Code of conduct principles and implementation

Code of Conduct

Code of International Marketing Conduct at Apple Inc.

Apple is focused on manufacturing the highest quality products and delivering them at the highest standards of quality. The primordial goal of the Apple operations is to achieve, maintain and increase customer satisfaction. Our employees play a pivotal role in achieving this desiderate. All internal operations are focused on customer satisfaction, but even more so are the tasks of the sales and marketing staff. They are the ones which directly interact with our customers and this generates a strong need for appropriate behavior and the establishment of a fruitful relationship between Apple employees and the Apple customers.

This code is to be implemented by all Apple employees, regardless of the location of the facility which employs them. Apple in an international organization which uses the same standards of quality throughout all its operational facilities. The aim of this code is to unite all sales and marketing staff and offer an integrated code of principles that guides their daily operations.

2. The new employee is part of a large multinational, an organization which has influenced the course of technological history and will continue to do so. Apple implements a strong corporate culture based on customer satisfaction, making a difference in the industry and integrating all staff members into a pleasant, yet challenging working environment.

3. The sales and marketing employees will constantly strive to increase customer satisfaction. They will engage in open discussions with the customers and potential clients and will offer all the technical information they require. They will be helpful and obliging to the audience and will even enquire relative to complaints and satisfactions. They will retrieve feedback and send it to organizational headquarters to be processed and integrated in the new product lines.

4. The employees in sales and marketing are required to competently serve the customers. This means that they must possess extensive knowledge on the technical specifications of each product they sell. In this order of ideas, they will participate to training programs for two full weeks after joining the Apple team. Whenever a new product is launched or upgraded, the employee has the obligation to become accustomed with its features and present the ability to answer any questions referring to the respective item. Periodical testing will occur in order to verify the knowledge of the sales and marketing staff. If the employee fails the tests two times, he is required to take additional training. If he fails the test for the third time, more drastic measures will be taken.

5. The sales and marketing employees are also required to undergo training in terms of most efficiently interacting with the Apple customers. The training programs will occur on temporary basis and will be announced at least one week before their commencement. Each employee will be asked to participate in such a training program once he joins the team. Other programs will be developed along the way and they will integrate all staff members. The emphasis placed on these educational agendas is given by the fact that the sales and marketing employees represent the link between organization and its customers, and also by the ability of these programs to improve the employee, and consequently its relationship with the clients.

6. The employees must at all times act in accordance with the legal stipulations, provided by the legislation enforced in the countries where the facilities operate

7. The staff members must always have at heart the best interest of the Apple organization and must act in accordance with its stated goals.

8. The sales and marketing employees will guide themselves by the principles of ethics and morality and will treat all customers fairly and diligently. There could occur situations in which the customer is extremely difficult to satisfy. In such instances, it is necessary for the employee to remain calm and obliging and if this becomes too challenging, he will refer the unsatisfied customer to a colleague or a superior. Employee dissatisfactions will be resolved by all means, as long as this does not conflict with the organizational goals, the legal or ethics principles.

9. Employees must not serve and must report demands from parties which reveal situations of conflicts of interest. An example in this sense could be offered by a delegate of one of Apple's competitor wanting to purchase a product and requiring extensive technical specifications about it, with the attempt to reverse engineer it. Such situations must be reported.