M RahmanStakeholders of Apple (stakeholder analysis)
This detailed analysis of the stakeholders of Apple aims to examine both the internal and the external stakeholders of Apple Inc. It also aims to examine how Apple communicates with its stakeholders.
Apple is one of the most valued brands in the world. It has revolutionised the world of computers, smart phones, and some other electronic devices. Its headquarter is in Cupertino, California, the USA.
Internal stakeholders of Apple
The main internal stakeholders of Apple are the leadership team, employees, and shareholders.
Apple’s leadership team
Apple’s top executive positions are CEO, Senior Vice President, Vice President, and Chief Operating Officer (Apple, 2023). Many analysts argue that effective leadership has been a key to the global success of Apple.
Steve Jobs’ leadership played a big role in shaping the company’s future, though his leadership style was sometimes branded as aggressive. The current leadership team is also diverse, highly experienced, and renowned in the field.
Employees of Apple
Apple is world renowned for the aesthetic designs of its products. Therefore, it can be easily imagined what role the design team plays in its success. It is worth noting that Apple is very secretive about its designs and the design team works under very strict terms and conditions (Lashinsky, 2012).
Certainly, Apple’s employees play a big role in its growing success. However, according to several sources, many employees are very unhappy with its plan to show more ads to iPhone users.
Shareholders of Apple
Apple has both individual and institutional shareholders. Some of its executives have shares worth of millions of dollars. Some of its top institutional shareholders are the Vanguard Group, BlackRock Inc., and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (Cliffe, 2023). It is worth mentioning that some of the largest shareholders of Apple are mostly former or current employees and investment companies.
External stakeholders of Apple
The main external stakeholders of Apple are customers, suppliers, competitors, pressure groups, local communities, and the government.
Customers of Apple
The number of active Apple devices is around 1.8 billion. This figure is mind blowing and provides a clear indication of the number of customers Apple has globally. Generally, most users are loyal and do not switch to competing brands.
However, there are some customers who are unhappy with Apple. Therefore, it needs to ensure that all the customers are satisfied with its products and services, as this is the only way to ensure its continued success.
Competitors of Apple
Appel has a number of big competitors in the smart phone market e.g. Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, and Oppo. Likewise, its main competitors in the personal computer market are Lenovo, HP Inc, Dell, Acer, and Asus. The article Competitors of Apple (Competitor analysis of Apple) provides more information on the main competitors of the company.
Suppliers of Apple
Apple works with hundreds of suppliers in many countries, notably in the USA, China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. These suppliers play a vital role in the production and the distribution of its devices.
Apple has made some good progress over the years to protect the people in its supply chain; however, many of its suppliers have been found violating its labour and environmental policies. Major issues such as labour violations, harassment, and underage staff have been found in many Apple’s factories.
Media and public
The media and the public are also external stakeholders of Apple. The media provides coverage of the company and its products and services, while the public provides feedback on the company and its products and services. Apple needs to ensure that both of these stakeholders are satisfied with it and its products and services.
How is Apple influenced by its stakeholders?
Apple is heavily influenced by its stakeholders. The shareholders, for example, have a direct influence on its decisions as they provide the capital that is needed to develop new products and services, as well as to expand the business.
The employees also have a huge influence on the success of Apple, as they are the ones who design and develop the products and services. They also provide customer support. They are indeed the driving force behind its success.
The customers of Apple also have a huge influence on it. Their feedback helps it create more effective strategies and make better decisions.
How does Apple communicate with its stakeholders?
Apple’s website (www.apple.com) has a lot of information with which it communicates with its stakeholders. Product information for customers, career information for employees and prospective job applicants, corporate information for investors, and many more are available on the website. Apple also uses advertising campaigns to communicate with its customers.
Conclusion
To sum-up, Apple can ensure long-term success by engaging with and understanding the needs and interests of the stakeholders. However, managing them is a difficult task, as they have different needs and interests.
It can be sometimes difficult to keep up with the changing needs and interests of the stakeholders. Despite this, stakeholder engagement is essential for Apple, as it helps it create more effective strategies and make better decisions.
We hope the article ‘Stakeholders of Apple (stakeholder analysis)’ has been helpful read. Please share the article link on social media to support our work. You may also like reading SWOT analysis of Apple. Other relevant articles for you are:
5C analysis of Apple (5Cs of Apple)
Last update: 07 January 2023
References:
Apple (2023) Apple leadership, available at: https://www.apple.com/uk/leadership/ (accessed 07 January 2023)
Cliffe, C. (2023) Who are Apple’s largest shareholders?, available at: https://www.ig.com/uk/trading-strategies/who-are-apples-largest-shareholders-200630#information-banner-dismiss (accessed 07 January 2023)
Lashinsky, A. (2012) Inside Apple-How America’s most admired and secretive company really works, 1st edition, New York: Business Plus
Author: M Rahman
M Rahman writes extensively online and offline with an emphasis on business management, marketing, and tourism. He is a lecturer in Management and Marketing. He holds an MSc in Tourism & Hospitality from the University of Sunderland. Also, graduated from Leeds Metropolitan University with a BA in Business & Management Studies and completed a DTLLS (Diploma in Teaching in the Life-Long Learning Sector) from London South Bank University.
