Professional Documents
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APPLE COMPANY
Introduction
Apple Computer, Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and
markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The
company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers,
the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad. Apple software includes the Mac OS X operating
system; the iTunes media browser; the life suite of multimedia and creativity software;
the iWork suite of productivity software; Aperture, a professional photography
package; Final Cut Studio, a suite of professional audio and film-industry software
products; Logic Studio, a suite of music production tools; and iOS, a mobile operating
system. As of August 2010, the company operates 301 retail stores in ten countries,
and an online store where hardware and software products are sold. As of May 2010
Apple is one of the largest companies in the world and the most valuable technology
company in the world, having surpassed Microsoft.
Corporate Goals
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Apple Inc. plans to keep creating and releasing computers and consumer
electronics that are more user-friendly.
Apple Inc. will focus more opening more stores even on international locations
to help increase in sales.
Company profile
Apple Computer, Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and
markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers.
PRODUCTS: The Company's primary products include iPhone, iPad, Mac, iPod,
iTunes, Mac App Store, iCloud, Operating System Software, Application Software and
Other Application Software.
States in 2008, and in the world in 2008, 2009, and 2010, 11, 12.13.The company has
also received widespread criticism for its contractors' labor, environmental, and
business practices.
Net sales of Apple Company was increased by 7%in 2014 as compared to 2013 the
reason behind that was net sales of iPhone; Mac; iTunes, Software and Services; and
Accessories was increased.Net sales and unit sales increased for iPhone primarily due
to the successful introduction of iPhone 5s and 5c in the latter half of calendar year
2013, the successful launch of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus beginning in the fourth quarter of
2014, and expanded distribution.
Capital Assets
The company total assets were $231,839,000 during 2014 and The Companys capital
expenditures were $11.0 billion during 2014, consisting of $491 million for retail store
facilities and $10.5 billion for other capital expenditures, The Company expects
utilizing approximately $13.0 billion for capital expenditures during 2015, including
approximately $600 million for retail store facilities and approximately $12.4 billion
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for other capital expenditures. During 2015, the Company expects to open about 25
new retail stores, with approximately three-quarters located outside of the U.S. During
2015, the Company also expects to modify approximately five of its existing stores.
Total liabilities:
The total liabilities including long term debt were $12,029,000 in 2014 and As of
September 27, 2014, the Company had $6.3 billion of Commercial Paper outstanding,
with a weighted-average interest rate of 0.12%.
Recruitment
Recruitment means to attract the suitable candidate for employers available post. This
function could be done through different measures like advertising, broadcasts and
announcements. First of all we have to forecast how many employees are needed. Both
internal (within the organization such as transferring, department examination, and
employees recommendation and so on.) and external source of candidates (internet)
are used in recruitment. Selection means to shaping down the applicant pool through
initial screening like tests assessment centers background information an reference
check .and then through interview employer decide which candidate have to hire.
According to stone:
Recruiting is the personnel function that attracts qualified applicants to fill job
vacancies. In the selection function, the most qualified applicants are selected for
hiring from among those attracted to the organization by the recruiting function.
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Recruitment in apple:
Apple has its recruitment in accordance to ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act),
along with a strong implementation of Equal Pay Act (1963), Civil Rights Act (1991),
Congressional Accountability Act (1995) and other legislations laid down by the US
government. It is rather note-worthy that Apple has shown our capability in
demonstrating such a cohesive branding know-how all through their commodities,
promotion, vending and distributing, assisting clients, and hiring or appointing
candidates.
Commence Recruitment
Job description
Interview questions
Announcement of Positions
The Human resource department announces the open position and draft
advertisements. The job descriptions are circulated to about 340 agencies, universities
and organizations. The Hiring Unit has to bear the cost of all other advertising
expenses.
Advertisements
Decisions must be made as to which media to use and how the advertisement
should be designed to target suitable applicants
Applicants are accepted or rejected on the basis of their qualifications and experience
in the field of engineering management. The criterion for selection is determined
before the actual screening takes place. Once the screening is complete using the
criteria of performance and experience, the Hiring Unit interviews at least three
applicants.
The interview includes questions that are relevant to the job under focus. The
interviewing panel members have to fill the interview evaluation form for each
applicant interviewed which is submitted to the Human Resource department. The
COO reviews the search committee for all new hires for Project manager level.
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Sample Questions:
Technical Interview:
If a customer asks you to sync music from their iPod to computer, what do you
say?
How do you answer a customer who wants to share music with his friend via
iTunes?
Reference Check
Before an offer can be made to the selected candidates a reference check has to be
done by the Hiring Manager. This manager would personally contact all the references
to complete the Candidate Reference Check.
