Introduction
Well established modern organizations are certainly complex social entities made up of people working together to achieve set goals. They are intentionally managed social entities with relatively recognized and identifiable boundaries, which run on a regular basis in order to reach a common end or set of goals.
In fact, organizations are essentially an embodiment of purpose and a sense of direction in the society because, through them, people satisfy their basic and secondary needs.
The complexity and sophistication of modern organizations have compelled scholars to put forward theories that help learners and practicing managers to understand them. This report analyzes the Apple Incorporation using three main perspectives of organizational analysis including the modernist view, symbolic-interpretive, and postmodernism.
Modernist view
As aforementioned, modern organizations are complicated in virtually all of their aspects. Coincidentally, they also operate in complex environments that require concrete knowledge and understanding on the part of management and employees (Hatch 2006, p.11).
The complex, uncertain, and contradictory circumstances within which organizations function require managers and employees to be more competent, civilized, and ethical. Sufficient organizational knowledge is necessary in dealing with unavoidable foreseen and unforeseen problems and challenges, which can be an impediment to an organization’s current and future success.
Apple Inc. is an international corporation, of American origin, that makes and markets personal computers, consumer electronics, and computer software (Sander & Slatter 2009, p. 81). By October 2010, Apple was operating “three hundred and seventeen retail stores in ten countries and an online shop where software and hardware are sold” (Sander & Slatter 2009, p. 81).
Today, Apple stands out as one of the biggest companies globally based on market capitalization and the most valuable ICT Company in the world, in front of Microsoft. Apple is well known for its hardware products including the “Macintosh computers, the iPhone, the iPod, and the iPad” (Sander & Slatter 2009, p. 81).
Examples of Apple software products include “the Mac OS X operating system, Aperture, a mobile operating system, iTunes media browser, and professional photography package among many others” (Sander & Slatter 2009, p. 81). Despite the fact that, Apple is one of the most admired companies in the US and across the world, it has received extensive criticism for its business practices, contactors’ labor, and environmental practices.
Environmental Issues
Modernist view of organizations is founded on the idea that, the progress of human knowledge and the occurrence of social advancement are based on sense and rationality of an applicable set of worldwide scientific laws, social postulations, and organizational arrangements that connect people and organizations together.
Accordingly, modernist managers believe that there is, and can only be, one appropriate method of managing human beings in organizations (Knights & Willmott 2006, p.389).
Proponents of this view hold that, an integrated set of expert values and doctrines for directing human judgment and social conduct can be established and exploited for the common good of a society. Systems and contingency theories are prime examples of modernist approach to organizations.
Business organizations operate within a matrix of internal and external environments that influence directly, as well as indirectly, their design and functioning. Apple is a key player in the ICT industry that has been under immense imperativeness from the populace, administrations, environmentalists, and civil society groups due to the serious adverse environmental impacts associated with electronic products.
Majority of Apple’s environmental problems are related to impacts of its used hardware products on the natural environments (Oneindia News 2011, Para 1; Jun 2011, Para 3). For instance, in China, Apple has been accused by around three dozen Chinese environmental groups of failure to take action for concerns about environmental pollution at factories that provide it with electronic parts and other components.
In fact, a report released in China, in January 20th this year, ranked Apple at the bottom of more than twenty technology companies with regard to its environmental responsiveness (Oneindia News 2011, Para 3; Jun 2011, Para 3). Unfortunately, this criticism came as the company began to open up retail stores in the Chinese market.
Apart from environmental issues poised by adverse impacts of its products and components used to make them, Apple is criticized for its failure to uphold safety of employees working with Foxconn Technology Group in China. Foxconn designs iPhones and other electronic devices for Apple (Oneindia News 2011, Para 4).
Many Foxconn employees committed suicide in southern China in the year 2010. Another considerable number of employees of a company known as Wintek Corporation, were taken in sick as a result of the lethal chemicals used in making touch screens for Apple and other technology companies (Oneindia News 2011, Para 4; Enderle 2010, Para 1).
Apple and other ICT companies are faced by the reality of the fact that, all the way through their lifecycles, electronic goods have the ability to affect human health and the environment adversely through the discharge of deadly chemicals and energy consumption.
