Corporate Responsibility and Marketing Strategies

Corporate Responsibility and Marketing Strategies Name Institution Corporate Responsibility and Marketing Strategies 1. Apple is recognized as one of the leading innovative technology companies in the world. Founded in 1976, Apple manufactures mobile Television. Over the years, Apple has not only strived to make advances in the technology sector while staying committed to coming up with extraordinary technology but also strived to be socially and ethically responsible. The company has been in the fore front in preserving natural environment, contributing resources to the society and taking part in non-profit program aimed at promoting the well-being of the public. Some of the social and ethical responsibilities Apple has engaged in include the support Apple has offered on global education initiatives through offering students and educators with the most recent developments in innovative technology. A good example is the Green Apple Initiatives, which Apple come together with the Center for Green Schools to offer approximately two million children with healthier, safer and better learning environments. The initiative is also committed to raise awareness with regards to learning matters (Apple Inc., 2012). The company has gone ahead to offer targeted technology for every form of learning. Another initiative is the move by Apple to team up with Red Cross in an effort to assist with donations during natural disasters times by offering iTunes applications to make the donation process easier and more streamlined. Apple partnered with Red Cross to raise funds for Typhoon victims in the Philippines. It also announced that it had offered iTunes to be used in the collection of American Red Cross donations intended to be sent to Philippines in the midst of continuous relief efforts. Apple also accepted to offer its iTunes to be used to receive donations following the tsunami and earthquake in Japan. Such initiatives have made Apple to pride itself as one of the leading companies when it comes to environmental safety. Some of its facilities, like the ones stationed in the United States are eco-friendly in that they are powered using renewable energy. The company has measured its carbon emission in an effort to make sure that it maintains acceptable levels in accordance to the EPA mandate. The current position of the company is to be socially and ethically responsible as much as possible, through using material that are less toxic when manufacturing their products and making use of more safe materials that are environmental friendly such as recycled parts and recycled paper. 2. Apple Company has taken into consideration the GRI G3.1 indices that relate to the environmental, the economy, society, labor and human rights for its Governance publication, Recycling and Facilities Environmental Report, Product Environmental Reports and Supplier Responsibility (Cakim, 2010). In relation to Supplier Responsibility, Apple has taken account indicators that report on measures it has adopted to contribute to child labor elimination. The company insists that all its suppliers have to offer safe working conditions, treat their workers with respect and dignity and use manufacturing process that are environmental responsible. Such moves have created good reputation for the company as it is viewed as being fully committed with thorough site audits to training programs. The Supplier Code of Conduct outlines the expectations of Apple for the suppliers in operates with. As a condition for working together with Apple, suppliers are expected to commit to this Supplier Code. One of the codes adopted by Apple is the Electronics Code of Conduct (EICC) which offers standards and guidelines for the electronics sector. By using through onsite audits, the company makes sure that its suppliers have to comply with the adopted Supplier Code. Audits on the final assembly manufactures are done yearly and the audits on component suppliers are done arbitrary. The company obliges its suppliers to observe and respect the workers' rights, inform them of their rights and treat them with respect and dignity. Apple also expects its suppliers to prevent discrimination, underage and involuntary labor, pay workers with benefits and wages following the applicable regulations and laws and prevent excessive working hours. However, the suppler sustainability policy of Apple has been criticized by the media for having limited transparency. In 2010, Apple also turned down sustainability proposals from two shareholders who wanted to establish a sustainability report on the e...