Corporate Social Responsibility and Apple Inc.: A Deep Dive

This project undertakes a comprehensive analysis of Apple Inc.'s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. The study's primary objective is to evaluate Apple's CSR performance concerning environmental sustainability and its treatment of employees. The research explores Apple's CSR activities, including resource allocation and their ranking in the global context. It further investigates the impact of these activities on the company's financial performance, specifically through public image perception. The methodology employs a quantitative research approach, utilizing secondary data sources and statistical tools such as descriptive regression and analytical tools with SPSS. The analysis delves into various aspects, including greenhouse gas emissions, energy usage, and the role of renewable energy, to determine their relationship with Apple's CSR ranking and overall success. The project concludes that CSR is crucial for Apple Inc.'s future success, particularly in the context of societal and stakeholder expectations, moving beyond mere profit and sales metrics. The project includes an introduction, literature review, research methodology, data analysis, and conclusion with recommendations for improving Apple's CSR strategies.

CORPORATE SOCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY
(CSR)

ABSTRACT
The present dissertation is about the importance of Corporate Social responsibilities for
Apple Inc. The aim of the study is to establish the level of Corporate Social Responsibility
inherent at Apple Inc. with respect to the environment and the company workers. The research
question formulate by the researcher are on the basis of the objectives. The objectives of the
study are To critically quantify Apple’s CSR activities in terms of time and resources, To
critically establish Apple’s ranking when it comes to CSR activities across the world, To
critically determine whether Apple’s CSR activity has affected the company’s bottom line
through public image perception, To provide recommendation on improving the CSR activities
of Apple Inc. The research questions on the basis of research has conducted to solve the issues
are formulated by the researcher which are What are the CSR activities of Apple Inc. in terms of
time and resources?, What is the ranking of Apple Inc. CSR activities?, How CSR activities of
Apple Inc. is affecting the bottom line of company through public image perception?, What are
the recommendation to improve CSR activities of Apple Inc.?. The researcher in this present
study successfully achieve the aims and objectives.
In addition to this, scholar also used the some research methodologies where the
researcher has used some methods to complete the entire dissertation by achieving the aim of the
study. This present dissertation is based on the Quantitative research type where the researcher
has placed on the collection and aggregation of numerical data, the sum-up of those informations
as well as drawing of logical thinking from the informations. Positivism research philosophies
was used by the scholar as researcher used to collect the data as well as answer the question of
research by using positivism philosophy. Deductive approach was used as scholar has start the
procedure by taking past as well as present theories in consideration which are concerned about
the main subject of the study. Scholar has used descriptive research design where researcher has
described the whole situation of the research study in depth. The entire study is based on the
secondary data as scholar has collected the data from other valid sources. Scholar has used
Descriptive Regression and Analytical tool for conducting SPSS. Thus, with the help of the all
these selected research methodologies, scholar has successfully established the level of
Corporate Social Responsibility inherent at Apple Inc. with respect to the environment and the
company workers.

At the end, researcher has concluded that either the relationship between either the
relationship between Greenhouse gases emission, energy use, renewable energy and annual share
price and CSR ranking exist or not but Corporate Social Responsibility is very important for the
success of Apple Inc. in coming time. Further researcher also founded from secondary analysis,
that in today's era, company is recognised its contributions made in society and for stakeholders
not by the profit and sales and Apple Inc.

Table of Contents
ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................................2
TOPIC:.............................................................................................................................................1
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................1
Overview of Topic. ................................................................................................................1
Rationale.................................................................................................................................2
Background.............................................................................................................................2
Definitions..............................................................................................................................3
Aims and Objectives...............................................................................................................3
Chapter Structure....................................................................................................................3
CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................5
Introduction............................................................................................................................5
Apple’s CSR activities in terms of time and resources..........................................................5
Apple’s ranking when it comes to CSR activities across the world ......................................7
CSR activity has affected the company’s bottom line through public image perception......8
Recommendation on improving the CSR activities of Apple Inc........................................10
CHAPTER 3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY...........................................................................12
Introduction..........................................................................................................................12
Research Type......................................................................................................................12
Research Philosophies..........................................................................................................13
Research Approach...............................................................................................................13
Research Design...................................................................................................................14
Data Collection.....................................................................................................................15
Data Analysis........................................................................................................................15
Research Limitations............................................................................................................16
Ethical Consideration...........................................................................................................17
CHAPTER 4. DATA ANALYSIS ...............................................................................................19
Raw Data:.............................................................................................................................19
Descriptive............................................................................................................................19

