Nature of the Organization. Apple Inc - Assignment Example

Erla Reyes For Dr. Larry Byrd BUS310-011016 August 26, Organizational Analysis Part 2 Nature of the Organization Apple Inc. is an international technology company established in 1976 in California, United States by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, who started working together in 1970. The company is spread out in more than 10 countries and has more than 300 retail stores in these countries. Apple Inc is, by market capitalization, the leader in the field of technology and the highest publicly traded IT company, greater than its close competitor Microsoft.

By the end of 2011, the company had over 60,000 workers employed permanently and approximately 3000 temporary employees. Manufacturing and selling both hardware and software, the company’s best sellers are iBooks, iPods, iPads, and PowerBooks. One of the biggest HR issues for Apple was the illness and subsequent death of Jobs in late 2011. Succession of upper management has always been a challenge, especially as untimely as Jobs’ death was. Another pressing concern is the unionization of the company’s retail stores (Westbrook).

Human Resource Decision-Making Human resource decisions are very important to the company. There are different types of information needed in order to make informed decisions. These types of information are described in the succeeding paragraphs. The first type of information is what is known as HRA measurement. What emphasis is placed on the HR function? In Apple’s case for example, in 2006 it was widely reported that workers at a Chinese factory were working under poor and deplorable conditions.

This would not be tolerated in a US factory issues and should be standardized worldwide. Workers are a resource just like the buildings and should be maintained to a standard. To quote Fariborz Avazzadehfath, “The assessment of human resource conditions is likely to encourage managers to take long run view of their decisions” (Avazzadehfath). The second type of information is the leveraging human resource issues. One way by which a company such as Apple is leveraging its human resource so as to increase its competitiveness in the market, by adapting itself to the changing paradigm of human resources, in order to advance and transform its business model.

It can achieve this by providing strong leadership and platform where its employees can re-invent themselves and advance their careers. Recruitment and Selection After analyzing the organizations recruitment and selection process, I would recommend that Apple’s selection and recruitment criteria continue to be fair and transparent, in accordance with the host country policies. If none are in place, then they should follow US laws. To be fair, the company has taken action towards preventing employing of underage workers, ending excessive recruitment and forbidding discriminatory laws at its factories and suppliers.

The company’s does not allow discrimination during selection and recruitment exercise by making sure that everybody is selected based on his/her qualification. It also forbids the use of medical and pregnancy tests as a prerequisite for employment. HR Policies HR policies have a large impact on the competitiveness and success of the company. The succeeding paragraphs discuss various policies that are important to the company. The company’s labor relations policy has been under fire for a number of years, at home and abroad.

The unionization of the stores is just the latest in bad press for Apple and includes poor sweatshop-like conditions in China. The company’s training policy emphasizes knowledge of the technology industry, especially for those in the stores. This means they employ a good many geeks and one former employee (very happy), said that Apple stressed customer satisfaction was utmost, so the fourteen year-old buying an iPod was just as important as a businessman buying Mac’s for his company. He also lauded the dress code, or should I say the lack of one, where piercings and tattoos were welcome.

The company’s diversity practices are that into consideration that every culture has something unique and important to add to the organization. This means that the company respects these cultural differences among its employees and treats them with respect. More so, the company incorporates these cultural practices in the way its employees treat each other and how it approach its customers. With so many employees worldwide Apple has done a commendable job in focusing on diversity. Organizational Compensation The communication below was drafted to inform the workforce of the organization’s compensation policy.

TO: All Employees FROM: Director, Human Resource Department DATE: August 29, 2012 SUBJECT: Compensation Policy Apple Computer’s is very generous. The first thought that comes to most people’s minds is salary. We strive to make the base salary competitive with others in the industry and think most of our employees will agree that their salary is very generous. However actual monies received is only a small part of what we offer. The benefits for working for us include: Stock purchase plan for we feel that you should be our co-owners.

Matching 401(k) contributions because eventually we would all would like to make that trek through the Grand Canyon. Generous health, dental and well-being benefits. Certificates and education opportunities at deep discounts. Paid vacation Employee discounts for Apple products. 25% annual discount for major purchases and unlimited 10% discounts the remainder of the year. References Dinisi, A., & Griffin, R. (2011). HR, 1st ed. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Westbrook, Joshua (2011, July 3), “So what's wrong with Apple?

”, Examiner, retrieved from http://www.examiner.com/article/so-what-s-wrong-with-apple . Avazzadehfath, Fariborz, et al (2011), “Decision-Making Based on Human Resource”, Asian Journal of Finance & Accounting, Vol. 3, No. 1: E14, retrieved from www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/ajfa/article/.