Apple Inc. and the Macro Environment Essay

Economic Environment: More or less, every economic factor has an effect on the operations of Apple Inc. These may include; current economic situation (boom, recession, etc.), credit terms, inflation or deflation, strictness of interest rates, unemployment levels, stability of exchange rates, stock exchange trend, etc. Apple’s business can be affected by all these factors either positively or negatively. For example, during the inflation periods in the United States of America, the purchasing power of the people had decreased and as a result of this, the sales of Apple’s products had decreased with it. To make matters worse, The US dollar had also decreased in value, and so, Apple decided to purchase itself foreign currency to minimize the effect of inflation. This will allow for their revenue from international markets to increase. Socio-Cultural Environment: Social factors such as consumer preferences, life priorities, income groups, and perceptions about different brands have a huge impact on the sales of Apple’s products. People all over the world are well aware of its brand image. The social environment has a huge positive impact on Apple for their products are seen as an image for today’s modern individual’s life. People see it as highly reliable and innovative, however they are also seen as highly expensive and the software very limited for people who wish to use their iPhones for more than just phone calls and emails. This regrettably influences people to seek a competitor’s products for a lower price or with more features. Technological Environment: Apple currently has the spotlight as the market leader in innovation. However, what Apple fails to realize is that technology can become outdated  quite quickly (sometimes over-night) and yet Apple casually cruises through the years releasing new models of products with very little hardware or software changes compared to the previous models. Their refusal to continuously bring innovative products will result in other market leaders stealing their throne. For example, Google’s Open Source Operating System, Android, has resulted in the migration of many Apple users to Android smartphones due to the reduced costs and in some cases such as with the Sony Xperia or the HTC One, their hardware specifications far exceeded that of the latest iPhone model. Political & Legal Environment: Apple has to duly adhere to all the rules and regulations for each company that they do business with such as tranquil rules and regulations, tax rates, tariffs. Etc. If they do not keep an eye on the changing government behaviors and patterns, it may be rather difficult for Apple with regards to marketing and the selling of their products and in severe cases, their products may be banned altogether. Apple also has to ensure that there is no copyright infringement in their products, or that of competitors. There have been many cases where Apple and Samsung confront each other in a legal battle over copyrighted material/ideas/names such as the rounded launch buttons in Apple’s home screen. Physical Environment: Apple is always finding ways to reduce their carbon footprint and as a result, they have a positive reputation with regards to their care for the environment. Apple has very few disagreements with environmentalists because the manufacturing process of their products usually follows all of the laws and regulations regarding the environment. Furthermore, Apple also encourages its users to dispose of harmful products such as used batteries  and fluorescent backlighting systems properly at their nearest iStore. Apple’s packaging is usually made of either plastic or glass, which is easily recycled and only a few products are distributed in cardboard boxes. Apple’s data centers are also 100% powered by renewable resources! International Environment: Globalization describes the mobility of goods, services, labour, technology and capital throughout the world. Apple has increased dramatically as an international business and have harnessed globalization and used it to their advantage. For example, by using their most famous piece of Apple software, iTunes. A large variety of songs are available on iTunes and because the business has offered this on the Internet and as software has increased their sales internationally as it has become accessible internationally. The products that Apple provides are sold internationally. Stores exist all over the world, allowing the business to become an international company. Not only does the use of stores help Apple to become an international company but the use of the Internet also allows this to occur. However, by going international with their products, they have also broadened their spectrum for competition. Not every country is as passionate about Apple’s products as America is and this as a result, could have a negative effect on their sales. However due to their strong brand image and good reputation, many people around the world seek the glorious Apple Logo for their brilliant, bright, innovative products.

