Impact of HRM on Employee Engagement and Retention: Apple Inc. Case

This research report explores the impact of Human Resource Management (HRM) practices on employee engagement and retention within Apple Inc. It uses secondary data and established theories to analyze how effective HRM strategies can influence employee satisfaction and loyalty. The report identifies key HR practices, such as recruitment and selection, and open communication channels, as crucial factors in fostering a positive work environment and retaining valuable employees. It also addresses the existing literature gap by focusing on the practical implementation of these strategies within an organizational context. The research employs the research onion framework to guide the methodology, culminating in conclusions and recommendations for Apple Inc. to further enhance its employee engagement and retention efforts, while also acknowledging the limitations of the study.

Research report on employee's
engagement and retention
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Executive summary
The impact of best HRM practices can be related to different organisation practices and
methods. This study provide a significant impact on the employee’s engagement and retain
period to analyse their impact in significant manner. It made a strategic analysis approach to
make an impactful activities and achieve all objective. This research report is related to Apple
Inc. Company and tried to gain different impact on HRM department and employee’s growth. It
would be helpful for the company to work and achieve significant manner in different analysis to
gain appropriate growth. This report is conducted on the basis of pre-established data and
secondary sources. Furthermore all chapters include a brief description and provide appropriate
in different ways to achieve objectives in an appropriate growth. The aim of this research is to
analyse the practices of human resource management and its impact on employee engagement
and retention in relation with Apple Inc. The objectives of the research is to review theories and
frameworks of HRM as well as stating two important practices while providing conclusion and
recommendations on same. The research methodology is explained using layers of onion
framework in the report.
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Table of Contents
Executive summary.........................................................................................................................2
Chapter 1: Introduction....................................................................................................................5
Background of the company and research..............................................................................5
Research Aim.........................................................................................................................5
Research Objectives...............................................................................................................5
Research Questions................................................................................................................5
Research Rationale.................................................................................................................5
Summary of the project..........................................................................................................6
Chapter 2: Literature review ...........................................................................................................7
2.1 Introduction to the chapter................................................................................................7
2.2 Literature on the topic......................................................................................................7
2.3 Theories and framework on the topic ..............................................................................8
2.4 Literature gap....................................................................................................................9
2.5 Conclusion........................................................................................................................9
Chapter 3: Research Methodology................................................................................................10
Introduction to chapter.........................................................................................................10
Introduction..........................................................................................................................10
Research opinion..................................................................................................................10
Research Philosophy............................................................................................................10
Research Approach...............................................................................................................11
Research strategy..................................................................................................................11
Data collection and analysis.................................................................................................11
Ethical considerations...........................................................................................................11
Gantt chart............................................................................................................................13
Chapter 4: Research and findings..................................................................................................15
Introduction..........................................................................................................................15
Data analysis.........................................................................................................................15
Discussions of Literature review..........................................................................................21
Research Question 1.............................................................................................................21
Research Question 2.............................................................................................................22
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Research Question 3.............................................................................................................22
Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendation, limitation of the study .........................................23
Conclusion............................................................................................................................23
Recommendation..................................................................................................................23
Limitations of the study........................................................................................................24
References ....................................................................................................................................25
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Chapter 1: Introduction
Background of the company and research
Employee engagement and retention as one of the crucial for the successive business
priorities and mainly considered as the two key factors related to employers and the strive factors
of their influencers. Implementing effective employee's engagement and retention strategies
through the use of improved talent management is one of the effective and tested way to engage
workforce (Špoljarić and Verčič, 2021). The chosen company for the present study is Apple Inc.,
which is an American multinational technological company that provide their specialised
services in consumer electronics, software and different kind of online services. The company is
one of fourth largest PC vendor by unit sales and smartphone manufacturer.
Research Aim
“To analyse the practices of human resource management and its impact on employee
engagement and retention. A study on Apple Inc.”
Research Objectives
 The review the literature, theory and frameworks on HRM, Employee Engagement and
Employee Retention.
 Critically analyses at least two HR practices from the given data to establish how the
chosen HR practices mediates relationship between employee engagement and retention.
 Draw realistic and appropriate conclusions and make recommendations supported by
relevant literature and secondary research.
Research Questions
 What are the theories and frameworks written on HRM, Employee Engagement and
Retention?
 Which HR Practices mediates relationship between employee engagement and retention?
 What recommendations can be made to support by relevant literature and secondary
research?