Regression analysis..............................................................................................................20
Discussion.............................................................................................................................27
CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION.....................................................30
Conclusion............................................................................................................................30
Recommendation..................................................................................................................31
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................33

TOPIC:
“To establish the level of Corporate Social Responsibility inherent at Apple Inc. with
respect to the environment and the company workers”.
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION
Overview of Topic.
In today's era, Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is most important aspect for all types
of organisation irrespective to their size and scope. It is a form of corporate self-regulations
integrated into a model of business. The policies of CSR functions such as built-in, self
regulating mechanism etc. help business to monitor as well as ensure its active compliance with
the spirit of the standard, law, ethical as well as international norms (Schwartz, 2017). Corporate
Social Responsibility is the procedure with the intention to grasp responsibility for the action's of
organisation as well as boost positive impact by its activities on consumers, stakeholder,
employees, environment along with all the members which are directly or indirectly connected
with the businesses. The importance of Corporate social responsibility is incredible as
organisation operates in a way which present social responsibility. This responsibility as well as
ethical practices are critical for the success of businesses. The benefits of CSR are countless as
small, medium or large follow the policies and practices in order to build the big brand.
Corporate Social Responsibility straightly impact on the image or reputation of company
in public which is crucial for the business. It also raised the brand awareness as well as
recognition when company follows Corporate Social Responsibility. The engagement of
customers is also raised when firm is using sustainable systems as company can show and post
the efforts and practices on social media to make the customers aware of company. In addition to
this, the practices followed by company related to CSR is beneficial for workplace as it becomes
more positive as well as productive place to work which is very important for the employees to
contribute productive work (Ni and Van Wart, 2015). It is also very fruitful for the organisation
that all the stakeholders of the company is managed.
The policies of Corporate Social Responsibility need to be considered as a core as well as
inseparable element of entire service or product offering. In the present era, social responsibility
becomes an integral part of the process of wealth creation as if it is managed in a systematic
manner it surely raises the competitive advantages of the business as well as it also maximise the
1

value of wealth creation to society. Corporate Social Responsibility allows the company to do
their bit for the society, environment, customers or for that matter stakeholders (Grayson and
Hodges, 2017).
Rationale
The reason behind choosing Corporate Social Responsibility as the topic of research is
because it is very important in 21st century for all types of the businesses. This topic is becoming
very popular day by day, it is because each and every company has to follow the practices and
policies of Corporate Social Responsibility especially in respect to environment and employees
within organisation (Cheng, Ioannou and Serafeim, 2014). If company wants to build the brand
image in the market and to attain the peak of success, it is very essential for them to follow the
policies and practices of corporate social responsibility. The Ebiquity Global CSR study
identified that a staggering 31 percent of international consumers expect companies to operate
responsible in order to address social as well as environmental issues. Moreover, 84 percent say
they seek out accountable goods wherever possible. Thus, it shows that Corporate Social
Responsibility is very important topic across the world as people are becoming aware ethical
practices of company.
Background
This present dissertation is based on the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as it is
one of the most popular topic across the world. It is fact that company who practices and follow
the policies of Corporate Social Responsibility, reaches heights of success in the market place as
well as in the heart and mind of stakeholders. The main purpose behind the Corporate Social
Responsibility is to make sure that organisation conduct their business in a manner that is ethical
and standard (Shamir, 2017).
In addition to this, Apple Inc. is being chosen to study the level of Corporate Social
Responsibility with respect to environment as well as employees. Apple Inc. is an American
multinational technology company and it is one of largest and well-known company for its size
and revenues. Its headquarters are located in Cupertino, California. Company used to design,
develop as well as sells computer software's, consumer electronics and online services. Apple
Inc. was founded in 1976 by three founders which are Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald
Wayne (Saeidi and et.al., 2015). There are 500 retail stores of Apple Inc. across the world. There
are 132,000 employees are working in the company.
2

