Apple Business Marketing Strategy

Apple Business Marketing Strategy |1 1 Introduction Apple is one of the leading companies in IT industry and during the last decade it has created a high level successful brand image and blazed the trail for the personal computer industry with its innovative products and strong marketing strategies.Apple Inc. has incorporated numerous features that are unique and well known in the market today. We consider that there are several Apple products with several appealing features such as: iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad. These products represent a revolutionary era for the development of Apple. By placing such products in the market, Apple Inc. has attracted a lot of customers in one way or another. Highly advanced technology, simplicity and design, and the sense of luxury are the main features integrated in these products. Moreover the comfort and convenience that these products provide are very crucial.This market plan aims to analyse the marketing strategies that have been used by Apple In c. in order to develop its worldwide domination in all aspects of the computers (PC, Laptops and Tablets), digital music players, mobile phones, and multimedia and telecommunication industries. Furthermore, the core competence and company mission will be analysed in order to determine which focus points Apple should try to enhance in the future. 1. 1 Company Background Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne established Apple on April 1, 1976 in order to sell the Apple 1 computer kit that was hand built by Steve Wozniak.Demand convinced Jobs that there was a distinct market for small computers and with a clear vision and consumer friendly product, Apple went public in 1980 and became the most successful initial public offering since Ford Motor Company in 1956. Meanwhile, Steve Jobs left the company and stiff external competition with other companies such as IBM and Microsoft throughout the 1980s nearly forced apple into bankruptcy by the mid-1990s. However, to stay afloat, Apple started to innovate their PC products lines and expand into the digital music players industry. Apple was a company that was based on innovation and when I left Apple we were ten years ahead of anybody else. It took Microsoft ten years to copy Windows† said Steve Jobs. In 2001, apple introduced its new innovated iPod portable digital audio player. The product was phenomenally successful at the time (over 100 million units were sold within six years). In the last decade, Apple has achieved unparalleled success in different markets and now designs, manufactures and markets PCs, Mobile Phones and Music player with its unique applications and iTune software.However, Apple’s revolutionary CEO, Steve Jobs, passed away in 2011, and today Apple continues to lead in industry in innovation with its award-wining computers, OS X operating system and iLife professional applications. Apple Business Marketing Strategy |2 2 Situational Analysis Apple makes enormous efforts to different iate its products from its competitors by developing products that have already been out in the market, making them exclusive and giving them new features. In most of the scenarios Apple has not been the first to the market and as a result, the risk of being first to the market is lower.Moreover, Apple always focuses on one rather than many. Compare to their closest competitor, Samsung, Apple make people and customers excited and wait for their new technology and product. For instance, by introducing Siri technology (which had already been existed before Apple iPhone 4s) Apple could make the iPhone 4s special from other smartphones at the time which the leads Apple commands a one third share of the smartphone market. However, the iPhone and iPad have combined to help iOS dominate competing mobile operating systems with a two-thirds share of the market.The graph below indicates that after Apple introduced the iPhone 4s, the iOS market share has reached to the peak of 61% among all th e smartphones. Figure 1: Smartphones Market share *Retrieved from http://seekingalpha. com/article/839661-the-iphone-s-growth-rate-has-peaked on 24/11/2012 2. 1 Market Growth Apple Inc. ’s Market started growing in 1997 then decreased slightly, until 2000. From then on it is steeply growing. Starting in the U. S. , after the comeback of Steve Jobs, Apple started selling overseas as well.Since many of Apple’s parts and products are produced outside the U. S. (Europe and Asia), not only are the production costs lower, but Apple also got to have better insights in those markets According to the latest Apple annual report announcement, Apple Inc. has made the total net sales of 156,508 million dollar in 2012 which as compare with 2010 it is considerably increased by 240%. The financial history of Apple over the past three years is shown by the table below which illustrates a very successful growth. Apple Business Marketing Strategy 3 Figure2: Apple annual financial report *Retrieved from http://investor. apple. com/financials. cfm on 24/11/12 However, the largest income of the Apple has come from the iPhone product which approximately consists of 58% the entire products have been sold by them. Furthermore, the enormous increase of Apple income is done by introducing iPad mini as their one of recent product. According to the Apple announcement in November 2012, they have sold three million iPads in just three days which is their biggest achievement in the last decade. . 