Apple's Vision and Mission Statements

[stuart1231]

Hi,

I am doing a masters degree in scotland for one report, we have to look at an organisation of choice, one of the factors is to analyse the organisations mission and vision statements in relation to how the company is heading.

Simply, I cannot find a vision or mission statement on the apple site? or in the finanical reports.

I do understand that to many companies V+M statements are a gimic, but I would have thought apple would have had one, if not at some point.

Any help would be great!

Stuart

[dpaanlka]

A company that aligns itself to a "mission statement" is basically saying it is not willing to be flexible enough to change, adapt, innovate, or invent anything outside of the prescribed mission statement.

I was under the impression that mission statements were considered a bad thing these days. I don't believe Apple has one.

[TheNightPhoenix]

They do have a statement and it is repeated in every press release also found here http://www.apple.com/investor/

Q: What is Apple's mission statement?
A: Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Apple is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings.

[dpaanlka]

Originally Posted by TheNightPhoenix

Apple is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings.

I would imagine that is everybody's mission statement.

I guess I should have said, Apple doesn't have a real mission statement.

[TheNightPhoenix]

True, but it is still officially their mission statement.

[MisterMe]

Originally Posted by dpaanlka

I would imagine that is everybody's mission statement.

...

How can any other company use Apple's mission statement?

[dpaanlka]

Originally Posted by MisterMe

How can any other company use Apple's mission statement?

Well the first part is a brief history of Apple, so that doesn't count. The actual mission statement in that paragraph is "Apple is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings."

So..

Dell is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings.

Gateway is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings.

Microsoft is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings.

HP is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings.

Apple is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings

Saab is committed to bringing the best driving experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative sedan, convertible and SUV offerings

[abrooks]

Originally Posted by TheNightPhoenix

They do have a statement and it is repeated in every press release also found here http://www.apple.com/investor/

Q: What is Apple's mission statement?
A: Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Apple is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings.

Although Apple do refer to this as a mission statement, it is technically called a boilerplate and is written to go on the bottom of press releases, due to the negative opinions on missions statements these days it looks like Apple uses their boilerplate instead.

[Cameront9]

Well, Apple's original logo featured a quote from Wordsworth that could be a nice vision statement in itself:

"Newton--a mind forever voyaging through strange seas of thought---Alone"

[dpaanlka]

Originally Posted by Cameront9

Well, Apple's original logo featured a quote from Wordsworth that could be a nice vision statement in itself:

"Newton--a mind forever voyaging through strange seas of thought---Alone"

I would shorten it to

"A mind forever voyaging through strange seas of thought."

[MisterMe]

Originally Posted by dpaanlka

Well the first part is a brief history of Apple, so that doesn't count. ....

Since when? An organization's history is inseparable from its mission.

[golferjh3]

Originally Posted by dpaanlka

I would imagine that is everybody's mission statement.

I guess I should have said, Apple doesn't have a real mission statement.

just admit you're wrong bud

[dpaanlka]

Originally Posted by golferjh3

just admit you're wrong bud

I believe I did, by correcting myself...

[iMeowbot]

Originally Posted by TheNightPhoenix

True, but it is still officially their mission statement.

And it does say something significant, in that business/corporate users are conspicuously absent.

[MisterMe]

Originally Posted by iMeowbot

And it does say something significant, in that business/corporate users are conspicuously absent.

There are no "business/corporate users" among "creative professionals"?

[stuart1231]

i am first to admit my stupidity that I did not find the mission statement in the investors section of the website.

thanks for the replies.

[iMeowbot]

Originally Posted by MisterMe

There are no "business/corporate users" among "creative professionals"?

Certainly many creative professionals are not working in a corporate environment, and the overwhelming majority of corporate users are not creative professionals. This is a market that Apple decided long ago not to pursue.

[Evangelion]

Originally Posted by MisterMe

How can any other company use Apple's mission statement?

I think the point is that no company has mission-statement like "XXXXX is committed to bringing mediocre personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its below-average hardware, software and Internet offerings."

