UNIT 1 - ASSIGNMENT 1

EXPLORING BUSINESS
CONTENTS
Exploring business.......................................................................................................................................1
1/A. P1| Explain the features of two contrasting business organisations...........................................3
1/A. P2| Explain how two contrasting business organisations are influenced by stakeholders........7
1/B. P3| Explore the organisation structures, aims and objectives of two contrasting business
organisations............................................................................................................................................10
1/A. M1| Assess the relationship and communication with stakeholders of two contrasting
business organisations using independent research..........................................................................14
1/B. M2| Analyse how the structures of two contrasting business organisations allow each to
achieve its aims and objectives............................................................................................................16
1/AB. D1| Evaluate the reasons for the success of two contrasting business organisations,
reflecting on evidence gathered..........................................................................................................18
1/A. P1| EXPLAIN THE FEATURES OF TWO CONTRASTING
BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS
Apple Inc. - Apple Inc. is a global technology corporation based in the United States that
specializes in consumer devices, software, and online services. Apple is the world's most
valuable corporation and the world's largest technology firm by revenue since January 2021.
Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne formed Apple in 1976 to build and market
Wozniak's Apple I personal computer. Jobs and Wozniak formed Apple Computer, Inc. in 1977,
and the company's computers, particularly the Apple II, soon became popular. It went public in
1980 and became a financial success almost immediately.

Type- Apple Inc. is a public limited company. Being a public limited company the prosperous
company has both advantages and disadvantages. The benefits can be summarized as a limited
number of liabilities for stakeholders. As a result of being able to sell shares publicly they can
raise a huge capital by selling the shares. The goodwill that they have created will allow them to
take large loans from banks. The corporation is self-contained, and it has the ability to sue or be
sued. Another significant benefit of the firm is its tax efficiency.

Nevertheless, as the shares are sold publicly the financial records of a public limited company
also needs to remain public. If someone buys 50% of the shares there is risk of takeover. There
are also chances of losing control as the shareholders have voting abilities as well. There are
numerous legal responsibilities that the corporation must meet in comparison to the non-profit
organization, where the firm must account for all of its operations.

Purpose- Apple's major goal is to produce goods that improve people's lives on a regular basis.
This entails not just creating totally new product categories, such as the iPhone and Apple
Watch, but also constantly innovating within existing ones.

Ownership- Apple Computers, Inc. was established on April 1, 1976, by college dropouts Steve
Jobs and Steve Wozniak, who brought with them a goal of altering people's perceptions of
computers to the new business. Jobs and Wozniak intended to build computers that could be used
in people's homes or offices. The current CEO of Apple Inc. is Tim Cook. It's been 10 years
since Tim Cook took over as Apple CEO from co-founder Steve Jobs. With 7.5 percent of
outstanding shares, The Vanguard Group, Inc. is the company's largest stakeholder. For context,
the second-largest shareholder owns roughly 6.3 percent of the outstanding shares, while the
third-largest shareholder owns 5.3 percent.

Activities- Apple is a quaternary, secondary, and tertiary industry. Apple manufactures its own
inventories and makes their goods and services in factories. Apple Inc. creates, produces, and
sells smartphones, tablets, gadgets, and accessories, as well as a range of associated services.
iPhone, Mac, iPad, Wearables, Home, and Accessories are among the company's goods. The
iPhone is Apple's range of cellphones that run on the iOS operating system.

Now, I would like to discuss about the contrasting business, “Qatar Charity”.

Qatar Charity- Qatar Charity is a non- profit organization. They are dedicated to the
development of Qatari society and other underserved areas. It was formed in 1992. It focuses on
sustainable development, poverty reduction, disaster relief, and emergency response. President
Hamad Al Thani established Qatar Charity with the goal of aiding those in need. Qatar Charity
has 24 affiliate offices with a total of 3000 workers or volunteers. They are also in contact with
and affiliated with a number of national and international organizations.
Type- Qatar Charity is a Doha-based non-governmental organization. The following kind has
both advantages and downsides.