2 Porter Five Forces Analysis Porter five forces analysis will be used to determine the attractiveness of the market and to analyse the needs and trends in the macro-environment. It is also used to identify the situation of iPhone, iPod, iPad and iMac among its competitors and customers, and clarify what the general environment for their operations is. 2. 2. 1 The Bargaining Power of Buyers Generally, Apple buyers have not many options for a specific product and one of the biggest issu e for the customers is the high price.In this market segmentation, the buyer concentration is medium, since a lot of young people are using iPod or Mac from apple, so they think iPhone will be a revolution mobile phone that contains a lot of especially features. Apple intends to introduce one model per year whereas Samsung gives variety of options with lower prices. As it is mentioned earlier, Apple focuses on â€Å"One† rather than â€Å"Many† which it makes customers think this is something special from the others. 2. 2. 2 The bargaining power of suppliersAlmost 90% of the Apple products are procured and manufactured by other suppliers which are mainly the chipmakers and touch-sensitive display producer (for touch screen products). Apple Inc. has been cooperated with many chipset produce manufactories for long time, including Intel Apple Business Marketing Strategy |4 (Provided CPU), Micron Technology (Provided digital camera CMOS) and Samsung (Flash memory chip). A lot of chipset producers have a good long term relationship with Apple Inc. Therefore, the bargaining power of supplier is low. 2. 2. The threat of new entrants Since there are considerable investments to be made for setting up PC industry, new entrants would be reluctant. Though there is scope for white-box PC’s having a share of 35% world-wide in 2006, but since the existing companies have created strong branding awareness, this threat would be low. 2. 2. 4 The threat of substitute products The more differentiation of product the less likely the switch to a substitute will occur. Of prices are higher then, the company with the higher price has to provide justification for the increase.But what makes Apple the winning company among the very competition intense sector in several industries that they work in, is their unique brand image and customer loyalty. However, with technology undergoing paradigm shifts, coping with these changes can make life difficult for the players i n the sector. 2. 2. 5 The intensity of competitive rivalry Apple faces stiff competition from Dell, HP, IBM and Microsoft in the computer industry and Samsung and HTC in the mobile and tablet industry. However, in the Digital Music industry apple dominate among all its competitors.Moreover, there is one important factor which makes industries less competitive including the brand equity and expensive switching costs. Overall, the intensity of competitive rivalry is medium high in most of the markets that apple is involved in. 2. 3 SWOT Analysis 2. 3. 1 Strengths Apple’s current strengths are the huge market share they possess when it comes to music players, iTunes as well as mobile phones (iPhone), tablets (iPad), and personal computers (MacBook and iMac). 2. 3. 2 Weaknesses A weakness that recently occurred is that one of Apples founders passed away.Steve Jobs, one of the big inventors and main persons in Apple died earlier this year after a long time struggle against his can cer. Timothy D. Cook was announced as the new CEO, after being chief executive officer. Critics have claimed Timothy does not have the same charisma and visions like Steve Jobs had, and it is just a matter of time before Apple will lose its edge to their competitors. Apple has also been criticized for its latest product, the launch of Apple iPhone 5. 2. 3. 3 OpportunitiesTo reverse this downward trend of negative critics, Apple has to continue developing its product and be extra cautious about what the market and consumers want. They have to be more creative in design and invent new and improved products to meet the expectations from the market. They do not have to necessarily invent the iPhone or iPad again. But to meet the threats they would have to improve their products and create an urge for their new products so they can conserve their market shares and sell more products and eventually capture bigger market shares. Apple Business Marketing Strategy 5 2. 3. 4 Threats As it is mentioned earlier, Samsung lead position in the mobile phone market after they released their new mobile phone Galaxy S3. Their products are based on the Android operative system, while Apple’s system is based on their OS X system. Sony and Nokia (Windows mobile phone) have also recently managed to capture huge market shares from Apple and Samsung and in the future they might overtake them. 3 Marketing Strategies 3. 