Understanding the Structure and Practices of the Apple Company

In 1996, Apple was a struggling company that had lost more than 70% of its market capitalization in the past decade. Apple’s sales had fell dramatically and their new personal computers weren’t particularly popular with consumers. The return of Steve Jobs to the company was a turning point for Apple and initiated a new era for the firm. With the launch of innovative products such as the iPod, iPhone and iPad, Apple became the biggest brand in the world. Now it remained to be seen if Tim Cook would be able to continue to develop new products and maintain Apple’s success.

Shaughnessy, Haydn. “Apple Remains World’s Most Admired.” Forbes Magazine. 28 February 2011. Web. 11 March 2015. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/haydnshaughnessy/2013/02/28/apple-remains-worlds-most-admired-followed-by-google-and-amazon/>

Apple is an American multinational corporation which designs, manufactures and markets a range of consumer electronics and software products (Apple Inc., 2008). At the end of last fiscal year, Apple’s worldwide annual sales amounted to $32.5 billion, an increase of 35% from 2007 (Apple Inc., 2008). Not surprisingly then, was Apple voted America’s most admired company, also topping the global survey (Fortune,

Apple incorporation, previously known as Apple Computer, is a multinational corporation that not only produces personal computers, consumer electronics, computer software, and servers but also a digital distributor of the media content. It has chain of retail stores known as Apple Stores. However, company’s information is summarized below:

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) has emerged as the dominant global manufacturer and marketer of advanced personal computer, desktop and consumer electronics products including the iPod, iTouch and iPhone Series of MP3, tablet PC and smartphone products. Apple's innovative approach to new product development requires intensive coordination and confidentiality on the part of suppliers, as the company will often move quickly from market test to launch in a matter of weeks. The speed and agility Apple moves with is exceptional given its size and the highly competitive nature of the industries it competes in as well (Franke, Schreier, 2010). While best known for its personal computers, MP3 players, tablet PCs and smartphones, Apple is also a leading innovator in the area of systems development and operating systems as well (Apple Investor Relations, 2012).

Another key in the culture of Apple is the secrecy surrounding what the company does it restricting access and information on new products being developed and closely surveillances all work stations. This secrecy level is at odds with the high level of accountability but

Its best-known hardware products are the Mac line of computers, the iPod media player, the iPhone smartphone, and the iPad tablet computer. In May 2013, Apple entered the top ten of the Fortune 500 list of companies for the first time. On September 30, 2013, Apple surpassed Coca-Cola to become the world's most valuable brand in the Omnicom Group's "Best Global Brands" report. Apple Inc. is the largest publicly traded corporation in the world and the largest technological company in the world by means of market capitalization, with an estimated market capitalization of $446 billion by January 2014. As a result, Fortune magazine named Apple the most admired company in the world from 2008 to 2012 because it has legions of adoring fans.

Apple has achieved a remarkable impression on technology through revolutionizing and prompting not only how we use computers, but activities for which what we use them. Over the last decade, Apple has become one of the fastest, richest, and most prosperous companies in the world, through manufacturing globally.

Political factors such as geopolitical uncertainties, wars, legislations, authority to work and health laws can potentially impact Apple’s production. Apple has outsourced the production of its components to different countries

Apple Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets mobile communication and media devices, personal computers, and portable digital music players, and sells a variety of related software, services, accessories, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications (Apple, 1). Apple Inc. is popular mainly due to its smartphones iPhone and laptops MacBook. According to article Best & Worst Laptop Brands 2015 by LAPTOP editors, Apple Inc. products are to be the best among the top companies in the same industry (Best & Worst). However, there are questions asked between investors if it is profitable to invest in Apple Inc. or other company. We are going to compare the performance of Apple Inc. with Hewlett-Packard Co., which is a company mainly offering personal computers, access devices, imaging- and printing-related products and services (Hewlett-Packard, 3). Hewlett-Packard Co. seems to be on the third place among the companies in the industry (Best & Worst). Therefore, to have better understanding of each company’s performance, we are going to analyze income statement and balance sheet of each company by using horizontal and vertical analysis. In addition, we are going to look at the ratios to see which company would have better return on investment.

From its start-up until the present, Apple’s corporate structure hasn’t changed a lot. Before his death, Steve Jobs was the one to make the calls regarding all the decisions; everything had to be passed through him. The company’s decision making processes were and still are centralized, in which the CEO makes all the decisions but it is incorporating more of a collaborative approach. The company is doing so by encouraging its hardware and software teams to collaborate. This approach however, never existed when Jobs was the CEO. Apple is considered a centralized company because it makes high capital investments that encourage centralization. It is highly competitive, offers high technology products, has a homogeneous product line, low product diversification, and has a lot of experience doing international business. Furthermore, it is organized on different basis; functional, divisional and geographical. Its functional structure is that the innovations and visions essentially come from top management and flow down the organization. Top management includes the board of directors in which they oversee and ensure that shareholders’ interests are being served for a long-term. Also, its functional structure is departmentalized and includes marketing, engineering, manufacturing, financing, IT, research and development. Its divisional functions include the products the company is offering, the market it is operating in and geographical areas. Apple has four product categories; the

What the structure of apple company is customized management institution，the ice of bureaucratic hurdles was broken by this creative simplifies structure. It is the creative culture that Apple Company has launched the new technology new products come out every year.

Due to Apple’s huge sales, investor confidence in the company’s future and their successful product launches, AppleIncorporatedearned the title as the most valuable company by market capitalization, in 2011, and held the named title until 2013.Later in 2013, Forbes and Inter-brandcited the Apple brand as the most valuable brand in the world.

Apple Inc. is a globally recognised pioneer in the tech industry. It is a corporation that designs, develops and sells electronic products such as tablets, computers and phones. Founded by Ronald Wayne, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976, it is a multinational corporation with headquarters in Cupertino, California. Tim Cook has been CEO since Jobs’ passing in 2011.

This paper presents a case study of Apple Inc. Apple Inc. is a technology based corporation with emphasis on computer software and hardware (MAC and Apps), tablets (IPad), smart phones (IPhone), and mp3 plays, (ITouch). Apple Inc. has grown tremendously over the years and ever since 2001 has expanded its brand and retail stores to over 375 stores/outlets globally. The business has seventy two thousand eight hundred employees in thirty eight countries. Apple Inc. has truly become one of the most efficacious corporations within its field behind or competing with Microsoft and Google Inc.