stock

The Fall of Apple?!?!?

Posted on by spr1312tkulawiak

There has been tons of speculation recently about the way the most interesting company in the world, known as Apple, is headed. Stock prices fell below $400, an over 40% decline since an all time high last September. The company has not introduced a new product in over six months and it will be at least another three by the time a new one is available in the marketplace. Lastly, competition is rising as the  HTC One and Galaxy S4 are slated to be on the market soon which could lead to a decrease of sales of the iPhone. Apple will release its quarterly results next Tuesday April 23rd and the numbers are expected to fall short of Apples quarterly forecast, which will decrease the stock price even more.

While there is cause for concern, as with any major corporation, Apple does have many thing to look forward to with one of them being customer loyalty, great management, and near future product releases.

There is not a consumer base out there that are as loyal as Apple consumers. An easy way to prove this is look around any DePaul classroom. First of, the vast majority of students have some a Macbook as their laptop. A greater portion of these students also have an iPhone as their phone. Finally, I would bet that these students also listen to iPods on their morning commutes to school or work. To truly find a company that has better customer loyalty would be a task in itself.

Another reason that Apple will rebound is because they have great management. Many people say that Steve Jobs made the company what it is today. That is true in a way but the support and management around Jobs had to be up to his level as he could not control every part of the company. Apple did not become one of the most valuable companies in the world because of one person.

Many investors proclaim that the reason the stock price is falling is because Apple has not released any new products. That is about to change in the upcoming months as there are speculations the new version of the iPhone is slated to come  out late this summer. When Apple states the new iPhone release date, that alone will boost stock price. As shown by the image to the right, stock prices increase significantly when a product is released.

 

 

 

As we know, Apple has been one of the most dominating and valuable companies in the world. Recently stock prices have dropped over 40% and sales are predicted to fall short of the quarterly forecast. Many loyal consumers are waiting for the next big thing from Apple but the company is not delivering. What do you think about Apples recent struggles? Has Apple really lost its touch in the market as competition is constantly increasing or will the release of the new iPhone restore Apples value and investor confidence in the company?

 

Sources

http://theweek.com/article/index/242933/apples-stock-price-reaches-new-low-why-are-investors-so-jittery

http://www.forbes.com/sites/gregsatell/2013/04/17/whats-going-on-with-apples-stock/

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/mobile-phone/3436742/iphone-6-release-date/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rogerdooley/2012/07/17/apple-enemy/

INVENTORY TIME!

Posted on by dounyah301s12

In the past I have worked in retail for five consecutive years. I have worked for many well known companies, such as Victoria’s Secret, Hollister Co., and Wilson’s Leather to name a few. Customer service was our primary role and we were really focused on the customers. But other than that, inventory was just as important. It was the backbone of the company.  Without a sufficient amount of inventory, we would not be able to make our sales.

As an employee at Victoria’s Secret, we had a huge back room where we had our inventory stock. It was shelves and and rows full of the many items we sold. I was in charge of counting all the items we had in stock every two months. I would record the quantity and sizes of each item we had. It was torturous due to how stocked our inventory was. But in return this was great for our customers. If they didn’t find their size on the sales floor, more than likely we had it in the back room. At times we would be at fault for ordering more than what we needed, which made our stock room a bit messy. That caused for our inventoried items to be missplaced at times.

 

In contrast to having an abundant stock room, as an employee at Wilson’s Leather, I noticed over time we were not efficiently stocked. Our back room was much too small to have a large inventory of leather coats. This caused turmoil between the company and its customers. If the jacket on the sales floor was not in their size, more than likely we did not have it in the back. We would use the alternative of calling other Wilson’s Leather stores in the area and send the customer to another location. This caused us to lose many sales and new customers. It seemed as though we were more of a boutique due to the size of our store and how it could not accomadate a well stocked inventory room.

In conclusion, inventory plays a vital role in a company’s overall performance and customer service satisfaction. Inventory generates sales and allows customers to have confidence in the company, for having the item they want. At Victoria’s Secret we would get audited yearly and it allowed us to see how many total items we should have , compared to what we truly have.

 

Do you think Inventory truly affects a company’s overall performance?