They have the freedom to experiment with novel techniques and, if required, take risks. Unlike a
public limited company they have less limitations from the government when it comes to hiring
specialists and highly motivated employees.

However, just as a for-profit firm will need funds to get started nonprofits are no exception.
Certain costs must be paid before tax exemption may be obtained, which are typically borne by
the founder. Volunteering is another difficult aspect, as this is a non-profit organization that risks
losing its stakeholders.

Purpose- Qatar Charity is one of the largest humanitarian non-governmental organizations. They
aim to give vital help to vulnerable communities through developmental programs, and their
projects and initiatives totaling $1.2 billion have reached 29 million people. They are determined
to becoming a leader in the global crisis and to providing effective assistance.

Ownership- Concerned by the growing number of children orphaned by wars and conflicts in
neighboring countries, a group of Qatari benefactors formed "The Committee of Qatar for
Orphan Sponsorship," a community effort. Eight years later, a worldwide non-governmental
organization (NGO) known as "Qatar Charity" was established to expand the initiative, widen its
scope of activities, and expand its reach. It is led by Hamad bin Nasser al-Thani, the president
and the founder, and Yousef bin Ahmed al-Kuwari, the CEO, as of 2015.

Activities- Qatar Charity is a non-governmental organization that was formed in 1992 to aid the
process of Qatari society and other underserved areas. It works in the areas of sustainable
development, poverty reduction, humanitarian aid, and rescue operations. They strive to help all
needy individuals and communities, irrespective of race, religion, or nationality. They have been
a member of the General Founding Conference of the Arab Network for NGOs in Cairo since
1999 and also had consultative status with the UN ECOSOC since 1997.
Reference-

 https://www.qcharity.org/en/qa/about
 https://agriculturistmusa.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-ngos/
 https://ebizfiling.com/blog/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-private-limited-
company/

1/A. P2| EXPLAIN HOW TWO CONTRASTING BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS

ARE INFLUENCED BY STAKEHOLDERS.
In this discussion, I will now go into the concept of stakeholders’ influence on the two
contrasting businesses. The stakeholders can be discerned among two types, the external
stakeholder and the internal stakeholder. The internal stakeholder is the one who works within
the association and have major arrears towards the business. Their influence is the major
influence in the association to do their farther conditioning. On the other hand, the external
stakeholders who's laterally connected with the association and have their influence. The
company is substantially operating around them and not being the part of business directly, they
can also have a great impact on it.

I will now be discussing the impacts of internal and external stakeholders on our respective
contrasting businesses i.e. Apple Inc. and Qatar Charity

Qatar Charity and its stakeholders

Partners- Qatar charity believes no one alone can negotiate the philanthropic conduct hence, they
consider that alliance and cooperation are crucial to the success of philanthropic action. They've
joined hand with several transnational peers, corporations, government associations, and NGOs
to put the principle of sociable responsibility into effect and rally support at all situations from
individuals and institutions.

Volunteers- they are internal stakeholders of the company and at the same time a part of the
board member. They're paid a veritably small quantum, yet they tend to bestow for the non-profit
associations. They're seen as the considerate people who influences the association with their
help by carrying around different missions all around the world.

Media and advertisement companies- They are external stakeholders and play a veritably
important part. They promote the missions of similar companies. It increases the company’s
reach and attracts a lot of benefactors around the globe. Which results in further finances to
achieve their thing via philanthropic operations.

Apple Inc. and its stakeholders

CEO and shareholders- CEO plays a very crucial part in a business as they have the power to
take majority of the important decisions of a company which ultimately decides where the
company stands in the market. Tim Cook is the current CEO of Apple Inc. He took over the
company from Steve Jobs 11 years back and since then he has been really successful to generate
more profit, create a stronger goodwill with time and increase the price of their share in the
market. The Vanguard Group, Inc. is currently the company's largest shareholder with 7.4% of
shares outstanding. The shareholders of a company also plays a big role as they can take part in
decision making of the company through voting.