Jun (2011, Para 2) points out that, the evidence available of employees’ poisoning and breach of environmental laws at some Apple’s leading suppliers, is a clear indication that there is an apparent gap in socially and environmentally responsible management across the company’s supply chains.
Social Structure
As pointed out earlier, organizations are essentially people tied together by a shared desire to achieve a goal or set of goals. In fact, from a systems’ approach to organizations, each organization is a sub-system of the bigger organization known as a society or state. Therefore, organizations are meant to complement one another such that, when a given organization is dysfunctional, it may lead to serious problems in other organizations.
Organizations thus must operate under healthy interaction with other organizations, as well as individual members of a society. It is apposite to note that, internally, an organization should also establish an organizational culture that nurtures beneficial relations between and among its employees.
In fact, it is safe to argue that, the form of internal relationships that an organization has, determines how well it is positioned to relate and interact well with other organizations and people.
Modern organizations have more responsibilities that are social and social involvement in the society’s activities (Besser 2002, p. 2). Social responsibility of an organization entails its treatment and social relations with people, inside, outside, and the wider societies affected by its activities.
It involves serious consideration by the management of the impacts of a company’s actions on the society (Besser 2002, p. 4; Grayson & Hodges 2004, p. 174). It is the mandate of an organization to relate its operations and policies to its social environment in ways that are mutually beneficial to the organization and all stakeholders including shareholders, employees, customers, suppliers, authorities, and the society.
An organization’s lack of commitment to do business in a way that is socially and environmentally responsible, can strain its relations with authorities concerned with environmental protection. Such strained relationships may influence the imposition of extra taxes on an organization, a factor that might increase an organization’s operational costs.
Moreover, such relationships can dissuade customers, employees, and shareholders from associating themselves with the company. Some people would like to identify with companies that recognize and appreciate that their neighbors are not strangers, but people who matter because they comprise their target audience. s
Apple has been ranked severally as the most admired company in the US and across the world by the Fortune Magazine; however, it has had its share of challenges and failings in honoring social or public responsibilities (Jun 2011, Para 2). For instance, Apple has been severally accused by the Chinese environmental organizations because of failing to keep its word to handle the safety of workers at its principal supply companies like Wintek.
Apple has been extensively accused of seizing the largest share of profit in its industry, yet it evades responsibility for environmental degradation and employee poisonings in its supply chains, especially in Asian markets like China. This form of conflict of interests has subjected Apple to serious social issues, which are unfriendly to smooth running of its business.
Moreover, employees, customers, and shareholders are indispensable Apple stakeholders who continually put a lot of pressure up on Apple. Internally, its employees would like to see their efforts being appreciated through commensurate remuneration and provision of decent working conditions through, which they can experience a meaningful life.
Their customers would like to have value for their money and associate with a company that is conscious of environmental preservation and willing to keep their safety. Apple shareholders would like to have a guarantee that their investments are safe and able to pay back profitably after a definite period.
Technology
Technology, particularly Information and communication technology, is certainly the substance of Apple’s line of business. Apple has managed to revolutionize ICT; however, it has faced serious technical issues from time to time. These challenges are an impediment to smooth running of its business.
For instance, last year, customers faced technical problems in accessing Apple’s website; moreover, at one point, they could not complete their online transactions (Beaumont 2010, Para 1). Apple’s iPhone 4 smart phone, which is one of its latest releases, has had technical issues.
For example, some consumers have complained about a yellow staining of the screen, which is associated with the glass lamination glue that its makers used. It is believed that this glue was not allowed to dry completely before the phones reached users as a result of quick manufacturing (Beaumont 2010, Para 4).
Other users reported that, when making a call, the propinquity antenna can be unresponsive, so that facial touch with the touch screen can mute calls, terminate calls, or call other numbers (Beaumont 2010, Para 4).
Apple also encounters challenges in maintaining the secrecy with regard to its technological inventions. In the ICT industry, players would want to leverage their competitive advantages by standing out distinctively in terms of innovation.
Culture
Organizations have their unique ways of doing things and core values that drive them on a daily basis and this aspect is referred to as organizational culture.
A healthy organizational culture should have the potential to nurture progressive tendencies like teamwork, innovativeness, creativity, responsiveness to the natural, and social environments, as well as resilience among its management and employees (Johnson, & Turner 2003, p.68).
