We are attending this event on “Apple Business Model” sponsored by the Centre for Research on Socio-Cultural Change (Cresc)
This workshop has a double aim. First, we aim to be more analytic about the Apple Inc’s company business model without assuming this is representative or transferable. Researchers will present argument and evidence about Apple’s multiple sources of advantage in manufacturing, sourcing, branding and architecture and focus on the consequences especially for the supply chain in China. Second, we aim to make the connection with broader academic and practitioner debates about the outcomes of globalization and financialization, specifically about where the good jobs and skills have gone and the effects of shareholder value in the high-income countries.
We would like to tune into this debate, but also propose that Apple’s anti-repair manufacturing practices (well documented by iFixit) prevent economies of repair “over here.” It is not merely about where electronics are manufactured – it is about how they are manufactured.
Ugo will be livetweeting most of the event with the hashtag #AppleBizModel, which has a keynote by Bill Lazonick “Apple Inc’s Business Model: a foundation for sustainable prosperity?”
See the Guardian’s coverage of the event here.