Apple, a Socially Responsible Corporation

orchard apple tree, a socially Responsible Corporation It is no mystery that companies exist and desire to make a profit from their reaping or service universe offered. However, it is becoming increasing popular that companies desire to achieve social obligation in order to increase their public image, which in turn should lead to increased sugar. In this class, we wise to(p) that social responsibility is the duty to take an action that result benefit the interests of society and the organization (Kinicki & Williams 2011).One of the ship rearal to become more socially responsible that is adopted by many companies is through with(predicate) green watchfulness, which is referred to utilize various policies to impose environmental problems (Tim Barnett, n. d. ). More and more companies be becoming concerned about the match their organization is having on the natural environment. Green management tail, and should be, done by small and large organizations since it can increa se the public image of the organization, thus affecting consumers perspectives and investors behavior.In the short-term, going green means that management assists in speech the natural environment. However, in the long-term, the costs will be make outd, thus increasing profits as well as achieving green management through neutralise minimization and improved capacity efficiency. Therefore, making going green a win-win situation. By contrast, those companies that continuously ca white plague pollutions will be criticized as companies of social irresponsibility, which will damage their public image and affect the sales of their products. For this research paper I thrust chosen to discuss apple Inc. nd how they be a socially responsible corporation. orchard apple tree (then apple Computer) was built by Steven Wozniak and Steven Jobs in April of 1976. For more than two decades, apple was predominantly a manufacturing business of personal estimators, including the apple I, II, mackintoshintosh, and Power Mac lines. In 1985 Jobs was fired from the corporation he had help start. However, out-of-pocket to the low market share and rocky sales give birthd during the 90s, Jobs returned as apples chief operating officer in 1996 (Company History, n. d. ). Apples products forthwith include MacBook, iPod, iPhone, iPad, as well as some online go like iTunes and iCloud.Since Apple is currently the largest technology firm in the world, its policies about environment protection are certain to carry weight by public and even have some level of move on the behavior of its suppliers. update One way that Apple has become socially responsible is by creating products that are multi-functional. In 2010, Apple launched a new product, the iPad. The iPad bears multi-functions such as e-book reader, cameras allowing for Face Time and HD video recording, Wi-Fi, 3G, and subject area and medication repository to name a few.This means that consumers who own an iPad no longe r need to get e-book reader, camera, mp3 or mp4, and even the DVD player since it has gathered the functions of various products in one. In another(prenominal) words, it has finish the different desire of the consumers in just one product. by chance this is why the iPad had been sold out in the first quarter of the 2010 financial year. Apple has similarly successfully developed a longer-lasting battery which outlasted adversarys batteries.This means that consumers could save money since they will need not to buy new batteries frequently, which is pregnant to consumers in deciding which technological products to choose. Moreover, Apple is also concerned with the zippo efficiency. Every single Apple product not exclusively meets but exceeds the unify States Environmental Protection Agencys harsh ENERGY STAR guidelines for efficiency. Apple is the only company in the indus rise that can make this claim. The experience about ending the software and hardware system gives App le a convenience to achieve this mission.For instance, the berth consumed by Mac mini is one-sixth of power consumed by a typical light myelin Such design can satisfy the demand of consumers since it can reduce the expenditures of electricity and thus can reduce their living expenses. In long-term, it can help this company to increase sales of their products. Apple has also developed a littler and lighter forwarding which has the ability to protect the products as well. For example, the new transformation of MacBook is fifty-three percent smaller than the first generation of MacBook.This kind of efficient packaging design not only enables the company to reduce the raw tangibles needed in and waste brought from the production process, it also helps to reduce the emissions produced during product transportation since a vehicle can carry more products, thus, reducing the amount of boats and planes apply in distribution. Obviously, the smaller packaging decreases the cost of produ ction such as fees for warehouses used and materials used as well as make their product easily carried by consumers. Another example is the packaging for the iPhone.It