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Artifact Assessment

Cyanna Larissa Cano

South Texas College

ORGL-4351-VF1-Management Theory II
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Abstract

This paper seeks to answer questions regarding the management and business practices of

Apple and Steve Jobs. These answers reveal the strategies, practices, and overall idea revolving

around Apple that contributes to their success and what makes them the foremost company in

technology and human design.

Keywords: Apple, Steve Jobs, innovation, creativity, user experience

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Artifact Assessment

With respect to the global operations of Apple, please share how Tim Cook has exercised

the planning function of management in developing markets

When Steve Jobs died, many people were unsure whether Apple could maintain their

popularity and growth without their principal visionary even the new CEO Tim Cook was

groomed by Jobs. However, this leads to a pivotal moment for Cook to plan for any opportunities

that could arise. Through tactics such as environmental scanning, Cook could see that the death

of Jobs may pose a problem, but the Chinese market opening up could be a big lead for the

company. By 2015, 25% of the Chinese market is because of Apple. Additionally, Apple even

began to create products specifically designed for the Chinese audience (Films, 2015).with

continuous Apple products usage in China, Cook can embrace those markets and plan to direct

attention to them in the future.

When Steve Jobs and John Scully were both working together at Apple, please explain

what type of effect this had on the unity of command at the company and why.

When Jobs enlisted John Scully as CEO for Apple, there were expectations that bringing

in a person who knows how to lead a business will benefit Apple. However the problem came

with Jobs still wanting to be very much in control of major company decisions despite Scully

owning that role. This creates problems in terms of chain of command and leadership. Although

Jobs saw the potential and need to innovate Apple so it is distinct from other companies;

however, Scully may see business success in profit and continuously creating products that can

bring in revenue. Take for instance the Macintosh, Jobs saw the product as an opportunity to

create something different and personal, but because it was bringing in revenue, Scully thought

production of it should be terminated. Ultimately, this is harmful for a company as having two
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different chains of command—whether official or unofficial—can create discrepancies in

company values, what’s important to them, and decisions.

Identify and discuss three of the nine principles of management from Peter Drucker's "in

Search of Excellence" as discussed in the chapter readings that you think best reflect

Apple's strategy for success. Support your selection with various examples from the

documentary and your research.

Of Peter Drucker’s nine principles of management, one principle that closely relates to

Apple’s strategy is “Close to the Customer”. It details how understanding and anticipating the

customers needs and wants is of importance (Carpenter et al., n.d.). Within MaryAnne M.

Gobble’s text “Innovate Different she details that Steve Jobs and Apple aimed to “imagine what

users will want, and then sell consumers on that vision” (Gobble, 2012). By attempting to

understand how a person might interact with a product and their user experience. Apple was able

to create products people found personal. Another principle that Apple potentially utilizes is

Autonomy and Entrepreneurship mainly through its innovative processes and ways of thinking

when Jobs was relevant in the company. This is shown primarily in the ways Jobs attempted to

make his products personal—with marketing detailing how the products are usable by everyone,

even those that are not trained in computing. A primary campaign that details this principle is

“Think Different” campaign that was introduced when Jobs became part of Apple again. A

campaign, that at its core, reveals how highly Apple holds innovation and creativity in their

products (Films, 2015). Lastly, another principle of management that describes Apple’s strategy

can be a bias for action. This goes hand in hand with Apple’s idea to be different and do things

that other companies would not attempt. Looking at the Macintosh, where Scully wanted to take

it off market, Jobs still saw its potential. Albeit, the Macintosh was costly and losing the
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company money, but the possibility that it could have led to more is essentially what Job’s was

after.

What kind of role has specialization/division of labor played in Apple's product offerings?

Please share how having a broad and/or narrow product line has affected Apple's

organizational performance, as shared in the documentary.

The documentary indicated that Apple highly believed the infamous philosophy of

“quality over quantity.” When Scully was CEO, he attempted to put out a variety of products in

order to keep the company fresh and running. However, this only led to a dark period of bad or

in revolutionary products. When Jobs was brought back on to the company, one of the first

things he did was narrow down the product line. This led to a focus on working on specific

products that the market will love. What came out of it was a product such as the iMac that more

or less kickstarted a high period for the company that continues to grow with its latest products.

Nowadays, Apple has multiple products and services available which may feel like a step

backwards, but my starting with a more narrow focus on products to focus on quality, Apple was

able to apply it across its products now.

Resistance to Change is common when organizations innovate, what resistance, if any, did

you see in the story about Steve jobs and Apple? What might this tell us about how to

manage such resistance in the future?

A pivotal moment of change for Apple came with the introduction of Scully as CEO.

Although Jobs knew the company needed a leader who understood how to effectively run a

business, he was not trying to make Apple and its products a capitalist machine. This resulted in

Jobs being removed from the company because of how much he resisted change. This moment

feels necessary considering how the company is doing today, but there was the potential for
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Apple and Jobs to have the capacity for change. When Jobs started in his own company NeXT,

he learned to become a company leader and was possibly able to adapt to changes. When he

came back to Apple, he was prepared to mx both innovation and the ability to market his

products effectively.

What recommendations would you provide with a focus on establishing differentiating

features to improve the organization's competitive advantage in comparison to its market

rivals?

The documentary detailed how other companies such as Huawei and Samsung are

marketing towards Asian countries and competing with Apple to towers over those markets. This

leads to Apple needing to continue with their innovative creations to keep their place as the top

brand in those markets. This leads to one of Apple’s calling cards to keep its competitive

advantage: create user friendly products that focus on innovation and easy to use practices. Many

companies are already attempting to do new things with their products. Even if they beat Apple

to the punch, Apple presents similar features in a way that’s easier to use. Although, it may seem

like a hard task to create completely new ideas now that the lead visionary Steve Jobs has passed

away, Apple is still attempting to do new things. It is the reason why not only are so many

products and services being added to their lineup, but the features and interface being presented

in those products feel fresh and clean.

The fourth function of management is "Controlling". What different types of controls, if

any, did you see in the documentary about Apple? What additional controls or types of

controls might you recommend, and why would these be important for Apple to add?

Support your answer with examples from the video.

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The control that remained the most prominent, at least while Jobs was involved with

Apple, was the company’s strategic control. Jobs found strategic success not through the recent

bought in by the products but rather the effect it has on people. The documentary mentioned how

when Jobs was brought back to Apple that he would take a $1 salary per month because he knew

importance lies in fixing the company to fall in line with what he believed. The company’s desire

to create innovative and easy to use products has kept them from on a strategic path to success

while Jobs was involved.

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References

Carpenter, M., et al. (n.d.). 1.4 Planning, Organizing, Leading, and Controlling.

Management Principles. https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/management-principles-

v1.1/s05-04-planning-organizing-leading-an.html. Accessed on 7 October 2022

Carpenter, M., et al. (n.d.). 3.2 Ancient History: Management Through the 1990s.

Management Principles. https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/management-principles-

v1.1/s07-02-ancient-history-management-thr.html. Accessed on 7 October 2022

Films Media Group. (2019). Apple. Films On Demand. Retrieved October 7, 2022, from

https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=99118&xtid=210566. Accessed on 7

October 2022.

Gobble, M. M. (2012). Innovate Different : The Legacy of Steve Jobs. Research

Technology Management, 55(1), 63–65.