Processes Of Communication In Modern Organizations: Apple Case Study

Background of Apple

Discuss about the various processes that are used by the modern organizations to communicate with the suppliers, the employees and customers.

Organizational communication is related to the study of the flow of information within an organization. The communication flow in the various companies can be informal or formal. The conventional approach related to communication can be defined as the process of sending and then receiving the messages between individuals who are interrelated with each other. The process based on organizational communication is mainly based on the achievement of the common and the individual goals of the employees of an organization. The organizational communication method is culturally dependent and highly contextual in nature (Scott et al. 2017).

The employees or the individuals in the organization mainly transmit messages with the help of written methods, mediated channels and face-to-face process. Organizational communication further helps in the accomplishment of various tasks that are related to the specific roles like, services, sales and the production process. The process of adaptation to the changes that are taking place within the company is also accomplished with the help of effective communication. The tasks can be thereby completed with the help of maintenance of the regulations, the procedures and the policies (Karanges et al. 2015).

The development of effective relationships is also possible with the help of proper communication between the employees and the managers. In the modern business environment communication mainly focusses on the process of the developing of relationships and the interaction with internal members of the company. The modern approach of communication that is used by the organizations is based on the exchange of valuable information among the employees and the stakeholders of the company. The communicators of the organizations need to be competent enough for ensuring the success of the company. The organizations rely on the effectiveness of the communication process for the purpose of ensuring the success in the market (Jiang and Men 2017).

Apple Inc. is a multinational organization of American origin which operates in the technology industry. The headquarter of the company is located in Cupertino, California and operates in the developing and selling of various hardware and software based products. The hardware products of the company include, Mac computer, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. The software based products on the other hand include, macOS, Safari Browser, iOS operating systems and many more (Apple 2018). The company was established in the year 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. The process of communication plays an important role in the successful operations of Apple in the rapidly changing technological environment. The major importance of communication thereby lies in the advertisement based activities of the company. The communication with the help of advertising has been helpful for Apple to create awareness about the products among the existing and the potential customers of the company all across the globe (Apple 2018).

Non-electronic methods of communication used by Apple

The process of communication is based different types of methods that are used by the organizations according to their needs. The first type of communication that can be used by organizations is non-electronic method of communication. The non-electronic method of communication mainly involves the verbal communication process. This process involves the usage of the words with the help of which the messages are transmitted to the receivers. Verbal communication can be further divided into the method of story-telling and the crucial conversations a well. Another type of communication which is used by the organizations is the written method of communication (Sadia et al. 2016). The written communication can be conducted with the help of press releases, brochures, contracts, business proposals and the memos. The effectiveness of the written communication is mainly based on the style of the writing and the grammar as well.

The process of communication that has been implemented by Apple in the internal business operations or with the employees is based mainly on the high levels of secrecy in the company. The internal environment of the organization is related to the intensity of the operations that are conducted by the employees on a regular basis. The various ways by which the company aims at maintaining the secrecy of the products and operations is unique in nature as compared to the other organizations in the industry (Cheney et al. 2014). The employees are totally under the control of the company and the information that is communicated to them cannot be shared even with their closed ones or family members. The communication with employees are conducted with the help of memos and other internal documents. The levels of innovation of the employees are also enhanced with the help of effective communication process (Falkheimer 2014).

Apple has communicated with the customers by using various verbal and written communication based processes. This helps the company to create awareness about the brand among the customers. The communication is conducted with the help of different verbal and written processes. The issues that were faced by the customers with respect to the products were also solved with the help of effective communication (Winkler and Zerfass 2016).

The internal and the external partnerships of Apple are important for the proper operations of the company. Apple has always been highly secretive about the various suppliers who form a major part of the organizational operations. The company has thereby created suitable communication based processes for the numerous suppliers. Apple has used the process of verbal and written communication for interacting with the suppliers in an effective manner (Conrad and Sollitto 2017).

Electronic methods of communication used by Apple

The electronic methods are used by Apple in a more frequent manner to provide the best experience to customers and to understand their needs and demands. The social media communication has been the major process of Apple to communicate with the customers. The company has taken many steps related to the introduction of various social media based processes which have helped in communicating with the customers easily. The latest move that has been taken by the company to connect with the customers is known as the Apple Support. This channel has been created by company especially for the customers so that they are able to share their opinions and further connect with the executives of the company for any kind of assistance that is required by them (Men 2014).

This Twitter channel of the company has been able to gain huge number of followers within a short period of time. This move has been quite notable in nature as the company has not been into the social media ways of communication since its establishment. The new CEO has however been taken these steps for the purpose of connecting with the customers and making the operations of Apple more customer centric in nature. This move is a major step to the expansion of the public profile of Apple within a short span of time. The company has thereby started investing its resources in the social media based operations (Kuhn 2014).

