Apple Inc.
Products
History
_Two college dropouts, Steve Jobs and Steven Wozniak founded the Apple Company on April 1, 1976. Their first product was called the Apple 1, which wasn’t a major hit because it didn’t have a case, monitor, or even a keyboard. But, once they designed their second computer, the Apple 2 in 1978, it was revolutionary to the computer industry. It came with a plastic case, monitor, and a keyboard. Sales jumped from $7.8 million in 1978 to $117 million in 1980, the year Apple went public (Richardson 1).
In 1983 Wozniak left the Apple Company. Then Steve Jobs hired John Sculley of PepsiCo to become the president of the company. The decision quickly backfired and in 1985 Steve Jobs ended up leaving the company. Apple was still successful in the 1990’s due to all the plans Steve Jobs had already put in place before he left. That is why in 1990, Apple had the highest profits yet. It was because Jobs had a deal with Adobe Co. and together they made “desktop publishing”. Back in 1985, Sculley had received an appeal from Microsoft to help license their software but he turned them down. This was a huge mistake because the Windows Operating System had a “graphical interface” which was like Apple’s. Microsoft became one of Apple’s biggest competitors and still is today. So, in the process of trying to compete with Microsoft, Apple’s shares were decreasing in value and investors thought the company was doomed. In this desperate time they turned to Steve Jobs who had moved on and started his own company called NeXT Software. Apple decided to buy out NeXT SoftwareCompany. That’s when the Board of Directors looked to Steve Jobs for help. He became an “interim CEO” of Apple and made some changes. He |
_ wasn't official CEO until 2000. He forged an alliance with Microsoft to
create a Mac version of the popular office software.
Jobs restored the computers and introduced the almighty iBook, a personal laptop. But not only did he do that, Jobs introduced music related products like the iPod and iTunes, which were the highest profits for the company. It also produced products like the iPhone and the Apple TV, which again were very successful. On October 5, 2011, Steve Jobs passed away due to complications from pancreatic cancer. Even though he is gone, he’s never forgotten and his legacy lives on. |
Geographic Locations
_Apple is an international corporation with locations all over the globe. There are currently 200 apple stores in the World, 186 of which are in the US. According to Apple a new Apple store is open every 3 weeks or so.
Culture
_Apple is one of most admired companies for its culture. And Steve Jobs
is the advocate. In an interview, Steve Jobs revealed, “My job is to not
be easy on people. My job is to make them better. My job is to … take
these great people we have and to push them and make them even better,
coming up with more aggressive visions of how it could be” (Tobak 1).
This vision has made a huge impact on the culture of the company. Jobs
wants to push and empower his employees to make a difference in the
world.
_Apple really pushes their employees to think different. To not let someone else’s opinions discourage you from coming up with your own idea. Apple hires the best. They search for people who are experts, and can also communicate and work with others.
Treat your employees well and they will stay on your team. Apple was one of the first companies to establish telecommunicating and nap rooms, which have also been adopted by Google and The Huffington Post. They also offer in-company education programs. One of their former employees in this article says, “Apple culture runs so strongly and deeply that I could start working there again tomorrow, without feeling I’d missed a beat. There’s no question the business world has changed because of Apple. It transformed itself from a company that had to reinvent itself to merely survive to one that’s so successful that other companies around the globe look to it for guidance and innovation” (Richards 1). |
_Stage of Lawrence Kohlberg’s Stages of Ethical Reasoning
_I believe that Apple’s in the Conventional stage 6 ethical reasoning. I believe this because the Apple company is full of employees that have their own set of morals and whether they fit into the company’s set of rules is determined by the people who hire them.
_Code of Conduct
_Apple does have a stated code of conduct. It’s in the form of a business plan. It’s very extensive, it talks about these topics: Customer and Business Relationships, Government and Communities, Responsibilities to Apple, and Individual Conduct.
It also has a Code of Ethics for Suppliers. It’s in document form. This is also very extensive. It includes these topics: Labor and Human Rights, Health and Safety, The Environment, Ethics, and Management Systems. |
Functions in the 3 levels
_During my research I definitely noticed a lot ethical behavior came into discussion because of the fact that Apple is a quiet company. They don’t want new ideas getting out into the public so people tend to believe Apple has ethical issues.
Also, Corporate Social Responsibility I believe is another topic of discussion during my research because people want to know whether the company is helping its employees be better or if the company just doesn’t care. |
_Human Resources
_Conflict of Interest
_Conflict of interest is when and individual is involved in multiple interests or positions which could motivate/corrupt the act of another. I believe that Apple currently has a conflict of interest.
There is a conflict of interest with Phillip Shoemaker who is the director of applications technology who oversees the App Store also is a developer with his own products that he’s produced for the iPhone and iPad. I believe that’s a huge conflict of interest being that he not only works for Apple but he also makes apps himself. The approval process for apps is a tough so what better way then to get your apps approved then to approve them yourself. There was evidence that Phillip Shoemaker did get apps approved after he started working for the company.
There is a conflict of interest with Phillip Shoemaker who is the director of applications technology who oversees the App Store also is a developer with his own products that he’s produced for the iPhone and iPad. I believe that’s a huge conflict of interest being that he not only works for Apple but he also makes apps himself. The approval process for apps is a tough so what better way then to get your apps approved then to approve them yourself. There was evidence that Phillip Shoemaker did get apps approved after he started working for the company.
_Triple Bottom Line
Corporate Social Responsibility
_Apple is trying to become more ethical. “According to recent media coverage, it would seem that Apple is interested in developing a new vision, one which includes CSR” (Chun).Due to the death of Jobs its been difficult to find a new vision because without Jobs nothing seemed to be working. CEO Tim Cook is trying to develop a new corporate charity-matching program, which is a dollar for dollar match for employee donations of up to $10,000 a year. “The new CSR initiatives should present both the company and its new CEO with a unique opportunity to promote an image of integrity and to differentiate the new leadership from that of the Jobs era” (Chun).
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Corporate Governance
_Yes, Apple has been working on better corporate governance. “Apple today announced that its Board of Directors yesterday approved several measures to enhance corporate governance, including adding two additional independent directors to its board, increasing the use of independent committees on the board and reducing issued stock option overhang from 23 percent to 16 percent”. This will help to balance the corporation as a whole.