Unfortunately, Apple’s organizational culture appears to be lacking in its ability to nurture responsiveness to the natural and social environments, if failures and problems in the Asian markets and even US is anything to consider.
Jun (2011, Para 2) argues that, evidence available of employees’ poisoning and breach of environmental laws at some Apple’s main supplier factories are a clear indication that there is an apparent gap in its social and environmental management across the company’s supply chains. Apple has also been accused of a culture of poor employee remuneration and failure to provide safe and secure working conditions for its workers.
Problem Statement
- Provision of security and safety to its employees particularly in the supplier factories in the Chinese market
- Challenges of electronic products’ considerable adverse impacts on the environment such as metal pollution and health hazards on human beings particularly their workers
- Challenges in honoring social or public commitments and dealing with unavoidable pressures from authorities, environment organizations, employees, customers and shareholders
- Systems breakdown and technical issues relating to usability of their products
- Organizational culture crisis related to its inability to guide suppliers and other people to uphold social and environmental responsiveness
Solution
Apple should adopt an excellent hands-on corporate management that can work well with the necessary government authorities and other concerned organizations, in upgrading its social and environmental responsiveness.
Here, it is necessary to note that, smooth running of its business may be elusive when there is a lack of cooperative relations between its management and government authorities, especially outside the US.
Apple should work in close partnership with all relevant stakeholders, especially suppliers, in putting forward its environmental preservation agenda in order to mitigate the adverse effects of its electronic products on the environment and surrounding communities (Gunther 2007, Para 3). Furthermore, Apple should upgrade its corporate social responsibility to avert cases of public, client, and employee dissatisfaction.
Since technological systems form the core of Apple’s proper and efficient functioning, it should thoroughly do pilot experiments of all new technological inventions before announcing them. This will give its engineers and concerned parties sufficient time to test the functionality and usability of a given device, and thus prevent poor customer service and the ensuing frustrations.
Finally, Apple should embrace a transformational organizational culture that is sensitive to social and natural environments. Its culture should nurture social and environmental responsiveness among its management and business partners like suppliers of its components.
Recommendations
To implement changes where necessary, Apple should take the following actions:
- Conduct an internal survey on the employees’ understanding of its environmental, technological, social, and organizational culture issues
- Institute or intensify its market research in order to acquire reliable information from relevant stakeholders including clients, suppliers, and shareholders
- Call for recommendations from willing stockholders and members of public on how best they can tackle issues facing their organizational design and function
- Seek services of a reliable auditing company
Symbolic-interpretive Critique
Symbolic-interpretive view is based on the belief that people cannot be familiar with an outer or objective existence except their subjective experience of it. In other words, what exists is what a human being agrees that it exists (Hatch 2006, p.14). Therefore, all facts are relative to an individual and can only be understood from the perspectives of the persons who are directly involved.
According to a symbolic-interpretive perspective, truth about a given phenomenon is socially created through many explanations of the objects of knowledge thereby built, moves, and changes over time (Hatch 2006, p.14).
From a symbolic-interpretive point of view, organizations are continuously created and recreated by their people through symbolically mediated relations. They are thus socially built realities where meanings advance and are promoted by understanding of oneself and others that take place within a given organization’s contexts (Hatch 2006, p.14).
Therefore, the symbolic-interpretive view rejects modernists’ view that there is, and can only be, one best way of managing people in an organization, as well as approaching problems and challenges facing an organization.
Instead, members of an organization should be managed based on how they attach meaning and order to their experiences in given organizational circumstances, via symbolic and interpretive processes, deeds, and forms (Hatch 2006, p.14).
In other words, different organizations should contextualize management of their members in order to facilitate an understanding of their problems and challenges from their members’ point of view rather than mythical universally accepted scientific managerial laws.
Apple’s environmental, social, technological, and organizational culture problems should, therefore, be approached from the points of view of its various members, rather than from a perspective of a static approach to management like the one suggested by modernist theories. Apple should seek an understanding of its individual members of the problems facing it so that it can come up with viable solutions.
