Apple’s Mission Statement

Company apple Inc. is an Ameri merchant ship multinational corporation founded in 1976 with 361 retail stores world large-minded as of January 2012. The occurrent CEO of orchard apple tree is Tim garble and the current Chairman is Arthur Levinson. Its headquarters is situated at 1 innumerous Loop Cupertino, CA 95014 United States apples mission recital is apple designs macks, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and maestro softw ar. orchard apple tree leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store.Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its radical iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad. (Apple Inc. Frequently Asked Questions, 2012) Products and Distri only ifion Apples prime function is the design and marketing of products much(prenominal) as consumer electronics, computers, and computer softw be, including * iPhone * iPad * Mac * iPod * iOS * Ap ple TV * iCloud * Mac OS X Apple as well offers various third-party accessories, digital content and applications compatible with its birth products.Apple sells these and its own products through various distribution channels including * retail stores * online stores * moderate sales force * third-party cellular net naturalise carriers * wholesalers * retailers * value-added resellers Apples products and serve are sold to a wide variety of customers including * consumers * small and mid-sized businesses * rearing * enterprise * g everywherenment customers Customers and Market Expansion Apple has a trustworthy customer base, with regular customers accounting for a large dower of sales.However, Apple is always looking to expand into new market areas through the unveiling of new products and marketing techniques. For instance, Apple is considering the creation of an Apple Bank, with a novel survey showing that 43% of the current Apple customers would switch from their current banks to Apple. Apple excessively recently delved into the electronic book labor, over which it like a shot faces a lawsuit for colluding with other companies to raise the harm of electronic books. Shares 1,748 institutions presently hold Apple parts. Due to its recent achievement, reflected in its no. stead in BrandZs 2011 list of the 100 well-nigh valuable brands in the world, Apple has amassed US$98 billion, and has therefore decided to pay a quarterly dividend of US$2. 65 a section to investors starting from July 1, implying a 1. 8% dividend yield based on a current share terms of around US$600. Apple is also planning to buy US$10 billion in shares over a triad year period starting from September 30. The total cost of these aforethought(ip) operations amounts to roughly US$45 billion. Employees Apple has over 60,000 employees, and this follow is increasing rapidly delinquent to the federations high employment rate.The research and fall apartment department is relatively small, with most staff apply in general and administrative roles approximately 60% of Apples employees work in Apple Stores, compared to other companies in the same industry of similar size. Most Apple employees have more than 5-10 years of work experience, but the level of education is not a crucial decision making factor in employment the amount of graduates hired without master or doctoral details is significant. Environmental Impact Apple has long been the suit of objurgation over its environmental impact.In 2007, Steve Jobs penned an open letter promising to remove toxic materials from Apples products, and that promise has been fulfilled since then, with toxic substances being distant from Apples whole array of products. However, Apple is steady criticised frequently over its impact on the environment. In a list released in April 2011 by Greenpeace, Apple was deemed the least green technology smart set out-of-pocket to its high reliance on coal power. Ap ple published a breakdown of its carbon footprint in 2011, estimating that it was responsible for 23. 1 jillion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions during the year.Chinese environmental groups have also published two overcompensates detailing the pollution and health hazards present in Apples supply chain in China. In these reports, Apple is criticised for ignoring the unhealthy conditions in its factories in China. In response to these reports, Apples pledge to master safe working conditions for its suppliers was restated. Apple was again criticised when some(prenominal)(prenominal) of its manufacturers in China were accused of releasing harmful pollutants. In response, Apple met with Chinese environmental groups, promising to assess its environmental impact and ensure its partners would follow environmental regulations.Apples own supplier responsibility report detailed that waste was being improperly discharged from some(prenominal) of its suppliers and some facilities di d not have adequate systems or records in place call for to deal with hazardous materials. Economic Conditions Apple has always had to cope with ever-changing economic conditions. However, Apples response to these conditions has varied. For instance, in the Global pecuniary Crisis, rumours spread that Apple would develop new, more affordable products across its Mac and iPhone families. However, when questioned over this, Steve Jobs replied There are some customers which we choose not to serve.We befoolt know how to make a $500 computer thats not a piece of junk, and our DNA depart not let us ship that. But we can continue to deliver greater and greater value to those customers that we choose to serve and theres a lot of them. And weve seen great success by focusing on accepted segments of the market and not trying to be everything to everybody. Apple continued to develop its product lines in the same style and price range. In the poop fiscal quarter of the 2011 financial year , economic conditions threatened iPhone sales, and in response, Apple chose to reduce revisions for handset parts and components.By the end of the quarter it had been revealed that it had been Apples biggest September quarter ever, but overdue to Apples eventide greater success in the third quarter, the companys receipts had not lived up to the Wall Street estimates. Competition Apple uses several(prenominal) strategies to persevere ahead of the competition * It is constantly developing new products. * It is endlessly upgrading its existing products. * It continues to sell successful products and keeps successful designs. * It tries to cover all price ranges when it can.For instance, since the release of the iPhone 4S, Apple