APPLE INC.

Business Environment: Apple Inc



Business Environment: Apple Inc

Task 1: Organisational purposes of businesses

Organisational Types and Purposes

There are many types of organisations, classified as large, medium and small. Each organisation has its own purpose, goals and objectives to achieve. There is a defined plan of action that supports the firm to achieve its purpose. All organisations have a discrete purpose that is separate from its environment and for organisations to be successful in achieving its desired objectives it has to adapt to the environmental changes that have a direct impact on the day to day workings of the organisation (Needham,1999, p.329).

Apple's environmental goals are determined by the market access, brand enhancement and risk reduction tactics that add value to the firm. The products designed by Apple embody the corporate objectives that comply with the complex environmental objectives. The products that are designed have an underlying effect on the environment, for instance the development and use of a database tool called the Apple Product Environmental Specification (APES) has aligned the environmental product information with the organisational issues at Apple. The purpose this tool serves is of providing direct customized input to different departments such as marketing managers, suppliers, engineers, technical specialists and procurement managers. It integrates the entire supply chain of Apple. The information is disseminated faster to respond to the changing dynamics of the external environment (http://danielsethics.mgt.unm.edu).

There are different organisations with various types of structures, which enable these firms in accomplishing their long term objectives. An organisation can be classified into three types, public, private or non-profit organisation. The non-profit organisation has a different structure which does not have a profit motive and is voluntary or charitable. A public organisation is indeed a large organisation with its stocks listed on the stock exchange requiring a different and detailed organisational structure. On the other hand, private organisations are relatively smaller than public organisations because private companies have their stocks listed on the stock exchange but cannot be traded without the permission of the board of directors.

Apple Inc. Organisational Structure

According to Matzke, (1998, pp. 202-206), the success of Apple Computers grew to a large extent, and it had become difficult to be handled as a private company. Therefore, Apple Inc. was formed and is now a public limited company. Apple operates as a closed organization and makes sure important technology related information is not leaked into the external environment where competitors exist. Therefore, the organisational structure has been a flat structure. There are not many layers in the organisation's structure in which the information has to be passed through several layers. The CEO directly interacts with its employees and provides direct supervision. The flat structure has top level officials in the topmost layer and then its employees in the lower layer. This makes the organisation develop a broad span of control which refers to the number of subordinates working directly under the manager.

According to Reyes & Kleiner (1990), every organisation aims to satisfy its customers. At initial stages organisations' purpose may be to ...