This paper is going to discuss a Fortune 500 company. The company that is going to be researched on is Apple Inc. Apple Inc is a Fortune 500 American company that specializes in software and hardware of information technology gadgets. The company was formed in the year 1976 by Steven Jobs and Stephen Wozniak. It had its first headquarters in California. Apple Inc. specializes in hardware such as computers, mobile phones, peripheral devices, and portable media players. As a corporate citizen, Apple Inc. strives to fulfill its social and legal responsibilities. Apple Inc. has launched numerous initiatives that show its willingness to act as a social entity. It has performed activities that are geared towards empowering its employees, fulfilling Labor and Human Rights and Accountability. This paper is going to analyze and examine Apple’s social responsibility policies and practices. It will also explain how the company has demonstrated its duty (Apple Inc, 2016) .
Apple Inc. has launched several initiatives aimed at empowering their workers. Apple recognizes that empowerment of its employees is the first step in making any company successful (Apple Inc, 2016) . The majority of companies do not realize that empowering of their employees is among its major social responsibilities. Apple Inc has demonstrated its willingness to empower its workers through training and education. In the year 2015, Apple started a program named, “Apple Education and Development Program.” In the program, its employees were to be offered free training courses. The company managed to train more than 200,000 individuals. Also, in the year 2016, it expanded its employee benefits programs. An expectant mother working in Apple can take a paid leave four weeks before delivery of the infant and an extra four months after giving birth . Non-birth parents can also apply for a six-week paid parental leave.
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The company also strives to meet the set labor and human rights laws and regulations. Apple Inc. is among the companies with the strictest supplier code of conduct in all multinationals. In the year 2016, the company reported a 95 percent compliance of its suppliers with their Supplier code. Apple has also limited the amount an individual can work in its premises to 60 hours per week (Apple Inc, 2016) . The company has also been accused of child abuse and excessive working hours to foreign workers. The company has been forced to pay legal dues and compensate the victims (Reuters, 2017) . To clean up the messes , the company has vowed to end any child labor and excessive workload throughout its supply chain. It also aims to ensure that its Supplier Code of Conduct is adhered to by all individuals it transacts with (Apple Inc, 2016) .
Apple Inc is involved in charity and philanthropy events in the society. Since its start, Apple has been able to contribute over $78 million in philanthropic events. The company has an initiative dubbed “Apple’s Matching Gift Program.” Apple has also been involved in charitable activities in Africa that are aimed at eliminating HIV/AIDS in Africa (Johnson, 2012) . Apple has also donated a lot of money to police, firefighters, and the red cross. The company also gives one iBook to poor children in the festive season. Although its founder did not participate in a lot of charity and philanthropic work, the new Chief Executive Officer has indicated of a plan to donate more in future to charity organizations.
Apple Inc recognizes its worker’s safety and health in the workplace. Apple has prohibited the use of n-hexane and states that the product is no longer used in any of its facilities (Apple Inc, 2016) . The company has also launched some initiatives throughout the globe that are aimed at improving its employee’s safety and health. Apple has among the highest safety standards in the electronic industry.
Apple Inc. is also committed to flora and fauna preservation. Steven Jobs- the founder of Apple, was a vegetarian. Apple’s commitment to animal rights is best shown by their, “I photo facial recognition software” that was capable of recognizing the faces of cats and those of humans. This reflected Apple’s commitment to proper treatment of animals. The company also funded many charity organizations that were advocating for animal rights.
Apple also tries to conserve natural resources in its operations. The company has been praised because of its use of renewable energy in its processing and manufacturing process. Apple is the only company that has been awarded for its utilization of clean energy. Apple utilizes its renewable energy program in over twenty-three countries across the globe. The company also launched a drinking water program between the year 2013 and 2015. The company redesigned its system to enable recycling of water up to 35 times. However, despite all this, Apple has been increasing the number of retail stores which increases the amount of water used. The company is aiming at reducing the amount of carbon released through artificial carbon sequestering. The company also advocates for the use of electric vehicles compared to fuel based engines. This commitment is illustrated by it providing its employees with more than five hundred electric vehicles charging ports. The companies carbon emissions also reduced significantly in the last four years.
In summary, as discussed above, Apple Inc has tried to fulfill its social responsibility functions. The company has been involved in social activities like charities. Apple Inc. has launched numerous initiatives that show its willingness to act as a social entity
References
Apple Inc. (2016). Corporate Social Responsibility Policy of Apple Inc. Limited.
Johnson, K. (2012). The Innovative Success that is Apple, Inc. Teses, Dissertations and Capstones , 418.
Reuters. (2017, March 25). Chinese Court Rules Against Apple in Civil Suit. Retrieved from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/25/business/25reuters-apple-china.html
