Analyze the five business-level strategies discussed to determine which strategy the company you researched most likely applies. Determine how your experience with that company might change if it switched to one of the other four strategies (your choice). Explain your rationale. Any business has objectives to achieve and plans to implement. To achieve these, effective strategies need to be put in place. Each company has its peculiar strategies and methods of work that it uses in its business operations (Tracy, 2015). The number of strategies, however, depends on the size of the company. Large companies use more strategies compared to smaller ones. Importantly, businesses use strategies to guide their stakeholders and achieve their goals. The Apple Inc. is compatible with the five business level strategies, which comprise of cost leadership, low focused cost, differentiation, cost leadership, and integrated differentiation strategy. Through the making of quality products, Apple has maintained its customers irrespective of the high prices. More specifically, Apple places greater accentuation on the differentiation strategy. Additionally, Apple’s generic strategies in marketing and pricing have contributed to its intensive growth. Suppose the Apple Inc. changes its methods of operation, its products may have little or no difference from other company's products. In addition, the broad differentiation between the Apple Company and other competing companies may grow larger. WEEK 4 Discussion 2 From the second e-Activity and the case study, determine how market commonality and resource similarity impact Apple’s competitive standing in terms of its main rivals. Provide specific examples to support your response. Determine what additional steps Apple's competitors are likely to take and how Apple will most likely respond. Explain your rationale. Resource similarity and market commonality are factors to consider in the analyzing the determinants of Apple’s success above its rivals. Apple does not give much attention to its competitors and has never given a chance to other companies to alter its way of operation and production. Through these strategies, Apple tops the list of companies regarding quality products and overall performance (Tracy, 2015). Some companies try to produce similar products to those of Apple Inc. to improve their sales. For example, the Apple iPod and Phones are in demand worldwide irrespective of the stiff competition from other companies. What are the additional steps that the Apple's competitors are likely to take? Apple’s competitors may try to invade the market with low price products with same features as the Apple’s products. For example, Samsung is making recognizable efforts to beating Apple by coming up with quality products such as Samsung Galaxy Note II that imitates an iPhone in the way it operates.