Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Business strategy.............................................................................................................................3
Recommendations..........................................................................................................................12
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................13
Reference List................................................................................................................................15
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Introduction
Human resources of a business are one of the most significant assets. A company operating in a
competitive environment needs to have skilled employees, along with the other non-human
resources. To operate a business effectively, a company needs to have efficient human resource
policies. Planning for HR strategies can be considered as imperative for a business organization.
The strategy for managing HR ensures that the process of operation for HR is effective. The
strategy for HR also decides the employee engagement and the reputation for the company. A
business needs to have an HR strategy that can be aligned with the goals of the business. The gap
of concurrence between both strategies can impact the performance of the business negatively.
Therefore, it is imperative to review the HR policy of a company concerning the business goals.
The current assignment has attempted to introspect into the human resource policies of Apple.
The company is one of the leading companies in the sector of manufacturing globally. The
current study has attempted to analyze the business strategy for Apple. Moreover, the assignment
has also attempted to discuss the strategy for managing human resources by Apple. The current
assignment has also attempted to represent a critical analysis of the strategy of human resources
based on the objectives of employment which are equity, efficiency, and voice. The study has
further attempted to analyze the relevance of the business strategies undertaken by Apple
concerning the HR policies of the company. In the current study, the most appropriate HR
strategy of the company based on the requirement of the business strategy has also been
attempted to be explored. The study has also aimed at discussing limitations of the HR policy
based on the performance of the business. Moreover, the study has also attempted to provide
Business strategy
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Apple is one of the most prominent companies in the industry of computer hardware and
technological revolutions for a better future with technology. The company started in 1976, and
it was considered as Apple Computer Inc 1977. The mission statement for Apple is to bring the
best user experience to its customers with the help of innovative software, hardware, and
services. In 2019 quarter 4, Apple was able to generate a revenue of $12.5 Billion (Apple, 2019).
The company was also able to generate the highest ever revenue for the fourth quarter. The
company was able to increase its revenue by 2% from the previous quarter (Apple, 2019). The
services of Apple, iPad, and wearables helped in achieving the high levels of revenue.
The board of directors of Apple has announced that Apple's common stock has a cash dividend
worth of $0.77 for each share (Apple, 2019). The company has been able to incorporate a
significant amount of revenue with the help of a wide range of products. Each year the company
launches new products and services in the market which experiences high demand. The
company launched the iPhone 11 as well as 11 Pro in the market, which helps in generating a
significant amount of profit. In the list of new products, the company has also introduced second-
generation Air Pods and new iPads. The most significant characteristic of the products of Apple
is that they are different from other products in the market. The features of the products are
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Figure 1: iPhone unit sales
To have a prominent place in the market, the company introduces products with simplicity. The
products are secure, compatible and reliable. The products are easy to use with an intuitive and
useful interface. Apple products have been able to save 70% time in the operations related to
system-related processes (Apple, 2019). Therefore, it can be stated that Apple utilizes the
differentiation strategy, a company attempts to launch new products that are unique and can have
high demand. Therefore, Apple also applies this strategy to improve its business. The products of
Apple have a few unique aspects, such as their operating system iOS, their unique software. The
mobile phones of Apple have represented unique features for the first time in the market, such as
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dual camera and water resistance. The incorporation of differentiation strategy helps in
This strategy, in turn, also helps a business to achieve a unique image in the market. Apple has
captured most of the market in the industry of mobile devices in the UK. In 2019, Apple was
able to achieve a market share of 49.24% in the respective market (Statista, 2019). In this year,
iPhone XR has been the most popular cell phone model in the UK. Therefore, Apple has been
able to experience an impressive performance with the help of employing the differentiation
In the HR strategy of Apple, people are the most important aspects of the business. The HR
policy of Apple has largely focused on inclusivity and equity for managing human resources.
