LP5: Apple Inc.
I believe that Apple’s philosophy and organizational culture have impacted the way it handles ethical decisions is both good and bad, but mostly good. After reading this week’s case study, I truly believe that the ethical situations that have come about in recent years are minimal compared to some of the organizations we have studied up to this point. I believe that Apple maintains an outstanding philosophy and organizational culture, but that has also had a negative effect on their market and competition. Apple has been known for innovation as well as keeping their advancements confidential. The one issue that has been brought up in regards to ethics has been in regards to Intellectual property. They have filed numerous lawsuits against companies such as Cisco systems and Samsung. Some question whether Apple has a legitimate argument in regards to copyright infringement on these companies or if they are doing it for their own advantages. In today’s competitive markets I can understand why they may bring so many lawsuits against their rivals, but some view it as a possible play against their competitors in order to belittle the competition. I feel that overall, Apple has proven to consistently make good ethical decisions, minus a few instances and claims overseas that may be viewed as unethical such as the situation in China during the IPhone 4S release. I cannot say that I truly believe that Apple was at fault for that situation, but I think they may have been able to handle it in a manner that could have limited the issues caused from that decision.
The electronic industry has become one of the most competitive industries, if not the most competitive industry in the world. Money is one reason for the competitive market that Apple is a part of. It happens to be one of the largest money making industries in the world today. The other reason it is so