1 Products Apple has a solid track record of innovation in different markets, often changing the way we view those markets entirely.Apple in most of the time has not been First to the Market and according to the â€Å"five secrets of the world’s best marketing machine† by Steve M. Chazin the former Apple Marketing executive, Apple tries to make something good greater. A clear example for this could be the iMac. At the time iMac was introduced by Apple there were Windows All-in-one computers competing with Apple but what actually made iMac so special was its unique design, free of noise and being fast CPUs inside a thin monitor.Steve Chazin believes that The Mac, iPad, iPod, iTunes and iPhone are all successful because they were late to market and improved on existing designs and functionality. Apple does one thing very well and that is, making complex things easy and elegant, It is no coincidence that Apple users compliment about the exceptional user interface of their iPads, iPods or iPhones. In addition, Apple tries to exert control over the users’ experience with its products. So, apart from the hardware, the company also develops the software so that the user has the best possible experience. . 2 Pricing Strategy Apple is usually referred to as the technology industry’s â€Å"high-price† leader. However, of late, the company has been offering its products at lower price points in a clear effort to expand its market. Even so, Apple, at the launch of its products, targets early adopters with higher-than-c ompetition prices. It initially adopts skimming strategy and later launches lower-price versions with fewer features or launches a newer version while continuing to sell older versions at lower price. 3. 3 Promotion StrategyApple’s promotion strategy is centred on creating hype. The late Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, was known for hyping up. His theatrical style and panache were successful in creating excitement before the launch of Apple products. These efforts have succeeded in making Apple products aspirational. 3. 3. 1 People Buy what Other People Have If you look at when apple was promoting iPod on TV adverts, they did not show and focus on the product like other adverts you would watch on television, instead there were a long white headsets that could show other people you have an Apple iPod.The other reason that Apple only advertise Apple Business Marketing Strategy |6 long white headsets with white iPods and they did not show a closed-up picture of their product is th at they do not want to only sell their product to customers; however, they want people to experience of joining to a special and exclusive Apple lifestyle and to become a part of iPod community which allows them to buy music through their unique software program (iTunes) and put their music in whatever order they want. 3. 3. 2 Help your Customers Help youWhen Apple first introduced their PowerBook, they made them outstanding buy making them in silver colour and have big Apple logo at the back so owners can feel proud and to be different therefore they try to show it off to other people. Apple earned nearly 40% market share on the back of early PowerBooks users. 3. 3. 3 TV shows and Movies Apple relies heavily on working closely with Hollywood in order to promote their product. This gives them opportunity to get their product used by Hollywood stars which have an enormous influence on public. . 4 Placing and Distribution Channels Apple works with number of network providers that they deal with the placing. However, online shopping from Apple. com or giving order in store for a new launched product can take up to two weeks due to the high demand. 4 Conclusion â€Å"An Apple computer on every desk† –Steve Jobs. Apple Inc. states its vision very clearly. They have changed our life with their products and services. They have demonstrated the world, that a human has a strong capacity to create huge things with a big impact.The analysis of the different elements of a marketing plan outline the various aspects involved in the penetration of a new market and the successful launch of a new product or service. Being aware of its own position and capabilities, and seeing opportunities in a new trend a company can enter a new market and develop. On its way, the company has to use its strength, respect its internal weaknesses and consider the outer world with its opportunities and threads Apple Business Marketing Strategy |7 5 Bibliography ? 5 secrets of world 's best marketing machine. 2007). Retrieved 11 24, 2012, from Marketing Apple: http://www. marketingapple. com/Marketing_Apple_eBook. pdf ? Apple Sells Three Million iPads in Three Days. (2012, November 5). Retrieved 11 24, 2012, from Apple: http://www. apple. com/pr/library/2012/11/05Apple-Sells-Three-Million-iPadsin-Three-Days. html ? APPLE THREE-YEAR FINANCIAL HISTORY. (2012, October ). Retrieved 11 21, 2012, from shareholder: http://files. shareholder. com/downloads/AAPL/2199577444x0x444195/E7A8FE5F-883546AB-ACC2-6FA28DFB546D/Three_Yr_Financial_History. pdf

Free Essays on The Divinity Of Art