Academic references
Financial references
Personal references
Compliance Review
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Once the desired aspirant has been chosen by the department manager, certain
documents to be assessed must be handed over to the human resources director,
namely:
Medical Examinations
The applicant must endure a fitness assessment test. Often, the job is offered to an
applicant only once it has been confirmed that he is physically stable and enjoys good
health after having taken the test. The physical examination/test is done for following
purposes:
Medical check-up protects the applicant from undertaking work that would
be hazardous to his health (Stone 2005).
Selection of Candidate
The Hiring Department forwards the Non-Academic Selection Form to the Human
Resources Department. The newly hired project manager has to complete all the forms
and return them to the Human Resource Department before joining. The orientation
program cannot commence till all these formalities have been completed
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Orientation Program
According to Stone
The orientation program provides a planned introduction of the job, organization and
the environment. It is an essential part of recruitment as it provides familiarity with the
roles and responsibilities within the rules and norms of the organization`s culture
.Orientation programs have been found to contribute to improved socialization and to
increase organizational commitment. Helps to reduce new employees stress levels and
help them to settle into their new role more quickly.
Apple uses the buddy system a method of linking every new employee with an
existing employee who then assists them to settle into the workplace.
2. Job Analysis
According to Dessler
In job analysis we determine that what duties and skills are required for the job and
what kind of people we have to hire.
Job Description
A job description indicates the accomplishments, obligations and limitations that are
all a part of any venture. It identifies what is done, why it is done, where it is done, and
briefly, how it is done.
According to Dessler
The description of the job is done by explaining the tasks to be performed, equipment
to be used, the working conditions and the performance standards
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According to Stone
A good job description should clarify and focus on the job and the position and not on
any particular individual that fills that position.
Job Summary
Responsibilities:
Collaborate with IS&T, Treasury, legal, Tax, finance, operations and other
organizations both within and outside of Apple to develop solutions for
partnerships and promotions and other new business.(Apple Inc. 2009)
Qualifications:
Job/Person Specification
Accountability
A manager is answerable for any undertaking that he takes up and must be strictly
observed at all times by the governing bodies within the organization. He must adhere
to all the regulations and guidelines of the organization and must thereby operate
within the boundaries of professional ethics (Dessler 2004). A project manager should
act as a guide and share complete knowledge of the overall activity as a part of his job.
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Employment Conditions
The successful candidate has to fulfill certain needs before becoming a part of the
organization officially, which means before finalizing the selection the following
conditions have to be fulfilled.
General Conditions
Profitable candidates must acquire and preserve a suitable safety approvals and some
other essential conditions. Proof of identity and legal right to work in the United States
as required by and in accordance with the process and procedures of the U.S.
Immigration reform and Control Act (IRCA).
Must sign the Intellectual Property Agreement and return the signed
agreement.
Introductory Period
Training and Development Programs whatever the size is has been given by most
organizations outright importance in the present business environment. It can range
from training the staff or employees on how to use a new piece of software, complete a
form, give good customer service or write a professional letter.
According to Dessler:
Training and development program provide basic skills to the employees to perform
their jobs effectively. A training process is performed which include training need
analysis and then training program is develop. On the job and of the job training is
done and then evaluate the effectiveness of the training.
According to stone:
Training and development programs provide useful means of assuring that employees
are capable of performing their jobs at acceptable levels. Training can be defined as
making available to employees planned and coordinated educational programs of
instruction in professional, technical, or other fields that are or will be related to the
employees job responsibilities.
of training and development programs is to assist the agency in achieving its mission
and goals by improving individual and, ultimately, organizational performance.
It has been said that the objective of the investigative segment of the Training and
Development Program lies on the creation of a developmental strategy. This is why the
identification of training needs does not necessarily guarantee that this will already
bring benefits to the Apple Inc. It would only serve as a reminder for the superiors to
look into the Weak points and come up with the appropriate solution and in this case it
is the actual selection of the training and development program and the method that
should be employed targeting the best results. There two ways that will help in the
choice for what training method to use. First, after the identification of the training
needs, the willingness of the company should be checked and so with the employees as
to how far we can go for the project. It will involve confirming their budget, time and
the acknowledgement of the project as urgent and important for them and for the
company. With all of these, the management can now look into the most suitable
methods based on their assessed stand of the company and there are actually a lot
available to choose from depending on the allowed scope, budget and time by the
management.