Minor Parties

Impact of Minor Parties In this paper, I will be discussing the impact of minor parties. Minor parties are political parties who have little to no impact on elections due to the amount of supporters and/or money is put into the party. However, in the United States, minor parties sometimes have a huge impact on politics and elections, whether it’s just getting their word out there and the major parties actually listen and discuss their issues, or they can even change which major party wins the election. Whatever the case may be, it shows that minor parties are just as effective as the major parties, although they have never come out on top.Just because they are minor, does not mean they have no say or no impact in government. They are just as important as the major parties, and they should always be taken into consideration during election time. In my opinion, I think minor parties are great for this country. They bring in different views and ideas, and I like to hear what some of them have to say. The United States is a free country, and in the first amendment of the Constitution, it allows us the right of free speech. This means anyone can express their thoughts and views on just about anything, and the minor parties do just that.They have gotten a say in politics, and the major parties sometimes bring the minor parties’ issues into discussion because they agree that their issue is a serious problem, and it needs to be fixed. I think it’s good that we don’t always have to hear the same boring stuff about issues we already know about. Even though they may never win a presidential election, at least there is some party out there that understands the issues that the major parties nor the majority of the United States citizens never really thought about.There has been a long history of minor party candidates running for President, starting with the Anti-Masonic Party led by William Whit in 1832, and ending with the Reformist Party led b y Ross Perot in 1996. There have even been very successful minor parties. Some examples are Theodore Roosevelt’s Bull Moose Party in 1912, John Breckenridge’s Southern Democrat Party in 1860, and the most successful and recent one of our time Ross Perot’s Independent Party in 1992. All of these parties I mentioned made an impact on their respected elections, and because of them, they brought in new ideas and have shaped our current government.In this paragraph, I am going to discuss the 1992 election, and how a minor party greatly effected this election. In 1992, the Independent Party led by Ross Perot was running up against George W. Bush Sr. of the Republican Party and Bill Clinton of the Democratic Party. Perot was a member of the Republican Party prior to the election, but because of his disagreements with both of the parties’ issues, he decided to run as an independent. Bush Sr. was the current President, and was a shoe in for this election, but beca use of Perot’s switching of parties and how vocal he was, Bush lost supporters, while Perot gained a lot.Because of this, Clinton won with only 43% of the popular vote, while Bush had about 37%, and Perot had about 20%. This was one of the only times a President was elected into office without the majority vote. This became the turning point on how the people viewed minor parties, and ever since, the government has started to listen to their views more often. There are even two independents in the Senate right now, taking the impact of minor parties another step further. With these minor parties there are supporters of them and there are people who are against them.The supporters of minor parties in the United States are obviously the minor parties themselves and the people who support them because they want a say in politics so the current government can discuss them, and possibly change things around a little to their benefit if necessary. Another supporter would be the maj or party who got into office in an election because of the minor parties because if it weren’t for the minor parties and their popularity at the time, the major party’s candidate may have not gotten into office.The people who oppose them would probably be the major parties who lose an election due to the minor parties because the minor parties screwed them over from winning a presidential election. For example, the Republican Party was more than likely very angry at Perot for not only leaving their party, but also costing them the 1992 election. The Democrats were obviously very happy because if it weren’t for Perot, Clinton would have never been President that year. In conclusion, minor parties are great for our country. Even though they never win, they still have an impact on politics and sometimes the elections.The only alternative I would suggest would be for the major parties to listen more to the minor parties because as of right now, nothing good is being done for this country to be turned around. There is a great deal of partisanship in the government right now, and no one is willing to work with one another because they are only concerned with their views and their party’s views, without taking others’ views into consideration. A minor party may have a good idea that both parties like, and it may be able to bring some bipartisanship back in the government and even help our economy a little bit.There is nothing wrong with minor parties in this country, and I hope the major parties listen to more of their ideas in the future. Works Cited Leip, David. â€Å"1992 Presidential General Election Results. † US Selection Atlas. N. p. , n. d. Web. 18 Mar. 2013. Lightman, Max. â€Å"The Role of Minor Parties in Politics. † Slideshare. N. p. , 30 Apr. 2008. Web. 18 Mar. 2013. Salka, William M. â€Å"The Impact of Minor Parties on Electoral Competition: An Examination of US. † N. p. , n. d. Web. 18 Mar. 2013.

