Apple: the Company’s Visions and Objectives Essay

orchard apple trees Visionwas the Macintosh that was called digital hub that isa hot model of computer introduced in 1984, that features a graphical user interface ( graphical user interface) that utilizes windows, icons, and a mouse to make it relatively easy for novices to use the computer productively. earlier than learning a complex set of commands, that wasonly need point to a selection on a menu and click a mouse button. Moreover, the GUI is embedded into the operating clay. This means that all application that run on a Macintosh computer take on got a similar user interface. in one case a user has become familiar with one application, he or she can learn new applications relatively easily. The success of the Macintosh GUI annunciate a new age of graphics-based applications and operating systems. The Windows interface copies legion(predicate) features from the Mac.thither atomic number 18 many different Macintosh models, with varying degrees of speed and power. All mod els are available in many different configurations. All models since 1994 are based on the PowerPC microprocessor. They believed had a real advantage for consumers who were becoming entrenched in a digital lifestyle. Also, digital cameras, portable music players, and digital camcorders. That they though could be the preferred hub to control integrate, and add value to the devices. Also to control of both ironware and software.orchard apple tree is committed to bringing the best individualized computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings.orchard apple trees MissionWas to bring an easy-to use computer to market, which led release of the orchard apple tree II in 1978. Also, Apple is committed to protecting the environment, health and safety of their employees, nodes and the orbicular communities where they operate. They can offer technologically innovative products and services while conserving and enhancing recourses for future generations. GoalsThe goal was to differentiate the Macintosh amid intense competition in the PC industry. And severalise of affairs, or a state of concrete activity, which an organization or system wishes to achieve or obtain.ObjectiveIs the plan, to involve and implement actions which must be interpreted to c discharge the gap between the current realities and the ideal state?Apple objects Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS, PC CPU, MP3 , iPhone 4, 4s , iPad, and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced iPad which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.Corporation GovernanceAgency guessWas in 1981 when the IBM introduced the IBM PC to the market that used Microsofts DOS and a microprocessor (CP U), by that apple practice integration and refused to license its hardware to third parties. solely IBM gained more than market share and also emerged a new for the industry more than Apple. That was when apple introduced the Macintosh in 1984 that was easy to use with industrial design and elegance, but the processor was slow in speed and that lack of compatibility on sale, and Apple net income fell 62 % between the years 1981 and 1984, and sending the Apple Company into a crisis. That contributed with the conjecture was forced out in the 1985 even his called himself as a soul of the gild.After that the boardroom hired John Sculley, who was accept for his marketing skills. He was in the company for 8 years from 1985 to 1993, who pushed the mac in the new market where the Apple was driven by its best software, ofttimes(prenominal) page Market, and peripheral with laser printers. Also in education Apple grabbed more than haft the market. With that Apple recovered and stabiliz ed around 8% in share worldwide, and in 1990 Apple sale $1 billion dollars in cash and was cognized at the most profitable PC company in the world.Stewardship guessIn the years of Sculley, the Apple Company offered to the customers a better offer by a completed desktop solution ever that was included hardware, software, and scarcely plug and play. Also the company designing unique chips, disk drive, and monitors. He demonstrated his interest on the company success. And interest in customers satisfaction, Apple was selling its products at a premium price.This time Macs had more than $10,000, and gross profit around anadvantageous 50%.Sarbanes OxleyThat was applied in the years 2010 and 2011 when the bare wars started with competition in the smartphone industry, where everyone sued everyone. Where creative companies begindisappears or never gets start. Apple litigated against Android, HTC, and Samsung. Also Apple turnaround in 1997 when jobs reshape Apple and announced that they wo uld invest $ cl million in Apple and made five years develop core products, like MS Office for the mac. By satisfy about 99% of customers and again job refused to license the latest mac. Also, the company 15 product lines were divided in only four categories that were desktop, portable Macintoshes, for customers and professionals. A nonher improvement that job did was to hire Taiwanese contract to manufacture mac products. Therefore, in 1998 Apple had a website direct sale for the first time.Corporation accessible Responsibility news program of Steve Jobs death sent shockwaves through the technology industry, a world that he, in large part, shaped with his fearer. Apples executives are now left with the quarrel of how to lead a company, whose identity has been inextricably linked to Jobs for decades. The task is formidable, e limitedly when Apples fanatically loyal customer base is considerably less(prenominal) certain about what to expect from CEO Tim hold. That is partly becau se Apples culture of secrecy and Jobs visibility have combined to make Cook relatively unknown to the public at large. The uncertainty is