The world's most valuable technology company can at times also act as one of the globe's more obtuse entities.
Tone deaf and seemingly oblivious to the implications of the news on shareholders, suppliers, customers, retailers, contractors, well-wishers, and especially detractors, Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) released an internal memo to alert the world that CEO Steve Jobs would be taking an indefinite leave of absence. (See: Apple's Jobs to take Medical Leave of Absence .)
I know many will argue pointedly that Steve Jobs's health problem is a personal issue and that others should leave him to deal with the issue privately. I agree but only up to a point. I personally want to wish Jobs the best as he takes on what may turn out to be the toughest fight of his life. I also pray (I am a praying man) that he will recover swiftly and return as quickly to what he likes doing -- leading Apple and helping the company pulverize the opposition.
But life is full of numerous twists and turns, many of them pleasant and quite a few ugly with tragic endings. Which is why Jobs's problem is a shared one, with millions of other stakeholders now weighing how his health problem would likely impact Apple and, by extension, their interest in this company. A flood of questions came into my mind when I saw the news release about Jobs's decision to hand over daily supervision of the company to Tim Cook, the chief operating officer.
The first set of questions was about Jobs himself and involved concerns for him and his family. These include: What exactly is wrong with Jobs? What is the prognosis, short and long-term? How is he getting treated? Will he make a full recovery? How is he personally dealing with this problem? And how are his family, relatives, closest friends, and associates dealing with this news?
Soon after writing my first comments on the news I began to think also about the various groups of people, companies, and other entities that Apple relates with on a daily basis. These include shareholders, component suppliers, contract manufacturers, retailers, customers, and corporate partners such as AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T), Verizon Business , and other companies that market Apple products around the world.
The report of Jobs's planned leave of absence was unsettling for me as an editor of a news and community site that often writes about Apple; imagine how even more troubling it must be for all the partners the company has worldwide. I began to wonder for different reasons what exactly was wrong with Jobs and how this would affect those who either do or hope to do business with the company.
Which brings me to the second set of questions that tumbled into my mind moments after Apple released its statement regarding Jobs. These include the following: Why should Apple share or not share more information about Jobs than it already has? What kind of information (if any) is the world entitled to know about him? How and when should that information be disclosed? Who should tell Apple's various publics? And what other obligations does the company owe these various audiences?
Jobs himself chose to disclose very limited information about his health to Apple employees alone and did not address any other interested parties. I guess the assumption here is that nobody else has a right to know. Even then he only told Apple workers he was taking a leave of absence for health reasons. He also made it clear that Apple's board of directors had been informed and had agreed to his request. Cook would lead the company during his absence, he said.
But then the situation got even murkier. Jobs plans to "continue as CEO and be involved in major strategic decisions for the company," he said in the memo sent to employers. What exactly does that mean? Is he taking a working leave of absence or stepping aside completely to take care of himself? What exactly is going on with Jobs and what exactly are we entitled to know? That last question came up in 2009 when Jobs announced his first leave of absence and is out there still begging for an answer.
It is a difficult issue for everyone involved with Apple, because Steve Jobs has had such a large impact on the success of the company. Not knowing exact details about the health issues leaves a lot of questions running around people minds. However I believe Steve should be entitled to privacy on this issue, just as anyone else would have the right to privacy.
As I see it,Steve Jobs has a right to privacy regarding his health issues aka HIPPA. If he choses to waive that right, it is his personal decision. The public has the right to buy,sell, or otherwise re-value their investment in Apple based on what they know or suspect. The best approach Apple can take is to reassure their stockholders that they have the vision and innovation they need, regardless of Steves' personal situation.
I really wish Steve will be ok and continue to manage the company. Who knows, without his vision and pecularity it is hard to tell whether Apple can continue its stream of revenue. People are concerned what will be the outcome without this visionary. That's the bottomline.
This the best advice so far since the news of Jobs ailment! Communication is a key factor in keeping the grapevine news at bay. The more the executive team keeps their various audiences engaged and informed about Apples progress in Jobs absence, with punctuated direct messages from Jobs, the smoother they will ride this wave of uncertainty successfully.
I share your concerns raised in your article, they are very reasonable. It is very well known about the pivotal role Steve Job played in the rise of Apple to its present status.
However, his illness should remain within his private sphere and only known to those he has taken into his confidence. We must all remember that at some point in our lives, there is an endurance limit in respect of our bodies and in Steve's case he may have reached that threshold.
What is important is how does Apple move forward from this sad news?
As for me, I will continue to uphold Steve and his family in prayer and wish him a quick recovery from his illness.
While I feel that Jobs health issues are a private matter between his family and his employer (Apples Board), there is a responsibility to share holders who are concerned over Apples key figure.