Research Rationale
The rationale for choosing this research study is to gain informative knowledge of
employee's engagement and different retention strategies. With the help of this topic researcher
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is able to engaged employees to support an organisation and overcome the sudden changes in the
wave of economy (Jayathilake and et.al., 2021). This present study will help the company
through the outstanding performances, innovativeness and ability to make crises into an
opportunities. Furthermore, this study enhance the personal perspective of the researcher. That
include the knowledge of various skills like communication, research aptitude, methods and
other methods. This research will enhance the understanding on the importance and significance
of role of employees in continuous success and progress of an organisation. As human resources
are considered as most crucial assets of companies, it has become important as on how their
satisfaction, retention and engagement in objectives of company can be maximised.
Summary of the project
Chapter 1: It is introduction of the report which includes basic information about the
company and topic. In addition to this aim, objective, research questions and rationale for
choosing the study topic will be discuss.
Chapter 2: This chapter is known as Literature review as it is considered with the help
of secondary sources literature review that are related to research objectives or questions. In last
literature gap will be discussed that help to achieve objectives.
Chapter 3: Here, Research methodology will be discuss that help the researcher to
complete study with suitable methods are analyse.
Chapter 4: Research and finding is used to complete a quantitative study with
secondary research methods through the use of suitable charts and literature review.
Chapter 5: Conclusion and recommendation session will be analyse some realistic and
appropriate conclusion which are supported by literature review and secondary research analysis.
Furthermore, limitation of the research will be discuss while completing the study.
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Chapter 2: Literature review
2.1 Introduction to the chapter
This chapter provide the basic information about the HR practices through the help of
secondary data research. It will be helpful for the researcher and reader to analyse their
knowledge about the employee’s engagement and retention strategies (Alola and Alafeshat,
2021). This chapter provide large qualitative information related to the employee’s engagement
and practice within the organisation.
2.2 Literature on the topic
As per the view of Terry (2021), the meaning of employee retention and engagement is
very important for the HRM department. By introducing different strategies and to improve their
practices, company make HRM department and with the help of that they work efficiently into
the market (Employee Engagement and Retention – The Impact of Talent Management, 2021).
With the use of implementing employee’s engagement and different retention strategies it is very
important to work effective and achieve leading factors of talent management into their central
strategic plans.
Meaning of employee’s engagement and retention:
A simple meaning of employee’s engagement is to act and perform within the
organisation with a positive working environment. It reflects that a company should provide a
significant growth to make their employees feel happy and satisfied that further impact on their
ability to perform with best working environment. It means that the company is able to provide a
significant growth and achieve important factors in different employee’s engagement (Clack,
2021). In order to create the truly engage team, Apple Inc. use different kind of employee’s
engagement policies and practices to retain them for longer period of time. The company use
effective communication, collaboration and wellbeing process to addressed in different process
and realise employee’s ambitions.
Impact of talent management:
It can be said that the use of effective talent management practices are positively engage
and retain the efforts. Furthermore, in the diverse number of ways and creating the culture
environment it is helpful for managing conductive and producing an effective workforce
(Bellamkonda, Santhanam and Pattusamy, 2021). It will be helpful for the companies to work
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efficiently into the environment. In addition to this, the key areas of expontial changes and
implementing the talent management strategies’ are on-boarding, performance and effective
retention strategies. As the use of different practices and implementing the sources can be lead to
increase employee engagement and retentions to make effective success (Degbey and et.al.,
2021). This will be helpful for the company to encourage the employees and create a better
workforce to work in competitive market. Apple is one of the leading organisation within the
technological industry and there are large number of competitors. So, they should apply and
work effectively into the market and the use of both strategies can make a strong impact on the
company’s brand value.
2.3 Theories and framework on the topic
As per the view of Vulpen (2021), in the rapidly changing business environment, it is important
to work and manage different HR practices that are helpful for the company to retain large
employees who are becoming valuable assets (Human Resource Best Practices, 2021). The two
HR practices which Apple Company used to retain their employees and engage them in different
business activities are;
Selection and recruitment:
People are the known as the heart of an organisation, as they must be the first priority to
work and achieve better performance. They contribute within the organisation and contribute to
the success of the company. With the help of great hiring feature and success selection process
HRM department act appropriately and communicate effectively into the market (Abu-Darwish,
Al-Kasasbeh and Al-Khasawneh, 2021). With the help of right hiring and selection process a
company can gain higher employee’s productivity and retention period to manage their
employee’s turnover rate. Apple Company use this effective strategy to work effectively and hire
talented and right people for the company and gain higher competitive advantages in the market.
The apple company use telephonic interviews, as well as personal interviews, group discussions,
aptitude and reasoning tests during their selection processes in order to interact with employees.