compounded by the fact that earlier attempts to replace Jobs proved disastrous.Until now, Jobs seems to be the only one to have had that special chemistry required for running Apple.What makes leading Apple difficult to maintain is the fact that the company is not selling a product as much as it is a vision, the founders vision. Apple products were puff up built and beautiful to look at.According to recent media coverage, it would seem that Apple is interested in developing a new vision, one which includes Corporation tender Responsibility. Jobs never showed much interest in public do- greating. He al substances maintained that equipping the public with the best technology is worth more than cash grants to charities. But Cook announced that Apple would embrace a new incorporated generosity matching program, using a model much like those of ot her major(ip) companies a dollar for dollar match for employee donations of up to $10,000 a year. Cook clearly wants to send the message that Apple is evolving in the way it perceives Corporation amicable Responsibility, a major differentiating factor between himself and his charismatic predecessor. However, the decision queerly followed media allegations regarding Apples lack of Corporation Social Responsibility activities, including a upstart York Times article mentioning matching as a solution occupied by a considerable portion of the Fortune 500 companies.Apple still needs to embrace the core values that make it a cool company in short, that owning an Apple product secure membership in a select group. spot Apple is perhaps overdue for a Corporation Social Responsibility strategy, the decision to enact donation matching is decidedly not the Apple Way. Cook is only responding to media pressure rather than bringing to Corporation Social Responsibility the same kind of innovativ e and inspiring vision for which Apple is so highly regarded. And in that regard, the corporate matching program is a fail.Developing a Corporation Social Responsibility strategy around neither a sense of obligation nor calculation but rather around certain well defined character virtues is highly effective. In particular, integrity, empathy and zeal, among others, are critical during times of Uncertaintythey need to be well coordinated and implemented from the inside,out not the other way around.IntegrityAny major organizational change is accompanied by insecurity. The transition from Jobs approach to hiring and firing is bound to create uncertainty among employees, and in corporate environments uncertainty inevitably creates pernicious maneuvering and second guessing at middle management levels. The new Corporation Social Responsibility initiatives should present both the company and its new CEO with a unique opportunity to promote an image of integrity and to differentiate the ne w leadership from that of the Jobs era. However, philanthropy is not a good place to start. It should start from inside, promoting trust and openness, the internal integrity.EmpathyEmpathy creates emotional bonding between the company and stakeholders allowing companies to endure a difficult time. Apple is currently embroiled in lawsuits that are likely to restrict consumer choices in the future if it carries on. Publishers are frustrated by Apples hammerlock over apps and magazine subscriptions on the iPad. There have been indications that Samsung, Apples most threatening antagonist, angered by patent law suits, will finally fight back to counter sue Apple. While from Apples point of view, taking legal action against competitors may seem necessary as a means of protecting innovation, public suasion works differently.For multinational companies the legal victory can often end with a kind of zero sum game, leaving it with a reputation for gravitas and insecurity. Apple will have to worry about its reputation all the more so if it wins the battles against competitors. Even more telling, the suicides at chinawares manufacturing behemoth, Foxconn, have created the uncomfortable impression that cool products like the iPad are being produced by what amounts to economic slave labor. This is decidedly uncool and not the image that Apple wants to portray. transportZeal is perhaps the virtue most-embedded at Apples core and is represented by their continuous innovation and excitement in terms of products and customer experience. By emphasizing Corporation Social Responsibility, Tim Cook would need to bring that famous Apple zeal to social issues, offering an innovative approach, as competitor Google did, when it famously began encouraging its employees to spend 20% of their time on their own projects. It goes without saying that Cook and Apple are standing at a precipice. mathematical product innovations can be short-lived. A serious Corporation Social Responsibil ity strategy could quietly shift Apples sales pitch from personal charisma to the great public good, doing Apple good in the long term. The leaders of innovative organizations that undergo the uncertainty that comes with change, would be wise to promote both integrity and empathy internally, thus ensuring that zeal continues to inspire consumers throughout their tenure and for years to come.External FactorsIn 1980, Apple became the PC industry leader selling more than 100,000 Apple IIs and open a successful IPO. However, Apples competitive position changed fundamentally in 1981 when IBM entered the PC market. Apples ignorance to the industrial changes caused them to lose major PC market share by 62% sending the company into a crisis. Apple manages its business on geographic locations having offices in New York, Europe, Japan, and Asia. Apples sales are continuously growing. In the past decades the PC industry has evolved into the proprietary system and the open system. Lets look b ack Apples position in each phase.Proprietary