Course Code: HRM 518 Course Title: Strategic Human Resource

Management

Course Instructor: Dr. Sunil Kumar

Academic Task No.: CA-2 Academic Task Title: Case Study

Date of Allotment: 27/08/2020 Date of submission: 27/09/2020

Student’s Roll no:Q1E24(A06) Student’s Reg. no: 11907407

Evaluation Parameters:

Learning Outcomes: Able to understand the role of strategic human resource development in
real world situations.s

Declaration: I declare that this Assignment is my individual work. I have not copied it from any
other student’s work or from any other source except where due acknowledgement is made
explicitly in the text, nor has any part been written for me by any other person.

Student’s Signature: Rahul Sethi

Evaluator’s comments (For Instructor’s use only)

General Observations Suggestions for Best part of assignment

Improvement

Evaluator’s Signature and Date:

Marks Obtained: _______________ Max. Marks: ___________

Strategic Human Resource Development in Apple Inc.

What Is Strategic Human Resource Development

Strategic human resource development involves introducing, eliminating, modifying, directing

and guiding processes in such a way that all individuals and teams are equipped with the skills,
knowledge and competences they require to undertake current and future tasks required by the
organization.

With the changing time the importance and role of Strategic Human Resource Development is
also changing.

Introduction of Apple INC

Apple Inc. is an international corporation that specializes in the manufacture of electronics and
software products. The company was founded in 1976 by Steven Jobs and Stephen Wozniak.
The company has its headquarters in Cupertino, California. The primary hardware products that
are manufactured by Apple Inc. include iPod, iPhone, iPad, and Macintosh personal computers.
The software products designed and manufactured by the company include iTunes media
browser, iLife Suite, iWork suite, Final Cut Studio, Logic Studio, iOS, and Mac OS X operating
system. These products are sold worldwide using various sales strategies such as direct sales,
online stores, value added resellers and third-party wholesalers among others.

Apple revenue has continued to grow over the past years.  The company has experienced
increasing revenue because it has specialized in the manufacture of electronic products that are
of high quality. According to Forbes, Apple was ranked as the best brand among other
companies that makes electronic products. The founders of the company have put a lot of
emphasis on creativity and innovation. As such, it has been endorsed by the largest brand among
various companies. To enhance its innovative culture, the company has invested in research and
development. Apple has also elevated its sales team by giving them essential skills through
training to enable cover a wider market niche .Most of its direct sales outlets have been
positioned at strategic places that can be easily accessed by the clients. The firm has located its
direct sales branches in busy traffic areas. This is aimed at strengthening the revenue of the
company. Apple has been able to control its supply chain. The company publishes the code of
conduct of its suppliers on a yearly basis with the primary objective of strengthening its brand.
Apple produces products that are easy to use. Most of the iPhones generated by the company are
user-friendly, and most customers’ wants to identify themselves with Apple products.

Apple has based its success on the strength of its employees. The HR strategy employed by the
company is the primary reason behind its continued growth and excellent performance in the
market (Grant, 2016). Apple has some of the great talents, and the management has been
equipped with the best talent management approaches. This is to ensure that the company attracts
and retain the talented workforce. Great talents and efficient management skills are the primary
reason why Apple has become a leader in the manufacture of consumer electronics.
Apple Inc works in an environment full of challenges. However, it has been structured to
overcome such challenges. The internal structure of the company adopts best practices that
attract and retains talented force.

SHRD Practices in Apple

The primary focus of the company is to attract and retain its employees. For this purpose
company has employed different human resources practices to attract skilled professional. Apple
is interested in maximizing the efforts of its workforce by investing in their skills. The company
recognizes human capital as a vital element for overall competitiveness. With the primary
objective of achieving competitive advantage in market the firm capitalized on the competencies
of staff. Great talent and people management helps Apple to become the most innovative firm in
the consumer electronics industry. The HR of Apple Inc. works towards maximizing the returns
on investment by minimizing the financial risks while capitalizing on human capital.

The key strategic human resource functions are discussed below.

Recruitment and Selection

Recruitment and selection is the first step towards talent acquisition and it is the keys to the
success of most of the organization. Apple invests a lot in finding the right talent who can
perform duties efficiently and fits in organization culture. Apple uses a different recruitment
strategy which is different from other employers. Apple does not promise its employees on
career progression. The employees are required to own their career. In this, case the company
does not support career path. The workforce is expected to seek information concerning their
jobs. The company also relies on pirate raiding of talented workers from other businesses. The
recruitment process is designed in such a way that only employees who fit the organizational
culture are hired. The selection process is based on the verbal interview. The recruitment and
selection model enables the company to get right talents to serve the organization.

Diversity and Equal Employment Opportunities

Apple provides equal employment opportunities to all people regardless of their gender, race,
ethnicity or disability among others. The company also employees people from diverse
backgrounds. As such, it has been able to attract a talented workforce from different parts of the
world that have contributed to its continued success and growth.

