case study Essay example

One key element of Apple’s strategy in computers, personal media players, tablet computers, and smart phones is product innovation, diversification and development. Over the years Apple has been very successful in integrating software and hardware in new developing products. Despite the struggling economy in recent years, Apple has been able to grow their market share and stay ahead of the game.

The findings include information on the weakness and strengths that Apple has developed. It strengths are in the way the company has structured their suppliers through creating the code of conduct which must be followed by all suppliers. The supplier code of conduct has helped many workers to gain fair pay and better working

Corporate citizenship is commonly defined as ?a company's management of its influences on and relationships with the rest of society? (Marsden 2000: 9). A recent study conducted by Hill and Knowlton found that 79% of Americans consider corporate citizenship when deciding to buy a particular company?s product, 36% of which considered corporate citizenship to be an important factor (Verschoor, 2001: 20). This shows us that by achieving good corporate citizenship, a company?s practices become transparent to the interested public and provide a basis for accountability for the future (Waddock, 2000: 324).

Good company citizenship goes beyond simply meeting the letter of the law. A socially responsible company should be aware of the effects its decision-making has on the community around it. This is illustrated in part “A” of the unanimously adopted policies of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Virtual

Apple is one of the most valuable brands in the world. The company has strong brand loyalty, impressive revenue growth and superior innovations in technology. There are many aspects of the company that contribute to Apples success. One of the most important aspects is the company’s ethical decision making. Apple has a strong ethical code of conduct that represents the company as being ethical in all decisions being made. Despite Apples positive representation, the company has been faced with many ethical issues. Apple has been involved in many litigations ranging from a domain name dispute and patent infringement, to the use of refurbished products in their repairs. These unethical acts are risky for the company and can affect the company in negative ways. Another aspect that can affect the company is their competitiveness in the technology industry. This industry has many competitors that Apple has to compete with. However, Apple has been overly aggressive in protecting their property rights.

This case incident is about Apple going global. Apple went from having 100% of its production conducted in the United States to only having 10%. When this took place, it had quite a negative impact on the U.S. economy and the American people. The context of this paper would go into more details as I answer the questions.

1. Assume ParaWorld was eventually ordered to cease and desist due to IP infringement. What category of IP has ParaWorld most likely infringed? Explain the actions that constitute such an infringement. (5 Marks)

Apple's entire supply chain has been rated as the top supply chain in the world by Gartner's (Wailgum, 2011). Apple was one of the top companies rated in the resilience category by overcoming such hurdles as the Japanese earthquake without any major disruptions. Other categories that the supply chains were critiqued under included speed, agility, efficiency, responsiveness, and innovation. Apple's entire production operation is outsourced to the Asian Pacific and the company manufactures their goods through strategic partners who are some of the best electronics manufactures in the world.

The company should hire it’s own internal auditor’s to ensure that the staff understand the company’s accounting procedures. This also helps the external auditor as it give the external auditor another viewpoint when assessing fraud risks. The internal auditors are apart of those charged with governance and that helps take the pressure off of the external auditor if a fraud should be discovered.

Apple is committed to maintaining the highest standards, for both environmental responsibility and ethical conducts. They follow strict

Apple is committed to ensuring that working conditions in Apple’s supply chain are safe, that workers are treated with respect and dignity, and that manufacturing processes are environmentally responsible. Apple’s suppliers (“Suppliers”) are obligated, in all of their activities, to operate in full compliance with the laws, rules, and regulations of the countries in which they operate. This Supplier Code of Conduct (“Code”) goes further, drawing upon internationally recognized standards, in order to advance social and environmental responsibility. Apple requires that Suppliers implement this Code using the management systems described below. The Apple Supplier Code of Conduct is modeled on and contains

Apple Incorporated was founded in April of 1976 by Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs. The founders of the corporation were college dropouts that worked together to build computer boxes which were sold without keyboards and power supplies. Apple Incorporated is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, that designs, develops, and sells consumer electronics, computer software, and online services understands that without their stakeholders The purpose of this paper is to specify the nature, structure, and types of products or services offer. This paper will look into the factors that influence Apple’s external environment. This paper will also explore Apple’s stakeholder influence and its controversial corporate social responsibility. (Apple Computer, Inc. - Company Profile, Information, Business Description, History, Background Information on Apple Computer, Inc.)

The code of conduct specifically requires employees of MAC to act in a professional manner at all times. Although this reduces the amount of emotions that employees are permitted to express, they are still encouraged to share their opinions with suppliers and clients as long as they are expressed with proper business manners. This allows us to conclude that MAC has a neutral culture.

The lack of independence for external auditors will lead to the neglect of auditing risks (William R.K., 2003), which are the main reasons for the failure of certified accountants and professional accounting organizations. The consequence of the external auditors deprived of independence would be very serious. And there are many cases, which aroused by the failure of external auditors and most are related to the lack of independence. One famous example is the bankruptcy of Enron and the role played by its external auditor, Arthur Andersen (Todd, S., 2003). Arthur Andersen was once one of the biggest accounting companies in the world, and was canceled for the involvement in the Enron bankruptcy scandal.

The role of internal audit is to provide independent declaration that an organization’s threatadministration, governance and internal control processes are functioning effectively. Internal auditors deal with concerns that are essentially important to the existence and success of any organization. Unlike external auditors, they aspect beyond financial possibilities and statements to reflect wider problems such as the organization’s reputation, development, its power on the location and the approach it treats its organizations.In summary, internal accountantssupport organizations to thrive.