1. Explain Apple’s success over the last decade. Think about which industries it has disrupted and how. Also take a look at Apple’s main competitors.
2. Is Apple’s success attributable to industry effect or firm effects, or a combination of both? Explain.
3. Apply the three-step process for developing a good strategy outlined earlier (diagnose the competitive challenge, derive a guiding policy, and implement a set of coherent actions) to Apple’s situation today. Which recommendations would you have for Apple to outperform its competitors in the future?
4. Do you think it is so hard to not only gain, but also to sustain a competitive advantage?