Finance Presentation for Apple Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6500 words

Finance Presentation for Apple - Essay Example On top of this, they also sell a wide variety of software, services, peripherals and other networking solutions. A. History - Apple was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak and is considered one of the pioneers in the technology industry. They are now based in Cupertino, California (Kimmel 1998) and since their inception in the 70's, have become one of the most well known brands in the world not only in terms of hardware power but also as an entertainment media, a niche market they have practically dominated for many years. B. Products - While the original product line of Apple were the Mac hardware and software, they have, in the course of their business, diversified and morphed into a company that creates gadgets that combine function, style and entertainment into one amazing and compact tool. 2. Business Strategy - In general, the company is dedicated to provide up to date computing tools and portable entertainment media for a spectrum of users like students, educators, professionals and many others. Apple is anchored on five core principles that have proven to be vital to the company's success in attaining market leadership and profitability. A. A. Digital Lifestyle (Apple Inc., 2007, p.1) - Unlike other companies in the technology industry, Apple has positioned itself as a provider of total digital experience. They have been a trailblazer in integrating various media like music players, mobile communication, video players, cameras and game consoles into one compact but powerful contraption. This stratagem has proven to be very effective in realizing Apple's vision to be the leading technology provider in the world. B. Expanded Distribution (Apple Inc., 2007, p.2) - Another key element in the business of Apple Inc. is their belief in getting closer to their target market. While it is possible to settle for other distribution channels, the company opted to expand their own retail outlet network strategically around the globe. This way, they will be assured that the quality of sales personnel conveying the features and benefits of their products and services will conform to their standard and provide top level customer care and after sales service. This has proven to be effective and efficient for the company as it has enabled them not only to increase their loyal customer base but to ensure repeat sales. C. Education (Apple Inc., 2007, p.2) - While Apple caters to most corporate requirements, they have since been a strategic partner of the academe. As a matter of fact, the company has committed itself in alleviating the teaching and learning process for educators and students respectively by delivering tools and devices that support this process. Apple is a firm believer that technology stimulated education will result to a higher level of student achievement and that technology can play an important role in the learning process as it allows educators and students a wider access to information that used to be limited to the privileged ones. Some of these tools and services aimed at supporting this sector are the Mac computers and Apple TV to name a few. D. Creative Professionals (Apple Inc., 2007

Governance (Sport) Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Governance (Sport) - Literature review Example According to the definition provided by World Bank governance can be defined as â€Å"structures, functions, process and organizational traditions that have been put in place within the context of a program’s authorizing environment† (Du Plessis, Hargovan & Bagaric, 2010). The definition implies that the program must be created in such a manner which ensures that the objectives of the organization are met in an effective and transparent manner. From these above definition it can be summarized that the primary function of governance is to guarantee that every member related to the organization performs their roles and responsibilities in a coordinated manner that maximizes coherence and accomplishes organizational goals. It is also implied that governance aims to achieve ethical implementation of business functions. Governance aims to provide overall direction to the business by overseeing and supervising actions of management. Governance makes sure that expectations of accountability are satisfied and interest beyond the corporate group is regulated. The agency theory of corporate governance emerged in the 1970’s and has been cited as the central theory of management behaviour in a number of scholarly articles. The core agency theory does not consider issues of management, internal and external issues of stakeholders of and the society at large. Agency theory highlights the alignment of interest between the shareholders and board members. According to researchers like Fama and Jensen (1983) there exists asymmetric information between executive management (who are agents) and claimants (who are principals). Therefore the main focus of the agency theory is to minimize the clash between shareholders and governing bodies of organizations. It has been observed that in agency theory directors or executive management tries to appropriate the value for them and it is extremely difficult for the shareholders to examine whether the directors are