The current HR strategy undertaken by Apple has focused on promoting diversity and inclusivity
in the workplace. The most important objectives of the HR policies such as equity, efficiency
and voice are also considered and evaluated for the employees of Apple. The aspect of equity of
employment can be described as the fundamental concept, which suggests that the effort put by
employees is returned to them. A major aim of this concept is focused on creating a balance
between the effort of the employee and the return paid back to the employee (Armstrong and
Taylor, 2020). The contribution of an employee to an organization can be overlooked, which can
create an imbalance in the perceived equity of the company. In Apple, the aspect of equity is
attempted to be maintained in the management of the human resources of the organization. In the
process of recruitment, the aspect of equity can be seen In the UK, all the recruitments are done
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Figure 2: Women at Apple
Apple also conducts the recruitment process based on the policy of preventing discrimination
which ensures that Apple cannot discriminate employees while recruiting (Government of the
United Kingdom, 2020). Therefore, in the procedure for recruitment, no employees experience
any kind of discrimination, and all the aspirants experience an equal opportunity. The aspect of
equity is not only applicable to the process of recruitment, but it is also important after
recruitment. There is no gender bias in the company, as around 38% of Apple's workforce are
women (Apple, 2020). In the procedure of recruitment in Apple, inclusivity is also seen in the
case of cultures. In the new hire population of Apple, more than 24% are from the
underrepresented minorities (Apple, 2020). The diversity in the working culture is high as 23%
Asians, 9% Black and 14% of Hispanic employees are working in Apple (Apple, 2020). On the
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other hand, the objective of efficiency is also significantly important in the procedure for
The objective of efficiency can be considered as the ability to produce products or services with
the least amount of waste and unnecessary efforts. The main focus of the objective of efficiency
is to emphasize on resources as well as speed for achieving the organizational goals (Nechanska
et al. 2020). In the operation of Apple for recruiting the employees, the aspect of efficiency is
substantially important. In Europe, 1.76 million jobs have been created by Apple in the last years
(Apple, 2020). To have the most effective return from the employees. Apple has recruited people
from all the fields. In the UK, there has been an increase of 28% in the jobs of the app economy
from 2018 to 2020 (Apple, 2020). The various ways of creating jobs in the company such as jobs
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(Source: Apple, 2020)
In 2019, Apple invested around 11 million in 2019. Furthermore, after the creation of app stores
in 2008, Europe based developers in Apple have earned around 21 million globally (Apple,
2020). Therefore, the efficiency of the organization has also been supported by the Human
resource policy of Apple. On the other hand, another significant objective of employment is the
voice. As per Armstrong and Taylor (2020), employee voice can be described as the aspect by
which people in an organization communicate with the employer to express their views about the
matters that impact them at work. Therefore, to offer an interactive workplace, it is important to
focus on the voice of employees. In the operations of Apple, employee voice is also important. In
Apple, there is a significant effective employee and employer relationship. On the list of Forbes,
Apple has secured the rank of 4 in the list of World's Best Employers (Forbes, 2020). Apple is
the leading technology organization in many countries, has attempted to maintain a good
The most significant strategy of Apple is the strategy of power-sharing in which employees and
the employers are free to express the viewpoint (Nechanska et al. 2020). The employees are
divided into small teams such as the IT team, business development team and information team.
In the UK, Apple has been able to have 22000 employees (Apple, 2020). The communicative
relationship between the employees and the employer of Apple has helped the company to create
more jobs in the UK. The employees can share their opinions about their performance and other
work-related factors in the present in the work environment. Since 2000, in Europe, Apple has
experienced a 15 times increase in employment with the help of effective HR policies (Apple,
2020). Therefore, the HR policies of Apple have been effective based on the objectives of
employment.
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The business strategy of Apple is substantially focused on the theory of differentiation strategy.
On the other hand, the most significant policy of HR practices in the UK is attracting the best
talents in the workforce and retaining them. The HR policy of Apple has also a substantial
emphasis on promoting inclusiveness and diversity. In the UK, in the retail sector, Apple has
provided 80,000 jobs and in manufacturing and 17,700 jobs in facilities management. The
company has provided a significant amount of job opportunities to a large number of people. The
differentiation strategy is majorly focused on producing differentiated and unique products in the
market. Therefore, the varied and diverse workforce of the company helps in achieving the goals
of the company substantially. The camera technology of iPhones is unique and is not found in
any other companies. In Apple, more than 800 specialists and engineers collaborate solely for
improving the camera technologies (Apple, 2020). The products manufactured in Apple are
created focusing on their impact on the people, customers and the planet as well.
A significant focus for the business strategy of Apple is to recruit the high performing talents in
the workforce. A talented and efficient workforce can help in creating improved and unique
products for business. In the case of Apple, the strategy of inclusivity, along with emphasizing
talents, has significantly helped to achieve the differentiation strategy of the company. The
employees are provided with health and wellness benefits at every level which helps in the
success of the company. While working at Apple, employees can reimburse their education and
they also get special pricing on Apple products. In the fourth quarter of 2019, Apple was able to
increase its revenue by 2% from the 2018 fourth quarter (Apple, 2019). Therefore, the distinctive
HR policies of Apple have helped in increasing revenue. The company has also been able to
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The HR policies for Apple has helped the organization to accomplish the business strategies.
However, the HR policies of Apple can be improved with several other measures. Shelton (2016)
policies in the workplace. Moreover, DeNisi and Murphy (2017) also stated that the
based on their working hours and designation such as part-time, full time, exempt and non-
The HR policy of Apple can be considered as following the theory of human relations in human
resource. The main focus of the business operations of Apple is creating unique products in the
market with achieving a high market share in the respective market. To achieve this goal, it is
significantly important to focus on the aspect of human relationships in the company as the
employees can help in creating unique products for the company. As per Shelton (2016), there is
the significant importance of the human relations theory of HRM. The theory suggests that
people working in a company can be helped by the supportive environment in the company. The
supportive behaviour of the workplace also enhances growth as well as the development of the
company.