Employees- Employees are the one internally handling every detail of the work that goes inside a
company there they are a very crucial part for a company to function properly. Apple has around
147,000 full time employees working relentlessly all over the world.

Customers- Customers are the ones that basically control a very important and big part of the
market therefore they are the external stakeholder that needs to be catered carefully and well.
The company needs to keep up with what satisfies the customers or else the business might end
up in marketing myopia. Apple Inc. along with focusing in generating profit has always
performed really well in keeping their customers satisfied.

Suppliers- In the initial stage having a good supplier is very important for a company as the raw
materials are what the finished products will be made of and add to that, a good relationship with
the suppliers may give you a better value of your money. Apple is heavily reliant on a number
of US-based businesses, including 3M (MMM), Broadcom (AVGO), Qualcomm (QCOM), Intel
(INTC), Jabil (JBL), On (ON), Micron (MU), and Texas Instruments (TXN).

Government- The government imposes rules and regulations for the firm to follow in order for it
to operate legally. As a result, the organization's credibility steadily grows. All private,
governmental, and profit-nonprofit organizations inside a country are governed by the country's
government. Negative to comply with the rule may result in failure repercussions for the
company.

Media- In today’s world, portrayal of a company in media matters a lot as it controls how a lot
of customers in the market worldwide view the company and its products therefore Apple always
make sure to create a big impact in the media which has been successfully helping them a lot in
their process of growth.
Reference-

 https://it.sonoma.edu/kb/pm/what-are-roles-and-responsibilities-key-stakeholders
 https://www.qcharity.org/en/qa/qatar-charity-offices/board-of-directors
 http://panmore.com/apple-inc-stakeholders-csr-analysis
1/B. P3| EXPLORE THE ORGANISATION STRUCTURES, AIMS AND
OBJECTIVES OF TWO CONTRASTING BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS.
Qatar Charity-

Structure- A good and functional structure is what helps a company to carry out their mission
successfully. Just like any other companies the objectives of a non-profit organization are
established by the owners and their successors in control. However, unlike profit maximizers, the
general strategic objectives of non-profit organizations do not tend to alter over time. The three
most important members of Qatar charity’s governing body are Chairman of the board of
directors, Vice Chairman of the board of directors and the board members. Sheikh Hamad Nasser
J. Al-Thani is the Chairman and Mr. Ahmad Abdulla S G Al-Marri is the Vice Chairman.

The most crucial decisions of a company are made by the Chairman and the Vice Chairman.
They are also the ones who take the responsibilities of the major liabilities. The board of
members need to do their part properply in order for a non profit organization to run. They obtain
tax exemption, apply for a bank account, correctly submit yearly reports, and conduct the
majority of significant transactions. Overall, they are the one who represents the company to the
public and government.

Aim and objectives- Qatar Charity is one of the largest humanitarian organizations in the world.
It was founded with the aim of helping the people in need and till now they have been quite
successful to carry out their objectives. Starting from helping people with basic needs like food,
shelter, education this organization also provides life-saving aid to those affected by conflicts,
persecution, and natural disasters. They work towards bringing sustainable solutions to end
poverty in the places of crisis in the developing countries.

Apple Inc.-

Structure- Apple employs a corporate structure known as "functional organization." This implies
that rather than particular goods, the firm has been organized around areas of competence.
Individuals from various fields of expertise are then assigned to work on the goods themselves.
The expertise-focused hierarchical system they have built inside their business helps them to
have excellent corporate control Individual divisions have enough liberty to function at their
best, which has resulted in Apple producing some really market-leading products throughout the
years. Although the important decisions are made by each of the managers, who each have their
own unit of team members with various duties the CEO of the company, Tim Cook, always stay
there as a nucleus behind the decision makings .

