BUS 500: Shared Value & Global Issues Report - Apple Inc. Case Study

This report provides an in-depth analysis of Apple Inc.'s utilization of Shared Value strategies to address global issues. It begins with a company background, highlighting its evolution and market position. The core of the report investigates how Apple integrates Shared Value principles into its operations, focusing on initiatives related to diversity, inclusion, and technological accessibility. The report examines specific strategic initiatives undertaken by Apple, such as those related to women empowerment and products for people with disabilities. It also explores how Apple measures the financial costs and social impact of these initiatives, including donations to healthcare organizations. The analysis emphasizes the importance of CSR and CSV activities in creating value for both stakeholders and society, and concludes with a summary of Apple's approach to Shared Value and its impact on the global stage.

Running head: SHARED VALUE & GLOBAL ISSUES REPORT
SHARED VALUE & GLOBAL ISSUES REPORT

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Table of contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Company Background.....................................................................................................................3
Investigate in depth how they utilize Shared Value Strategies........................................................4
Strategic initiatives are undertaken by the organization and the specific methods for measuring
financial costs and social impact.....................................................................................................7
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................8
References........................................................................................................................................9

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Introduction
In the modernization of business operations, there have been many social elements which
have become an evident part of the business which looks forward in the betterment of the
society. Shared Value strategy or Corporate Shared Value is one of that social element which
has got associated with the modern business in a very evident manner. Shared Value Strategy is a
management strategy under which the company focuses on the creation of better business values
which helps in addressing the current social problems of the society which intersects with the
business operations of the firm. The whole purpose of this strategy is to derive a next-generation
wave of innovation and productivity that will be helpful for the growth of the global economy.
The other objective of the strategy is to restructure the relationship of capitalism to the society's
economy. Now there are big companies such as Google, Microsoft and Apple which follow the
Shared Value strategy to grow a measurable amount of value for the society. In this assessment,
there will be discussion over the Apple Incorporation which also follows the Share Value
Strategy.
Company Background
Apple incorporation is an American based multinational company operating on the
International platform. The firm was established in 1976 by the name Apple Computer Company
and currently trades as Apple Computer Incorporation. The company is headquartered in
Cupertino California (Reuters.com, 2019). The company is the developer and designer of
consumer electronics and computer software. It is considered as a market giant which the
technology industry. The firm produces products which are cell phone named as iPhone, Tablet
named as iPad, Apple Private computers, Laptop. One of the most successful projects that
transformed the company was that of Macintosh. The development of Macbook was a clear

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game changer for Apple as it became a billion dollar company through this project (Porter &
Kramer, 2019). The company has been renowned for its quality product and premium pricing. It
is to be mentioned that the firm's revenue and financial growth rate are on the rising trend that
makes it clear that the firm is financially stable and huge. The firms operate worldwide which
shows that the market size of the company is very large. Although it is also to be considered that
the firm is also known for its CSR activities and the CSV activities. They are also very credible
to show that the firm has used Shared Value strategy to ensure that the success which the
company has had from the society is being used to create value for the society and community.
Their work is measured with the Shared Value Strategy for development of the society's
standards in both economic and social way of development (Dembek, Singh & Bhakoo, 2016).
Investigate in depth how they utilize Shared Value Strategies
Apple also follows and utilizes the Share Value strategies to ensure that the company is
able to create an evident amount of value which is beneficial for the society. Creating Shared
Value is performed under the corporate social responsibility activities of the company. In the
current time core focus of Apple is to generate value rather inciting profit (Crane, Palazzo,
Spence & Matten, 2014). The company is making a profit after being financially very successful
in the market. The company has broadened its overall vision and is now seeking to generate
value rather than profit from the market. Profit and value are different when compared. A
company earning profit talks about the financial gains it will incur from its operational activities
(Beschorner, 2014). Now value, on the other hand, has a broader perspective. As the company,
when earns value and creates value it is beneficial for both the company as well as every
stakeholder which is associated with the firm. Hence, the creation of value for the stakeholders

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as well as the society has now become a major objective of Apple in its CSV activities (Corazza,
Scagnelli & Mio, 2017).
Apple has been operating in the field of creating a better technological environment for the
global platform. They have been researching better operations; those are possible for attaining a
uniform technological platform. The CSR activities of the company include creating value in
fields of employment, creation of better marketplace, protection of diversity and technological
environment of the company (Tantalo & Priem, 2016). Inclusion and Diversity have become the
core moto of CSV activities in their respective workplace. This means the company wants to
create shared value for people and stakeholders from various group, religion, caste and creed.
Women Empowerment has been a major factor that has struck the CSV activities of the firm as it
has ensured that for the benefit of the society there is a need for employing Women from society.
It can be seen that Apple Claims it has increased its Women Human resources within the firm
from 30% to 36%, which is a good amount of increase.

