CH. 5 DEVELOPING A GLOBAL VISION

Apple strives to bring the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals, and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software, and internet offerings.

Apple’s vision statement is “to make the best products on earth, and to leave the world better than we found it.” This corporate vision statement includes excellence and the net benefits of the technology company’s products. Apple’s vision statement has the following components:

• Making the best products
• The earth as the target market
• Leaving the world better

Apple’s corporate vision statement also guides operations to “leave the world better,” which implies satisfying the stakeholders of the business. The company’s purpose in stakeholder management focuses on achieving a net benefit for the world through information technology and related services. Thus, the vision statement influences Apple’s corporate citizenship efforts toward minimizing environmental impact and contributing solutions to the world’s problems. Other business aspects, such as Apple’s organizational culture or corporate culture and its influence on human resource capabilities, also adhere to the principles and goals included in the corporate vision.

...We believe that we need to own and control the primary technologies behind the products that we make, and participate only in markets where we can make a significant contribution. We believe in saying no to thousands of projects, so that we can really focus on the few that are truly important and meaningful to us... we don't settle for anything less than excellence in every group in the company, and we have the self-honesty to admit when we're wrong and the courage to change. And I think regardless of who is in what job those values are so embedded in this company that Apple will do extremely well. - Tim Cook, CEO of Apple

There are lots of ways to be as a person. And some people express their deep appreciation in different ways. But one of the ways that I believe people express their appreciation to the rest of humanity is to make something wonderful, and put it out there. And you never meet the people, you never shake their hands, you never hear their story or tell yours. But somehow in the act of making something with a great deal of care and love, something's transmitted there. And it's a way of expressing to the rest of our species, our deep appreciation. So we need to be true to who we are. And remember what's really important to us. That's what's going to keep Apple, Apple — is if we keep us, us. - Steve Jobs, co-founder & CEO of Apple