is near entirely recyclable and its retail box is made primarily from bio-based materials. In addition, its packaging is extremely material efficient, allowing more units to be transported in a single shipping container. The paper used in packaging of every unit of iPhone 4 were reduced from 136g to 120g compared with that of the iPhone 3GS. Apple iPhone packaging is now getting smaller and smaller with each and every generation which is more economical and environmental. On the other hand, Apples retail stores implemented a no plastic bags insurance policy in order to cut back on unnecessary packaging a few years ago.Plastic bags are difficult and costly to recycle, they will buck down into tiny particles that contaminate the soil and waterways and penetrate the food chain when animals ingest them. They clog up gu tters and drains causing water and sewage to overflow and become the breeding grounds of germs and bacteria that cause diseases. Therefore, this policy taken by Apple can help to meaning(a)ly reduce the pollutions caused by thrown past plastic bags, especially since the quantities of products sold by Apple are over millions.Apple uses the Life Cycle judging (LCA) to calculate greenhouse splatter emissions for each product. The Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act requires that manufacturing businesss of new televisions, computer and printers must have established an electronic recycle programme by April 2011. (Roger Mock, 2011) As one of the manufacturer of technology production, Apple offered Electronic Waste Takeback Program which was established as part of Michigan constabulary which refers to proper disposal of hazardous materials.Hazardous material can damage our health by increasing crab louse risk, damaging our body system and even lead to death. The Euro pean Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive restricts the use of lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ether, which Apple complies with. Apple also complies with the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 which pertains to the lead con decennaryt of consumer products and the Registration, Evaluation, ascendency and Restriction of Chemicals Regulation CH (REACH) which pertains to chemicals and their safe use.In addition, Apple is on the European Chemicals Agency list for producing products that do not contain any substances of very tall concern. Further, Apple, along with other top smart phone companies, sign-language(a) an agreement on the standardization of mobile phone chargers which reduce the electronic waste and greenhouse gas emissions of such by the thousand tons (Apple Inc, 2012). To besmirch the environment impact, Apple refers to precautionary principle to reduce and guide environmentally haza rdous substances from their products.There are three important elements of this principle preventative action, voluntary ejection and proactive search for safer substitutes (Latest News about Environmental Protection Laws and Regulations, 2010). They planned to completely distinguish the use of hazardous substances such as PVC and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in its products by the end of 2008. They have worked with the manufacturing partners to eliminate BFRs and harmful toxins. Finally, all Apple products are now free of BFRs and PVC and Apple plans to eliminate all forms of chlorine and bromine.The effects of hazardous substances can be skin irritation, asthma, losing consciousness, cancer, infection from bacteria and other micro-organisms, and on occasion, death. So, it is necessary to eliminate these harmful substances. Apple carefully manages the environmental impact of its facilities, and as a result they represent only two percent of its assessed greenhouse gas emiss ions, which come from the production, transport, use, and recycle of products (Apple Inc, 2011).Apple now discloses full product lifestyle emissions and carbon footprint it primarily reports on their facilities as a sens of its environmental impact. For purpose to reduce the environmental impact, switching off the light and cycle office waste are not enough. There is the biggest impact of this company on the environment when using Apples products. Thats why Apple focuses on their products design and innovation. Apple has taken significant steps to lessen greenhouse gas emissions produced by its facilities worldwide (Apple Inc, 2011).Code of Ethics is a formal document that states an organizations primary values and the ethical rules it expects managers and non-managerial employees to follow. The code of ethics for Apple is Ethics The federal agency We Do Business Worldwide, 2005. It is applying all employees, including its top management. Apples stated policy includes expectati ons about maintaining high standards of business conduct, to be ethical in business dealings, to avoid conflicts of interest, to respect confidentiality, to conduct business inwardly the law and to conduct business which benefits communities.Apple now requires suppliers to commit to their comprehensive Supplier Code of Conduct as condition of their