Social performance of organizations essay sample

1. 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. Apple Inc. is a well-known computer manufacturer, smartphone and digital devices device maker. Company have made strong roots in the computing market since its beginning its’ all, because of its maintained quality which have been continuously delivering to its valuable customers, Apple (2012).

The firm was formerly known as Apple Computer Inc. as it was started by Steve Jobs with his friends Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne in the 1970’s. Apple Incorporation (Inc.) is well known for design, sells best quality of the Computer, Music and Mobile-phone Industries. Apple Inc. is an American Multinational corporation with a focus on designing and manufacturing consumer electronic and related software products. Its best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of personal computers, the iPod (portable media player), and the iPhone. The software products include the Mac OS X operating system, iTunes media browser and the iLife suite of multimedia and creativity software. (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

The personal computer industry is characterized by the following features: it is highly competitive, computer companies abide aggressive pricing practices that causes downward pressure on gross margins, another feature is frequent introduction of new products, computers, peripherals and accessories have got in a great extant short product life cycles, there are a lot of industry standards and patents, in fact, all makers apply strategies of continual improvement in product price/performance characteristics, if any company has invented any technological advancements, another one rapidly adopts it, besides, prices are very sensitive on the part of consumers, and it is likely, there is and lots of competitors in the market. In order to achieve those results Apple Inc. has got today the company has to pay attention to all these. Apple is using different business strategy that all employees and management work together in the creation of their products and services while Apples main on customer relationship management.

Apple Inc. uses various types of internet business models like Business to Business e-commerce is used in the selling of computers which help operate proficiency in other businesses. Business to Consumer e-commerce model is the selling of iPods, computer, iTunes, iMac and other products to different individuals rather than businesses. Other Business to Government e-commerce model is the process of selling of any Apple products to government operated organizations, Apple (2012). In addition; Apple has expanded its business and keeps on continuously expanding its services. Apple first started with the desktop computers those were the best quality represented by apple. Then slowly it tools over the market and also starts to launch various digital players. Apple iPod and iPhone was hugely accepted by all the people who seek quality in produce.

Apple is always known for the quality it provides, Sofiane Achiche, Francesco Paolo Appio, Tim C. McAloone, Alberto Di Minin (2013); Organization especially focusing on their competitors’ level on how easy or difficult is it for current services to maintain, in which barriers do exist by their competitors. Second one, is to use core technical power of experts during the technological changes where experts are mandate to get into because of organizational market position and taking a lower percentage of profit Later, there are various segments in which company has been expanded its business globally where especially two segments of business offering; mutual funds and stock solutions and other is education loan where students are interested to take education loans where company has been exhibit its image as a one of the leading IT company which providing these services to extensive market and continuously strengthen its approach to gain more profit from the market after investment.

2. Suggest five (5) ways in which the primary stakeholders can influence the organization’s financial performance. Provide support for the response. Apple Inc. is a large organization that incorporated its strength in IT field and have making made various products and providing satisfied services. Organization’s primary stakeholders included a wide range of different categorized people; government, employees, shareholders, and its clients. Employees are one of the people whom are associated and influence the various operations of the organization mans they could affect the organizational financial performance more as compared to others because with their work organization has been maintaining its market value in the current market.

There are different ways through which stakeholders can assist to increase the organizational financial performance, Jeffrey W. Alstete, John P. Meyer (2012); i. Employees’ motivation is an important theory, to maintain the interest in employees i. e. if employees are motivated with Company’s culture, compensation, training programs and rewards and transparency in work; they would like to share more ideas to Company which could assist to influence the Company’s financial aspects. ii. Must realize Shareholders with considerable more innovative ideas so that they attract and would like to spend more on Company’s new launch and research & innovations; iii. Dip in more Competitive Analysis with the help of research methods like; qualitative and quantitative approach can assist organization to know more about the current lacking within the system and can take decision appropriately. iv. Today, in market every buyer wants to use cheaper product with latest technology, easily afford because they didn’t want to use more than 2 to 3 years and has market more substitute of product.

So they invest money in new technology and affordable prices. Hence Apple should introduce few cheap products and services in order to gain over Asian and African market that could increase the organizational financial performance. v. Improvement in the area of decision making process while introducing any new product or service as recently had suffered one instance where iOS 8. 0 had issues and realized with external threats and also lose few customers reliability. However, later on in few days, they had considered and provided solution but organization like; Apple must assure such kind of situation before introducing any kind of product or services in order to maintain its customers and minimize the external threats.

3. Specify one (1) controversial corporate social responsibility concern associated with Apple. One Corporate Social Responsibility associated concern, observed in China, as it was known as Labor Problem where Apple’s one of the work supplier Foxconn, an Apple supplier in China, have reignited a debate about labor regulations in the China that was due to, ‘ two iPad factory explosions and it was on iTouch line of Wintek where 140 employees were hospitalized. It was important to understand that the problems were bigger than Foxconn and was specific to Apple supplier set, HANQING CHEN (2012, March). Additionally, New York Times exposed on the Shenzhen-based factory, and U. S. media presented the issue, as a calling response from Apple executives then Apple hired Fair Labor Association (FLA) to investigate working conditions at Foxconn, and ABC’s Nightline aired exclusive footage from inside the factories.

After a research Apple explained that issue as “ According to the FLA, conditions are actually much better at Foxconn compared to other factories, such as textile mills, in China.” But Corporate Social Responsibility expert Richard Brubaker said, “ We couldn’t compare a textile mill Company with a big technical Company”, HANQING CHEN (2012, March). Apple experts explained and blamed that, China’s Labor regulations are different and strict as compare to United States and we couldn’t provide more support to workers in China. Later on, they looked into the issues and providing better services as compare to earlier work environment. However still, one could see the controversy over such kind of corporate social responsibility, HANQING CHEN (2012, March).

References
Apple (2012). Apple’s official Webpage. Retrieved from www. apple. com HANQING CHEN (2012, March). Who’s Really to Blame for Apple’s Chinese Labor Problems?. Retrived From: http://www. theatlantic. com/international/archive/2012/03/whos-really-to-blame-for-apples-chinese-labor-problems/253892/ Jeffrey W. Alstete, John P. Meyer (2012). Intelligence Methods and Systems Advancements for Knowledge-Based Business. Sofiane Achiche, Francesco Paolo Appio, Tim C. McAloone, Alberto Di Minin (2013). Fuzzy decision support for tools selection in the core front end activities of new product development, Research in Engineering Design, 24, 1, 2.