Systems before 1981Every PC producer had to develop their own hardware and software. It was proprietary, one that possesses, owns, or holds exclusive right to something. There were two mainstreams in the market, Apple style machine and IBM style machines. During this period, Apple was the leader selling more than 100,000 Apple IIs and launching a successful IPO. Its strong developing ability made the Apple brand a family commodity. Introduction of the Open System 1981-1997IBM offered an open system in which other producers could clone causing competitors such as Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, and Dell to enter the market while Apple continued to practice limitability with a horizontal and vertical integration relying on its own proprietary designs. It was during this time that producers started separating hardware into CPUs (Central Processing Units), mother boards, disk drive, and other peripheral items. This change caused consumers to not o nly care about hardware performance, but also about software applications. IBM machines with Intel CPU and Windows Operating systems became the mainstream.IBM PCs not only gained more market share, but also emerged as the new standard for the industry. Apple continued to lose market share because corporate insisted on selling the products at a premium price and not upgrading its hardware and software to be compatible with IBM machines. Apple responded by introducing the Macintosh and entering new markets desktop publishing and education- in 1984. It marked a find in ease of use, industrial design, and adept elegance. However the Macs slow processor speed and lack of compatible software limited sales. Apples desktop market was driven by its superior software and offered customers a complete desktop solution which allowed for simple plug and play. In education, they grabbed more than half the market, which is safe to say, helped Apple recover and stabilize bringing in revenue of $1 billion.Micro-EnvironmentMicro-Environment is actors or elements in an organizations fast area of operations that affect its performance and decision making freedom. This environment can be explained using Porters five forcesRivalry among active firmsThreat of substitute productsBargaining power of buyersBargaining power of suppliersThreat of new entrantsAs a computer producer company, Apple is faced with many strategic issues Surviving competition, responding to technology innovation and continuous market needs. The technology industry can be considered to be monopolistic competition which is characterized by having a large number of competitors and gaining easy access into the industry due to low entry barriers. Supplier bargaining position is very strong due to a small number of existing processor suppliers, example Intel and AMD.Customer bargaining position is also strong due to low searching and switching woos. some(prenominal) of these characteristics constrain companies in the industry. As a result, the market becomes saturated and fragmented which makes for only a small market share gained by every company. There are a lot of competitors offering similar products to Apple for example, Windows tablet, Samsung, Kindle, etc., with only little difference in features and design.Macro-EnvironmentMacro Environment is defined as the major external and uncontrollable factors that influence an organizations decision making and affect its performance and strategies. These factors include the economic factors, demographics, political, social conditions technological changes and natural forces. proper(postnominal) examples of macro environment influences include competitors, changes in interest rates, and changes in cultural tastes.Technological ForcesThe main force that influences the computer industry is rapid and sustained technical progress. Each year, integrated circuits and other technological components become better, faster, and cheaper providing oppo rtunities to improve on existing computers as well as designing a new one. Apple is strongly affected by technology innovation forces surrounding it. Rapid innovation on hardware by component producers, for example Intel & AMD and software by competitors (Microsoft) gives Apple no choice but to grasp and possibly enhance the new hardware technology and also continue innovating to sustain differentiation. Microsoft which dominates the operating system producer for Intel based computers is a main competitor for Apple. Microsoft releases new versions of Windows every two (2) years creating pressure for Apple to upgrade MacOS as well.Political forcesWith China joining the WTO creates opportunity as well as threats to Apple. Lower investment barrier and market barrier gives opportunities for Apple to take advantage of low cost labor as well as getting potential market. However, on the other hand, similar opportunities exist to competitors. When competitors move its plant into China and b ecome more efficient, Apple has to respond or they will experience cost inefficiency disadvantage over competitors.Social ForcesDifferent and dynamic change of needs and lifestyle requires Apple to continuously innovate to adapt. Consumers tastes, lifestyles, and needs are rapidly changing. Apple has also been criticized by many environmental organizations for not being a leader in removing toxic chemicals from its new products. Because of the social pressure regarding environmental issues, Apple has to invest in R&D to become environmentally friendly.The collaboration of Political, Economic, Social and Technological forces creates an intricate environment. Apple has to keep in step with new technology, innovate to be different, and continually modify to its customer needs and demands. The instantaneous changes in technology and low entry barrier cause the durability of Apple products to become obsolete.