The major focus of Apple's strategy is focused on continuous innovation. Therefore, the work
environment needs to be represented in such a way that innovation can take place. The
coordination of the business strategy and the HR strategy needs to be there for business (Sender
et al. 2017). To help the employees working in the company, Apple has attempted to create a
diverse team to promote extraordinary work (Apple, 2020). The aspect of diversity and
inclusivity also contributes to the effectiveness of the HR policy. However, in the HR policy of
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Apple, there are some significant gaps. The policy of HR in Apple lacks an initiative of
performance appraisal. DeNisi and Murphy (2017) stated that in a fast-growing industry such as
important. In these industries, there needs to be the presence of performance appraisal as changes
happen quickly. The reason behind this gap in the HR policies of Apple can be the issue of poor
planning and ineffective HR management. The absence of employee appraisal can have a
significant impact on the performance of the employees. The performance of the employees can
Recommendations
Apple can be suggested with a few recommendations which can help in improving the
Apple can be suggested to include employee appraisal for the employees of the company. DeNisi
and Murphy (2017) stated that performance appraisal can help in improving the performance of
an employee along with helping the business to be successful. Apple needs to incorporate
programs for performance appraisals as it ensures that employees can engage in self-
development. The employees are a, so motivated with the help of the appraisals. In Apple,
employees put a significant amount of effort into the business. Therefore, their efforts need to be
judged and rewarded based on a few parameters. The individual performances of an employee
can be enhanced with the appraisal. The compensation system for the appraisal needs to be based
on merit. The process of providing appraisal also ensures that the employees can directly
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Apple also needs to incorporate the strategy of employment security for the employees. Sender
et al. (2017) stated the lack of employment security impacts the performance of an employee
Most of the employees working at Apple are trained and talented. The lack of job security can
reduce the engagement of these employees in their respective operations. Providing security to
the employees of a company can ensure that the company also archives a great reputation.
Employees while working in Apple, should not be worried about losing their job continuously.
The innovation activities taking place in Apple can be adversely affected by the lack of job
security. Employees provided with a significant amount of job security can reduce the employee
turnover rate for the company. Secure employees attempt to serve the employers most
effectively, therefore, job security needs to be increased for the employees of Apple.
Conclusion
It can be concluded from the present study that HRM policies of a company can be regarded as
substantially important for any business organizations. In the current study, Apple has been
considered as the business organization for assessing their business policies. The company has
been able to improve the performance of the business with the help of effective HRM policy.
The assignment has stated that Apple is one of the most important technology-related companies
in the world. The most significant aspect of the HR policy of Apple is the efforts for inclusion
and diversity. The study has conducted an analysis of the HR policies of Apple based on the
objectives of employment such as efficiency, equity and voice. In the study, it has been explored
that the company has been able to fulfil all the objectives effectively. The study has stated that
the important aspects of the HR policies of Apple have been impactful on the business strategy
of the company.
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The differentiation strategy undertaken by Apple has been largely supported by the various
elements of the policy of human resources. The study has also stated that to enhance the business
performance of Apple at an optimum level, the HR theory of human relations can be applied.
The theory of human relations has been expected to increase the growth of the organization,
along with increasing the engagement and motivation of employees. The study has also explored
that in the HR strategy of Apple, there is a lack of a program for the appraisal for the employees.
Moreover, the study has also suggested increasing the motivation of the employees, a program
for providing appraisal to the employees can be considered. Increasing job security has also been
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Reference List
Statista (2019). Market share of leading mobile device vendors in the United Kingdom (UK)
Statista (2019). iPhone unit sales as a share of global smartphone sales from 3Q'07 to 4Q'19.
Available at https://www.statista.com/statistics/216459/global-market-share-of-apple-iphone/
[Accessed on 14/04/2020]
https://www.apple.com/in/newsroom/2019/10/apple-reports-fourth-quarter-results/[Accessed on
14/04/2020]
https://www.apple.com/in/business/success-stories/[Accessed on 14/04/2020]
https://www.gov.uk/employer-preventing-discrimination/recruitment[Accessed on 14/04/2020]
14/04/2020]
https://www.apple.com/uk/job-creation/[Accessed on 14/04/2020]
https://www.forbes.com/companies/apple/#512a7b555355[Accessed on 14/04/2020]
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Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S., 2020. Armstrong's handbook of human resource management
practice. Kogan Page Publishers. Bratton, J. and Gold, J., 2017. Human resource management:
Nechanska, E., Hughes, E. and Dundon, T., 2020. Towards an integration of employee voice and
DeNisi, A.S. and Murphy, K.R., 2017. Performance appraisal and performance management:
Sender, A., Arnold, A. and Staffelbach, B., 2017. Job security as a threatened resource: reactions
Management, 28(17), pp.2403-2429.
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