Apple. Social Responsibility and Supply Chain Management (PDF)

Studienarbeit aus dem Jahr 2015 im Fachbereich BWL - Unternehmensforschung, Operations Research, Note: 1,3, Fachhochschule Aachen, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: MacBook, iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch. Devices that determine my personal life and I do not want to miss anymore. These Products influence the way I communicate with my friends and family, how I browse the web, how I organize myself, how I capture important moments and even how I watch my fitness. On the one hand they are the gateway to the digital world and technical devices, on the other hand they are also very personal items,customizable and loyal companions, which are sometimes anthropomorphized by our society.
Apple, the company behind these innovative products became one of the most iconic brands of the world. The company is known for great design and a nice product experience. Apple tops Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and other big companies in Greenpeace's Clean Energy Index, but was also criticized for incredibly high prices and poor working conditions for years1.
So what's behind these products, which are an indispensable part of our lives and what processes happen until we call them our own ?
Did children or the environment suffer, so that I could buy it ? Is Apple really thinking so different, as they claim to do ?
Are they just "greening" their image or are they really caring about their workers and the environment ?
Is that all overpriced crap with which they played me ?
These are the questions I am asking myself and I would like to address a few of them in this term paper.