Apple computer has experienced both good and bad times as a main player in the
computer industry. It has been a leader in computer technology in the past but has
struggled recently in keeping pace in the fast developing computer industry. Emergent
technology and developing computer applications have contributed to a business
environment that is very competitive. Survival in this industry needs the skill to
foresee changes and to effectively react to market demands. The computer industry has
grown for the last two decades due to the popularity of personal computers even as a
household item. This market is no longer limited to the business and educational
environment; computers are a consumer good worldwide. Apple Computer, Inc. must
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respond to this business environment if it is to survive in the future. This is the driving
factor for this project. Training Needs Analysis can be complex and demands a
creative, people focused environment. Basing from the introduction for the Apple Inc.
it seemed that the people needed to prepare the Training Needs Analysis are already
within their organization. It would just be a matter of forming the team maybe from
the management or from the HR/Training and Development Department. For this to be
successful, the process should be designed in a way that it is simple to use but is
effective. Again, this is parallel with the basic philosophy of Apple Inc. That is to be
user friendly.
.Apple University
Apple Inc. is training there employees in Apple university. The first rule of Apple
University is you don't talk about Apple University. Apple's internal training program
is highly secretive and rarely written about. Apple employees are discouraged from
talking about the company in general, and the classes are no exception. The training
goes on year-round at company headquarters in Cupertino. There are full-time
instructors from Yale, Harvard, Stanford, and other top schools. Joel Podolny once the
dean of the Yale School of Management, designed the course at Steve Jobs' request. It
teaches you how Apple makes business decisions. In one course you analyze Apple
case studies, like the decision to make iTunes and the iPod compatible with Windows.
4. Compensation Management
Dessler in his book define as:
Compensation implies the pay packet given to any staff member for the work done by
them, their efforts and services. Sum total of the compensation includes of all the ways
of payment and gratuities and incentives. There are two types of compensation are
direct compensation that basically consists of monetary rewards such as a pay packet,
wages, incentives and bonuses and indirect compensation that are non-monetary
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Awards
Grouping jobs into pay grades - After determining the relative worth of
each job, jobs are grouped into pay grades. A pay grade is made up on jobs
of approximately equal difficulty or importance
Pricing each pay grade - Pay rates are assigned to each pay grade
1. Salary
2. Trust
3. Few classifications
4. Pay-for-performance (PFP)
Apple has one of the most well balanced compensation policies in the corporate world
today. They have been well established as an employees` company, where good salary
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Engage and absorb the coveted class and combination of staff workers.
5. Performance Appraisal
According to Dessler:
Performance appraisal means to compare the employees actual performance with the
standard one and then give them rewards are given for the good performance and if the
performance is not up to the mark the corrective action is taken to remove the
deficiencies. Human resource professionals are usually responsible for developing and
managing performance appraisal systems, although the actual appraisal of employee
performance is the responsibility of supervisors and managers. Besides providing a
basis for pay, promotion, and disciplinary action, performance appraisal information is
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According to Armstrongs
The goals were made to interconnect horizontally and vertically throughout APPLE.
The management by objective process is part of the companys strategic planning
which defines the objectives and responsibilities that a job entails. In an MBO system
an employee meets with his or her manager, and they collectively set goals for the
employer for a coming period of time. These goals are usually quantifiable, they are
objective, and they are usually written. During the specified timeframe, the manager
and the employee periodically meet to review the employees performance relative to
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attaining goals. At the end of the specified period, a more formal meeting is scheduled
in which the manager and employee assess the actual degree of goal attainment. The
degree of goal attainment then becomes the individuals performance appraisal.
APPLE combined MBO with the paired-comparison approach. The paired comparison
approach, according to Sims (2002), measures the relative performance of employees
in a group. A manager lists the employees in the group and then ranks them. APPLE
managers invested considerable time and energy ensuring that an individuals pay level
within their salary range reflected their performance when compared to others.
Performance was judged by the immediate supervisor but adjusted based on a ranking
process, conducted by managers in face-to-face meetings, which compared employees
in different departments with similar responsibilities.
6. Employees Relation
According to Dessler:
The term labour relations refers to interaction with employees who are represented
by the trade union. Unions are organization of employees who join together to obtain
more voice in decisions affecting wages, benefits, working conditions, and other
aspects of employment. With regard to labour relations, the personnel responsibility
primarily involves negotiating with the unions regarding wages, service conditions,
and resolving disputes and complaints.
According to Armstrongs:
Employee relations are concerned with managing the employment relationship and the
psychological contract. They consist of the approaches and methods adopted by
employers to deal with employees either collectively through their trade unions or
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Apple Store employees filed a federal lawsuit against their employer back in 2013,
stating that they were treated like criminals because they were subjected to searches
of their personal effects to ensure they werent stealing any products from the stores in
which they worked. . According to a report from CNN, an Apple Store employee even
emailed CEO Tim Cook last year regarding the policy, saying that it was both
insulting and demeaning, and that these procedures imply that Apple doesnt trust
or respect their employees, the person wrote. Managers are required to treat valued
employees as criminals. Often times such searches took places in front of customers,
embarrassingly enough.