decided to keep selling the iPhone 3GS in order to provide a more affordable iPhone for potential customers. Apple has also initiated several lawsuits against Samsung and vice versa, with patent breaches being disputed in at least 10 countries. Most notabl y, Apple claimed Samsung had copied its iPhone and iPad. Business Life bout Despite being over 30 years old, Apple is in time in the growth stage of the business life cycle. This is due to several reasons * Growth is accelerating. Regular clients make up a large percentage of their customer base, but at the same time substantial confinement is being put into tapping into new markets. * New products are being created and veritable in order to fill market niches. * Mass marketing techniques are used to increase market share. * Profits are rising. * Production be are decreasing. Company Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd is an Australian public company founded in1982 which operates primarily as a franchisor. Gerry Harvey is the current Chairman of the company, and his wife, Katie Page, is the CEO. Its headquarters is based in Homebush West, NSW, Australia.The company owns three leading brand names * Harvey Norman * Domayne * Joyce Mayne Harvey Norman also owns several other Australian ret ail chains such as Space Furniture and Ariston Appliances. Under these brand names, the company grants franchises to self-reliant business operators. As of the 2011 Financial Year, there were 195 franchised outlets in Australia, and 96 company owned stores. Products and Distribution Harvey Normans franchisees sell a wide range of products in various categories including * electrical goods * furniture * computerised communications * provide and manchester * small appliances * carpets and flooringThe company recently planned to conduct 5% of its disdain online, but these plans proved too optimistic, and they were scaled back. Customers and Market Expansion As an icon in the Australian retail industry, consumers make up most of Harvey Normans customers. The company acquired retail chain Joyce Mayne in July 1998 and upgrade expanded when it launched its Domayne retail chain in May 1999. It acquired a authoritative interest in Rebel Sport Limited in July 2001 but sold it in March 20 07. Harvey Norman opened Harvey Norman develop Import in December 2011, an online store based in Ireland which sells video recording games to Australia free of GST.Shares Harvey Normans shares have recently experienced a drop of over 6% due to uncertain retail conditions and a drop in sales. Employees Harvey Norman currently has approximately 10,000 employees. The ratio of employees in general and administrative sectors to those in sales and marketing is less than in companies of similar size in the same industry. Most employees have over 5-10 years of work experience, and have bachelors degrees rather than masters or doctoral degrees. Environmental Impact In 2011, Harvey Norman was the subject of criticism over the destruction of Australian native forests for use in the furniture industry.A group called Markets for Change launched a campaign against Harvey Norman later on they claimed to have conducted a year-long investigation into the companys timber usage. To this, Gerry Harv ey responded on ABC Radio Im an environmentalist Im doing my best to use recycled timber or timber from plantations but every now and then timber from native forests pull up stakes slip through. Often its timber the government has told sawmills they can take. We are trying unfeignedly hard to change and also to keep an industry going in Australia its difficult for the sawmills to survive, and without us they just wouldnt. Economic Conditions It was recently revealed that Harvey Normans first half yearly profits were down 2. 1%. The company released a statement explaining the situation The combination of intense competitive pressures and price deflation in certain key product categories, accentuated by the high Australian dollar, deteriorating economic confidence and a prudent consumer, has seen legion(predicate) retailers struggle to say margins in the fight for market share. Competition Harvey Norman has several competitors in the market and therefore utilises several strate gies in order to compete effectively.Actions interpreted by the company in response to competition include * The purchase of the Clive Peeters and Rick Hart brands, which resulted in a loss of AUD$41 jillion, whose stores will now either convert to Harvey Norman or Joyce Mayne brands or close. * The insertion of Harvey Norman Direct Import in response to JB Hi-Fis addition of a direct importation section to its website. Some ring that Harvey Norman is the only Australian listed company that would be interested in purchasing Dick Smith Electronics from Woolworths and that if Harvey Norman was to pay AUD$150 million for the business, it could boost earnings by 7%.Business Life Cycle Harvey Norman is in the post-maturity stage of the business life cycle. This is due to several reasons * Recently, it has been experiencing a small period of decline, but over the long term it has been in a state of renewal. * New strategies taken involve some degree of risk. * New markets are being exp loited, with ventures into overseas markets. * Anticipated sales are not always eventuating. Comparing the two businesses * Apple is a bigger business than Harvey Norman, being a multinational corporation. * Apple operates in many more countries and has significantly more employees. Apple has had great recent success whereas Harvey Normans profits have dropped. * Apple has expanded into many more areas in recent times than Harvey Norman. * Apples share price is also much higher compared to Harvey Normans, reflecting Apples recent profits. * Both businesses have been the subject of criticism over their environmental impact, but Apple has received more due to its operations in more areas and countries. * Both businesses employ various strategies in order to stay ahead of competition, but Apple has had greater success, with Harvey Norman experiencing losses due to unsuccessful strategies. Despite the fact that Apple was founded before Harvey Norman, Apple is still in the growth stage o f the business life cycle due primarily to the fact that its sales and profits are rapidly increasing, with fill for its products high and customer base growing. Apple would be more snappy to influences in the business environment due to the fact that it is a larger business, with more resources and a massive amount of money currently with which it can respond to changing conditions.