Apple, Inc. - A Case Study

S. Apple was established in April 1976, by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak and was incorporated in January 1977. The company designs and later sells consumer electronics, personal computers and computer software. The Macintosh range of personal computers, iPod, iPhone and the iPad are among the Apple's best known products.
             Some of the software sold by the company includes Final cut studio that is a music and video production suite, Aperture which is professional photography software, iTunes media browser, Mac Os X operating system and Logic studio which is a music production suite (Apple, 2012).
             As of May 2012, Apple (2012) indicates that the company has over 300 stores located in more than ten countries in additional to the online store. Banton (2011) describes Apple as been among the largest technological companies in the world as far as companies' traded in the world by market capitalization are concerned. According to Banton (2011), some analysts have even suggested that Apple has more cash than the US government. Apple (2012) states that, the company has more than 60,000 employees employed on permanent basis and 2,800 temporally employees world wide.
             Regardless of the success that the company has enjoyed, it has at times received extensive criticism for the way it treats its contractors as well as the impacts that the company's operations have on the environment. Some of the heavy criticism that the company has received recently has been that workers working for Apple suppliers in China leave in unhealthy conditions where they are also paid meager wages.
             The aim is this report is to review Apple's performance in reference of the environment within which the organization operates in and as a result of the review, develop a good three year strategic plan for the company.
             Apples Current Challenges.
             Apple's biggest challenge is been able to find the appropriate replacement of the visionary Chief Executive Officer (Steve Jobs) who died on October 2011 and was responsible for turning the company into what it is currently.