Are any employees of your company represented by labor unions or covered by collective bargaining agreements? Are any of these employees working outside of the United States?
For now, Apple has no employees that are represented by labor unions or covered by collective bargaining agreements because they are considered to be unfavorable. Still, people tend to demand them, and there is an opportunity that they will appear. As the company operates in different countries, some staff members are working outside of the United States.
Does your company employ expatriates in any overseas operations it might have? If so, what resources does the company provide to train expatriates before they go to the foreign location? Does the company also provide training or support for expatriates during the repatriation phase?
Apple refers to expatriates when it expands to make sure that the operations are managed appropriately. Like all other workers, they are trained regarding their future duties. Except for that, expatriates receive additional training or support before moving. Still, the information about some training for expatriates during the repatriation phase is not available (Chen, 2014).
To what extent, or in what ways, does your company use the Internet for employee training and development?
Apple operates in a digital world, so it uses the Internet and Intranet to train the personnel. Moreover, the majority of processes related to employee training and development are held in this way, as such an approach streamlines them (Kukreja, 2015).
What products are sold in the company’s international markets? Do they vary by country or by region?
The products that are sold by Apple in the international markets are the same that can be seen in the U.S. These are “personal computers, mobile communication devices, and portable digital music and video players and sell a variety of related software, services, peripherals, and networking solutions” (Annual report, 2009, para. 2).
What types of promotion does your favorite company emphasize in its international markets? Do they differ from those used in its domestic market?
Apple tends to emphasize that its product is different from the others in the market. The products are promoted with the help of unique advertisements that can be found in different places. The ads are printed, viewed on TV and outdoors. The promotion in the international markets differs to some degree because of the cultural peculiarities of the targeted audience.
What kinds of distribution channels are being employed in your company’s international markets?
The products are distributed through different distribution channels even in the international markets. Apple refers to its retail stores that are available in several countries, online store, which allows attracting more clients worldwide and, of course, with the help of wholesalers even though they place its products along with others.
Is the company practicing global procurement? If the company is procuring globally, what goods and services are it procuring and from which countries?
Apple is practicing global procurement, as its devices are made not only in the US. The majority of the vital components come from China, which is expected, as the company has a large business in it and a huge amount of its devices are made there. Moreover, the country has cheap labor and often provides efficient innovations (Zhang, 2014).
Is the company practicing global production? If the company is producing globally, what goods and services are produced globally and in which countries?
Apple is practicing global production. The company is producing the majority of its devices in China. The US is in second place. It produces more than 5 million tons while the rest of the products are made in “Italy, France, Germany and Poland” (World Apple production, n.d., para. 1).
Has the company outsourced goods and services? Has the company insourced goods and services?
Apple refers to outsourced goods and services to save the money needed for production and also has insourced products.
Is the company a member of one or more supply chains? If yes, can you identify the major members of the supply chain(s)?
Apple has its supply chain, which includes such companies as “BYD Company, Compal Electronics Inc., Flextronics, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. LTD., Pegatron Corporation, Quanta Computer Inc., and Wistron Corporation” (Supplier responsibility, 2015).
In what countries does your company export goods? Import goods? How would changes in the values of these countries’ currencies relative to the U.S. dollar affect transactions and translation risks? Economic risk?
Apple import goods from China, as a rule. It exports them to Africa, the Middle East, and Europe (including Germany, Spain, Ireland, Italy, France, and others) (Annual report, 2009). The changes in the values of these countries’ currencies relative to the U.S. dollar may cause losses to the company because the planned costs change before the implementation of the project, the costs of actives can alter as well as exchange rates.
References
Annual report 2009. (2009). Web.
Chen, B. (2014). Inside Apple’s internal training program. Web.
Supplier responsibility. (2015). Web.
World Apple production. (n.d.). Web.
Zhang, Y. (2014). Apple’s sourcing strategy. Web.