THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ECONOMIC INFORMATION SYSTEM AND E COMMERCE GROUP DISCUSSION English for Specific Purposes 1 Topic Company’s history, operation and structure Group 02 Class code s[.]
THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ECONOMIC INFORMATION SYSTEM AND E-COMMERCE - - GROUP DISCUSSION English for Specific Purposes Topic: Company’s history, operation and structure Group: 02 Class code section: 23100ENTI1011 Teacher: Vu Thi Thu Trang h List of group members No Name Position Mission Hoàng Thị Minh Giang Member History Nguyễn Thị Hà Member Swot analysis & conclusion Đỗ Thị Mỹ Hảo Leader Operations Management 10 Nguyễn Thị Hiên Member History 11 Bùi Thị Hồng Hoa Member Operations Management 12 Nguyễn Ngọc Huy Member Introduction 13 Nguyễn Thị Mỹ Huyền Member Structure Table of Content h Mark s I, Introduction 1 An introduction Vision and mission .2 2.1 Vision 2.2 Mission 3 Logo and name 3.1 Name 3.2 Logo 4 Products and services 10 4.1 Products .10 4.2 Services .11 II, History of Apple Inc 11 III, Structure 15 Apple Inc.’s Corporate Structure .15 Apple Inc.’s Corporate Structure – Advantages and Disadvantages 16 2.1 Advantages 16 2.2 Disadvantages .16 IV, Operations management at Apple Inc .16 1.Marketing strategy 17 2.Supply Chain Management 20 3.Inventory Management .21 V, Apple Inc SWOT analysis 23 Apple’s Strengths: 23 Apple’s Weaknesses 23 Apple’s Opportunities: .24 Apple’s Threats: 25 VI, Conclusion 26 h I, Introduction An introduction Apple Inc is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, United States Apple is the largest technology company by revenue (totaling US$365.8 billion in 2021) and, as of June 2022, is the world's biggest company by market capitalization, the fourth-largest personal computer vendor by unit sales and second-largest mobile phone manufacturer It is one of the Big Five American information technology companies, alongside Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Meta (Facebook), and Microsoft Apple was founded as Apple Computer Company on April 1, 1976, by Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne to develop and sell Wozniak's Apple I personal computer It was incorporated by Jobs and Wozniak as Apple Computer, Inc in 1977 and the company's next computer, the Apple II, became a best seller and one of the first mass-produced microcomputers Apple went public in 1980 to instant financial success The company developed computers featuring innovative graphical user interfaces, including the 1984 original Macintosh, announced that year in a critically acclaimed advertisement By 1985, the high cost of its products and power struggles between executives caused problems Wozniak stepped back from Apple amicably and pursued other ventures, while Jobs resigned bitterly and founded NeXT, taking some Apple employees with him As the market for personal computers expanded and evolved throughout the 1990s, Apple lost considerable market share to the lower-priced duopoly of the Microsoft Windows operating system on Intel-powered PC clones (also known as "Wintel") In 1997, weeks away from bankruptcy, the company bought NeXT to resolve Apple's unsuccessful operating system strategy and entice Jobs back to the company Over the next decade, Jobs guided Apple back to profitability through a number of tactics including introducing the iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad to critical acclaim, launching "Think different" and other memorable advertising campaigns, opening the Apple Store retail chain, and acquiring numerous companies to broaden the company's product portfolio When Jobs resigned in 2011 for health reasons, and died two months later, he was succeeded as CEO by Tim Cook h Apple became the first publicly traded U.S company to be valued at over $1 trillion in August 2018, then $2 trillion in August 2020, and $3 trillion in January 2022 As of January 2023, it was valued at around $2.2 trillion The company receives criticism regarding the labor practices of its contractors, its environmental practices, and its business ethics, including anti-competitive practices and materials sourcing Nevertheless, the company has a large following and enjoys a high level of brand loyalty It is ranked as one of the world's most valuable brands Vision and mission 2.1 Vision Apple’s mission statement is: “To bringing the best user experience to customers through innovative hardware, software, and services.” This mission statement highlights Apple’s commitment to offering the best products and services to meet each of its customer’s unique needs It guides the company towards its long-term goals, which has contributed to its success Apple’s mission statement consists of three core components: Best User Experience Whether it is iPhone, iPad, or wearable, Apple designs all its products to be user-friendly The company does not