Response to Ethan Watters article in the New York Times The Essay

Response to Ethan Watters article in the New York Times The Americanization of Mental Illness why does America make mental il - Essay Example Why America makes mental illness socially unacceptable or not is a long heated debate and is explained in detail. If we are able to globalize Big Mac burgers and Nike shoes, then it doesn’t seem very difficult to have same kind of illness influence around the world in other cultures. I do believe that if we can globalize clothing, restaurants, and products, then it’s not too far of a stretch that with the meshing of cultures we could also globalize our illnesses. This article explains anorexia and depression are forms of Western Illnesses and they are spreading around in various parts of the world where they were initially not described as common part of illness. The article explains us that it is because we see these medical disorders in other cultures, that is why we decide to treat them in the same way that they would b treated in Western world. However the article doesn’t seem to be concerned about the illnesses that were found in United States. This article further explains that helping those who are mentally disable is completely misleading as one shoe cannot fit everyone. According to United States, people who are suffering from mental disorders are being imposed with economic stress. This in turn acts as a negative impact on the most fruitful years of work. This not only affects the individual but its family and mainly the society bringing great economic loss. This is also one of the reasons why United States make mental illness socially unacceptable. Stigmatizers usually assume that an individual who is stigmatized will eventually engage in immoral behavior towards others. It further describes that patients with mental disorders place great pressure on the society and are a source of potential danger towards citizens living around and the society on a whole. This dangerousness of the mentally ill people usually occurs due to poor habits that were previously inculcated in them. Mentally ill people are not only a threat for themselve s but they also lack certain human qualities that a normal human being has. It is because, mental illness is not related to ones will or within one’s control but it is a biological foundation that will remain out of control of an individual. However, Professor Bennett Leventhal of the University of Illinois Medical Center argued that this perspective is at odds with the campaign’s intent, which was to â€Å" ‘†¦speak to the point that these are real diseases and if you don’t do something they can consume your child’ † (as cited in Kaufman, 2007). This mental illness aids in social exclusion and also impedes recovery. Mental illness is an experience that is extremely isolating. This isolation can further be worsened if it gets combined with other experiences of isolation and social stigma. People get socially isolated and enter its vicious cycle after they are diagnosed with their mental disorder. This diagnosis is also disturbing as it n ot heals an individual back to normal but it further deteriorates the situation and leads to greater isolation from society. This mental illness damages the society as whole because it proves difficulties in maintaining relationships, maintaining daily tasks and informal and formal networks. As we move further, there are laws that also highlights the low significance of mentally ill people in the society and the laws that are specially derived for such

Industry business model paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Industry business model paper - Essay Example Some fifty million Americans gamble each year, betting anywhere from $30 billion to $100 billion, depending upon the estimate one chooses. The vast majority of this money is wagered illegally. Many states, however, are now stampeding to legalize lotteries, approve new racetracks and set up off-track betting! By early 1974, eight states were operating lotteries, with at least four others about to open for business. New York city began legalized Off-Track Betting (OTB) in 1971, and many other places, too, may soon do so. Also, New Jersey, Maryland and Hawaii are said to be considering joining Nevada in legalizing casino gambling. Yes, gambling is indeed a huge industry that is largely growing around the world today. For this particular reason, business organizations are actually becoming more interested in investing in gambling industries at present. For them, the said approach to business may indeed be risky, but the returns from the said challenging risks are all worth it. Among the business entities that were able to identify this particular truth behind the worldwide gambling industry’s progress towards the future is that of the Mandalay Business Corporation. The Mandalay Resort Group has invested a $1billion business entity to establish the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. This particular investment has actually made a great impact in bringing in a tropical resort theme in the middle of the wild luxurious gambling industries. This particular resort holds at least 3,700 rooms within it vicinities and several huge function rooms within the area which are all made for gaming, dining and entertainment options that are considered as the main life of the said resort operations. Hotels are mainly establishment who accommodates people who needs housing due to traveling reason and those who are searching for temporary residence. Since they establishments are known for

CASE STUDY-WALMART'S JAPAN STRATEGY Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

-WALMART'S JAPAN STRATEGY - Case Study Example The author goes on to explain the issues faced by the company in its quest for international expansion. The major problem faced in Japan was the cultural diversity that existed between its American and Japanese employees. Another factor is that the company, known for its low prices, did not find favor with the Japanese mentality. Unlike the United States, the Japanese equated low prices with poor quality. In Mexico and the United Kingdom, the company faced stiff from other retailers. In Mexico, three of the prominent retailers formed an operational alliance to get the benefits of large-scale purchases in order to compete with Wal-Mart. The study suggests that the entry of Wal-Mart into Japan was timed perfectly (in a strategic context). The country was just emerging out of a recession and Wal-Mart hoped that low prices would be a hit with cash strapped consumers. But the strategy has not been accepted well by the people because of the reason mentioned above. The next section provides a balance sheet and income statement of the corporation for the years 2000 - 2003. It can be seen that there has been a steady growth over these years in all parameters like assets, income, profits and dividends.

