Apple Corporate Social Responsibility Essay
Assignment 1: Social Performance of Organizations
Due Week 4 and worth 290 points
According to the textbook, the current world economy is increasingly becoming integrated and interdependent; as a result, the relationship between business and society is becoming more complex. Use the Internet to research Apple. Use a tablet, smartphone, laptop, desktop, or traditional video recorder to record a maximum of a five to seven (5-7) minute dynamic video on the topics detailed below. Alternatively, you may submit a four to six (4-6) page paper instead of the video submission.
Note: If you are using a tablet or smartphone you will need to email the video file to yourself, then save it to a computer in order to upload to Blackboard. You may want to upload your video to a file sharing service, such as Dropbox, if your email will not let you send a large video file. Dropbox is accessible from all smartphones and tablets from the Dropbox app.
Once you are ready to upload your video to Blackboard, view the Kaltura video tutorial found in your online course shell (Week 4).
Please use the following naming convention in the popup window for your video once it is finished uploading:
Title: Your First Name, Your Last Name – Social Performance of Organizations
Tags: BUS475, Social Performance
Description: First Name, Last Name – BUS475 Assignment 1 (Date Uploaded ex. 11-14-2014)
Prepare and present a video that is a maximum of five to seven (5-7) minutes OR write a four to six (4-6) page paper in which you:
Specify the nature, structure, and types of products or services of Apple, and identify two (2) key factors in the organization’s external environment that can affect its success. Provide explanation to support the rationale.
Suggest five (5) ways in which the primary stakeholders can influence the organization’s financial performance. Provide support for the response.
Specify one (1) controversial corporate social responsibility concern associated with Apple.
Submit a reference page with at least four (4) quality references that you have used for this presentation / paper. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources.
If you choose the written paper, your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
Analyze the relationship between business and society, and the ways in which they are part of an interactive system.
Recommend ways stakeholders can influence the destiny of both business and society.
Analyze the various primary and secondary stakeholder groups, their roles, and relationships.
Compare and contrast the concepts of corporate social responsibility and citizenship.
Analyze ways ethical challenges affect the multiple functions of business.
Use technology and information resources to research issues in business and society.
Write clearly and concisely about business and society using proper writing mechanics.
Social Performance of Organizations: A Case of Apple Inc.
Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course Title
Date
Social Performance of Organizations: A Case of Apple Inc.
Introduction
Social performance of an organization refers to any business activity the affects the welfare of society such as improving the quality of products and services being offered, building customers’ sense of empowerment, alleviating poverty and improving positive impact on the environment. Organizations’ social performance must be managed carefully as they manage their financial performance. Therefore, organizations should involve all stakeholders to achieve a collective objective. By so doing, the parties involved, the goal and the outcome are a package. Understanding the impact of social performance of an organization is essential for any business because its success or failure affects all stakeholders. Therefore, this paper looks into the Apple’s social performance.
Overview of Apple Inc.
Apple Inc. is a multinational technology company that was founded by Steve Jobs, Ronald Wayne and Stephen Wozniak in 1976 and has its headquarters in Cupertino, California. Apple has different companies outside America; Europe, Korea, China, Czech Republic, Ireland and Asia. The company designs and manufactures consumer electronic hardwares and softwares. In addition, it has extended its products to providing online services. Apple is a world leader in producing innovative electronic goods and technology. The company is committed to bringing the best user experience to its customers through its innovative hardware, software, and services. Some of the Apple’s products include; iPhone Smartphone, Mac PC, iOS operating systems, iTunes media player, iTunes Store, iOS App Store among others. The company sells its products through its retails stores, online stores and direct sales force as well as wholesalers and retailers (Apple, 2016).
Apple’s External Environment
According to Daft & Samson (2012), the external organizational environment includes all factors that exist outside the boundaries of the organization and have the potential to affect the organization. Those factors include political, environmental, social, technological, legal, and economic factors. The organizations usually lack control of these factors and all they can do is minimize their effects.
Organization may be affected by political activities, which influence government legislation and regulation. Federal and state government affect organizations with a wide range of legislations and regulations such as occupational health and safety, environmental protection, consumer protection legislation, import and export restrictions, labour laws among others. Daft & Samson (2012) argue that, although these regulations are designed to solve problems, complying with them often create problems in the organization. For example, labour laws protect employees against unscrupulous employers; they may however restrict the ability of employers to fire unproductive employees who pull the organization’s performance down. With Apple having businesses in over ten different countries, bad international relations between the US and those countries will have a negative impact on its reputation as well as its business operations. Economic factors represent the general financial feasibility of the region in which the organization operates. Customer purchasing power, rate of unemployment, rate of inflation and interest rates are part of organization’s economic environment. Economic factors have affected the operations of business because of the uncertainty it creates to the managers. The recent economic problems in the US have brought a significant impact on the Apple’s sales (Daft & Samson, 2012). This is as a result of decreasing disposable income from old and potential customers which reduces their purchasing power.
Stakeholder Influence on Organization Financial Performance
According to Rais & Goedegebuure (2009), organizations should view their stakeholders as part of the environment that needs to be managed in order to capitalize on profitability. Some stakeholders have ability to influence an organization’s resources while others can influence its success. Stakeholders are categorized into two: primary and secondary stakeholders. Primary stakeholders are the parties that are engaged in the economic operations with an organization. They include employees, customers, suppliers, creditors, investors, surrounding community among others. These stakeholders have an impact on the business goals especially the desired financial performance. In every organization, financial stability is the key dimension for its sustainability. This stability is...