Globalization and Diversity's Influence on Apple Inc.'s HR Practices

This report analyzes the influence of globalization and increased diversity on the Human Resource (HR) practices of Apple Inc. It explores the impact of these trends on various HR aspects, including language considerations, localization and cultural adaptation, and the challenges of long-distance communication. The report further examines specific HR functions such as recruitment and performance management, highlighting the need for global talent acquisition, culturally sensitive performance evaluations, and effective communication strategies. The study emphasizes how Apple Inc. must adapt its HR practices to manage a diverse workforce and operate effectively in a global market, considering factors such as legal compliance, cultural differences, and the need for standardized yet adaptable HR software solutions. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of these adaptations for maintaining team performance, fostering creativity, and mitigating potential conflicts arising from communication issues and cultural disparities.

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Contents
Introduction to Organization......................................................................................................2
Overview of Trend.....................................................................................................................2
Effect of Globalization and increased diversity on Apple Inc's HR practices...........................3
References..................................................................................................................................5
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Introduction to Organization
Apple Inc has been chosen because it’s technological innovation abilities has always
interested me and it is an American MNC that operates within technology industry and is
located in California, USA. Apple Inc. designs, develops and markets consumers electronic
goods, computer software and provides online services. Apple follows generic strategy and
intensive growth approaches related to their business purposes of pricing, marketing and
other business areas where their strategic choices are developed to drive competitive edge in
consumer electronics, IT and service sectors. Apple’s generic focus to create differentiation
of products/services helps them to stand out due to elegance of design, user friendliness and
high branding. Apple emphasizes on innovation of technology to stay different from
competitors and build brand value. Distinction of product functionalities, design supports
Apple Inc. to lead the market due to technological innovation which is the main focus of their
intensive growth strategies.
The special thing about the workforce of Apple Inc. is that they are very passionate about
technology and it the common word that is often heard where their workforce showcase
magnetic personality just like proficiency and display best attitudes towards knowledge and
learning and have keen interest towards idealism. Workforce at Apple Inc. are people who
have ability to put strong opinions and can debate and defend their outlook as they want to
make things different and better. People working at Apple are inherently not satisfied and are
aware that things can be different and they are determined to find answers to their
imaginations.
Overview of Trend
I am interested in globalization trend as it has offered opportunities for businesses like Apple
Inc. to invest in foreign markets and get access to new capital, however a primary concern in
attaining these financial outcomes through globalization is the effect of this trend over their
business and human resources practices.
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Globalization is procedure of interaction and incorporation between people, firms and
government of diverse nations so that international commerce and investments are driven
under this trend and supported by information technology. Globalization impacts business
environment of Apple, their organizational culture, growth and operations as well as response
to business objectives. It is important for Apple Inc. to efficaciously respond to globalization
so that it brings staffs together irrespective of global distance and cultural disparity as well as
helps to manage diversity impacts by emphasizing development of interpersonal associations.
The manner top authorities and managers interacts with employee and how staffs
interconnect with one another, can help Apple manage their entire human resource practices
to respond effectively to globalization and increased diversity.
Apple operates in technology and software application industry and is geographically located
across Africa, Middle East, India, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the
United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Rivals of Apple Inc. includes Microsoft, Dell,
Samsung, Lenevo, HP, Sony, Asus, Google, Huawei and Philips.
Effect of Globalization and increased diversity on Apple
Inc's HR practices
The ways by which globalization and diversity is changing HR practices of Apple includes:
Language: one of the common effect of workforce globalization is requirement for diversity
management through language services like translation. Staffs of Apple from foreign nations
who speak distinct language often may need to travel to deliver or communicate with others
inside their firm, which has made the firm to recruit foreign language translators. These
individuals help staffs from various nations interact during meetings or events with local
staffs, partners and clients (Edgley, Sharma & Anderson-Gough, 2016). Further as Apple has
extended its base to onsite the influence of globalization on HR practices has extended with
need to enhance support for their staffs specifically due to need for training to address
cultural concerns and perhaps language acquisition. In such cases intentions of workforce to
become mobile is a factor to productivity.
