Marketing Management of Apple - Case Study Example

Public Relations] Name Course Lecturer Date Q1 Public opinion is a collection of opinions of many people and the sum of their view. Public opinion can be influenced by public relations and political media and mass media use their advertising techniques to get information out and change the minds of individuals. As for the case of apple, public opinion that almost brought down the business was as a result of public relation was wanting and thus the public opinion was against some operations1. It was clear that, this business was built on heap labour and low tax liabilities and unfair employee’s treatment by her business partners. To manage the crises, apple broke ties with some of the suppliers that were deemed not to comply with Apple’s policies on maximum working hours and working conditions. Additionally, they also came up will regulations that must be followed if at all close ties between them have to be maintained. In the same case, Apple made a commitment to providing safe working conditions, treating workers with dignity and respect and also use the environment responsibly and most importantly, Apple’s suppliers code of conduct was implemented to make sure that the areas of labour and human rights, workers health and safety, ethics and management systems are all favourable to the workers without any compromise2. All manufactures, working with Apple, are obliged to following the code of conduct, and must conduct serious audit with the help of independent experts, and in case they are not compliant, their business with Apple is terminated. Apple successfully managed the crises. By edging out suppliers who were non compliant to the code of conduct, many other supplier were left with no option that to comply. For instance, it has been reported that, Foxconn which was reported to violate the employee’s rights and welfare has made substantial improvements by improving safety conditions and cutting working hours to avoid any other global scandal. When Tim Cook, Apple CEO asked Fair Labour Association to investigate the working conditions of Foxconn after there were series of reports into working conditions, there were 59 violations of local regulations at various plants, Chengdu, Guanlan and Longhua. However, due to Apple’s intervention, there has been substantial improvement like the introduction of more breaks and better maintenance of safety equipments. The company has also doubled wages and is also working towards making adjustments that will improve on the unemployment insurance. This therefore means that, after there were claims of various violations in Apple and partners, the intervention employed were successful in achieving the desired goals even though there is much to be done in order to improve their image amongst the public. To avoid such a situation as faced by Apple, companies should involve themselves with partners who observe good public relations. These mean that people will have positive opinions towards them. Apple set regulations which meant that, to trade with them, certain measure have to be met, from good working conditions, safety, good payments and environmental responsibility which all the supplier must adhere to. People and organizations protested to Apple, meaning that, doing business with partners who do not observe good public image can also be detrimental to one’s business and therefore should be avoided. This is because it can cause damages to the reputation of the company. For instance, Apple’s reputation was at stake just because the suppliers were fixed in a bad public opinion. The lesson businesses learn in this scenario is that, suppliers or rather other business partners can destroy the business in case they are not observant in complying with what is deemed right by the public, who are the customers of the manufactured products. Additionally, companies can make sure that their reputation is well protected and gain public favour if they detach themselves from trading with companies which have negative public opinion. With this they are going to raise trust with the entire stakeholder, and most importantly the consumers who are the core for any business entity. Q2 According to Grunig3, there are models of public relations which are divided into two dimensions, one way and two ways, unbalanced and balances nature of communication. The first model is press publicity which is just a propaganda where telling the truth is deemed not important. This is not very effective for it is totally unethical. Then there is public information which is aimed at disseminating truthful information. The third one is the two way asymmetrical which is the scientific persuasion where the communication is two way but unbalanced. In this model, the organization persuades the publics o support it and behave as it wants them to behave. Finally, there is the two ways symmetrical which main aim is to the establishment of a mutual understanding between the company and the publics where the company creates a balanced effect by suing dialogue4. When apple manages to have dialogue with the entire stakeholders, they are going to come up with a solution that suits all of them. It is clear that, the two-way symmetrical model is strong and ethical and is able to change both a publics and an organizations stance and therefore is valuable to any given company. The most excellent communication helps make organizations excellent5. This model works towards adjusting the relationship between organizations and publics by concentrating on dispute resolution to negotiate mutually beneficial outcomes. Two-way symmetrical model allows communication that focuses on behaviours of the dominant coalition which in the long run enhances publics and dominant coalitions closer together which creates more socially responsible practices. This in other words entails that, the public are informed of what the company is doing about any negative consequences, and how the outsiders are involved to avoid any opposition6. By having open channels of communication, publics are more likely to have more trust on the company mostly when the likelihood of compromise is emphasised. Additionally, two-way symmetrical allows for more important proactive, rather than reactive public relations which avoid any sustained, bitter social divisiveness. Thus model has a feedback loop, but