It is necessary to note that, ultimately, its members especially the management and employees will be the implementers of any proposed remedy or policy. Apple should begin its journey to solving its various problems by conducting a comprehensive internal survey of its members’ understanding of its various problems, and seeking their suggestions on how best they can be solved.
Concisely, it should embrace a participatory managerial approach that values every member’s input. From the symbolic-interpretive view, some of its problems such as social structural issues require a continuous input of its external stakeholders including suppliers, clients, and shareholders. Therefore, it should conduct frequent market research, which is a significant revelation for a company’s management.
Research is usually a key source of information and facts needed for strategic planning and management, in relation to an organization’s short-term and long-term goals and objectives. It provides the necessary information regarding customer and employees satisfaction, which is fundamental for an organization’s overall success. It also furnishes the management with information about technological and other changes to adjust accordingly in order to safeguard its competitiveness.
Postmodern Critique
Postmodernist view is based on the belief that the world is there through language and is located in societal communication. Therefore, what is talked of exists; therefore, everything that exists is a book to be read or acted. Postmodernists hold that knowledge cannot be a precise explanation of truth since meanings and experiences are not static (Hatch 2006, p.14).
As a result, postmodernists rebut the notion that human knowledge and social organizations are logical, constant, and unified (Knights & Willmott, p.389). There is no ecumenical truth about organizations since there is nothing like self-determining reality, apart from interpretations. For postmodernists, knowledge is a power game (Hatch 2006, p.14).
Therefore, for postmodernists, organizations are merely places for “…enacting power relations, oppression, irrationality, communicative distortion or arenas of fun and playful irony.” (Hatch 2006, p.14). Postmodernists view organizations as books created in a language that people can rewrite to liberate themselves from human foolishness and ruin.
Postmodernism discourages the idea of approaching organizations and by extension their challenges and problems, as a consistent rationally ordered and constant structures that remain unchanged throughout.
Therefore, progressive managers should look at possibilities of undoing organizational books of their companies, challenging present managerial principles, and modernist methods of theorizing and organizing (Hatch 2006, p.14). They should endeavor to bring to light the marginalized and oppressed perspectives and promote spontaneous and all-encompassing structures of organizing and theorizing (Hatch 2006, p.14).
In the case of Apple, rather than approaching its management and problems from a perspective that insists on retention of a status quo, it should embrace an approach that challenges its managerial ideologies. For postmodernists, knowledge about organizations is primarily disjointed and produced in numerous different portions and pieces by individuals in varied manners and contexts unified (Knights & Willmott 2006, p.389).
Therefore, the Apple management should seek new ways of managing its people and approaching its environmental, social, technological, and organizational culture issues. In other words, it should encourage reflexive and all-encompassing structures of organizing and theorizing.
Doing so will ensure that, problems and challenges arising are dealt with in accordance with the most appropriate mode, rather than struggling to stick to fixed modernist ways of managing, organizing, and theorizing.
Postmodernist approach to its issues will enhance flexibility, which is critical to its ability to embrace necessary technological and other changes occurring in its line of business. Postmodernist also calls for creation of a room for innovativeness and creativity for an organization’s members.
Conclusion
Organizational problems and challenges are certainly unavoidable due to the uncertain and controversial circumstances in which organizations operate. In addition, causes of varied organizational problems and challenges are diverse; therefore, no single approach can be effective in solving them.
In this light, Apple’s varied problems and managerial issues require multiple perspectives in the attempt to solve them. Apple management should not restrict itself to a single view of its issues; instead, it should embrace an inclusive and all-encompassing approach that values ideas and opinions of all stakeholders including employees, clients, suppliers, shareholders, and authorities.
References
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Grayson, D., & Hodges, A., 2004. Corporate social opportunity: 7 steps to make corporate social responsibility work for your business. New York, NY: Greenleaf Publishing.
Gunther, M., 2007. Gore needs a greener Apple. CNN Money. Web.
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Johnson, D., & Turner, C., 2003. International business: themes and issues in the modern global economy. New York, NY: Routledge.
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Knights, D., & Willmott, H., 2006. Introducing Organizational Behavior and Management. London: Cengage Learning.
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Sander, P., & Slatter, J., 2009. The 100 Best Stocks You Can Buy 2010. New York, NY: Adams Media.