compromise when it comes to user experience Apple’s products come with innovative and user-friendly features, delivering the best experience for the end-user In 2020, Apple introduced robust location and Bluetooth permissions in iOS 13 In 2021, it unveiled an opt-in adtracking feature for iOS 14 These user-friendly privacy features can help protect the personal data of iPhone users and improve their experiences Innovative Products Apple designs products that address the unique needs of its customers Since its founding, Apple has pushed the standard in product design, usability, and functionality Apple’s hardware and software solutions cater to various market segments, including education, business, and healthcare In the past few years, Apple has increased its healthcare presence with innovative products like Apple Watch for detecting heart irregularities Its Apple Health Records feature for iPhone allows patients to access their medical data via their mobile devices In Q1 2020, Apple reported $91.8 billion in quarterly revenues with record-high earnings from its healthcare products and services h Quality Service Delivery From its App Store, Apple Care, and tech support, Apple is obsessed with customer service It oversees everything, from design to development, sales, and repairs This hands-on approach gives Apple an edge over its competitors A 2020 investigative research awarded Apple 51/60 for online support and 34/40 for phone support with an overall tech support score of 85/100 This score is impressive given that most companies offer poor customer service 2.2 Mission Apple’s vision statement is: “To make the best products on earth and to leave the world better than we found it.” Apple’s vision statement guides the company’s decision-making processes, strategic management, and operations It ensures each decision takes the company closer to realizing its mission and goals The statement consists of two components: Leadership in Product Design: From iPhones, iPads, iPods, Macs, microchips, and more, Apple delivers high-quality products to the market The company seeks to protect its leadership in product design and development by pushing for novel innovations In April 2021, Apple introduced the new iPad Pro with an industryleading M1 chip and ultra-fast 5G Apple-designed M1 chips push the limits of iPad Pro’s performance, making it the fastest device of its kind The new iPad Pro is 5Genabled and can reach speeds up to 4Gbps 5G is the future So, Apple can rely on this next-gen iPad to protect its global leadership position for many years to come Carbon Neutral: Apple’s vision is to attain zero net climate impact across all its operations In 2020, the company unveiled a plan highlighting its commitment to ensuring all Apple devices are carbon neutral by 2030 According to Apple’s 2020 Environmental Progress Report, the company plans to reduce emissions by 75% and develop innovative carbon removal solutions for the remaining 25% of its footprint by 2030 “With our commitment to carbon neutrality, we hope to be a ripple in the pond that creates a much larger change,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO Logo and name 3.1 Name There are many theories regarding Apple’s brand name and its origins Some of these theories include: The brand name was inspired by Eve’s bite out of the apple h The story of Nymphus gaining immortality by eating a golden apple Alan Turing, the father of modern computing, died after eating a poisoned apple From the famous saying: “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Some claim that the three founders wanted a more casual name Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak wanted the Apple brand name to appear before Atari in phone books But in reality, Steve Jobs named the company Apple because he liked the fruit Steve Jobs followed a fruitarian diet and suggested the name Apple to Wozniak after Jobs visited an apple orchard 3.2 Logo 3.2.1 Apple Logo Evolution 1976 Despite representing the name Apple, the company’s first logo did not show or describe the physical shape of an apple Ronald Wayne, one of Apple’s co-founders, created the first logo He wanted the company’s symbol to represent the law of gravity, inspired by the falling apple Its first symbol incorporated the photo of Isaac Newton, who revolutionized science by discovering gravity Do you still remember your science lessons on how he found out about gravity? As textbooks say, an apple fell on Sir Issac Newton’s head! This life-changing event became Apple’s first logo design, with Newton sitting under an Apple tree The illustration was in black and white with the words Apple Computer Co As clever as this idea may be, it wasn’t appealing to the audience and was later changed 1977 h Despite representing the name Apple, the company’s first logo did not show or describe the physical shape of an apple Ronald