Apple needs to approach this situation delicately. They are going to have to keep all necessary parties informed. Without going into great detail, if they stay silent the gossip and doubt is going to take over. Shareholders and consumers are going to start to wonder if Apple can keep up with developing new products that in recent years have dominated the market. If the board or Tim Cook continues to update the public with comments about how Jobs health is progressing and how he is still involved in the larger projects, confidence will stay strong. With silence, the only response is going to be doubt.
I wish Steve Jobs the best, and hope for a speedy recovery with whatever ails him. I look forward to seeing what new developments he has in store for us.
Apple shareholders may have been feeling a little unsettled with the unfortunate news about Jobs, but after hours today they must be feeling a whole lot better, since Apple’s quarterly earnings easily blew past projections.With the iPhone coming to Verizon very soon, things should continue to look up for Apple.Steve Jobs has led the company to a stellar performance and wish him well for a speedy recovery.
Your e-mail reflects the panic most share holders and suppliers have on hearing the news by Apple of Job's leave of absence. The furry of questions asked in your article "What exactly is wrong with Jobs? What is the prognosis, short and long-term? How is he getting treated? Will he make a full recovery? How is he personally dealing with this problem? And how are his family, relatives, closest friends, and associates dealing with this news? " definitely describes the mood of most people hearing the news.
As an executive director, I believe Apple has managed the crisis they are faced with fairly well, by releasing this news themselves and not allowing the news media to make up the story. I agree that they could have said a little more on how Jobs is personally dealing with problem, but all the health details are his private information and we should allow him to handle those.
The other concern by Hawk about what other obligations does Apple owe the various audiences especially how the company is handling or plans to handle Jobs absence and how other executives will be filling in was put in a simple statement - "the CFO, Tim Cook will be taking over the day to day operations of the company". He had done this before and Apple survived and in fact thrived.
The ability of an organization to manage critical boundary relations, conduct exchanges in response to changes in both the internal/external environments, and develop its capacity for strategic responsiveness is not only paramount for the organization’s survival, but also the primer to the organizations pump in times of crisis like this. Jobs' top executives; Tim Cook, Phil Schiller, Jonathan Ive, and Scott Forstallall have worked with Jobs and are clear about his approach to the future of computing – Simple, user friendly and universally usable. They are very capable of riding this tide again and emerge stronger at the other end. I am optimistic about Apple's future, especially with the provisio that Jobs will be providing guidance and direction while he is out.
From a marketing perspective, sustainability is based on how these leaders are able to use strategic thinking, act, and learning as activities to manage the marketing environments in response to the uncertainties within these environments. This could be the transition phase for Jobs to ease out and Cooks to move the company on. Its a wild guess, but it might be the begining, who knows.
While I agree that Apple has a responsibility to report to its shareholders, I do not agree that this responsibility extends to releasing information regarding Jobs' illness. A letter specifically addressed to the shareholders is a good idea, however, I believe that such a letter would not state a lot more than the one addressed to the employees. We know that Cook is acting CEO in his absence and that Jobs will be involved remotely. How long Jobs will be gone and how much involvement he has may be questions that Jobs himself is not able to answer.
There are several viewpoints to this situation. First off, I'd wish Steve Jobs the best of success as he handles whatever he's confronting. What he chooses to disclose about his personal health is his choice. Now from a PR standpoint, there's an obvious void there in terms of information. The sooner and more frequently Apple fills that void with confident, frequent news of how it's handling the situation the better. The more mystery the more speculation and rumor.
By moving to the core of the industry and offerings services that keep the system humming, a group within the electronics market has rendered irrelevant the question of ownership and control of the supply chain.
EBN Dialogue enables and encourages you to participate in live chats with notable leaders and luminaries. Not only editors and journalists, but the entire EBN community is able to comment and ask questions. Listed below are upcoming and archived chats.
Archived Dialogues
Thailand Stages a Comeback Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Euro-Crisis: What It Means for High-Tech Firms Join EBN Editor in Chief Bolaji Ojo and Contributing Editor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday, July 12, at 10:00 a.m. EDT for a Live Chat on high-tech and Europe's economic difficulties.
Microsoft Surface: Potential Winners & Losers What are the implications for the electronics industry supply chain of Microsoft Corp.'s decision to launch its own tablet PC? Join industry veteran and EE Times' systems and OEM expert Rick Merritt on Tuesday, July 3, at 12:00 pm EDT for a Live Chat on this subject.
Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Peter Drucker famously said "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window." Yet in the razor's-edge world of electronics—with a lean supply chain and just-in-time demands—the need to know the future is vital.
You've heard the saying "the No. 1 supply chain risk is your people." That hasn't always been the case. But today's complex global supply chain requires a new type of multitalented employee. It's one who understands, finance, marketing, economics, is savvy with technology, graceful with relationships and can think analytically.
Where are these people? Are universities properly preparing the next generation supply chain professionals? How do train your existing workforce for these new, demanding positions?
Brian Fuller, editor-in-chief of EBN, will lead a 60-minute Avnet Velocity panel discussion that will ask and answer these and other questions swirling around today's supply-chain talent challenges.
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