Aims and objectives- Apple Inc.’s main objective is to bring innovation and convenience in
technology and they always stick by this. Every day they work towards making their hardware,
software and services better and even more user-friendly and they do this by prioritizing and
observing their customers which is very important for a making a business grow.

Reference-

 https://managementhelp.org/organizations/nonprofits.htm
 https://fourweekmba.com/apple-organizational-structure/
 https://www.qcharity.org/en/qa/about
1/A. M1| ASSESS THE RELATIONSHIP AND COMMUNICATION WITH
STAKEHOLDERS OF TWO CONTRASTING BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS
USING INDEPENDENT RESEARCH.
Apple Inc.

Customers are one of the most important stakeholders of Apple Inc. In order to generate profit
they require their customer to be satisfied and purchase from them and as a result increase their
sales. A healthy relationship and keeping a constant communication with the customers is thus
very important for the company

Employees are the ones who have direct contact with consumers. Customers' opinions are
influenced by their interactions with company employees. Therefore the employees in a
company needs to be skilled enough to have a professional and convincing communication skill.
Also, to maintain productivity, efficiency and a good standard the relationship among the
employees should be respectful and communicative as well.

As the primary decision-maker, the CEO is responsible for appropriately interacting with
employees to understand their needs. Employees are a vital part of a company as the final
product or service is a result mostly of their constant hard work therefore it’s very important for
the executives to provide the employees with a good working environment which motivates them
to work better for the company.

The government imposes various laws and regulations on a company in terms of conducting
business in their nation so the company must comply with the regulations to which they have
been allocated. The company needs to abide by them and if fail to do so they may suffer a
number of penalties.

Qatar Charity

Qatar Charity must preserve their relationships with their stakeholders as they are involved in a
variety of humanitarian activities all around the world. As their work and projects depend a lot
on the funding, sponsorships they get and the philanthropists who come forward to volunteer for
them it is very important for them to reach out and communicate. It might’ve been a difficult
thing to do during this time of pandemic but they successfully managed to create a very good
online presence which helped them reach out to people throughout these times.

Maintaining the humanitarian projects alone is quite difficult for a company thus it’s important to
have good communication and relationship with their partners who invests and work together
putting faith in them. Different form of meetings, seminar and discussions are held both online
and offline in the purpose of proper communication.

Volunteers are a very important part of a non profit organization. The events and projects of a
Non-Profit organization can never be properly conducted without the help of the volunteers and
certain organizations. Thus if the governing body keep a good relationship with the volunteers it
will have a great impact on the organization's reputation.

Reference-

 https://www.getproofusa.com/why-are-stakeholder-relationships-important-to-
your-business/#:~:text=Stakeholder%20relations%20is%20the%20practice,are
%20important%20to%20your%20organization.
 https://theasiadialogue.com/2019/02/21/ngo-and-stakeholder-partnerships-
opportunities-for-maximising-engagement-to-deliver-health-policy/
1/B. M2| ANALYSE HOW THE STRUCTURES OF TWO CONTRASTING
BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS ALLOW EACH TO ACHIEVE ITS AIMS AND
OBJECTIVES.
In this section, I will describe how the Qatar Charity and Apple Inc.’s structure are assisting
them in achieving their goals and objectives. All the companies aim to achieve certain goals
being in a structure. Qatar Charity’s aim is to help people in need with their work while Apple
Inc. aims to make technology innovative and convenient for their users. Let us examine how
their structure enables them to attain their goals and objectives.

Apple Inc.

According to what we've covered, Apple Inc. operates under an expertise-focused hierarchy
system. The advantages of Apple's hierarchical organizational structure include senior
management's strong control over all parts of the firm. Furthermore, possibilities for
advancement drive individuals to do well, and there are defined levels of power and
responsibility. In a hierarchical structure, managers will have restricted influence and a small
number of subordinates. Apple's corporate divisions are organized by skill rather than product so
every single employee has a specialized job with specialist tasks. Every employee is doing the
function that is most suited to their skill set. This means they can develop genuinely integrated
products with outstanding user experiences. As part of their second plan, the firm maintains its
steadiness in sales and manufacturing. Their leadership strategies are long-term for greater
economic development, profit, and popularity.

