Introduction
According to Nick (2017), Apple is an American technology company that manufactures iPhones. Apple was established by Steve Jobs, Ronald Wayne, and Steve Wozniak in 1976. The company is based in California. The company also produces iPads, computer software, watches, and consumer electronics. Initially, the company was meant to manufacture computers but it later expanded and it now manufactures a variety of electronics. Apple manufactures the best laptops in the world. The success of Apple is contributed by their core values which are embracing team spirit, aggressiveness, empathy, good management and innovation (Nick, 2017). I chose Apple because it is the largest electronics company so it has a huge impact on the market; therefore, smaller firms should emulate it. The integrated communication approach applies various channels such as public relations, digital media, print and broadcast media, and point of purchase. The purpose of this report is to evaluate integrated communication in Apple Inc. The main argument is that communication enhances corporate performance. The structure of the essay will be as follows: there will be the introduction which will provide a brief background of the company, then there will be the evaluation of the current approaches to integrated communication, techniques and resources that build cross-functional relationship, evaluating the role of communication in delivering value to stakeholders then there will be the conclusion which will summarize all the points in the previous sections.
Evaluation of the Current Approach to Integrated Communication
Apple Inc. uses the current approaches to integrated communication. To communicate with their stakeholders, the company uses avenues such as public relations, digital media, print and broadcast media, and point of purchase.
Public Relations
Public relations is the professional maintenance of a favourable public image by a company. Apple Inc. uses public relations to build their image and to maintain a good reputation among the public. The company normally uses public relations when launching a new product. For instance, when they were launching iPhone 5, the company provided famous bloggers and journalists with information about the product before launching it (Ainsworth & Deines, 2019) They wanted to create a buzz and spark an interest and curiosity around the product. This is known to be effective because it attracts the media’s interest which in turn, boosts sales for them.
Digital Media
Digital media is any form of media that uses electronic devises for distribution. Apple Inc. has utilized social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. They have exclusive accounts in these social media platforms to reach their stakeholders. They also upload their products’ pictures, prices and features. They receive feedback, complains and suggestions through these platforms. They use the complaints and suggestions to improve their services, review their prices and modify their products. The company website uploads the latest models of iPhones. They also use these platforms to interact with customers to learn about the changing trends so as to keep up with them.
Print and Broadcast Media
Apple Inc. has utilized billboards, television, and magazines. They use print media to sell a lifestyle. By selling a lifestyle, Apple Inc. puts their products on magazines to show that their products are fashionable and posh and that people should prefer iPhones to android phones (Ainsworth & Deines, 2019). The aim is to make their products look fancy enough to make people who use them classy. By advertising themselves on television, they aim to reach many people since almost every household has a television. The point of using print and broadcast media is to catch the attention of many people by using appealing language and catchy phrases.
Point of Purchase
Point of purchase is where a customer interacts with the employees in-store when they are deciding whether or not to buy a product. In point of purchase, customers interact with the employees and they are taught about the benefits of a product, how to use it, how it is better than other products, and how economically effective it is considering the good quality. They then proceed to make purchases and they form a good image of the company because of the warm reception and the friendly staff. According to Cornelissen (2020), Apple Inc. have utilized the power of point of purchase and they situate them in strategic locations where there are high populations and where they will reach many people.
Techniques and Resources to Build Cross-Functional Relationship
There are various techniques and resources that Apple Inc. can apply to build cross-functional relationships. To begin with, team members from various departments of the organization can use service level agreement management to harmonize their operations. According to Tan et al. (2021), a service level agreement management ensures that consumer requirements are reflected and that the contracts are coordinated and harmonized. This is important because sometimes the ability of an employee to resolve a customer’s problem depends on the input of another employee from a different department. Service level agreements ensure that these two team members can serve the customers without having to wait on each other. In instances where they have to wait on each other, the service level agreements ensure that one’s input does not negatively affect the input of another team member in another department.
Additionally, it is imperative for Apple Inc. to create shared cross-functional goals for employees. Lopes Pimenta et al. (2014) postulate that organizations should bring together leaders from various teams in goal-setting exercises because some goals, languages, and processes require common ground. Thus, the teams handling various functions in the organization can set common goals and work towards achieving them. For instance, the design team at Apple Inc. and the marketing team can create common goals towards ensuring highs sales in a particular financial year. The marketing team can implore the design team to create a design that is easily marketable whereas the design team can help the design team to determine what the market needs. Consequently, the two sets of teams can create common goals towards satisfying each of their goals.
