Corporate Responsibility and Marketing Strategies?

Assignment 1: Corporate Responsibility and Marketing Strategies

Use the Internet to research the Apple Corporation, its current position and reputation regarding ethical

and social responsibility, and the strategies that it currently employs to market its products.

Write a six to eight (4-6) page paper in which you:

1. Examine Apple’s current position on the company’s ethical and social responsibilities, and

determine whether or not the company has met these responsibilities. Provide two (2) examples

that support your position.

2. Determine the impact that the publication of ethics and social responsibilities violations made by

Apple’s suppliers has had on Apple’s reputation. Support your response with examples of the

impact in question.

3. Suggest two (2) methods that Apple can utilize to ensure that its suppliers adhere to wage

and benefits standards going forward. Justify your response.

4. Determine whether or not you believe that Apple’s customers would be willing to pay more

for its products if Apple had to increase selling prices in order to provide better wages and

benefits for suppliers’ workers. Provide a rationale for your position.

5. Analyze Apple’s current overall marketing strategy. Recommend two (2) actions that Apple

can take in order to improve its competitive advantage in the global marketplace. Support

your response with examples of instances where your recommendations yielded the

desired results.

6. Use at least five (5) quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia does not

qualify as an academic resource.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

 Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all

sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your

professor for any additional instructions.

 Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s

name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in

the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

 Examine the private enterprise systems, drivers of change on the system, ethical and social

responsibilities of business, and the requirements for success in today’s business environment.

 Analyze the factors that drive supply and demand, different types of market structures in a free

enterprise system, and factors of stability in a nation’s economy.

 Use technology and information resources to research issues in contemporary business.

 Write clearly and concisely about contemporary business using proper writing mechanics.

Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic / organization of the paper, and language and writing skills, using the following rubric.