[MisterMe]

Originally Posted by Evangelion

I think the point is that no company has mission-statement like "XXXXX is committed to bringing mediocre personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its below-average hardware, software and Internet offerings."

Duh! Without the historical reference, Apple's mission statement is fairly generic. And if you remove the sugar from birthday cake, it is just bread.

[cool1615]

Apple’s vision


"Man is the creator of change in this world. As such he should be above systems and structures, and not subordinate to them."

This is the apple company's vision persons who are not finding it,this is a great help for u from my side.

[TheBobcat]

Apple's mission statement is currently the source of speculation among analysts, with DigiTimes reporting it will be unveiled around MWSF '08.

[rikyricardo35]

Originally Posted by dpaanlka

A company that aligns itself to a "mission statement" is basically saying it is not willing to be flexible enough to change, adapt, innovate, or invent anything outside of the prescribed mission statement.

I was under the impression that mission statements were considered a bad thing these days. I don't believe Apple has one.

Imagine getting up in the morning getting into your car without any idea where you are going to. You just start driving and decide as you go along where to go. I imagine you "would" get somewhere, but is it near where you would have had to go.
The same happens in business if you do not have a vision (what you want to accomplish in the LONG run) and a mission (how you are going to accomplish the vision). Companies that do not have them or their employees do not know them (trust me it can happen, people don't know the vision or mission stat.) you feel it in the product, the service, etc...

By the way having these is not being rigid and not willing to change; to the contrary it allows you to know when you need to change. Once you have reached your Vision, is time to find new one. If the how (MISSION) is not helping you reach your vision, is time to change, define news HOWs...

I believe Apple has always had it very clear. I guess we all can testify to that!!!

[tkermit]

There's this:

Apple Values

Apple Values are the qualities, customs, standards, and principles that the company believes will help it and its employees succeed. They are the basis for what we do and how we do it. Taken together, they identify Apple as a unique company.

These are the values that govern our business conduct:

Empathy for Customers/Users

We offer superior products that fill real needs and provide lasting value. We deal fairly with competitors and meet customers and vendors more than halfway. We are genuinely interested in solving customer problems, and we will not compromise our ethics or integrity in the name of profit.

Aggressiveness/Achievement

We set aggressive goals and drive outselves hard to achieve them. We recognize that this is a unique time, when our products wil change the way people work and live. It is an adventure, and we are in it together.

Positive Social Contribution

We build products that extend human capability, freeing people from drudgery and helping them achieve more than they could alone. But beyond that, we expect to make this world a better place to live. As a corporate citizen, we wish to be an economic, intellectual, and social asset in communities where we operate.

Innovation/Vision

We built our company on innovation, providing products that were new and needed. We accept the risks inherent in following our vision, and work to develop leadership products that command the profit margins we strive for.

Individual Performance

We expect individual commitment and performance above the standard for our industry. Only thus will we make the profits that permit us to seek our other corporate objectives. Each employee can and must make a difference. In the final analysis, individuals determine the character and strength of Apple.

Team Spirit

Teamwork is essential to Apple's success, for the job is too big to be done by one person. Individuals are encouraged to interact with all levels of management, sharing ideas and suggestions to improve Apple's effectiveness and quality of life. It takes all of us to win. We support each other and share the vistories and rewards together. We are enthusiastic about what we do.

Quality/Excellence

We care about what we do. We build into Apple products a level of quality, performance, and value that will earn the respect and loyalty of our customers. At Apple, quality management is critical to our continued success.

Individual Reward

We recognize each person's contribution to Apple's sucess, and we share the financial rewards that flow from high performance. We recognize also that rewards must be psychological as well as financial, and we strive for an atmosphere where each individual can share the adventure and excitement of working at Apple.

Good Management

The attitudes and behaviors of managers toward their people are of primary importance. Employees should be able to trust the motives and integrity of their supervisors. It is the responsibility of management to create a productive environment where Apple Values flourish.

[*LTD*]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Mobile/8C148)

www.devdaily.com/blog/post/mac-os-x/apple-business-philosophy-mission-statement

From January 2009.

Done.

[Heilage]

It would seem that it's something along the lines of "Whatever Steve wants.".