Organization &

Subject:
Republic of the Philippines Management
University of Antique 1st Semester, A.Y.
Semester:
TARIO-LIM MEMORIAL CAMPUS 2021-2022
Tibiao, Antique 1st Quarter/ Week
Quarter/Week:
1
Prepared by: Chris Ryan T. Zamuraga

CRITICAL THINKING

STEVE JOBS AND MANAGEMENT

Apple’s beginnings can be traced to Steve Job’s garage which

housed the first circuit board that later on became the Apple II
personal computer (PC) in 1976. That year, Steve Jobs and
Steve Wozniak established Apple Computer, Inc., a company
that produced affordable personal personal computers. The
growing popularity of personal computers and increased sales of Apple computers enabled Apple
Computer to grow into a highly profitable business. In 1984, the Apple Macintosh computer was
introduced and it became popular in certain industries like publishing, advertising, cinema, and
the arts. Sales of Apple computers eventually grew to almost $2 billion in 1985.
Despite being one of the forces that drove Apple’s success, Steve Job’s management style
soon brought about difficulties for his company. For one, he played favorites among his project
teams and this sparked conflicts and misunderstanding among the members. He was also not in
good terms with John Sculley, Apple’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Sculley and Jobs were at
odds regarding the best marketing strategy for Apple computers. Sculley favored selling Apple
computers to the wider public, while Jobs preferred to focus on industries. The two also clashed
over control in the company, as Sculley was CEO but Jobs had limited control over the product
development division of Apple. The employees were confused as to who was actually leading
the company. While Jobs and Sculley were fighting it out for the company’s control, Apple’s
efficiency suffered; costs soared to high proportions and profits fell. Apple’s decline was
furthered hastened by the entry of a new computer company, IBM, and its introduction of the
IBM PC which soon surpassed the Apple II in sales.
In 1985, amidst plans for the reorganization of Apple Computer, Inc., Steve Jobs
resigned. He founded Next and developed powerful PCs which would outperform Apple PCs.
He also founded Pixar, the computer animation company that made blockbuster movies such as
Toy Story and Finding Nemo.
With these two companies, he was the exact opposite of his Apple days. Jobs developed
a vision for managers and empowered his project teams to put his vision into practice. He
allowed
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collaboration and innovation to work together. Jobs developed a team of managers who can
perform on their own even without his supervision. With these, he encouraged his people to love
what they do and be passionate about their work.
In the meantime, Apple was suffering heavily with the introduction of Michael Dell’s low
priced PCs loaded with Microsoft Windows software. Jobs came to the rescue and convinced
Apple to buy his company Next for $400 million and use its own operating system in 1996. Jobs
worked for Apple’s turnaround and in 1997, Jobs was appointed its new CEO.
 Organization &
Subject:
Republic of the Philippines Management
University of Antique 1st Semester, A.Y.
Semester:
TARIO-LIM MEMORIAL CAMPUS 2021-2022
Tibiao, Antique 1st Quarter/ Week
Quarter/Week:
1
Prepared by: Chris Ryan T. Zamuraga

One of the first things he did when he came back to Apple was to define the values of the
company and did it with two words: “think different.” He just didn’t stick with hiring people
who were technically equipped but also hired poets, musicians, artists, biologists- creative people
who were also computer experts. Their only qualification was that they believe they can change
the world. For Jobs, that was enough for apple to take the risk of hiring them.
For Jobs, software, hardware, and content must be intuitively connected. He also
believed that one must have intuition and foresight to be successful. One result of his vision was
the new line of iMac PCs which were then followed by more stylish and modern PCs. In 2003,
Apple announced an online music store called iTunes. Then, the iPod, a device which can store
thousands of downloaded songs, was also introduced to complement iTunes.
There are two ways to run a business: focus on profits or focus on products. Jobs
focused on the products, believing that profits would eventually follow. He focused single-
mindedly on the development of three products: iPod, iPad, and iPhone. The iPhone was
developed to compete with Blackberry. Jobs led his project teams to develop the iPhone which
can download applications in the Web. In 2010, over 2 million iPhone applications could be
downloaded by iPhone users, making Apple the leader in the smartphone market. In the same
year, Jobs introduced its new iPad tablet which became another convenient way to surf the Web,
send emails, take photos, and share content online. With these new products, Apple once again
regained its distinction as the most profitable computer company in the world.

Discussion Questions:
1. What changes and developments brought about the emergence of Apple Computer, Inc. as a
leading computer company during the 1980s?
2. Describe Steve job’s management style during the early years of Apple. How did this affect
the company?
3. What do you think influenced the changes in Steve Job’s management style?

Answer:

1.The Apple II revolutionized the computer industry with the introduction of the first-ever color
graphics. 1 Sales jumped from $7.8 million in 1978 to $117 million in 1980, the year Apple went public.
Wozniak left Apple in 1983 due to a diminishing interest in the day-to-day running of Apple Computers.
 Organization &
Subject:
Republic of the Philippines Management
University of Antique 1st Semester, A.Y.
Semester:
TARIO-LIM MEMORIAL CAMPUS 2021-2022
Tibiao, Antique 1st Quarter/ Week
Quarter/Week:
1
Prepared by: Chris Ryan T. Zamuraga

2.Steve Jobs was known as an unconventional leader, who practiced an exceptional leadership and
management styles. Many experts have been arguing that his leadership style is one of the keynotes
that bring Apple to today’s success. 'Steve Jobs' leadership style was autocratic; he had a meticulous eye
for detail, and surrounded himself with like-minded people to follow his lead. ' His creative awareness,
his 'meticulous eye for detail', was clearly a driving force in Apple's success.
3.I think Steve was motivated more than anything to feel he had made a solid and positive impact on the
world during his lifetime. Robert Palladino never used a computer but had a big influence on Apple.
Robert Palladino's name appears nowhere in Steve Jobs's lengthy authorised biography, but he had an
enduring influence on Jobs and the business empire he erected, and his desire to changed everything.