Corporate Communication: Analysis of Apple Inc. Strategies and Abilities

This paper analyzes the corporate communication strategies and abilities of Apple Inc. and its impact on stakeholders. It also provides recommendations for improving corporate communication.

Running head: CORPORATE COMMUNICATION
CORPORATE COMMUNICATION
Name of the Student
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Introduction
“Corporate communication” is the act of creating, improving and keeping up a brand
image or reputation. Each business, of whatever size, puts resources into corporate
correspondence activities to shape its image (Cornelissen & Cornelissen, 2017). Corporate
correspondence has been in charge of the overall achievement of many of the “Fortune 1000”
American enterprises, such as, “McDonald's, Wal-Mart, IBM, Google, Microsoft, General
Electric, Apple and Coca-Cola.”
In this paper the company Apple Inc. will be taken for analysis of its corporate
communication strategies and abilities. Apple is one of the largest companies across the globe
and is the leader in electronic gadgets manufacturing such as computers, laptops and mobile
phones. They have one of the most active corporate communication departments.
Company Overview
Apple Inc. is the world’s one of the largest technology company based in California of
the United States of America. A few of the very famous product line of the company include
iPhone mobile phone series, iMac laptops and computers, iPad tablet computers, and recently
launched Apple watch and Apple TV. It is by revenue the world’s largest company dealing with
information technology.
The company was first established in 1976 by three people “Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak
and Ronald Wayne.” The first product was the Apple 1 computer. In 1977 Apple 2 was launched,
business was fast increasing. The Macintosh series was launched in 1984 the first computer for
personal use which people could operate even without knowing programming language
(Rawlinson, 2018).

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In Internal communication, the aim is to advance great correspondence in a both sided
process; it is tied in with sharing data and maintaining all Apple Inc. workers refreshed with any
information and news relating to the brand. At Apple Inc., Apple must represent the brand as the
ideal most by taking into account successful and “open communication and correspondence”
systems, fabricate strong and solid connections among the workers while keeping them educated.
Among all its products the particular product which took Apple Inc to the heights of
success is their iPhone mobile phone series (Apple.com, 2018). The iPhone was first launched by
Steve Jobs the then CEO in 2007, and soon became a craze (Titcomb, 2017). Every year the
company started bringing out new versions of iPhone.
Reputation
Apple Inc. enjoys very stable reputation among the consumers and the stakeholders.
Apple's prosperity and growth is somewhat because of its capacity and ability to fulfill
stakeholder’s expectations and its responsibilities towards the employees and customers
(Elsbach, 2012). For Apple's situation, stakeholder’s in a collective manner influence the
business as far as client recognition and revenue generation. Comprehending about the
proceeded with “high estimation” of its image, Apple adequately represents stakeholders in its
techniques and approaches. For example, the organization tends to their environmental concerns
through an approach on practical material sourcing. Apple has a very inclusive methodology in
tending to the interests of partners who are critical to the business. These stakeholder’s groups
propel Apple to enhance, and Apple influences them by catering to their interests. In terms of
dealing with the internal stakeholders like the employees, Apple and its suppliers utilize in
excess of 1.5 million individuals in 20 nations, the permanent number of employees working
with Apple Inc. is 123 thousand, and each one of those individuals are treated with pride and

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regard (Statista.com, 2017). They communicate intimately with suppliers to end bonded labor
work, underage work and exorbitant work hours. Apple conveyed the center business issue of
working conditions to its suppliers and representatives through a wide range of techniques.
Those organizations with sweeping supply chains, managing the suppliers has turned into a
business basic.
The company actively communicates with its stakeholders to give them the required
information as per their individual needs. The stakeholder opine that the company is very prompt
in engaging with the them about every information that is necessary to be conveyed.
Corporate Communication Function
Five Examples from company website-
1. “Apple accelerates US investment and job creation” (Apple.com, 2018).
2. “Apple and Chicago join forces to bring coding opportunities to city’s students”
(Apple.com, 2018).
3. “Emerging LA filmmakers create short films with small budgets and big ideas”
(Apple.com, 2018).
4. “Apple announces effortless solution bringing health records to iPhone” (Apple.com,
2018).
5. “Apple Park Visitor Center opens to the public” (Apple.com, 2018).
In the above examples we can see that the corporate communication has remarkably
communicated the activities that reflect the overall good for the society that Apple has helped in
achieving. In the first news Apple highlights how it has contributed in the process of job creation
and investment in USA. This action will make the government to be more friendly to the

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company. It will increase the goodwill of the company and also increase its employee
engagement. The stakeholders of the company will have better perception about the company.
This is their communication strategy. The second news will attract new talents to become a part
of the company as employees. In the third news the strategy that Apple has taken to establish a
good public relation is evident, it has opened up doors for creative film makers to make films
with Apple devices, in this way Apple will engage more people. The fourth communication will
make Apple a part of the customer’s lives as a health companion. In the fifth news article
communication strategy and media relation of the company can be comprehended, in this news
Apple is opening up parks and public engagement spots where more people will get the chance
to use Apple products and know the company in a better way. Therefore the company has
adopted a communication strategy that is interactive and engaging. .
The above five examples clearly state that the company takes care of all the sections of its
stakeholders like government, employees, customers and the community in its corporate
communication.
Recommendations
Two recommendations that can help Apple in improving their Corporate Communication
are: -
1. It can send daily news letters to the stakeholders customized according to their nature
(Lawrence & Weber, 2014). The stakeholders and existing customers can be sent regular
news letters about relevant new according to their position.

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2. The company may make the corporate communication system more interactive, where
the people may reply to the newsletters and communication and their reply and queries
would be followed up.
Conclusion
Corporate correspondence enables associations to clarify their main goal,
consolidate its numerous dreams and qualities into a firm message to partners. The idea of
corporate correspondence could be viewed as an integrative correspondence structure connecting
partners to the association. Apple has been using the method of corporate communication very
well in establishing its brand image and increasing its goodwill in the market.

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References
Apple.com. (2018). iPhone. Apple. Retrieved 22 February 2018, from
https://www.apple.com/iphone/
Apple.com. (2018). Newsroom. Apple Newsroom. Retrieved 22 February 2018, from
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/
Cornelissen, J., & Cornelissen, J. P. (2017). Corporate communication: A guide to theory and
practice. Sage.
Elsbach, K. D. (2012). A framework for reputation management over the course of evolving
controversies. The Oxford handbook of corporate reputation, 466-286.
Lawrence, A. T., & Weber, J. (2014). Business and society: Stakeholders, ethics, public policy.
Tata McGraw-Hill Education.
Rawlinson, N. (2018). Apple was 41 years old in April, here's some history. Macworld UK.
Retrieved 22 February 2018, from https://www.macworld.co.uk/feature/apple/history-of-
apple-steve-jobs-mac-3606104/
Statista.com, (2017). Apple: number of employees 2017 | Statistic. Statista. Retrieved 22
February 2018, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/273439/number-of-employees-
of-apple-since-2005/
Titcomb, J. (2017). How the world reacted to the first iPhone 10 years ago. The Telegraph.
Retrieved 22 February 2018, from
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/01/09/world-reacted-first-iphone-10-years-
ago/

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