demographics include not only race and ethnicity, but also income level, age, and family status. A business like Apple would be more likely to gain business profits from locations that are in metropolitan areas with more people of a certain income level as opposed to locations that are in more rural areas where the population may be sparser. Customer demographics is considered an independent variable because it remains unchanged or unaffected by the actions of the business itself. It is independent of any outside influences, but it does indeed have an effect on the business.

Apple Inc. has many dependent variables because the company makes many different products. The main dependent variable for the company is its’ sales revenue on the products. Examples would be the sale of IPhones, MacBook Pros, Apple Watch and Apple TV. Sales on these products would be considered the dependent variable. The reason why the sales revenue is the dependent variable because it “depends” on the products that are being made by Apple. If these products are not created and soled then there is no sales revenue. According to Apple’s Financial Statement in 2015, total sale revenue for the tech giant was about USD $231 billion. This is a clear indicator that a majority of Apple’s profit relies on the sale of the products they manufacture.