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Figure 1: Women workforce in Apple
(Source Yang, Zheng & Zhao, 2014)
This very increment shows that determination of the firm in employment for women and their
pay scale is of immense importance (Yang, Zheng & Zhao, 2014). Now the other prominent
CSV achievement that the company has gained is that of making a product for people with
different disabilities. The company has produced products for blind and deaf people. The
company has a vision that there should be diversity in technology and technology should not be
restricted towards the abled only. This shows that the company believes in technology for
disabled also by creating value from customers which differently abled (Baumgartner, 2014).

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The CSR activities of the firm have also claimed that the firm believes in operating in different
marketplaces which are diverse in nature. The company looks on developing proper
infrastructure for the people in the diverse market places so that they are able to understand the
need of modern technology and are able to equip themselves with modern technology (Awale &
Rowlinson, 2014). This will help the firm in creating intrinsic value for both the firm and the
marketplace in which it is working. Talking about the workplace within the firm it can be said
that being an international firm the firm has had human resources and workforce that is diverse
culturally, gender-wise and age wise. The firm has been able to manage such a diverse workforce
and have increased in the participation and inclusion of people from different cultures and groups
so that there is ideological diversification within the firm's operational activities. It is to be
mentioned that the firm has maintained the ethnicity of the diverse workforce which can be seen
in the chart below:

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Figure 2: Workplace Classification of Apple in the year 2018
(Source: Businessinsider.in, 2019)
It can be seen in the figure above that people are from different workforce cultures and
diversification that creates an even more diversified workplace within Apple. Now the company
has been able to follow the CSV policy increase of equal opportunity for all in term of
employment. It has provided people from every culture equal chance to be employed within the
firm and a chance of growth needed by the employees to operate within the firm.
Strategic initiatives are undertaken by the organization and the specific
methods for measuring financial costs and social impact
In accordance to the company's' CSV policy, it can be seen that the policy is focused on
creating investment option and investing in options which are in benefit of the social and
environmental objectives of the firm. Donations have also been a very important part of the
company's CSV activities in the recent past of the firm’s operation. This is because the company
has created value by bettering medical standards within the country by the verge of donating
money to different companies involved in health care operations. Recently the CEO of the
company Tim Cook donated 50 million to Stanford Hospital which is a healthcare organization
for the better of medical services within the organization whereas the company has also donated
money in the development of medical infrastructure in the past. This shows that the firm has
been creating values in different aspects of society through the earned operational profit to make
sure that people and community in which the company is operating in is benefited from its
operations which meet its shared value strategy.

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Conclusion
Concluding in the light of the above context it can be said they Shared Value strategy is
an important strategy which should be used by every company. Through this, the firm can create
value for the society and community in which they are working. It is to be mentioned that the
firm's in this way will also be able to increase its brand value within the societies in which there
are operating in. It is to be mentioned that through the use of effective CSR activities companies
will be able to ensure that they are able to build a better relationship between different factors of
economy and the business operations and there can be a better investment within the
development of society. Apple Incorporation has successfully followed this strategy to ensure
that they are able to ensure effective development of society in which it is working.

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References
Awale, R., & Rowlinson, S. (2014, September). A conceptual framework for achieving firm
competitiveness in construction: A'creating shared value'(CSV) concept. In 30th Annual
ARCOM Conference (Vol. 1).
Baumgartner, R. J. (2014). Managing corporate sustainability and CSR: A conceptual framework
combining values, strategies and instruments contributing to sustainable development.
Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 21(5), 258-271.
Beschorner, T. (2014). Creating shared value: The one-trick pony approach. Business Ethics
Journal Review, 1(17), 106-112.
Businessinsider.in, (2019) BUSINESS INSIDER Retrieved from
https://www.businessinsider.in/Apples-Diversity-Numbers-May-Be-Disappointing-But-
Theyre-Better-Than-The-Rest-Of-Silicon-Valley/articleshow/40208422.cms Retrieved on
3 may 2019
Corazza, L., Scagnelli, S. D., & Mio, C. (2017). Simulacra and sustainability disclosure: analysis
of the interpretative models of creating shared value. Corporate Social Responsibility and
Environmental Management, 24(5), 414-434.
Crane, A., Palazzo, G., Spence, L. J., & Matten, D. (2014). Contesting the value of “creating
shared value”. California management review, 56(2), 130-153.
Dembek, K., Singh, P., & Bhakoo, V. (2016). Literature review of shared value: a theoretical
concept or a management buzzword?. Journal of Business Ethics, 137(2), 231-267.
Porter, M. E., & Kramer, M. R. (2019). Creating shared value. In Managing sustainable business
(pp. 323-346). Springer, Dordrecht.

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Reuters.com, (2019) APPLE Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/company-
profile/AAPL.O Retrieved on 1May 2019
Tantalo, C., & Priem, R. L. (2016). Value creation through stakeholder synergy. Strategic
Management Journal, 37(2), 314-329.
Yang, H., Zheng, Y., & Zhao, X. (2014). Exploration or exploitation? Small firms' alliance
strategies with large firms. Strategic Management Journal, 35(1), 146-157.