Reasons for the Growth of MNEs from Emerging Economies from a Essay

Reasons for the Growth of MNEs from Emerging Economies from a Theoretical Perspective - Essay Example The author of the essay "Growth of MNEs from emerging economies from a theoretical perspective" explains, MNEs are Multinational Enterprises which operate in many nations as part of their internationalizations strategy. Barlett, Ghoshal and Beamish (2008) provide a similar definition to MNEs, by stating MNEs are â€Å"organizations that have substantial direct investment in foreign countries and actively manage those operations and regard those operations as integral parts of the company both strategically and organizationally.† However, the same type of organization are also referred by other term as well like international firms, multinational companies, transnational or 'global', to supranational, etc in common day usage, in business circles and in various articles and books. This being the case, the term MNEs are used in particular contexts. That is, as pointed out earlier, the organizations that operate in many countries are not simply a MNC or MNE in just the legal sense . Instead, they are â€Å"an aggregate group or network of corporate and non-corporate entities, established under the domestic laws of different nations and thereby endowed with different nationalities†. In that context, the term enterprise or MNE appears to be the most suited for covering all the many and varied forms of corporate and operational interrelationships. (Zurawicki 1979). Thus, due to their extensive operations, they are being influenced by various factors from their origination to every day functioning. This is particularly visible when the MNEs are divided into MNEs from developed countries and MNEs from emerging or developing countries or economies. That is, it is a well known fact that economic advantages, military strength, technological capabilities, even geographical strength and other aspects differentiate and categorize countries of the world as developed, developing and poor countries. This categorization is also visible among the business circles, wit h the organizations categorized into MNEs from Developed countries (DMNEs for short) and MNEs from Emerging countries (EMNEs for short). According to Rugman (2009), â€Å"currently the world's 500 largest MNEs dominate world trade and investment, and in terms of FDI the world's largest firms account for 90 percent of the world total.†. As these MNEs operate in many countries by having subsidiaries, joint ventures, etc., they are making positive impacts all over the world. That is, many MNEs from emerging and least developed countries are also working as part of this large MNE system. â€Å"It is through the activities of this set of very large MNEs that less developed countries are being integrated into the world's economic system.† (Rugman 2009). But, at the same time, when the positions of these DMNEs and EMNEs are compared, it appears that EMNEs are positioned well below DMNEs. That is, although EMNEs from many countries including China, India, Brazil, etc, etc. hav e increased in numbers in the recent decades due to various accentuating factors, they constitute only minority among the largest firms of the world. â€Å"Although their numbers have increased, developing-country firms account for only between 5 and 8.4% of the largest public firms. Moreover, they tend to be present at the lower end of the ranking† (Cuervo-Cazurra and Genc 2008). Even then EMNEs are coming up with optimal strategies to strongly compete with the DMNEs, and in many cases are even overtaking the DMNEs. This paper focusing of these EMNEs will first discuss how certain historic, geographic, cultural and institutional factors acted and are still acting as the disadvantages for the EMNEs, and then will discuss how notwithstanding these disadvantages, the EMNEs are able to compete with established DMNEs through effective strategies. One of the main disadvantages which have been faced by

Ancient and Medieval Political Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ancient and Medieval Political Theory - Essay Example es against Socrates were raised from the general prejudices, which surrounded him over the years he taught philosophy which is simply an approach employed by politicians across the generations and time. The rigidity to accept new concepts that could change the society is depicted in the general prejudices against Socrates. In fact, the core issue in the argument is the failure to acknowledge a current leadership. In addition, Socrates is neither considered a physicalist, nor a Sophist by the accusers1. The false image of Socrates arose from misunderstanding the activity of Socrates which is a true reflection in political rivalry and competition. The role of law in the society is reflected on how it is interpreted by the users. In the case of Socrates, he feels that the imprisonment was a result of wrong interpretation of the law. The understanding of the roles of the individuals in society is presented by Socrates to instigate change in the society2. The death sentence of Socrates is presented in two-perspective; for those who voted for his acquittal, and those who voted for his death. In conclusion, the Crito and Apology by Plato presents the truth about his case and interpretation of the