Points: 240	Assignment 1: Corporate Responsibility and Marketing Strategies
Criteria	Unacceptable Below 70% F	Fair 70-79% C	Proficient 80-89% B	Exemplary 90-100% A
1. Examine Apple’s current position on the company’s ethical and social responsibilities, and determine whether or not the company has met these responsibilities. Provide two (2) examples that support your position. Weight: 15%	Did not submit or incompletely examined Apple’s current position on the company’s ethical and social responsibilities, and did not submit or incompletely determined whether or not the company has met these responsibilities. Did not submit or incompletely provided two (2) examples that support your position.	Partially examined Apple’s current position on the company’s ethical and social responsibilities, and partially determined whether or not the company has met these responsibilities. Partially provided two (2) examples that support your position.	Satisfactorily examined Apple’s current position on the company’s ethical and social responsibilities, and satisfactorily determined whether or not the company has met these responsibilities. Satisfactorily provided two (2) examples that support your position.	Thoroughly examined Apple’s current position on the company’s ethical and social responsibilities, and thoroughly determined whether or not the company has met these responsibilities. Thoroughly provided two (2) examples that support your position.
2. Determine the impact that the publication of ethics and social responsibilities violations made by Apple’s suppliers has had on Apple’s reputation. Support your response with examples of the impact in question. Weight: 15%	Did not submit or incompletely determined the impact that the publication of ethics and social responsibilities violations made by Apple’s suppliers has had on Apple’s reputation. Did not submit or incompletely supported your response with examples of the impact in question.	Partially determined the impact that the publication of ethics and social responsibilities violations made by Apple’s suppliers has had on Apple’s reputation. Partially supported your response with examples of the impact in question.	Satisfactorily determined the impact that the publication of ethics and social responsibilities violations made by Apple’s suppliers has had on Apple’s reputation. Satisfactorily supported your response with examples of the impact in question.	Thoroughly determined the impact that the publication of ethics and social responsibilities violations made by Apple’s suppliers has had on Apple’s reputation. Thoroughly supported your response with examples of the impact in question.
3. Suggest two (2) methods that Apple can utilize to ensure that its suppliers adhere to wage and benefits standards going forward. Justify your response. Weight: 10%	Did not submit or incompletely suggested two (2) methods that Apple can utilize to ensure that its suppliers adhere to wage and benefits standards going forward. Did not submit or incompletely justified your response.	Partially suggested two (2) methods that Apple can utilize to ensure that its suppliers adhere to wage and benefits standards going forward. Partially justified your response.	Satisfactorily suggested two (2) methods that Apple can utilize to ensure that its suppliers adhere to wage and benefits standards going forward. Satisfactorily justified your response.	Thoroughly suggested two (2) methods that Apple can utilize to ensure that its suppliers adhere to wage and benefits standards going forward. Thoroughly justified your response.
4. Determine whether or not you believe that Apple’s customers would be willing to pay more for its products if Apple had to increase selling prices in order to provide better wages and benefits for suppliers’ workers. Provide a rationale for your position. Weight: 15%	Did not submit or incompletely determined whether or not you believe that Apple’s customers would be willing to pay more for its products if Apple had to increase selling prices in order to provide better wages and benefits for suppliers’ workers. Did not submit or incompletely provided a rationale for your position.	Partially determined whether or not you believe that Apple’s customers would be willing to pay more for its products if Apple had to increase selling prices in order to provide better wages and benefits for suppliers’ workers. Partially provided a rationale for your position.	Satisfactorily determined whether or not you believe that Apple’s customers would be willing to pay more for its products if Apple had to increase selling prices in order to provide better wages and benefits for suppliers’ workers. Satisfactorily provided a rationale for your position.	Thoroughly determined whether or not you believe that Apple’s customers would be willing to pay more for its products if Apple had to increase selling prices in order to provide better wages and benefits for suppliers’ workers. Thoroughly provided a rationale for your position.
5. Analyze Apple’s current overall marketing strategy. Recommend two (2) actions that Apple can take in order to improve its competitive advantage in the global marketplace. Support your response with examples of instances where your recommendations yielded the desired results. Weight: 20%	Did not submit or incompletely analyzed Apple’s current overall marketing strategy. Did not submit or incompletely recommended two (2) actions that Apple can take in order to improve its competitive advantage in the global marketplace. Did not submit or incompletely supported your response with examples of instances where your recommendations yielded the desired results.	Partially analyzed Apple’s current overall marketing strategy. Partially recommended two (2) actions that Apple can take in order to improve its competitive advantage in the global marketplace. Partially supported your response with examples of instances where your recommendations yielded the desired results.	Satisfactorily analyzed Apple’s current overall marketing strategy. Satisfactorily recommended two (2) actions that Apple can take in order to improve its competitive advantage in the global marketplace. Satisfactorily supported your response with examples of instances where your recommendations yielded the desired results.	Thoroughly analyzed Apple’s current overall marketing strategy. Thoroughly recommended two (2) actions that Apple can take in order to improve its competitive advantage in the global marketplace. Thoroughly supported your response with examples of instances where your recommendations yielded the desired results.
6. 5 references Weight: 5%	No references provided	Does not meet the required number of references; some or all references poor quality choices.	Meets number of required references; all references high quality choices.	Exceeds number of required references; all references high quality choices.
7. Writing Mechanics, Grammar, and Formatting Weight: 5%	Serious and persistent errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, or formatting.	Partially free of errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, or formatting.	Mostly free of errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, or formatting.	Error free or almost error free grammar, spelling, punctuation, or formatting.
8. Appropriate use of APA in-text citations and reference section Weight: 5%	Lack of in-text citations and / or lack of reference section.	In-text citations and references are provided, but they are only partially formatted correctly in APA style.	Most in-text citations and references are provided, and they are generally formatted correctly in APA style.	In-text citations and references are error free or almost error free and consistently formatted correctly in APA style.
9. Information Literacy/Integration of Sources Weight: 5%	Serious errors in the integration of sources, such as intentional or accidental plagiarism, or failure to use in-text citations.	Sources are partially integrated using effective techniques of quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing.	Sources are mostly integrated using effective techniques of quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing.	Sources are consistently integrated using effective techniques of quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing.
10. Clarity and Coherence of Writing Weight: 5%	Information is confusing to the reader and fails to include reasons and evidence that logically support ideas.	Information is partially clear with minimal reasons and evidence that logically support ideas.	Information is mostly clear and generally supported with reasons and evidence that logically support ideas.	Information is provided in a clear, coherent, and consistent manner with reasons and evidence that logically support ideas.