Qatar Charity

As previously mentioned, Qatar Charity operates under three bodies of governance. Their
operational success is determined by their organizational structure and the policies they adhere
to. Their ultimate goal is to provide help to those in need while also decreasing global poverty,
they operate their hierarchy in this manner. They assist war-affected children all around the
world, and their mission is now being carried out in war-torn countries such as Syria and Yemen.
In terms of transparency, they are a very well recognized charity with a global reputation that can
easily raise donations from national and international contributors. They have 29 subsidiaries and
legal entities spread around Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Their structure has been proven to
be useful in achieving a variety of goals. For example, they are active in various impacted
regions that require large to small help, assisting impoverished communities, collaborating with
government and counties to secure finances, and launching and monitoring projects.

Reference-

 https://stratechery.com/2016/apples-organizational-crossroads/
 https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/hierarchical-structure-
definition-and-examples
1/AB. D1| EVALUATE THE REASONS FOR THE SUCCESS OF TWO
CONTRASTING BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS, REFLECTING ON
EVIDENCE GATHERED.
Apple Inc.
When compared to competitors such as Samsung and Google, Apple's latest performance is
excellent. This relates to their financial success as well as their capacity to accomplish their
objectives. There are several reasons for this massive company's success, but they can be boiled
down to six. To begin with, all Apple products are designed in a way that the designers
themselves would not be able to live without. This is due to Steve Jobs' belief that things would
be better if they are produced for themselves. When he was alive, he was the product tester for
all of Apple's products, representing actual consumers and assisting Apple in releasing amazing
items to the market. Second, their goods are more user-friendly. Tim Cook still remained
committed to the original goal of removing the barrier of needing to learn how to use a computer.
This guideline has been followed by all Apple products produced to date. Apple also keeps
things basic to make things easier to use in general. Then there's the excellent customer service
and in-store experience they provide. Apple was one of the first firms to launch a tech retail
shop. It was created in order to be utilized as a method of providing excellent customer service.
Customers will be greeted as they enter the business, and their concerns will be resolved in the
most effective manner possible. Apple spends roughly half of their revenue on marketing in
order to deliver their products to their customers. Their marketing tactics are usually
straightforward, which sets them apart from the competition. They also use this to broaden the
image of their brand so that it becomes a societal status symbol. Furthermore, Apple has earned a
large number of devoted consumers through excellent customer service and creative goods.I
believe these are the reasons for Apple's success, and I believe it will continue to be successful in
the future.

Qatar Charity

Qatar Charity is the largest humanitarian non-governmental organizations. They aim to give vital
help to underprivileged people through development programs, and their projects and initiatives
totaling $1.2 billion have reached 29 million people. Their dedication has made them reputable
and dependable. Their reliability and openness with missions allows them to attract funds from
50 countries. They can generate money from a variety of sources, and the majority of their
revenue comes from people, who now account for around 90% of all contributors. They get
private donations from individuals, institutional financing, and business sector funding, among
other things.

Qatar Charity is able to carry out their goal on a global scale; for example, they have expertise
developing initiatives in over 80 countries across the world. For example, in Africa, Asia, and
Europe. They are extremely successful in terms of humanitarian activities that attempt to take
quick action in the event of a tragedy and it is for this reason that Qatar Charity strives to
properly address the problems in the nations where it serves. They remain committed to their
objectives, aiming for a broader reach and assistance in areas such as social welfare, sanitation,
education, nutrition, and economic empowerment, which will eventually help disadvantaged
communities flourish and eliminate global poverty. These are the executions that make Qatar
Charity as successful as they are.

Reference-

 https://www.forbes.com/sites/timbajarin/2021/06/02/understanding-apples-formula-
for-success/?sh=55fa2f2aab9e
 https://www.qcharity.org/en/qa/qatar-charity-success-stories