Although the company already has a robust system of customer support in place, the main aim has always been to increase its presence among the large customer base so that Apple is able to compete with the other players in the market. The reviews and the complaints that are placed by customers on the social media platforms are their way of communicating with the company Apple thereby needs to take these reviews and suggestions in a serious manner and act accordingly. However, according to the experts all types of communication on the social media may not be fruitful for the company. Apple thereby needs to recognise the type of information which can be used by the company to create a position in the market and offer the products and services in a proper manner (Bischoff and dos Santos 2017).

The Twitter account that was created by Apple was a well thought step to enter the social media platform of communicating with the customers. This platform is now being used by the company for the purpose of building long-term relationships with the customers. The company has been able to gather huge number of followers. The various activities that are being performed by Apple Inc. with the help of this account are, posting a tip per day, answering the questions raised by the followers on a constant basis, considering each and every feedback that is provided by the customers on the page and managing expectations (Uslu and Çubuk 2015). Apple has been using the other electronic methods for communication with the customers like, websites and other electronic methods. However, the use of Twitter has thereby been used by the company to create an upbeat process of communication.

Strengths – The major strength of the communication process of Apple is based on the huge brand value of the company and the loyal customer base. This helps the company to easily connect with the customers. The suppliers of the company are also affected by the brand value of Apple. The suppliers always wish to be a major part of the operations of Apple (Motoi 2017). This has been enabled by the effective communication based process that has been undertaken by the company in the market. Apple has communicated with the suppliers by using many unique and innovative methods that have provide a platform to the company. On the other hand, the huge reach of the company which has been created by the recent use of social media is helping in the creation of strong relationships with the customers (Rice and Leonardi 2014).

Weaknesses – The highly secretive nature of Apple has been a major weakness of the communication process that has been used by the company. The most important part of the company are considered to be the employees. The secretive work culture of the company has created hindrance in the work process of the employees as well. The company has also been secretive about the suppliers who are related to Apple. This had created huge issues based on the lack of proper care of the factories and the workers who are employed in the factories This had become a major weakness for the company under the leadership of Steve Jobs (Mourão and Miranda 2015).

Opportunities – Apple has many opportunities to create a successful image among the employees with the help of an increase in its transparency about the operations. The increase in transparency can create a larger size of the customer base of Apple. The company will be able to create a community of the loyal customers who can provide Apple with the chance to grow more in the market. The social platform is being recently used by the company. This platform is capable of providing huge chances to Apple for the purpose understanding the demands and the needs of the customers so that they are able to improve the products accordingly (Christensen 2014).

Threats – The high levels of transparency that has been shown by the other companies in the industry can be a major setback for the processes that are used by Apple. The customers are quite eager tom know about the products that they use or are about to use. In this case, transparency plays a major role in providing the best products to the customers. The lack of high levels of transparency can thereby lead to the dissatisfaction of the existing or the potential customers of the company (Stacks and Salwen 2014). 

The major competitor of Apple in the technology industry is the South Korean multinational organization named Samsung. The company has been many innovative methods to communicate with the customers in an effective manner. The organization has installed many digital displays in the offices for the purpose of communicating with the customers. The solution that has been provided by Samsung to communicate with the customers who visit the retail stores was based on the usage of large displays in the various stores in an effective to inform the customers about the quality of the products that are being offered by the company (Kolcun, Teodorescu and Gîfu 2014). The social media based research has been a major part of the communication strategy that has been used by Samsung. The company has researched on the capabilities that are provided by the usage of social media for the purpose of communicating with the customers. The company has recognised the power of social media in the help that is provided to the technology based companies to move forward in the market. The data that is obtained from the social media can thereby be helpful for the company to create a product which will be easily accepted by the customers (Kwiatkowski 2017). Samsung has thereby outflanked Apple in the process of social media research that is conducted by the company for the purpose of understanding the trends and the minds of consumers. The pages that were created by Samsung on the various social platforms have been helpful for the creation of effective products by the company. The company has been analysing the comments and reviews that were provided by the customers about its own products and about the products of the competitors as well. This has helped the company to make decisions about the products that it wishes to continue (Kolcun, Teodorescu and Gîfu 2014).

The main suggestion or recommendation that can be provided to Apple is based on the reduction of the secrecy levels so that the company is able to reach the employees and the suppliers easily. This will further help the company to understand the needs and the demands of the suppliers and the issues that ate being faced in the market. The use of social media needs to be increased so that the company can connect with the customers and create a loyal customer base. This will help Apple in maintaining its position in the industry in a successful manner. Apple can further conduct a thorough analysis of the suppliers so that the company is able to understand the issues that are faced by them. This will further be helpful for Apple to create an efficient and happy supplier base. The increase of transparency will help the company to easily gain their trust regarding the various organizational processes.

Conclusion

The report can be concluded by stating that the communication based methods and processes hold huge importance in the proper functioning of the modern organizations. Apple was unable to communicate in a successful manner with the suppliers and the employees due to the high levels of secrecy. However, after the change in the leadership the company has been able to increase its transparency in the market. The usage of social media has also opened new opportunities for Apple to compete successfully with another major player in the industry named Samsung. The company can thereby be able to create a different position in the industry by improving the methods of communication and increasing its links with the customers. This further help Apple to create strong customer relationships.

References

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