There were a few other things the employees didnt like as well, including policies
barring discussion of Apples labor practices, and that some workers didnt get breaks
for meals after a certain amount of hours, in violation of the law. But at the heart of the
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matter is the fact that employees were forced to wait, off the clock, for a supervisor to
go through their personal belongings. All of that time added up, and in some cases,
summed up to more than $1,500 in unpaid wages.
The greater fact is that Apple Store employees arent happy with a lot of the things
going on behind the scenes at their place of work, which comes in stark contrast to the
companys cool, hip, professional image. Theres one thing thats clear, its that its not
all sunshine and rainbows in the land of Apple.
7. Employees Union
A part-time employee at a San Francisco-based Apple store has started a process that
could see a first-of-its-kind union formed at one of the company's iconic retail
locations. Cory Moll, a part-timer in San Francisco, said he's forming the union as part
of an attempt to secure better wages and benefits for Apple's 30,000 retail employees.
"The core issues definitely involve compensation, pay, benefits," Moll said in a
Reuters interview. As Reuters notes in their article, Moll makes $14/hour and the San
Francisco minimum wage is $9.92/hour. It's one of the country's most expensive cities.
To date, Moll said he has received very little public support for his union, although
there are apparently emails from more reserved employees that have since pledged
support.
Top management should give high priority to the safety matters in the meeting .safety
inspection should always be the part of the supervisor daily routine. Occupational
safety and health act (OSHA) 1970 should be followed by every organization, which
state, to provide the safe working conditions to both men and women.
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Apple Computer is committed to protecting the environment, health and safety of its
employees, customers and the global communities where they operate. It recognize
that by integrating sound environmental, health and safety management practices into
all aspects of their business, we can offer technologically innovative products and
services while conserving and enhancing resources for future generations.
Apple was named the top manufacturer among all brands by the Institute of
Public and environment.
In addition to making facilities energy efficient, apple explore ways to power those
using cleaner and renewable sources. In 2015, apple launched its Clean Energy
Programmed to reduce carbon emissions across its supply chain, which makes up
nearly three-quarters of Apples total carbon footprint.
In 2015, apple launched a waste diversion program at 22 factories, including all final
assembly facilities, to help suppliers reduce, reuse or recycle. To date, its efforts have
diverted 73,773 tons of waste from landfill.
Foxconn Zhengzhou, one of its final assembly facilities for iPhone, was sending a
large portion of its production waste to landfill every month. This represented a
tremendous opportunity to lessen the impact of how apple make its most popular
product .Together, they were able to divert 40 per cent of Foxconn Zhengzhous
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previously landfill-bound waste to recycling, and the remaining waste was repurposed
to help generate power for local governments. And as of early 2016, Foxconn
Zhengzhou is 96 per cent landfill-free.
Water samples are tested for pollutants as part of its Clean Water Program.
EHS team researched and created a machine life management system that added EHS
checkpoints to different milestones across a machines lifespan. These included design,
manufacture, acceptance, evaluation, regular monitoring and disposal.
With the new EHS system and daily safety routines in place, machinery-related
injuries were reduced and new safety precautions have been enforced throughout the
factory including places where non-Apple products are made. Machines are
inspected daily to ensure that safety mechanisms are working.
challenges. For one thing, differences in cultures and economic and legal systems
influence employer HR practices from country to country. For example, how should
we appraise and pay our local employees? How should we deal with the unions in our
offices abroad? How do we identify and get the right talent and skills to where we need
them? And how do we spread state-of-the-art knowledge to our operations abroad?
Diversity:
Apple is making slow progress on the diversity of its workforce. Global Human
Resources Chief Denise Young Smith said at Fortune Brainstorm Tech that Apples
next diversity report will come and will reveal some progress on recruiting diverse
employees. We did have some movement in our hiring or women and hiring of
minorities, said Young Smith, noting that about 35% of Apples recent recruits are
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women. The upcoming report, which Young Smith claims will have more
transparency than its report last year, will show an uptick in hiring African-American
and Hispanic recruits as well.
A year ago, Apple AAPL -0.16% joined the parade of Silicon Valley companies
publicly reporting the gender, race, and ethnicity of its workforce. Recent updates from
companies such as Google GOOG 1.18% and Facebook FB -0.08% suggest that no
company is yet emerging as a role model for diversitywhich gives Apple CEO Tim
Cook all the more reason to make diversity a priority.
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