Wayne, one of Apple’s co-founders, created the first logo He wanted the company’s symbol to represent the law of gravity, inspired by the falling apple Its first symbol incorporated the photo of Isaac Newton, who revolutionized science by discovering gravity Do you still remember your science lessons on how he found out about gravity? As textbooks say, an apple fell on Sir Issac Newton’s head! This life-changing event became Apple’s first logo design, with Newton sitting under an Apple tree The illustration was in black and white with the words Apple Computer Co As clever as this idea may be, it wasn’t appealing to the audience and was later changed 1998 Forced out of the company in 1986, Steve Jobs left due to conflict with company executives But he later returned in 1997 since the company was going to declare bankruptcy h Job’s biggest challenge was revamping the company, starting with its logo He removed the rainbow effect and used a translucent sky blue color to fit the first iMac However, he immediately changed it into a solid black in 1998 to complement their silver computer models and to establish Apple as a luxury brand 2001-2007 Forced out of the company in 1986, Steve Jobs left due to conflict with company executives But he later returned in 1997 since the company was going to declare bankruptcy Job’s biggest challenge was revamping the company, starting with its logo He removed the rainbow effect and used a translucent sky blue color to fit the first iMac However, he immediately changed it into a solid black in 1998 to complement their silver computer models and to establish Apple as a luxury brand 2007-2015 Apple shifted its focus toward renewable, energy-efficient building construction The company decided it was about time to give the brand a new look that would better reflect its branding towards renewability h The company used the chrome version until 20015, and up until now, it’s still instilled in Apple fans that this version is one of the most sophisticated logo designs 2015-Present As the years go by, minimalistic logos using a flat design have been a worldwide trend To keep up with the latest trends, it’s no wonder Apple changed its glassy, metallic chrome look to a flat design Today, Apple uses a minimal logo in three colors: white, silver, and black, depending on the medium it’s placed According to color psychology, black exudes power and prestige to give the brand a touch of sophistication White reflects simplicity, minimalism, and purity, which is the perfect way to showcase Apple’s design Meanwhile, metallic colors like silver express prosperity and wealth, giving the logo a simple yet luxurious vibe 3.2.2 Other Apple Logos If you’re a massive fan of Apple, you already know that this company is more than just its top-quality devices In addition to its products, it elevated its branding by offering services to its fans, such as Apple Music, Apple Watch, Apple pay, Apple TV, and many more The company uses different colors for these products Join us as we take a peek at Apple’s other product logos Apple Music Logo h Steve Jobs initiated a second major project with the introduction of the Apple Macintosh computer, which marked a turning point for Apple when it was recognized as the most user-friendly computer In addition, the Macintosh was also favored by graphic design experts because of the breakthrough in display, even though the computer screen at that time was still only black and white and the price was very high During the promotion of the Macintosh in 1983, John Sculley became Apple's new CEO Before that, Sculley is Pepsi's youngest CEO However, Steve Jobs managed to convince Sculley to go back to Apple with a now legendary quote: “Are you going to sell soft drinks for life or will you and I change the world?” In 1984, Apple released a one-minute TV commercial that helped make Apple a "household name." The commercial, titled “1984,” was directed by Ridley Scott and cost the company $1.5 million The video was only aired once, during Super Bowl XVIII in 1984. This also marked the moment when the rivalry between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates reached its peak Initially, Microsoft was offered to write software for Apple's Macintosh computers But this plan fell apart in 1983 when Microsoft revealed that it was working on its own user interface called Windows. At that time, despite having very high sales, the Apple Macintosh was not enough to beat the "pioneer" IBM This led to a breakdown in the relationship between Steve Jobs, who led the Macintosh team with a unique mindset, and Sculley, who had a pragmatic, conservative business vision Conflicts between the two have intensified since the failure of the Lisa computer and the unexpected sales of the Macintosh Apple without Steve Jobs In 1985, as friction grew between Jobs anhe Apple’s board took Sculley’s side and removed