Localization and culture: even while attempting to establish global culture due to
globalization trend, HR professionals of Apple may have to emphasize localization for each
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nations which may interrelate with approaches utilized as they enter foreign markets and
attempt to establish rapport with regional communities (Hunt, Prince, Dixon-Fyle & Yee,
2018). In many ways, increased diversity extends HR accountabilities and holds the practices
responsible for functions mandated under law. This means insuring competent recruitment
and training management process at national and local level and building a remuneration and
motivation system that fits well with each nation of operation. Also developing a global
culture is complicated than building one domestically as HR practices need to reflect
common culture, shared norms and values of staffs (Okoro & Washington, 2012). When
staffs have varying culture, they have distinct disparities in their outlook for work, interaction
and other elements, which means that HR practices need to function based on cultural
sensitivity.
Long distance correspondence challenges: in local operations the HR professionals may ask
the staffs to stop by HR divisions to discuss a concern such as in their paycheck or to deal
with policy related concerns. But when administering staffs across larger distances and
perhaps in different countries spread across the world, the HR practices such as job design
often experience much larger challenge in corresponding with their staffs. Often these need to
depend on technology like emails or conference calls to communicate or share inputs thus
removing some of the more direct human elements of communication from the job design
practices. Staffs and offices need to operate across distinct points of 24 hours work
arrangement so that simple issues may take more time to be addressed (Wells & McDone,
2017). Though HRM software are standardized throughout Apple Inc. but accommodating
these may have to be made for language disparity so that long distance communication can be
made across job design process to attain specific goals through task organization and
methods.
Further effect of globalization and increased diversity on specific HR practices and functions
that have been analyzed in context to Apple Inc. are: (Hunt, Prince, Dixon-Fyle & Yee, 2018)
Recruitment: globalization has brought several transformative changes within recruitment
and firms that were once dependent on local resource pools now have global choices and this
shift towards global recruitment has allowed corporates such as Apple to secure very best
talents and gain benefits of diverse workforces. Though gains to global approach for
recruitment are many, there may be certain challenges to find and place right candidates.
Such as legislations governing job status classification and employment laws varies between
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jurisdictions as do statutory protections for staffs, so failing to consider these into recruitment
practices may lead to severe legal and financial challenges for Apple, so different elements of
law, regulations have to be assessed in specific planning to recruit staffs in different markets.
Performance management: having cultural diversity is a trend along with globalization that
Apple Inc. typically maintains in their multiple locations, which has profound effect on team
performance and is vital for teams to become multi-cultural where staffs are expected to
efficaciously communicate with others from distinct cultures. Thus diversity and
globalization has affected performance management through variables like communication
and creativity. Staffs need to efficaciously interact, acquire and learn common languages and
shared values, cultural differences to maintain team performance and minimize poor
management due to communication issues and language differences. Similarly diversity even
effects individual fulfilment and motivates creativity to boost performance but it may harm
management of performance needs in diverse environment because often staffs find it
difficult to accommodate and be surrounded with dissimilar people. So managers at Apple
need to efficaciously utilize HR practices to maintain performance management amongst
diversity to prevent communication issues, conflict and fulfilment into gains.
References
Edgley, C., Sharma, N., & Anderson-Gough, F. (2016). Diversity and professionalism in the
Big Four firms: Expectation, celebration and weapon in the battle for talent. Critical
Perspectives on Accounting, 35, 13-34. Retrieved from:
doi.org/10.1016/j.cpa.2015.05.005
Hunt, V., Prince, S., Dixon-Fyle, S., & Yee, L. (2018). Delivering through
diversity. McKinsey & Company Report. Retrieved April, 3, 2018. Retrieved from:
https://www.ifsskillnet.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Delivering-Through-
Diversity.pdf
Okoro, E. A., & Washington, M. C. (2012). Workforce diversity and organizational
communication: Analysis of human capital performance and productivity. Journal of
Diversity Management (JDM), 7(1), 57-62. Retrieved from:
doi.org/10.19030/jdm.v7i1.6936
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