Introduction

Apple is a company that is based in Cupertino, California. The headquarter in

California, America is best known for the development process, the design processes as well as
the sales. Apple is known for selling computer software, online computer services, and also
electronics. Some of the hardware products courtesy of Apple include iPad tablets, iPhones
smartphones, Apple digital televisions, iPod media players among others. Some software
produced by Apple includes iOS operating system and iTunes media player. Apple is widely
known for their unique and functional designs that keep enhancing both existing and new
customers. In fact, Apple is among the world’s largest company in terms of information and
technology. Also, it is among the leaders of phone manufacturers across the globe. This
investigative report seeks to analyze and put into perspective the general characteristics of Apple
as an industry. The report will also explain different demographic as well as technological
factors that help Apple as a company to grow and maintain the revenue status that it has. There
are various factors that affect the productivity and stability of Apple as a company. Those issues
will be discussed, as well as the manner in which the company deals with the issues. Also, the
report will feature the general environment of the company.

Body
Industry characteristics and planetary issues
Nature of Apple
Apple is well renowned company that is known for being technical in terms of
innovation. Different innovators have come together to ensure that products are exceptional in
the competitive market. The designs are made to suit the consumers’ needs, so feedback and
suggestions from customers are highly valued by Apple. According to (), Apple is a company
that remains on top of the market because of the outstanding leadership as well as the creative
brains that are formed by employers. For that reason, Apple stands as one of the most talked
about company in the world. () explains that Apple has done so well as a company to the extent
that it boosted of a revenue growth of about 8 billion U.S dollars in 2004, which has now
projected to over 230 billion in the year 2015. Apple was started by Steve Jobs, Ronald Wayne
and Steve Wozniak. They started small. The first product that the three individuals produced for
the market was the Apple I. They went ahead to develop different features of the Apple I.
Slowly, Jobs, Wozniak and Wayne developed Apple II, then Apple III. Over the years, Apple
became more creative in terms of production. For instance, in 2007, iPhone was released into the
market. That was the revolution of the smartphone market across the globe. The reason why the
iPhones were different was because of the touch screen interface that had not yet been introduced
to the market. According to (), the introduction of the iPhone was a major boost for Apple
because it managed to generate millions and millions of sales. He further explains that the sale of
iPhones still leads in terms of bringing high level revenues globally.
General characteristics of Apple
Apple is characterised by different situations. Apple as a company thrives because of
the diversity and professionalism of the people working in the company. () explains that working
with Apple is always a learning experience especially because all employees are trained and in
turn expected to give their ultimate best in terms of work. In fact, there is no strict rule of
working when you are employed at Apple. Employees are free to come to work or leave as they
please as long as they reach their expected work goals. Apple Company is also known for
providing a functional and friendly environment for work, so every employee is free to work
depending with their flexibility. According to (), Apple puts all its energy on the idea of
production and innovation because it helps in providing constant flow of output. The idea helps
the company to stay on track in terms of creativity. When it comes to issues like interpersonal
relationships at work, the company puts its energy on providing the needs of the employee before
that of Apple. The people at Apple have established a functional channel of communication at
the workplace. Employees are free to communicate directly with their employers. That is put in
place to encourage team work as well as free exchange of ideas and information. Customers are
always given the first priority at Apple, because the expectations and demands of the clients are
what keep the company running (). That is why the workers at Apple are always on top of their
game, because anything less in not acceptable.
Competitors of Apple
Apple is a company that is highly rated in terms of revenue, profit and capitalization
of the market. Apple is a company that has constantly improved over the years. It has been a
threat to many companies that are in the same market. For instance, the introduction of the
iPhone was the ultimate achievement because it contributes highly to the general success of the
company. According to (), Apple competes with many companies that offer similar products, and
the fact that it provides different products means that it also competes in many markets. For
instance, Microsoft is one of the well known competitors of Apple when it comes to the market
of operating systems. The smart tablet market is undeniably dominated by Apple, even though
Microsoft and Amazon have their own smart tablets in the market. Samsung is also a well know
competitor of Apple. Samsung is a well experienced electronics company that ships electronics
like televisions, cameras and phones across the globe. That puts Samsung in a good position to
compete with iPhone in the hardware market. For instance, phone specifications produced by
Samsung can compete with the phone specifications of iPhone. () explains that the smartphone
market is flooded with competition from phone companies like Motorola, Windows and even
Android, but Apple remains on top. Google is also a major competitor of Apple. One area of
competition is the storage of media like music, where Google produced Google Drive to compete
with Apple’s iCloud. Also, Google has constantly proved to be a competitor of Apple through
the production of Android Operating System, which competes with Apple’s iOS.
Apple’s market strategy
Some people come across successful brands and wonder how they did it. Apple is
one of the most successful brands. All the products from Apple always top the market, and
become a success. () explains that Apple has enjoyed tremendous growth over the years, as they
keep on producing different products. Clearly, Apple does not only concentrate on selling its
products, or making massive products. Apple’s market strategy is the secret behind all the
success. The company keeps on changing the direction of the market by producing commodities
that turn out to sell in the market. One market strategy that Apple has lived by over the years is
creating brand loyalty and sustaining them. According to (), Apple is a company that comes up
with portfolios that are different, which provide different experiences for various clients. The
portfolios help to provide the much needed information that will enable new products to maintain
the longevity of the company. For instance, an iPhone would not be the masterpiece it is without
an application like iTune. All Apple products maintain a certain sense of uniformity, creating
familiarity for the customers. Another market strategy used by Apple is maintaining the brand
image as well as the pricing. Even though the products of other manufacturers resemble those of
Apple, they never match up to the prices of Apple. In most cases, Apple products are usually two
times or three time the price of products from Android and others. The steady pricing of the
goods from Apple has continuously assured the loyal customers of the quality of their products
as well as the promotion of the same products (). In the market, it is normal for clients to assume
that expensive products maintain a high reputation for quality. The above mentioned market
strategies applied by Apple are the main reasons why the company is outstanding. Apple easily
puts high value on their products because they are popular and on demand