Jobs from his managerial dutid Sculley, Jobs attempted to oust Sculley by staging a coup which then backfired Tes Jobs then quit his job and founded a new company making advanced workstations name NeXT Steve Wozniak too left around the same time selling most of his shares saying the company was going in the wrong direction With the highly unsuccessful line of products and the costly decision to move to PowerPC, the Apple board had had enough In 1993 Sculley was fired and replaced by Michael Spindler as the new CEO, a German expatriate who had been with Apple since the 1980s 13 h Spindler, unfortunately, had to follow through Sculley’s PowerPC mistake The first PowerPC run by Macintosh was released in 1994 but Apple’s misfortune continued One reason was because of the popularity of Windows in the market then In 1996, Spindler was replaced by Gil Amelio as CEO Amelio made several changes such as including extensive layoffs and cut costs His tenure was also troubled as the Apple stock hit a 12-year low Amelio then decided to purchase Jobs’ NeXT Computer for $429 million in February of 1997 and brought back Steve Jobs to Apple 2007–2011: Success with mobile devices The iPhone was announced at the Macworld Expo on January 9, 2007 Jobs also announced that Apple Computer, Inc would thereafter be called Apple Inc as the company had widened its emphasis to consumer electronics as well 270,000 iPhones were sold during the first 30 hours of its sales and it came out to be known as a “gamechanger for the industry” Widespread success was achieved with the introduction of iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad products The App Store was launched by Apple in July 2008 to sell third-party applications for the iPhone and iPod-Touch Within a month, 60 million applications were sold through the App store and it was able to register an average daily revenue of $1 million Apple also became the third-largest mobile handset supplier in the world thanks to the popularity of the iPhone Apple shares hit a staggering $300 in October 201 Steve Jobs resigned from his position as CEO due to health factors on August 24, 2011, and was replaced by Tim Cook Jobs passed away on October 5, 2011, which marked the end of an incredible era for Apple and brought a big diversion in Apple’s history However, Apple still continues to influence the markets with ground-breaking technological wonders to date 2011-present: The post-Jobs era, Tim Cook leadership Tim Cook took over as CEO from Steve Jobs on August 24, 2011, less than two months after the Apple founder's death Since that time, Apple's market capitalization has increased by about 600%, to nearly $2.5 trillion, and its annual revenue has more than doubled Steve Jobs was known for his ability to create groundbreaking devices that helped reshape users' technology experiences Meanwhile, Tim Cook is considered the one 14 h who helped Apple expand the ecosystem, and develop a series of services around its hardware devices Under Cook, Apple went from being a high-end device maker to a diversified company with businesses ranging from payment services to film and television He also oversaw Apple's acquisition of more than 100 companies, including acquisitions like Beats for $3 billion in 2014 and Intel's smartphone modem business for $1 billion in 2019 In addition to the success achieved, the CEO of Apple has also received many criticisms, such as the case that the company was sued for silently reducing the performance of older iPhones or allegations related to poor labor conditions at its suppliers In addition, Tim Cook also faces a series of other threats that may affect Apple's business such as the impact of the US-China trade war or the most recent outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic According to CNN, what Tim Cook has not done is launch a breakthrough and successful product like the iPhone However, he found a way for Apple to continue growing without it. III, Structure Apple Inc.’s Corporate Structure Apple's organizational structure is clearly different between before and after Steve Jobs became CEO of the company in 1997 1.1 Before Steve Jobs returned to the company Before Steve Jobs returned to the company, Apple was organized in a conventional structure (decentralized structure), like other companies of the same size and scope of operations The company is divided into several different business units (BUs), each with its own profit and loss responsibility (P&L), and managed by general managers (GMs) Therefore, the General Director (GM) - the head of each unit, tends to compete with each other, especially in product pricing, to gain more profit for his division 1.2 When Steve Jobs returned to Apple and took over as CEO (1997-2011) When he returned to Apple and took over as CEO in 1997, Steve Jobs fired the entire GM, and restructured Apple with a functional organization