Employment Benefits and Compensation

Apple provides very good salary packages to attract talent. Apple provide various monetary
benefits to their employees. Benefits are provided on the basis of geographical location and
employment status. Some of the benefits are insurance cover, employee stock purchase
programs and investment and savings plan. Employees were given employee discount on all
Apple products. They are also given bonuses for working with experienced talents in the
industry. Apple provide fix benefits to its employees, but they have different kind of benefits
plans and employees were given the right to choose any benefit plan which suits their lifestyle or
requirement. The Economic reward has been used as the best retention strategy by Apple.
Employees are awarded periodical stock grants for their contribution to the company. This is a
great opportunity for employees to create wealth and realize individual accomplishment at
retirement. Apple promotes and support agility in employees. And this become the major factor
to its success and employee retention. Employees are encouraged to to shift from one department
to another. For example A employee can shift from music industry to computer and then to
smartphone. Apple encourages employees to be master of all activities as they prepare
themselves for next big thing. This strategy has motivated employees to commit their effort to
the organizational culture since they are in a position to enhance their skills.

Employee Appreciation and Recognition

The company has a program known Apple Fellows Program that was created in 1995 to
recognize employees who make an extraordinary contribution to the company. Employees who
receive this award are appointed as leaders. They provide visionary guidance to the organization
in their field of expertise. This strategy motivates employees to work hard since it also
associated with economic benefits. Apple appreciates and values employees who are committed
to innovation. As such, the firm has attracted some of the best and committed talents in the
industry. This practices show that company appreciate innovators and leaders.

Career opportunity
The recruitment policy of Apple focuses on the suitability of the candidate in organizational
culture rather than experience and level of skills. Apple believes that if a candidate is suitable fit
for the organization the level of skills and expertise can be achieved while working for
organization. Apple provides the opportunity to advance their skills while working for the
organization.  Besides, the company provides on-the –job training to allow employees to advance
their skills on the job.

Apple hire employees through internships also. Those who are on internship are provided with
actual learning experiences that allow them to develop in their prospective careers. The
internship opportunity attracts the most talented students. They are provided with the opportunity
to develop their skills to equip them for future employment opportunities. The interns who
perform good in internship are employed by Apple. Besides, those who are not fortunate to get
employment from the company can get jobs immediately. This is because Apple provides a real
learning experience that other firms cannot provide. The interns from Apple are promptly
employed by other companies within the industry. On-the-job training provides junior staff
opportunity to interact with the experienced and talented workforce. In this case, they can
overcome challenges that they are likely to experience in the course of their duty.

Training and Development

As every training session means guiding and helping the employees, But Apple uses a different
approach in training sessions so that employees are well equipped with the right skills for the
job. The company allows the employees to do things by their own to encourage them to develop
strong self-reliance. This type of approach helps in skill enhancement and workers can learn
from their mistakes. Apple uses a unique approach to assigning roles to different teams. Several
groups were assigned to perform a particular task. After the completion of task they are assigned
task but of entirely different role. The teams are required to do something new every time.
Because of these kind of activities Apple has developed itself as one of the most innovative
companies in the world. After completion of task each team is reviewed and the best one is
selected.

Apple does not prepare training programs but employees are encouraged to learn out their own.
To enhance the culture of free thinking and innovation, the teams meet twice in a week. During
the meetings, they can brainstorm to come up with something new full of innovation. The
challenges experienced during projects encourage employees to become proactive. The
employees of the Apple can learn on their own without training. This strategy has enabled the
company to nurture and develop talents that have made the company to achieve international
recognition.

Recommendations
Apple has some of the best HR management strategies. However, there are some changes that
they need to implement to enhance their ability to attract and retain the best talents. Some of the
new HR approaches the organization should embrace include the following:

1- Creating Potential Network – As we all are aware that fresh talent is more innovative and
proactive. So Apple should collaborate with some top universities to spot the young and
fresh talent. This can be done through social media or physical networking.
2- Developing a simple application process - Apple Inc. should adopt recruitment strategies
which are simple and easily accessible. The recruitment procedure should encourage
employees to complete the application at their convenience. The recruitment process
should not be based on verbal interview only. It should involve written interview to allow
the recruiting managers to learn the other skills of the potential candidates.
 3- Reward and Bonuses – Apple reword system is based on individual performance. But this
is not appreciable because most of the times people work on projects in teams. It can be
somehow demotivating. So the company should create such reward and bonus system
which that awards outstanding group performance.
4- Organizational Culture – The HR managers should take actions or make policies which
promote collaborative culture. They should include their employees in decision making
process. This can help in improving work commitment and performance.

Conclusion
It is a fact that Apple has the best talent that have enabled them as best company in providing
personal computing. But its corporate culture does not promote the moral of employees. Apple
should adopt HRM policies that encourage systematic practice where employees are involved in
decision making. This will enable the company to manage a diverse workforce and realize
sustainable growth.