Apple’s ecological and social responsibilities

Ecological responsibility
Apple Company prides itself in being responsible for the environment. According to (),
Apple uses 100percent renewable materials, with its energy coming from sources that can be
renewed. For instance, Apple in China has effectively added about 170 megawatts of solar
energy, which is used for production. Also, about 99 percent of paper can be recycled and later
reused. The move aims at protecting the forests that surround the factories. That would ensure
that the trees around the factories are not affected in any way. () explains that Apple took it upon
themselves to make sure that the company minimises the use of items or materials that are
obtained from the soil, like making sure that water is reused rather than using fresh water.
Ideally, Apple created Apple Renew, which is a means of recycling Apple devices from any
Apple store. Apple has also taken the initiative of making sure that all toxins are removed from
the environment. For example, Apple has successfully removed materials like mercury from the
screens of the electronics and replaced them with friendly materials like solder. Recently, Apple
went ahead to give a provision of all the material they use for making their products. Also, they
started giving out the components of the materials used.
.
Social responsibility
Apple has a social responsibility to the people around their companies. For starters, the
company supports the local community in various ways. A program called Global Volunteer
Program was brought about by the company to make sure that the employees learned how to
volunteer to the local communities. Apple also helps in providing much needed education for
most of its workers. The offer is usually given to employees, free of charge. At least 280,000
workers have benefited from the program. According to an article on Apple Corporate Social
Responsibility (2016), Apple ensures that all cases of abuse and discrimination of foreign
workers or otherwise were followed carefully, and compensation was provided when there was
need. Minimal to zero cases of harassment are reported because of the professionalism as well as
the social responsibility that Apple owes its workers. One other social awareness practice that
Apple offers is employee health and safety. The company takes care of the people around the
company as well as the workers. Apple Corporate Social Responsibility (2016) explains that
Apple has an academy called the Apple Supplier EHS Academy that helps to maintain the proper
health of its workers across the globe. Lastly, there is gender equality in all the Apple companies;
therefore everybody is protected from any form of harassment.
Transparency and disclosure
 According to an article written by CNN about Apple releasing its transparency report
(Apple releases its first transparency report, 2013), Apple opened up for the first time and
provided their report upon the government’s request. Apple was always known to secretive thus
not disclosing any information to the government. However, the company provided its first ever
transparency report to the government back in 2013. Apple provided the needed information to
the government as well as the authorities; some of what included bank and account statements of
customers. Most of the transparency report included information belonging to individuals found
on Game Center, iCloud and also iTunes (Apple releases its first transparency report, 2013).Law
enforcement agencies are the firms that request the information compared to any other firms.
One reason why that happens is because there is constant need by the law enforcement agencies
to track stolen computers, phones and also tablets.
The general business environment
Political and legal factors affecting Apple
Even though Apple stands as one of the leading companies in the world, there are certain
issues that may threaten its stability. For that reason, Apple is expected to adhere to certain rules
of play to maintain its position. () asserts that a company like Apple maintains its position on the
market because of the discipline it has on dealing with both internal and external factors that may
affect its standards. Various political factors affect the normal business of Apple. Trade policies
are affected both negatively and positively by the political status quo. When trade policies like
free trade are not promoted, then Apple stands to be threatened in terms of sales. Stability in
politics in other countries also comes as an advantage for Apple, because there are better market
opportunities. According to (), Apple thrives on stable political policies because it ensures that
more products are sold in many countries. Various legal issues affect Apple. Companies like
HTC and Nokia have been known to file law suits about infringement. For that reason, Apple
ensures that it abides by the laws and regulations. For instance, the company ensures that there
are properly installed health and safety gears to avoid some law suits.

Socio-cultural and technological issues affecting Apple

Technology is a factor that affects Apple directly.
(include demography)

Conclusion (300)

References
Apple Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). (2016, March 07). Retrieved January 10, 2017,
from http://research-methodology.net/apple-corporate-social-responsibility-csr/
Apple releases its first transparency report(n.d.). Retrieved January 10, 2017, from
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/05/tech/social-media/apple-transparency-report/