, a concentrated person not only sees the form but its spirit. This is the fullness of observation, and it comes by concentration. Whenever the artist cannot imitate nature, cannot copy an object exactly, it shows that he lacks concentration. The next aspect of art is suggestive art. This can be divided into two kinds: first, an art which directly suggests a certain idea, so that as soon as we see the picture we can see what it says, what it explains, and what it represents; and the other kind, which is expressed in symbols. This is an art that through a certain symbolism expresses a great wisdom. This wisdom is covered; and the more one looks at the picture and the more one studies it, the more it reveals the idea, the wisdom, the thought that is hidden in it. Such art is a revelation. The art of ancient Egypt, of Greece, and especially of the Mongolians and of India, was chiefly symbolical art. In such periods, when other types of pictures were not produced and books were not printed, this was the only means of keeping wisdom alive and handing it on to the coming generations. This was done by the master artists, who were inspired by spiritual wisdom and who tried to guide humanity. With hammer and chisel, they carved in wood and engraved on the rocks, and lef... Free Essays on The Divinity Of Art Free Essays on The Divinity Of Art Art may be defined as having four aspects. One aspect of art may be called imitative art - the tendency and ability to produce as exactly as possible, on the canvas or in the clay, something that one sees. This is the first stage, and one that leads the artist further on the path of art. In order to develop this faculty, the mind must be fully concentrated. When the artist lacks concentration, he cannot observe objects and their beauty keenly, and therefore he is not able to reproduce them exactly as he sees them. Concentration has such great power that a concentrated person can penetrate into an object, and can see not only the outside of it but also the inside. In other words, a concentrated person not only sees the form but its spirit. This is the fullness of observation, and it comes by concentration. Whenever the artist cannot imitate nature, cannot copy an object exactly, it shows that he lacks concentration. The next aspect of art is suggestive art. This can be divided into two kinds: first, an art which directly suggests a certain idea, so that as soon as we see the picture we can see what it says, what it explains, and what it represents; and the other kind, which is expressed in symbols. This is an art that through a certain symbolism expresses a great wisdom. This wisdom is covered; and the more one looks at the picture and the more one studies it, the more it reveals the idea, the wisdom, the thought that is hidden in it. Such art is a revelation. The art of ancient Egypt, of Greece, and especially of the Mongolians and of India, was chiefly symbolical art. In such periods, when other types of pictures were not produced and books were not printed, this was the only means of keeping wisdom alive and handing it on to the coming generations. This was done by the master artists, who were inspired by spiritual wisdom and who tried to guide humanity. With hammer and chisel, they carved in wood and engraved on the rocks, and lef...

Show, Dont Tell

Show, Dont Tell Show, Dont Tell Show, Dont Tell By Erin Anyone who’s ever written a short story or taken a freshman composition course has heard the words â€Å"show, don’t tell.† I know those words can be frustrating. You might not know exactly what â€Å"show, don’t tell† means. Or you might believe that you are showing when you’re really telling. While â€Å"telling† can be useful, even necessary, most people don’t realize how vital â€Å"showing† is to an effective story, essay, or even a blog post. Showing allows the reader to follow the author into the moment, to see and feel and experience what the author has experienced. Using the proper balance of showing and telling will make your writing more interesting and effective. â€Å"Okay, I get it,† you’re thinking. â€Å"But how do I do it? How do I bring more showing into my writing?† I’m glad you asked. Here are some tips that will help make your writing more vivid and alive for your reader. 1. Use dialogue This is probably one of the first things I talk to my students about when I have them write personal essays. Dialogue allows the reader to experience a scene as if they were there. Instead of telling the reader your mom was angry, they can hear it for themselves: â€Å"Justin Michael,† mom bellowed, â€Å"Get in here this instant!† Dialogue can give your reader a great deal about character, emotion and mood. 2. Use sensory language In order for readers to fully experience what you’re writing about, they need to be able to see, hear, taste, smell and touch the world around them. Try to use language that incorporates several senses, not just sight. 3. Be descriptive I’m sure everyone remembers learning to use adjectives and adverbs in elementary school. When we’re told to be more descriptive, it’s easy to go back to those things that we were taught. But being descriptive is more than just inserting a string of descriptive words. It’s carefully choosing the right words and using them sparingly to convey your meaning. The following example is from a short story I wrote. Telling: He sits on the couch holding his guitar. There’s nothing wrong with that sentence. It gives the reader some basic information, but it doesn’t create an image. Compare that sentence with this: Showing: His eyes are closed, and he’s cradling the guitar in his arms like a lover. It’s as if he’s trying to hold on to something that wants to let go. The second example takes that basic information and paints a picture with it. It also uses figurative language- in this case, the simile â€Å"cradling the guitar in his arms like a lover†- to help create an image. When using description, it’s important not to overdo it. Otherwise, you can end up with what I call â€Å"police blotter† description. For example: He was tall, with brown hair and blue eyes. He wore a red shirt and jeans, and a brown leather jacket. 4. Be specific, not vague This is another one I’m constantly reminding my college students about. Frequently, they will turn in essays with vague, fuzzy language. I’m not sure if they think this type of writing sounds more academic, but all it really does is frustrate the reader. Instead of writing, â€Å"I had never felt anything like it before in my entire life,† take the time to try and describe what that feeling was, and then decide how best to convey that feeling to the reader. Your readers will thank you for it. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Cost-Effective vs. Cost-EfficientCapitalization Rules for the Names of Games40 Idioms with First

