The company is Apple. Make sure you know and say what their stated policy is (an
ID: 349003 • Letter: T
Question
The company is Apple. Make sure you know and say what their stated policy is (and be able to cite where you got that policy). From internet surveys, newspaper articles, personal experience, and more than just anecdotal accounts, summarize what you have decided about the execution of their customer service policy, AND support your views. Defend your position. Personal rants or those only from a website of complaints are not acceptable. You must include information and a citation from a major customer service industry benchmarking organization relative to your company. One such source is "www.theacsi.org ". I want an ABSTRACT for the paper. This paper is to be at least 1000 words. Throw a bit of yourself into this one. What are your impressions, do you really believe all of the PR blurbs about this company and what was the support for your reasoning? How good and reproducible are your references? PLEASE MAKE THE PAPER TO BE 1000 WORDS LONG PLEASE. That's all the information
Explanation / Answer
Apple Inc is a leading American corporation that manufactures computer software and consumer electronics. The company is credited for designing products such as the Macintosh range of computers, the iPad, iPhone, and the iPod. Computer software made by this company range from the I Life, the safari web browser, the iOS, and the iTunes among others. The company is currently operating over 350 stores in various countries around the world alongside an online store that offers both software and hardware. In this year, Apple Inc was ranked as the largest company in the globe with regard to market capitalization (Seitz 5).
It is equally a company with the largest market in the world with regard to both revenue and profit generation. The company was founded in 1976 and later incorporated the following year. Before the year 2007, this company was known as Apple Computer Inc. The shift to the current name reflects the ongoing innovation in its range of products and market diversification. By September last year, this company had nearly 50,000 employees on full term basis. Apparently the company has a very established reputation in the electronics industry. The shares of this company are traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange market.
Now, Apple designs, develops, produces markets and services microprocessor-based personal computers, related software and peripheral products, including laser printers, scanners, compact disk read-only memory drives and other related products; and manufactures communications products that connect Apple systems to local area networks, connect the Macintosh to other computers and integrate the Macintosh into various computing environments.
Apple was founded by the late Steve Jobs, Ronald Wayne and Steve Wozniak in the year 1976. The company was later incorporated the following year (Young and Simon 35). From 1976 to 1980, the company concentrated on the production and sale of the Apple I and Apple II computers. With the introduction of computer designers in the late 70s, the company adopted the Apple III computers. The later was geared at enhancing a competitive advantage over both Microsoft and IBM. With the incorporation of Xerox PARC in 1979, the company launched the development of Apple Lisa.
This company later went public and generated the highest capital in history following the IPO. Between the year 1981 and 1985, the company faced a battle of choices between products with regard to the Macintosh and the Lisa. Later in 1983, the Apple Lisa was given priority over the Macintosh and thus became the first personal computer traded by the company (Reder 185- 209). Though the Lisa had the graphical user interface, its marketability was limited by its high pricing. The sale of the Macintosh was launched in 1984 but its marketability was equally limited by high pricing. The company later shift to the Laser writer which traded well at a customer friendly price.
Apple Inc. is an American multinational electronics and software company established by Steven Jobs and Stephen Wozniak on April 1, 1976, in Cupertino, California. Apple designs, manufactures and markets personal computers, portable media players, mobile phones, computer software, computer hardware and peripherals.
The Apple Store, which is a retail store owned and operated by Apple Inc., has opened 283 stores as of December 2009, which are located in 10 countries. The company's products are also sold worldwide through its online stores, its direct sales force, and third-party wholesalers, resellers, and value-added resellers. Music, audio books, iPod games, music videos, episodes of television programs, and movies can be downloaded off the iTunes Store on Mac or Windows computers, and on the iPod Touch and iPhone. Apple's most popular products include their line of Macintosh personal computers, iPod portable media players, and the iPhone.
Apple Inc. sells its products to individual consumers, small and mid-sized businesses, educators and consumers in enterprise, government, creative, information technology and scientific markets. The company's total net sales was $36 537 million and they employed approximately 34 300 full-time equivalent employees and 2500 full-time equivalent temporary employees and contractors as of the end of their fiscal year on September 26, 2009.
Apple manages and organizes its business based on a geographical structure, which is one of the divisional structures. The divisional structure is a traditional organization structure which group together people who work on the same product or process, serve similar customers, and/or are located in the same geographical region. In regards to Apple, their geographical structure group together jobs and activities being performed in the same geographical region. The company has created operating segments based on the location and nature of customers.
The operating segments are the Americas, Europe, Japan, Asia-Pacific, Retail and FileMaker operations. The Americas, Europe, Japan and Retail operations are Apple's reportable operating segments. The Americas, Europe, Japan and Asia Pacific segments do not include activities associated with the Retail segment. Asia Pacific includes Australia and Asia, excluding Japan. The Americas segment encompasses North and South America. European countries, the Middle East, and Africa are part of the Europe segment. Regarding the company's retail segment, these are the retail stores operating in the U.S. and international markets. Similar hardware and software products and services are provided to the same types of customers by each reportable operating segment.
Apple Inc. is such a large corporation that it has all levels of management from upper to lower. The organization has all types of managers including line managers whose work directly contributes to the production of apples goods and services. They also have staff managers who use their special technical expertise to support line workers (marketing, accounting, human resources, and legal services). As shown in the diagram below of how Apple's top managers are organized, the company has both functional managers, who are responsible for one area of activity, and general managers, who are responsible for complex areas.
This design is appropriate for the organization because their process of creating this geographical structure has appeared to benefit them from their results, which included a 36% gross margin in 2009, and helped them accomplish their mission and objectives. It allows their expertise to be focused on specific customers, products, and regions, which all have unique cultures and different requirements.
Steve Jobs the CEO and Co-Founder of Apple Inc. is known for having a temperamental management style. He has gone against the traditional management style, being strict with employees causing some fear but also praising them. Jobs is a perfectionist who pays close attention to detail, which can drive some of his subordinates crazy from his constant demands.. He creates many prototypes and mock-ups which are constantly being edited and revised by being passed back and forth between designers, engineers, programmers, and managers, and then back again. His obsession with excellence has created an amazing development process which turns out great products.
Apple Inc is a leading multination corporation in the technology industry. Though the company faces stiff competition from IBM, HP, and Dell, its business strategies have always put it on top. The company is currently enjoying an added competitive advantage in the technology industry following the successful plunge in to both the music and phone industry.
Based on Steve Jobs's management style I believe he is not following a traditional approach to management. He appears to be following one of the behavioural management approaches, McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y. I believe he has some of the qualities of a theory 'X' and theory 'Y' manager. Jobs has theory 'X' characteristics because he prefers to lead others and expects staff to listen to his commands. His drive to change the world leads him to scream and shout at employees. In contrast, he also has some of the qualities of a theory 'Y' manager because he wants his staff to be imaginative and creative and to also be involved by participating in the design process. Jobs believes debating between his employees fosters creativity, therefore he gives creative partners a lot of rope.