Definitions
Corporate Social Responsibility- It is a type of international private business self-
regulation and it is the relationship between the practices of business as well as greater society.
Electronics Industry- It is also known as consumer electronics. It is the industry where
electronic devises built in both automated and semi-automated factories (Huda and et.al., 2018).
Stakeholders- These are the person or group of people who have interests in something
which can influenced and be influences by the actions, policies and objectives of company.
Aims and Objectives
Aim
“To establish the level of Corporate Social Responsibility inherent at Apple Inc. with
respect to the environment and the company workers”.
Objectives
 To critically quantify Apple’s CSR activities in terms of time and resources
 To critically establish Apple’s ranking when it comes to CSR activities across the world
 To critically determine whether Apple’s CSR activity has affected the company’s bottom
line through public image perception To provide recommendation on improving the CSR activities of Apple Inc.
Research Questions
1. What are the CSR activities of Apple Inc. in terms of time and resources?
2. What is the ranking of Apple Inc. CSR activities?
3. How CSR activities of Apple Inc. is affecting the bottom line of company through public
image perception?
4. What are the recommendation to improve CSR activities of Apple Inc.?
5. What is the CSR level of Apple Inc. as a smartphone company operating in the
electronics industry?
Chapter Structure
Chapter 1. Introduction: This chapter is based on outlining the overview of the study as
well as topic. In this chapter researcher focus on developing a brief understanding of topic of the
research. Aims, objectives and research questions are also formed in this chapter. Further, reason
for choosing the Corporate Social Responsibility is the topic also specified in this chapter.
3

Chapter 2. Literature Review: This is the second chapter of the dissertation where the
discussion of secondary facts as well as findings which are gathered by several researchers or
scholars. The entire discussion is based on the different books, journals, articles, blogs and other
valid and authentic sources. All the aims and objectives of the study are critically understood.
Chapter 3. Research Methodology: This is the third chapter that is based on the
implication of research tools. These research tools assist scholar in collecting, analysing and
interpreting data. The reason for selecting the methods of research methodologies is also
explained in this chapter. With the help of research methods, it becomes easy for researcher to
achieve the aims and objectives of the study.
Chapter 4: Data Analysis and Interpretation: This chapter is based on the data
collected by the researcher where the researcher will collect information from various secondary
sources. All sourced are valid and authentic.
Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendation: This chapter is the summary of whole
study that assist in valuing information which are collected by researcher. Scholar will also
provide recommendations and advise to the company behalf of the topic. The conclusion will be
descriptive on the basis of all chapters which will make clear assumption of over every
information collected and analysed.
4

CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
This is very important chapter of the dissertation as it provides detailed information
regarding the topic of research. Literature review is a search as well as evaluation of the
available literature in the topic chosen. There are four main objectives of literature review which
are surveys, synthesises, critical analysis and presentations. With the help of literature review,
scholar will show the depth research and understanding of the topic as it is explanation as well as
summary of the entire knowledge on the subject as found in academic books, journals, articles,
blogs etc. All the information in this present literature review is collected from valid and
authentic sources. It also provides excellent staring point for scholar beginning to do research.
Apple’s CSR activities in terms of time and resources
According to the Panwar and et. al., (2016) In today's' era, Corporate Social
Responsibility is very important for the success of any businesses. It is very important for
businesses to adopt CSR policies and practices in order to satisfy the expectation and needs of all
stakeholder along with the profitability of the company. The main activity of CSR is corporate
sustainability where the economic progress and sustainable development is the main motive. In
this present world, it is not optional for any company to adopt the policies and practices of
Corporate Social Responsibility as nobody is allowed to avoid society.
As per the Elbra and Mikler, (2017) Corporate Social Responsibility is definitely matters
for the success of Apple Inc. as they are highly concerned about the society, environment and
there employees. There are various projects as well as programmes organised by Apple Inc. in
order to specify and undertake the advantages of CSR. They are promoting education which
included both special education and skills of employment raising. Further, they are also ensuring
environment sustainability by planting trees, optimum utilisation of environmental resources etc.
Apple Inc. also give the commitment to ensure the working conditions in Apple supply chain are
safe that employees are treated with respect and dignity along with that the process of
manufacturing are environmentally responsible.
Carroll, Primo and Richter, (2016) says that the suppliers of Apple Inc. are obligated in
all their activities in order to operate in full abidance with rules, regulation and laws of countries
in which they are running. The code of conduct followed by the suppliers of Apple Inc. are EICC
5

