Evaluation Essay Sample on Apple: Innovation Leader in Tech Industry

Introduction

Apple is a large multinational technology company established in the United States that deals with the design and development of computer software and hardware (Ongel 2014). Notably, the company has been considered as one of the largest in tech industry owing to the fact that it often focuses on spurring innovation to result in more quality products that provides with competitive advantage over other companies such as Microsoft, Sony, and Google among others (Ongel 2014). However, it is worth noting that the company has experienced some challenges that have impeded it from achieving the set organisational goals. The key challenge that is being faced by Apple Inc. is low employee satisfaction that has hindered the effort to implement certain vital strategies that can help the organisation in achieving the desired results in the ever-increasing competition in the tech industry.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Low Employee Satisfaction

Understandably, the leadership in the human resource department in Apple Inc. has been poor as they often focus on the consumers and the innovation front. Employees play an integral role in any business, and their satisfaction will help in the implementation of important policies that can take the company forward. It has been established that the company always offer low-wages to its employees, and worse still disposing them at will (Mayo, A., 2016). Despite making huge sales across the world, Apple's employees often receive little enjoyment of the resultant wealth, and this has consequently resulted in low employee satisfaction. Moreover, most of the company employees often work in the Apple Stores, and they always feel the pressure of working for the company that is actively engaged in edging its rivals in the tech industry (Ongel 2014). More critically, the human resource department at Apple has been considered to be the best in the tech industry. Still, evidence has revealed that the hired employees often experience tough conditions that have considerably lowered their satisfaction and hence their overall productivity.

Also, employee satisfaction is not primarily anchored on monetary benefits but on other aspects that include their security. More often than not, some employees at Apple Stores have complained about harassment by some customers. However, Apple's human resource department has not developed a better security framework that can help in forestalling cases where employees' lives are endangered (Mayo, A., 2016). Additionally, employee satisfaction often results in the incentive to put more effort in achieving the set organisational goals and the success of some of the company's rivals has been attributed to their improved leadership in the human resource department. Worse still, the company often focuses on getting more revenue by making a significant investment in research and development department to spur innovation, but failing to allocate more resources in human resource department to enhance employee satisfaction (Balouch and Hassan 2014). In the same vein, employees often derive satisfaction when their efforts are appreciated, but the company often glorifies innovation without considering the human capital involved in realising the increased innovation and the production of quality products that provide high customer experience.

It should be noted that the enhanced relationship between employees and the leadership in an organisation often result in great results. Apple's human resource department has particularly failed to infuse contemporary human resource strategies to impart employees with relevant knowledge and skills that can assist them in staying productive in the company. Trainers at the company have revealed that they are always taught about the company's CEO, Steve Jobs, and not more on the Apple products and that has substantially lowered their satisfaction (Mayo, A., 2016). Employees always get satisfied when they are imparted with new ideas and skills that can improve not only the company's fortunes but also their individual development. Furthermore, their low satisfaction often stems from skewed promotional procedures that do not consider their contribution to the progress of the company in the tech industry. Also, the department has deep-rooted structural failures that have impeded a better follow-up of the employees' experiences at the workplace and at home (Balouch and Hassan 2014). Additionally, the department has not developed recreational programs that can assist in breaking the boredom from the tiresome activities in the company, and this has consequently led to low employee satisfaction, and hence low productivity.

More significantly, employees often feel part of the organisation when they are actively involved in the formulation of programs and policies. However, Apple has been facing the challenge of improving employee engagement in the formulation and implementation of strategies and programs that will inevitably give them an edge in the competitive tech industry (Ongel 2014). Research has indicated that involving employees in making critical decisions in an organisation often increase their satisfaction and hence their productivity (Ongel 2014). The challenge of low employee involvement has been attributed to leadership challenges in the human resource department that has failed to recognise the instrumental role played by the employees within the company. Also, the human resource department has failed to offer other non-monetary benefits such as paternal leave that can significantly increase employees' satisfaction within the organisation. Understandably, employees within an industry always prefer interacting with other employees from different companies and learn from them (Balouch and Hassan 2014). However, Apple often instructs employees to sign a confidentiality agreement which obstructs its employees from engaging with their colleagues in the tech industry, and this has significantly resulted in their low satisfaction.

Recommendations

It is instructive to note that the challenge of low employee satisfaction can result in the slow progress of Apple Inc. considering the fact the company often relied considerably on its human resource to advance its aggressive strategy to remain the tech giant in the world. Some of the key recommendations to resolve the challenge include;

Apple Inc. should ensure that it improves its human resource department by incorporating better remuneration procedure that will guarantee high achievers within the company good pay rise as that will consequently lead to high employee satisfaction that will be reflected in the production.

The company should focus on improving the security measures to ensure that its employees in the numerous Apple Stores across the world are protected from some elements that often threaten their lives.

The company should allocate substantial resources to the human resource department to ensure that programs that seek to improve employee satisfaction are effectively implemented.

The company should develop contemporary training techniques that will impart employees with knowledge and skills that can assist them in achieving personal and organisational goals. Also, the company should ensure that the best employees are offered other non-monetary benefits that can boost their satisfaction and morale.

The company, through the human resource department, should strengthen employee involvement in the formulation and implementation of different policies and programs. Moreover, the company should encourage employees' interaction with other employees from different companies to ensure that there is an exchange of ideas that can guarantee the progress of the company.

Improving the Organisation's Effectiveness

Understandably, the organisation's effectiveness in dealing with low employee satisfaction can be improved by adopting contemporary management techniques that can help in enhancing the leadership in Apple's human resource department. The company can make more investment in conducting research concerning human resource and initiating programs that will inevitably result in increased employee satisfaction. Additionally, the company's effectiveness can be improved by focusing on the welfare of the employees through the provision of monetary and non-monetary benefits to improve their satisfaction, and hence productivity. Furthermore, Apple's effectiveness can be enhanced by promoting better employee engagement that will make them understand that their efforts and ideas are appreciated within the organisation.

Conclusion

The tech industry has been experiencing increased competition from different companies that have embraced innovation. Notably, the companies' success is often premised on their ability to ensure that their employees are adequately satisfied to improve the production of quality products. Low customer satisfaction at Apple has contributed to slow progress as the low wages, and the inability of the human resource department to involve them in making key decisions has adversely affected their productivity. Also, low employee satisfaction in the company has been significantly caused by the failure of the company to institutionalise programs that will provide them with skills that can increase their contributions. It should be noted that the company should focus on ensuring that the remuneration of its employees is adequately revised and other benefits are offered to them to ensure that their satisfaction is improved.

References

Balouch, R. and Hassan, F., 2014. Determinants of job satisfaction and its impact on employee performance and turnover intentions. International journal of learning and development, 4(2), pp.120-140.

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/a91c/561375d5b335ec96dbb0c575f68840e5aedb.pdf

Mayo, A., 2016. Human resources or human capital?: Managing people as assets. Routledge.

https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781315587479

Ongel, E., 2014. The Relationship Between Employee Engagement and Organizational Performance: Implementations of Organizations. The International of Journal Social Sciences vol. 25 no, 1.

http://www.tijoss.com/TIJOSS%2025th%20volume/elif.pdf