contract with them since Apple is committed to ensuring that the highest standards of social responsibility throughout their supple base. Apple requires suppliers to provide a safe and healthy work environment, so suppliers must eliminate chemical hazards or minimize the use of some harmful materials according to the legal requirement (Apple Inc. 2012). In 2005, Apple started a recycling program. At that time, Apple decided to hold a free recycling program for its iPod digital music player.Their customers were able to bring the iPod to any of Apples (then) one hundred retail stores in the United States for free, environmentally friendly disposal. Besides that, those who brought their iPod in to recycle would receive ten percent discount on the purchase of a new iPod on that day. This program continued until 2010. In 2010, Apple announced the updated program which increased the products eligible to be recycled. Now, iPod, iPhone, iPad and Mac can be sent to Apple retail stores for recycling (Apple, 2012).They have two categories on the recycling program which are computer reuse and recycling as well as iPod and mobile phones recycling. For the computer reuse and recycling program, they undertake the community to solve the environmental problems, especially the pollutions which may be caused from Apples productions. People can bring their old Mac batteries or computers whether they are working or nonworking. If it can be reused, then they will be condition an Apple gift card which can be used to purchase Apples products. Otherwise, they will recycle it responsibly at no cost to the customer.Apple also accepts the com puters which are non-Apple-brand because Apple contracts with WeRecycle to process recycling for those products. iPod and mobile phone recycling is a program that is similar to the two programs mentioned previously. However, if the person doesnt raging near any Apple retail store, he or she can simply go online to the Apple website and complete the form and recycle the iPod or mobile phone via mail (Apple 2012). Finally, Apple has become a socially responsible corporation with the implementation of a commuter alternative program which has more than ten thousand employee participants.At Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California, the company pays one hundred dollars per month of employees bus, train, light rail, vanpool, and other transit costs through its Apple Commuter Alternatives Program. They have more than eleven hundred Apple employees that ride their free biodiesel commuter coaches daily. Apple also provides lockers, showers, and turn-up subsidies for their employees who cy cle, walk or run to work. In addition, Apple maintains a database of the employees addresses and working schedules for those who are interested in ridesharing or carpooling.Further, Apple has offered free boo services for its employees as their workers transport between the Bay Area and Cupertino. Those shuttle buses provide seats with individualist power connectors to run and charge notebooks while in transit as well as being equipped with Wi-Fi for internet connectivity. Apple estimates that these programs have eliminated the use of over a thousand single-occupant cars per day, thereby saving the environment of the pollution of over a thousand single-occupant cars per day.As you can see, Apple has put forth a lot of efforts in green management and being more socially responsible. According to Senior wickedness President of Hardware Engineering, wharfage Mansfield (2012), Apple makes the most environmentally responsible products in our industry. They achieve this through sever al perspectives the product (e. g. multi-functional products), the employees (e. g. commuter alternatives programs) and the environment (e. g. reduce using material that will harm the environment). Apple is strict and has a high demand in environmental safe programs.Thats why they design them to use less material, ship with smaller packaging, be free of toxic substances, and be as energy efficient and recyclable as possible (The Story Behind Apples Environmental Footprint, 2012). Further, Apple not only meets government requirements, but they exceed them and still continue to improve their products to continually reduce the harm to the environment. Perhaps other companies should consider using Apple as a role model and together try to save the environment. After all, it is the only one we have. References 1. Unknown. (n. d. ). Company History 1976-1981. In undefined.Retrieved November 18, 2012, from http//www. apple-history. com/h1. 2. Mansfield, Bob. (July 13, 2012). A Letter From Bob Mansfield. In Apple and the Environment. Retrieved November 18, 2012, from http//www. apple. com/environment/letter-to-customers/. 3. Unknown. (2012). The Story Behind Apples Environmental Footprint. In Apple and the Environment. Retrieved November 18, 2012, from http//www. apple. com/environment/. 4. Apple Inc. (January, 2012). Apple Supplier Code of Conduct. In undefined. Retrieved November 18, 2012, from http//images. apple. com/supplierresponsibility/pdf/Apple_Supplier_Code_of_Con