Lastly, one of the most important resources that Apple Inc. can exploit to build cross-functional relationships is strong communication channels. According to Jeske and Calvard (2020), string communication channels are important for building communication channels. These channels allow the different internal functions at Apple Inc. to work together to maintain reciprocal information flow to support collective decision making and action. Furthermore, proper communication channels enhance knowledge quality, tacit knowledge sharing, and reciprocity. For instance, the design team in the United States and the manufacturing team in China can exploit the communication channels at Apple Inc. to ensure that the company produces electronics that meet the consumer needs. The finance team and the human resources management team can also exploit communication channels to ensure that the wage bill of Apple Inc. is kept at sustainable levels. Consequently, the company will build strong cross-cultural relationships.
Evaluation of the Role of Communication in Delivering Value to Stakeholders
Communication plays an important role in delivering value to stakeholders at Apple Inc. who include customers, employees, shareholders, suppliers, and the government through regulatory bodies. Firstly, communication ensures that Apple Inc. has clearly defined roles and responsibilities to the stakeholders. This is rooted in the Weber’s classical organizational theory of fixed structure. The theory was developed by Max Weber and it holds that communication in organizations have to be hierarchical, structured, and clear (Onday, 2016). Thus, each stakeholder in the organization can contribute to the firm in regards to their defined roles and responsibilities. For instance, the employees perform their duties as defined in their terms of contract. When the employees work as expected, the company can generate revenues and the shareholders will also generate more money. The suppliers will get their payments in time, the creditors will get their payments too while the government will generate tax revenues from the company.
Communication also delivers value to shareholders by building the company brand. Apple Inc. can utilise various communication media to create awareness amongst the consumers about their products. The consumers will then gain utility from Apple products while the organization will generate money for its shareholders, employees, government, suppliers, and creditors. For instance, a customer who buys an iPhone will gain the ability to enhance communication with his family and friends. Additionally, the customer will have the convenience of browsing the internet, listening to music, and reading books. Thus, the customer will have gained value from the communication strategy of the company in marketing the iPhone. This role of communication is supported by the transactional model of communication by Barnlund. According to Paige et al. (2018), the theory states that communication is a reciprocal process. Thus, Apple Inc. communicates its brand to the consumers and the customers reciprocate by buying Apple products.
Lastly, Apple Inc. can use communication to control the various stakeholders for the benefit of some stakeholders. For instance, management can use communication channels within the firm to control the employees to achieve firm goals, which will benefit creditors, shareholders, suppliers, and the government. Furthermore, gaining control in an organization is an important process in ensuring that Apple Inc. does not veer off from its goals and objectives. By maintaining its course, Apple Inc. will thus be in a better position to satisfy the needs of the various stakeholders.
Conclusion
Apple Inc. is a company that manufactures a variety of electronics. They manufacture good quality products and that makes them the best manufacturers of laptops. They follow codes of conducts that help them do the right thing and conquer the market. They have utilized modern methods of communication to communicate with their stakeholders. Some of the channels of communication reach millions of people therefore, the company is able to remain relevant and attracts and maintains their customers. Further, Apple Inc. can apply some techniques to build cross-functional relationships. Some of the techniques include using service level agreements and using shared cross-functional goals in Apple Inc. The main resource for building cross-functional relationship is proper communication channels. The report also addressed some roles of communication in creating value for stakeholders. Some of the roles include defining the role and responsibilities of the stakeholders, building the company brand, and controlling the various stakeholders.
References
Ainsworth, P. and Deines, D., 2019. Introduction to accounting: An integrated approach. John Wiley & Sons.
Cornelissen, J. (2020). Corporate communication: A guide to theory and practice. Sage.
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Lopes Pimenta, M., Lago da Silva, A. and Tate, W.L., 2014. Developing and managing cross-functional teams: A multi-case study of Brazilian manufacturing companies. Journal Of Technology Management & Innovation, 9(2), pp.1-16.
Nick. R, (2017). History of Apple: The story of Steve Jobs and the company he founded. Available at: https://www.macworld.co.uk/feature/history-of-apple-steve-jobs-mac-3606104/ (Accessed: 18/02/22)
Őnday, Ő., 2016. Classical organization theory: from generic management of Socrates to bureaucracy of Weber. International Journal of Business and Management Review, 4(1), pp.87-105.
Paige, S.R., Stellefson, M., Krieger, J.L., Anderson-Lewis, C., Cheong, J. and Stopka, C., 2018. Proposing a transactional model of eHealth literacy: concept analysis. Journal Of Medical Internet Research, 20(10), p.e10175.
Tan, W., Zhu, H., Tan, J., Zhao, Y., Xu, L.D. and Guo, K., 2021. A novel service level agreement model using blockchain and smart contract for cloud manufacturing in industry 4.0. Enterprise Information Systems, pp.1-26.
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