Create open communication channel:
For the successful growth of the employee’s working condition, open communication
channel are basically very helpful for employee’s growth and success. It would be beneficial for
valued and most hiring ability to motivate the employee in an appropriate manner (Gordon and
Parikh, 2021). After the impact of pandemic, it has change the various organisational aspect and
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lead to change in different things. Once the company is able to perform effectively and make
organisational aspects work around the globe. Apple should follow this practice it is important
for the higher engagement of the company when they are allowed to work with managers and
communicate them effectively. In addition to this, Apple use open discussion and seminar where
most of the employees comes and discuss their personal and professional issues that they are
faced in company (Faletehan and et.al., 2021). These type of communications channel help the
company to work effectively and provide a significant growth in the employee’s success and
higher engagement activities. The company promotes openness in communication and promotes
employees to come forward and raise their voices to provide any suggestion and address their
grievances. Through promoting such activities, the company ensures effective employee
engagement.
2.4 Literature gap
The appropriate information of employee’s engagement and practices is a complex process
that can be related to large number of practices in different organisation. With the help of present
research study, investigator try to identify the appropriate theories and framework related to HR
practices and its impact on employee’s engagement and practices. Previous all research explain
the points of employee’s engagement and practices. But how to them within an organisation
effectively is not enlisted in previous research (Medina-Garrido and et.al., 2021).
2.5 Conclusion
It has been concluded that there are various theories and frameworks used by HRM to
promote employee engagement. This literature review acknowledge concepts of employee
engagement in terms of talent management and explained two constructive HRM practice to
maintain retention and engagement of employees; selection and recruitment as well as open
communication channels.
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Chapter 3: Research Methodology
Introduction to chapter
This chapter briefly include the stages of research methodology that a researcher opted
for completing the study in an effective and appropriate ways. Here, investigator use research
onion and explain each layer with the justification to choose one appropriate method among all.
It will be helpful for the readers to understand effectively about all stages of research
methodology and able to have their own understanding about the study (Hansmeier, Schiller and
Rogge, 2021).
Introduction
The research onion is the model which was presented by Saunders, Lewis and Thorn-hill
in their book. The main aim of the model is to explain different stages of research methodology
and create a better understanding about the project (Frost, 2021). This methodology helps the
researcher to conduct present study and analyse the impact of employee's engagement and
retention in an organisation.
Research opinion
It refers to the set of attitudes, beliefs and judgements which defines the conclusion and
interpretation of the research and it is mainly differs from personal and subjective perspectives of
individuals. Some researcher make opinions based on factual evidences whereas others requires
qualitative analysis of information. In this research both qualitative and quantitative aspects of
collecting data is used and opinions are based on that.
Research Philosophy
A research philosophy is refers to the set of belief in which the researcher investigate the
research. There are two type of philosophies which can be opted by researcher, Interpretivisim
and positivism philosophise. Both are appropriate for conducting research, but for the present
study positivism approach is effective. The reason for choosing this philosophy is to assume the
independent knowledge of the subject and use more scientific result in an effective and
appropriate manner. It would be beneficial for conducting research, there are major approaches
to work appropriately and make sure to use often nature of studies in different concepts.
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Research Approach
There are two main approaches which are used by the researcher for completing their
studies on the basis of opted philosophies. The two approaches are deductive and inductive
approach that are provide a support to choose the nature of research. Here, researcher choose
deductive approach that will be helpful for the researcher to provide a significant growth and
conduct a research with positivism philosophies (Keding, 2021). The main reason for choosing
deductive approach is it starts with specific development based on mainly literature review and
gradually work on the particular context. Another reason for choosing this approach is it helps in
conducting quantitative research methodology and provide a significant growth in completing
study.
Research strategy
There are different strategies which can be opted by researcher, it include action research,
experimental data, interviews, case study, survey and many more. The chosen strategy is based
on type of data which are required and complete purpose of the study. Here, Survey is used by
the researcher as it is linked with deductive approach and one of the effective and finest way to
conduct the research in an appropriate way (Hassenteufel and Genieys, 2021). It is used for
observing valuable data and make different market segments to collect the information.
Data collection and analysis
This is almost the final layer of the research onion, it include primary and secondary
sources of data. Here, the researcher opted qualitative and quantitative data in order to complete
with secondary sources of data collection. The data which is collected through different online
sites, used to be authenticate and reliable. All the secondary source of data is collected through
indirect sources like journals, online articles, websites and other different resources (Samoilenko
and Osei-Bryson, 2021).
Ethical considerations
In order to complete the project, researcher opted right ways to complete the process and
gain higher amount of authenticate sources. It will be helpful for the investigator to provide a
significant source and achieve with academic integrity (Awan, Arnold and Gölgeci, 2021). It is
considered that the researcher does not use plagiarism strategy to provide data. Furthermore it is
make sure that collected data is re-identified before it is released to the researcher. In addition to
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this consent of research’s subjects can be rationally presumed, outcomes of analysis would not
allow to re-identifying the participants details.
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