Apple’s financial success. The precariousness of power exercised in global value chains

Colin Haslam, Nick Tsitsianis and Y Ping Yin

No 43, Working Papers from Queen Mary, University of London, School of Business and Management, Centre for Globalisation Research

Abstract: This working paper is about the Apple Inc Business Model and how, in a financialized world, the success of this business model is represented in the form of what we term financial point values. Our argument is that there is a tendency to promote specific point valuation multiples as measures of success but these values, by their nature, do not reveal the contingent and variable nature of power relations exercised in and along global supply chains. Firms like Apple, exploit resources and capabilities to 'create value but also exercise power to recalibrate relations with suppliers in the value chain to secure 'value capture', for financial transformation. Value capture is an active ingredient that can help inform our understanding of the fragility of the Apple business model and frame a critical argument about the precarious nature and sustainability of AppleÕs huge profit margins.

Keywords: Apple Inc Business Model; Global Value Chains; Point Values; Value Capture. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F23 L25 M21 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013-04
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
http://cgr.sbm.qmul.ac.uk/CGRWP43.pdf

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cgs:wpaper:43

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Working Papers from Queen Mary, University of London, School of Business and Management, Centre for Globalisation Research Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Pedro S. Martins ().