main aim is to help the communicator to better understand the audience while at the same time persuading it7. The results are entirely used to alter public attitude in favour of the company’s aims and objectives. Currently many companies have employed this model to ensure that their public relations can be reckoned with. In this case, they are utilizing the new web technology to encourage two-way communication. For example Dell has good experience in using two-way symmetrical model. In 2007, this company launched a new website they named Idea-storm which allows users to submit articles, comments on existing ones or even vote them down. Dell ones received many number of requests to offer alternative, open source operating systems as an option on new Dell computers and they were therefore convinced on this and they started offering computers with Ubuntu (Linux) operating system pre installed. This means that, Dell were successful in listening to their customers and were also prepared to give them what they sought. Conclusively, using two-way Symmetrical is the only way out for Apple. This is attributed to the fact that, all stakeholders are involved and a solution sought that does not favour any side. Mutual understanding is very important when it comes to decision making and therefore when it is employed, decisions are going to be a success and with no opposition. By listening to the opinions of the consumers and other stakeholders, Apple will be able to come up with solutions which are best suited in their situation, where by they will not be in favour of any side. This in other words means that, when all the stakeholders are involved, the solution derived will have a mutual benefit. Q3 Social media have totally changed how Corporation manage reputation. There are diverse consumer generated media ranging from social networks, consumer opinion sites, video and picture sharing networks social media in this case is an instrument of communication, which is interactive. In simple terms, it is a two way avenue of communication8. It is a web based platforms, technology and applications that create an avenue for communication and social interactions with one another online. Social media is one platform that enables a very fast and effective spreading of any information. For example, in social media, information can revolve around the globe within a very short time9. Information can be posted from one edge of the globe and within a very short duration it is in the furthest corner of the globe. Additionally, individual in the social media share information amongst themselves and this, its movement is fast and effective10. In the same case, it is also worth noting that, the spreading of information is not directed to only one source, it can also get to the untargeted audience. It has been noted that, the reputational risks can easily equal or even exceed the reputational benefits. This is attributed to the fact that, social media platform offers a diverse frontier of promotional opportunity and also many unchartered sinkhole of risks11. The emergence of social media have completely changed consumer behaviour since they are now able to exchange information and experiences about companies from different sources, and their decisions are now linked to this information without companies being able to influence the process12. This has therefore called for companies to do away with the traditional top down communication and focus on open and trustworthy dialogue with the stakeholders in social media so they can increase their awareness and perception. Social media using blogs and social media networks gives an opportunity for consumers to express positive opinion about companies and their brands and this in the long run influences their reputation in a positive way. Additionally, the same platform may be used to raise negative concerns about certain brands or companies and this damage the reputation of the said company. This being the case, many companies are getting actively involved in the social media so that they can observe conversations and correct information in time13. This will help them manage their reputation. It is clear therefore that, as mentioned above, companies try to protect their reputation in this digital age by responding to an issue with speed. While a company may take time looking for the most convenient time to get together and come up with a defence that everyone agrees on, the damage of reputation may be too much that the decision may be ineffective14. In the same case, in this media age, there is some information that can put a company through paces in different kinds of mock crises, damaging videos, and product recall and safety lapse. Company must have better bridges between colleagues if all this have to be countered, before it becomes detrimental to the entire reputation of the company15. Companies are also forming strong teams to meet message with counter message. Any questions raised in the social media can be answered directly from these teams, from people who have the first hand information regarding such issues as raised in the media. This will help regain position, rather than waiting for more damages which may even be coming form ill motivated sources. Additionally, companies are putting into place rules and guidelines of the messages and the information that can be disseminated in the social media16. This for example involved forbidding the employees from sharing any information regarding clients and discussions of products under development. Force multipliers are another way which companies use to protect their reputation. This is having forces which will positively talk about the company, with information that is aimed at counteracting the damage of reputation. Stockpiling of credentials also plays a vital role in reputation protection. Positive recognition by the third parties can help a company reap benefit of the doubt in a situation where the facts are in dispute. Companies therefore have been working hard to ensure that their credentials are well in place and with the rightful parties who can come for their aid in case there is a dispute. References Alsop, R.J. The 18 immutable laws of corporate reputation: creatiprotecting, and repairing your most valuable asset. . London: Dow Jones & Company Inc, 2006. Aula, P. 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