1. How would you categorize Apple’s entry and retail presence in other international markets? With over half of its retail stores outside of the U.S., what type of challenges might Apple face? What could Apple do to better compete and gain greater market share internationally?2. Apple’s supply chain and production are very global. What are some of the key risks from Apple’s global sourcing strategies? What type of recommended changes would you propose for its expanding product lines or would you follow a similar strategy? Why? How would the proposed changes impact profitability?3. The case depicts Apple as a challenging customer for suppliers. It shares that they heavily pressured their suppliers for more value, shifted risk to suppliers, sued their chip supplier because they wanted to vertically integrate and bring that in-house, and rotated employees to ensure the parties did not establish internal relationships that may impede objectivity. How might these supplier strategies be a strength for Apple? How might they be a drawback? Should any be changed, and if so why?