Media Report Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Media Report Analysis - Essay Example In December 2009, Lovett was suspended from the football club, and in February 2010, the club terminated his contract. The principal reason given was that he had brought the club into disrepute after sexual assault allegations had been made against him. The precise details of the contract are not provided, but this press release from the football club suggests that by attracting negative media attention, Lovett had done enough to be in breach of certain clauses. However, it is unlikely that this would have been sufficient reason to terminate the contract, given that, as the football club itself emphasises, Lovett remains ‘entitled to the presumption of innocence’. For this reason, however serious the nature of the allegations made against Lovett, to do more than indefinitely suspending the contract pending police investigation would have seemed a disproportionate response to the issue. The Club is therefore careful to emphasise that it is not for them to prejudge on innocence or guilt, which ‘is for the Court to decide’. Instead, what is emphasised is that these charges were not the sole reason for the termination of the contract. The press release therefore refers to ‘a series of acts and omissions in breach of his [Lovett’s] employment contract’. Little detail is given on what these breaches involved, apart from that he failed to fulfil his training commitments, and to maintain sufficient communication with officials at the football Club. While the sexual assault allegations made against him provided valid reason for the suspension of Lovett’s contract until the criminal justice process had taken its course, these breaches do seem to be adequate justification for the termination of the contract. If Lovett failed to turn up to training sessions with the rest of the team, then his performance on the field would clearly suffer, as would his

Paper 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Paper 2 - Essay Example He argues that good performance profiles should define success and thus meeting the minimum requirements (Uttaro, Paras 2-3). Management position also requires a good performance profile, which removes non-fact based opinions. It is wise to avoid personal bias by using performance profiles to be aware of characters that have been proven by scientists to make employees satisfied. The other thing is by staying current. Good performance profiles are made by using recent performance of your employees. Taking note of current performance of employees is a good tool when developing performance profiles. The other important aspect is developing performance profile that maximizes odds. Making use of performance profiles enables one easily to hire people who will be productive and stay longer in your firm (Uttaro, Paras. 4- 6). After school, accountancy will be the career of choice. The job requires knowledge in preparing financial statements. It also requires a commitment, speed, and accuracy, and you need to have computer skills especially in Microsoft Excel. The best performance profile for the accounting job that will lead to effective performance can be seen below. First is to prepare a comprehensive plan to achieve accounting objectives with a distinct period that you want to accomplish. Secondly, one should conduct a comprehensive operational review. Work with other financial accountants and assess all aspects of the company’s operating performance. Develop a plan of action to deal with each of the issues. The other thing is to address operational issues. If the company is under- performing, you need have a group of people to execute the task and solve pertinent issues. Another thing is to evaluate the financial strength of the company. You need to review all the historical financial data, bu dgets, and forecasts. Evaluate critical areas of concern and determine new ways to improve performance (Uttaro, Para 8). Considering the

