Social and Ethical Responsibility of Apple - Assignment Example

Corporate Responsibility and Marketing Strategies Social and Ethical Responsibility of Apple The mainaim of Apple is ensuring ethical and social responsibility by complying with the various issues related to it. It is committed towards maintaining high standard required for fulfilling the social responsibility where the products of the company are manufactured or produced. The social responsibility that is performed by the company are providing safe working condition to the suppliers, treating its employees with respect and dignity and being environmentally responsible for manufacturing the process. Apple has done a remarkable job related to the maintenance and performance of ethical and social responsibilities in the current year. Apple has focused on various corporate and social responsibility programs by improving the working condition of the workers. Apple has also focused on the various environmental issues. The social responsibility of Apple is that it is associated with the various fundamental ways of doing their business. The code of conduct that is applied and adopted by Apple for its workers in the current scenario includes the health and safety, the human and the labor right, commitment regarding ethics and management. Apple has now adopted new resolution of monitoring the social responsibility of the company by improving the performance of the suppliers in terminating the business that fails to meet the expectation of the company (Lasserre, 2012). The social responsibility program that has been adopted by Apple in the current year mainly includes monitoring the program for increasing the number of facilities that is required to be audited, dedicating additional resources for protecting the workers from other countries. The ethical responsibility that is adopted by Apple in the recent years mainly includes elimination and reduction of dangerous working condition and also removing the practice of bribery that is offering of cash to the auditors of the company. Apple has adopted stringency in its practices by maintaining a standard or the measurement of the code and ethics that is used in the process of auditing. The example of the social and the ethical responsibility that is performed by Apple is that it does not engage child labor in its production process. Ethics and social responsibilities violations made by Apples suppliers The current position of the ethical and the social responsibility of Apple mainly deal with the level or the extent of commitment of the company in maintaining of transparency, reducing the environmental impact and safeguarding the health and the well being of the workers. Apple expects that the suppliers of the company will comply with the specifications that the company has committed in the public forum. But based on the audit report in China it was found that the human rights were violated and destroyed, the facts were revealed that the factories were not producing the important and relevant documents to the auditors and therefore the employees of the company were compelled to answer the questions that were being interrogated by the auditors of the company (Proctor, 2014). The auditors found and revealed the fact that the suppliers were hiding the information and were dumping the waste. Therefore in order to investigate the issue in-depth, the auditors of the company have decided to appoint an expert for investigating the matter and during the period of investigation of the issue the supplier of the company was placed on the period of probation. Therefore in order to resolve the issue the company has adopted strict practices in restricting such matters to be repeated in future. The company has adopted necessary measures by tracking on the number of hours worked by the employees and putting a restriction on the excessive or overtime working by the workers without the prior approval of the concerned authority. The violation of the social and the ethical consequences by the suppliers of Apple has impacted and affected the reputation of the company. Therefore Apple had to face with various issues which include committing of suicide by its workers. The supplier of the company in China have been found guilty for the violation of various rights of the company such as paying minimum wages to its workers , hiring of underage workers in the organization and excessive working hours. Adhering to the wage and benefit of the workers by its suppliers Apple have adopted and implemented a supplier code of conduct requirement in which the wages and the benefit that is provided to the workers will be monitored and analyzed. The suppliers of the company are required to ensure that the workers of the company receive the minimum benefit and wages. The two methods that can be adopted by the suppliers of the company in adhering to the wage and benefit provided to the workers are the company is expected to comply monitoring program for its suppliers in the form of verification of the financial reports, adopting correct action plans, conducting of factory audits and ensuring that the suppliers are complying with the standard code of conduct. The suppliers of the company are expected to protect the rights of the workers in order to make the work place free from discrimination. The suppliers of Apple are required to provide the workers with sound working conditions and treat their workers with respect and dignity. The suppliers of the company are expected to comply with the rules and regulations or the code of conduct that has been established by the company (Ulwick, 2005). Apple had to increase selling prices in order to provide better wages and benefits for supplier’s workers The quality of the products and the services that is offered by Apple to its customers indicates and signifies that the customers of Apple will be willing to pay more prices for its products. The customers are interested to pay more for the products that are similar to the products that are perceived by the consumers. The customers of Apple must be willing to pay more for the receiving better service and products if the suppliers of Apple decide to increase the selling price of its products for providing benefit and wages to its employees and workers. The innovation of new products by Apple will compel its customers to pay more for its new product with added quality and features. The assembling of its iphone and reshoring its manufacturing will gain customer loyalty and retention. The improvement in its supply chain and the sustainability of the products will attract more of its customers as a result it will force the customers to purchase the product and in turn it will facilitate the suppliers in increasing the price of the product which will be utilized in providing better wages and benefits to the workers (Pringle, 2008). A survey was conducted which indicated that more than 50% of the consumers are willing to purchase iphone and taking into consideration the aspect of ipad, the consumers remarked that no company can be compared with the quality of product that is being offered by Apple. Therefore it can be observed that the customers are satisfied with the products and the service that is offered by Apple. Therefore it can increase its price and it is not under any obligation to reduce the price of its products since the customers are happy with the products that is offered by the company. Apples current overall marketing strategy The marketing strategy that is adopted by apple is that it mainly focuses on providing unique and new products to its customers and it is well known for providing the best services. Apple is capable of understanding the needs and requirement of the customers and provides them with new experience. The product strategy of the company is mainly centered on Iphone, Mac, Icloud and Itune. The marketing strategy that is mainly adopted by Apple is that it concentrates on positioning of its product in the market considering the growth and profitability aspect of the product. Apple also performs various corporate social responsibilities together with the adoption of various marketing strategies and it promotes its product through performing such responsibilities and roles. Apple emphasizes on providing energy efficient product for its customers as compared to the product of its competitors (Porter, 2008). Strategies that can be implemented by Apple in improving its competitive advantage in the market are that it is required to increase its investment in the research and development activities. Apple is required to open its own retail stores for supplying of its products in the market. Apple must provide more added features to its current products in order to gain competitive advantage over its competitors. The competition is increasing in the recent years and the competitors are trying to imitate apple and gain the market share therefore it is expected that Apple should concentrate on innovation and technology for sustaining in the market and gaining reputation and acceptance across the world. This can be explained with reference to Blackberry which is competing with Apple but it cannot compete and gain the market share due to lack of innovation and bankruptcy that is encountered Blackberry. References Lasserre, P. (2012). Global strategic management. Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan. Porter, M. E. (2008). Competitive advantage: creating and sustaining superior performance. New York: Simon and Schuster. Pringle, H. (2008). Brand immortality: how brands can live long and prosper. Great Britain: Kogan Page Publishers. Proctor, T. (2014). Strategic marketing: an introduction. New York: Routledge. Ulwick, A. W. (2005). Business strategy formulation: theory, process and the intellectual revolution. USA: IAP. Read More