Apple Philanthropy Case Study

An Apple for Philanthropy As a part of overall business strategy, organizations undertake philanthropic efforts as a means of marketing and promoting social responsibility. As a tool that business executives can utilize to drive corporate goals, philanthropy not only helps to support communities, but also empowers employees and creates excitement in the workplace towards a common purpose (Muller, Pfarrer, & Little, 2014). Philanthropy is also big business, particularly in the United States of America. Through a survey conducted on 2013 donations, the Aluminum giant Alcoa and its foundation donated 12.1% of its profits, equating to $39 million dollars. Conversely, Walmart donated only 1.4% of its corporate profits, but this amounted to

Heralded as both a genius and a mad man, Steve Jobs, the eclectic co-founder of apple, along with the technological expertise of co-founder Steve Wozniak, staked their claim to fame by introducing the Apple computer into the marketplace. Through a number of market changes, as well as Jobs being involuntarily removed from Apple in 1985 only to return in 1997, Apple diversified from the traditional computer and began to develop consumer technological items such as the iPod and iPad (Sanford, 2015). Apples strategy worked, and as of 2015, Apple had a market capitalization of over $700 billion, more than its key competitors of Google and Microsoft combined (Reed,

In the case of Apple, the donations matching program, charity works, and contributions to various causes, such as the (RED) campaign of which Apple has donated over $100 million towards the elimination of AIDS, has brought apple into the mainstream of corporate philanthropy (Gentilucci, 2015). In a study on the motives, timing, and targets of corporate philanthropy, Apple has taken a Universalist approach to its philanthropy efforts. This holistic approach involves a stance on issues such as social justice and equality, particularly those that focus on the collective benefit of others. These issues will commonly not be associated with the operations of this business, and will instead generate appeal to much wider public audience (Joe & Richard, 2013). We see these values applied at Apple with its very non-restrictive policies related to the end benefactor of the corporate