09 Nov Case Study
Supply Chain Partnership Design and Incentive Alignment – Apple Inc.: Managing a Global Supply Chain Harvard Business School 2014
Focus: Studying the worlds leading supply chain company with particular attention on how they manage their partners.
Key questions to consider:
- Review Apples supply chain for its iPhone product. What differences set it apart from competitors?
- What are Apples key advantages in how it manages its supply chain operations, especially its partnerships?
- What are the challenges that Apple faces in the future, and what are the implications for its supply chain?
- Jessica Grant needs to think about a supply chain investments strategy. How would you frame analysis, recommendations would you make to the companys vice-president, Phillip Duchene, and why? Focus on where you would invest in making vs. buying
Use the case study as a starting point. Conduct a review of the business and academic press to develop a deeper understanding of how Apple decide what to make and what to buy and once it buys how it manages the subsequent outsourced relationship.