Holocaust Museum in Washington DC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Holocaust Museum in Washington DC - Essay Example School children and heads of state are among those coming to learn about the ravages of a global war with the official website attracting on the average around 25 million hits in 5 years. My reason to visit was due to my interest in history and the curiosity to see for myself what was capturing the interest of people around the world. The museum has over 12,750 preserved artifacts as well as 49 million pages of text and 80,000 photographs. Names of 200,000 survivors are also recorded here as well as taped interviews of some of them. Visiting the museum is the perfect opportunity for any history fan to get to see the way of life from those times. I had already done a bit of browsing on USHMM’s official website and wanted to see the place in flesh and blood, or bricks and mortar, in this case. Despite being familiar with the place’s background and what it stood for, I was not quite prepared for the melancholy and eerie air that permeated the building. The structure seems to resonate with the presence of human souls, a rather accurate term since the USHMM was designed by Holocaust survivor James Ingo Freed to be a resonator of memory, as my guide informed me. The most startling feature of the museum is the octagonal Hall of Remembrance, a huge, silent space to memorialize the 6 million victims and survivors of the Holocaust. Visitors can light candles or visit an eternal flame in silence homage to the departed souls. In the Hall of Remembrance, even the air feels heavy with the weight of history. Before you actually come to visit the place, the reality of the Holocaust and the fact that these people actually lived, laughed, cried and loved does not actually sink in. Sitting in contemplation in the Hall of Remembrance, you are made aware of the fact that every single name on display was a living, breathing human being, with dreams, hopes, and aspirations. The USHMM was built not just as a memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It was also construct ed to familiarize newer generations with the horror and futility of war. It was meant to pass on the message that hatred should not be allowed to prosper. And I must confess it did have this effect on me. A visit to USHMM is not just about learning about this calamity. The place helps one connect with their innermost feelings of compassion, sympathy, and empathy.

Investment Banking Essay Example for Free

Investment Banking Essay Investment banking is a type of financial service that focuses on helping companies acquire funds and grow their portfolios. Much of this comes in the form of stock and bonds transfer, but investment capital and wholesale corporate acquisitions are also part of the equation. Bankers within this sector are usually highly trained, and are widely recognized as some of the most elite participants in the financial marketplace. They are often sought as much for their consulting and advising services as they are for actually executing transactions. Consulting Services Investment bankers frequently give companies advice on mergers and acquisitions. They also track the market in order to help executive officers determine when to make public offerings and how best to manage public assets. Some of the consultative activities investment banking firms engage in overlap with those of private brokerages which often give buy-and-sell advice to the companies they represent. Investment banking is typically a much more nuanced service, but many of the basic strategies are the same. Transactions and Purchases Most of the consultants and specialists working within investment bank firms are able to actually execute transactions on behalf of clients, as well. Many large companies simply want the advice, and will then make their own decisions in-house. Particularly for small businesses and companies without robust financial services divisions, however, hiring an outside consultant to manage investment decisions can make a lot of sense. AdChoices Wealth Management Courses 1 Year Post Graduate Diploma in New Delhi With Global Curriculum. www.IIfpIndia.com Courses in Banking Industry Endorsed Banking Program. 100% Placement Assistance. Apply! Ifbi.co.in/Bank_Operation_Courses Investment Banking Europe Corporate Finance Advisory for Companies Targets in Europe www.ieg-banking.com CPA CFA CMA CIA IFRS Mumbai Delhi Pune Chennai Bangalore Admissions Open Becker CPA CFA www.orbitinstitutes.com NLP Certification Course Get a Certification in NLP with the Best Training in India www.soexcellence.com/nlp+training Benefits for Both Buyers and Sellers When done properly, investment banking has the potential to benefit both those who are selling corporate acquisitions and those who are buying. Asset sales generate substantial revenues that companies can use to front new products, promote existing brands, or invest in research and development. Breaking into business typically requires a lot of money upfront before any profits are realized, but once those benefits come, primary investors usually profit substantially. Distinction Between Commercial and Investment Banking Commercial banking — that is, basic account management, loans, and standard investments like certificates of deposit — are typically kept separate from corporate investment activities, and many banks engage in but one area. In the United States, it was illegal for a bank to have both commercial and investment divisions until 1999, when the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act legalized multiple areas of specialty. Institutions that offer dual services usually do so through different branches and staffs, and accounts are usually maintained separately. Breaking Into the Field Investment banking is often one of the most lucrative and sought-after jobs in finance, but with this prestige comes great responsibility. Most of the professionals in this field have extensive training. A college degree in finance or accounting is almost always required, and graduate degrees — particularly in business, corporate finance, or financial management — are quite common.