Community Relations

Apple, one of the largest corporations around, is based on going green with their environmental commitment rather than focusing on community relations. It appears that smaller corporations are more involved in community relations than Apple. Apple designates a whole section of their website to their environmental footprints.

Apple and environment issues surrounding the company started up about 20 years ago. Customers started complaining about how Apple was not doing justice to the environment. The Apple company listened and decided to make Apple a little greener by implementing programs focusing on environmental footprints, renewable energy, product reports and recycling old products.

Each month Apple releases environmental reports showing the percent of energy efficiency in manufacturing, transportation, product use and recycling. “We do this by focusing on our products: what happens when we design them, what happens when we make them, and what happens when you take them home and use them.” For example, from 1998 to 2011 there has been a 50% reduction in the amount of carbon emissions from the iMac. http://www.apple.com/environment/our-footprint/

Apple shows their support to the environment by focusing on their products. They are specific on how they design them and what is the purpose for them. For example, another way Apple gives back through technology is designing apps. They have designed apps such as chance2give, ivolunteer, and teaching apps. These apps allow the people to support causes and charities but not Apple directly. Apple gives back directly by carrying products that support various charities. They carry pink and red ipod products where Apple gives a portion of the cost of the product to breast cancer and RED (supports AIDS).

Apple is known for its innovation. The new CEO Tim Cook has made changes to giving back since Job’s death. Cook and Apple have supported tragic events, they donated $2.5 million dollars to assist with Hurricane Sandy. “According to The Verge, Cook said $50 million had been donated to Stanford's hospitals, with $25 million for a new main building and $25 million for a new children's hospital. Another $50 million has been donated to Product RED.”

Apple is doing a good job in environmental commitment, I do believe with Tim Cook as CEO Apple’s community relations will expand. “Mr. Jobs said at a company off-site last year that he was opposed to giving money away, according to a person who attended.” Cook is doing the things Jobs lacked as a CEO such as donating to non-profits, calling his employees a “team” and getting to know his employees.