Finance Question – Apple Inc.: Managing a Global Supply Chain

An examination of Exhibit 9 in the Apple case would suggest there may be a relationship between Apple’s supply chain and financial performance.

Part 1 (20%)
Using the information and exhibits in the case, perform a financial analysis, using any of the financial analysis tools, that examines the performance of Apple. Use no more than five ratios in your analysis and select those ratios that are most relevant to the analysis of the supply chain and financial performance. Summarize your findings.

Part 2 (20%)
Compare the performance of Apple with Samsung, Blackberry, and Nokia. What conclusions can you draw from this comparison?

Part 3 (60%)
Prepare a strategy map and balanced scorecard for Apple. The financial and customer perspective should contain at least two objectives and two performance measures for each objective. The internal processes and learning/growth perspectives should contain more detail through additional objectives and performance measures. The strategy map should clearly show causal relationships among the objectives.

Answer Formatting Guidelines:
Organise your answer according to the three part format of the question (using headings and subheadings), having regard to the 1000-word (plus the usual 5% overage) limit. Use point form or bullet points and tables where appropriate or required.