Apple Environment Impact 3

Apple, Inc. Case Assignment Apple, Inc. has been named one of the most innovative companies for the past couple of years. It is no wonder then that the company’s mission is to offer technologically innovative products and services but also to improve environmental quality of those products and services. Apple’s vision statement is to contribute to the world by making innovative products. Some of the general environmental issues that affect the company are: * Political environment: Apple, Inc., like any other company can be affected by certain laws and regulations that could be put in place by the government, for example Internet regulation. * Economic environment: recent economic crisis has caused many consumers to stay away from big purchases, such as computers, which has a big impact on the sale of Apple’s number one product. * Socio-cultural environment: more and more people are getting concern about the environment and the production of Apple’s products cause pollution. Apple is already working on becoming “greener.” Another important aspect of this environment is that, nowadays there is more demand for internet access anywhere. Hand-held devices with access to the Internet are becoming more popular than the personal computers. Apple has done an excellent job in this field and has invested a lot of money in R&D to develop devices such as an iPhone. * Technological environment: as I mentioned above Apple is the leader in innovation; the company continues to invest money in R&D (4-5% of its revenue) and that’s what gives them the advantage over the competitors. Based on the Porter’s Five Forces Analysis, it seems that the industry is overall attractive. The companies that cannot keep up with the latest technology are usually eliminated by the innovative players. Some potential entrants are possible; however the costs associated with entering the market are holding them back. One of the most important strengths that Apple has is the