Electronic Code of Conduct, International Labour organisation (ILO), Universal Declaration of
Human Rights (UDHR), Ethical Trading Initiatives (ETI), ISO 14001, United Nations
Conventions Against Corruption, national Fire Protection Agency and many others. Thus, these
are all standards which are according to the expectations of society and other stakeholders. Apple
Inc. do not stop this practice as they used to organise project and programs on regular time-
period and they do not leave or stop following earlier practices of CSR.
Panwarb and et.al., (2016) said that, Apple is one of the world leading technology
company and it takes its corporate social responsibility very seriously. One aspect of its social
initiatives is the environment adopting a mission to “ ask less of the planet”. As per the
Greenpeace, for three successive years, Apple is one of the greenest technological organisation
in the world. The packing of Apple Inc. is manufactured with 99 percent recycled paper products
which is environmental friendly. On the Earth Day, Apple has modified its environment site with
the current information about green initiatives it has put in place. The aim of Apple Inc. is to
create not just the best products across the world but the best product for the world. They are
very concern about the environmental protection and its resources because if environmental
surroundings are not effective than it is not possible to generate revenue and sales.
According to the Elbra and Mikler, (2017) in terms of weather or climate change, Apple
Inc. has been more hard-working since last few years about evaluating its carbon footprint. In
2013, of greenhouse gas it came to 33,880,000 metric tones whereas in 2012, Apple reported
30.9 million metric tone. It is very important for Apple Inc. to measure the emission was
generated by the use of aluminium as it is one of fundamental product of the company. After the
evaluation, it was resulted that it is four tomes higher but the Apple Inc. take immediate step for
the environmental protection and convert it's all data centres are powered by renewable energy
sources. It also includes its latest installation in Nevada, Reno where the firm is building a brand
new solar array which generates 43 million kWh of clean power. In today's report, 65 percent of
the power fort those installations are rendered by renewable sources but for public perception it
is not up to the mark.
Carroll Primo and Richter, 2016 stated that, Even Apple Inc. had finished construction of
its new spaceship campus, still they are planning to improve its environment-friendly facilities in
order to fulfil the needs and expectations of the environment or stakeholders. The designing of
new building are completely environmental friendly as they committed that the entire
6

surrounding of the area are covered with plants and trees which are approximately more than
7000 in which they planted both fruit and shade trees.
In terms of employees benefits and welfare, Apple is contributing a large and satisfying
the needs and wants of stakeholders in very effective manner as they reported annually fin their
Corporate Social Responsibility report as said by Becker-Olsen and Guzmán (2017). The
employees at Apple get an annual discount of 25 percent when they purchase computer, iPod or
iPad. Employees can get $500 off a Mac or Apple Software is 50 percent off and $250 off an
iPad. The discount offers are not limited to its workers but they are also offering discount to
family. In addition to this, company also allowed mothers to take four weeks of paid leave before
giving birth and after 14 weeks. Apple also provides $300 to employees for gym activities
annually. Thus, Apple is effectively and efficiently satisfied its employees and this is the reason
why the workers are 40 percent more productive than other companies.
Apple’s ranking when it comes to CSR activities across the world
According to statistics, Apple, Volkswagen and Samsung are the three organisations
which have reduced their CSR reputations in recent year. Since the survey in the year 2016,
Apple and Samsung dropped 5.5 points each and positioned themselves on 49th and 89th rank.
Volkswagen on the other hand dropped by 8.2 points in the last year and settled on 100th
position. Apple was at the seventh place earlier in CSR ranking but said to become victim of its
own secrecy. The organisation was not willing to unlock its iPhone to help enforcement of law
during a shooting investigation the previous year (Apple Ranking in terms of CSR. 2017). In
addition to this the company maintains a closed platform and many people doubtful about its
workplace. The organisation has established more than 9000 drought tolerant trees in Apple park
at Cupertino as a CSR initiative. In the year 2017 the company also donated 1 million us dollars
to southern California wildfire recovery efforts. The international technology organisation raised
more than 3 million US dollars for Hurricane Harvey Relief Efforts in August 2017. Apple aims
to contribute to transition up to 1 million acres of forest, across five southern provinces, into
responsible management by 2020. 2500
As per the Lyon and et.al., (2018) Apple, Samsung suffers in reputation ranking of
Corporate Social Responsibility. According to the annual study by Reputation Institute (RI),
Public perception of Apple corporate social responsibility efforts suffers a steep decline. The
contribution made by Apple is unable to meet the demands and expectation of stakeholders.
7