model He established a 15 h single P&L goal for the entire business, and consolidated functional divisions into a unified organization This model does not have a GM who controls the entire process from product development to sales and product evaluation based on its own P&L Here, the CEO will collectively manage the departments in the business The senior Vice Presidents (VP) are in charge of each department by function, not by product 1.3 From 2011-present From 2011 to present, Tim Cook replaced Steve Jobs as CEO of Apple and continues to maintain Apple's organizational structure according to the "functional organizational structure" What's new here is that Apple's Vice Presidents (VPs) now have more power and can make decisions more autonomously (this was heavily restricted under Steve Jobs) As a result, the company's organizational structure is now less rigid, but still has a wheel-shaped hierarchy with Tim Cook at the heart The upper tier (innermost tier) of the corporate structure has a function-based analytical team, which is rooted in the function of the organizational structure The senior vice president (SVP) reports to Tim Cook, handling business functions Tim Cook continues to put the entire corporation under a common P&L Apart from CEO Tim Cook, Apple operates without the GM (Joint Chief Executive Officer) of each BU Tim Cook maintains human resource management in a centralized structure: CEO Tim Cook occupies a central position on the organizational chart, the only intersection between research and development, design and engineering departments , operations , marketing and retailing , of any major Apple product Under the CEO, in each functional division there are Senior Vice Presidents and Vice Presidents Under Tim Cook, Apple was divided into more functional divisions with more detailed areas of specialization In each function, the employees are experts with expertise in the area of the function that they are sure to receive The head of each department functions as the best expert and has the ability to lead other experts in that department Apple's functional divisions under Tim Cook include: Design, Hardware Engineering, Hardware Technology, Software, Service, Marketing, Operations, Sales, Retail, Human Resources, Finance, Legal, Corporate Communication,… Apple Inc.’s Corporate Structure – Advantages and Disadvantages 2.1 Advantages 16 h The advantages of Apple's hierarchical organizational structure include the close scrutiny of senior management over all aspects of the business Furthermore, decentralization helps to clearly separate levels of authority and responsibility, as well as promotion for opportunities for good employees The company, from top to bottom, has a clear chain structure, each department is in charge of a specialist, each employee is responsible for only one superior, there is absolutely no phenomenon of many leaders Everyone in the company understands their specific responsibilities very well, and knows who to report to Likewise, every leader knows his team like the back of his hand 2.2 Disadvantages Apple's hierarchical organizational structure can make its business less flexible and less responsive to changes in the global market Furthermore, in hierarchical organizations, communication between different departments tends to be less efficient than in flat organizations IV, Operations management at Apple Inc Operations Management is the steering wheel of any organization’s success Apple Inc.’s operations management (OM) involves the application of the 10 decisions of OM to ensure that all aspects of the business are running smoothly In Apple’s case, the 10 decisions of operations management are carefully implemented through coordinated efforts in product design and development, sales and marketing, and the firm’s supply chain, along with the company’s other business areas With considerable leadership in the computer technology and digital content distribution industries, Apple Inc is an example of success in addressing the 10 decision areas of operations management Operational effectiveness and strategies involving technological innovation help the business thrive, in spite of competition involving Dell, Lenovo, Microsoft, Sony, Google, Amazon, Samsung, Walmart, and other companies This success highlights the importance of Apple’s strategic approaches to achieve high productivity goals and objectives in operations management areas Apple Inc has a dedicated team of senior managers, each of which handles the implementation of measures to address the 10 decisions of operations management The company has excellent performance in maximizing efficiency in operations management This operational efficiency translates to competitive advantages and capabilities that fulfill strategic objectives, ultimately leading to the achievement of Apple’s corporate mission and vision statements 17 h