Introduction
Apple is one of the most successful multinationals that has facilities in many countries. The company’s products are famous worldwide and it is possible to note that there is certain craze about Apple items. Many people think that Apple is the most efficient and exemplary company that has effective management. It is possible to trace peculiarities of the company’s attitude towards employees to understand whether the company can be seen as really exemplary.
Corporate Culture
The company employs 98,000 people in several countries of the world (including the USA, China, Taiwan and India). One of the most important points in its corporate culture is the company’s focus on diversity and inclusion (Inclusion inspires innovation, 2014). Apple makes sure that people of both sexes and of different backgrounds are employed in the company’s facilities. Importantly, people with disabilities are also a part of the workforce in the company. Therefore, each facility (irrespective of the country it is located in) has multinational teams. It is necessary to note that the company has not been involved in a serious scandal concerning discrimination.
Communication among the employees is rather effective and the company manages to address issues that occur. Notably, researchers claim that contemporary companies tend to develop centralized management. For instance, Russell (2006) notes that companies makes use of centralized compensation as well as other HR strategies. One of the reasons why companies are adopting such strategies is that it is easier to regulate facilities’ operations and effectiveness. More so, companies that fail to develop their global strategy often face numerous constraints as productivity as well as quality of products and services decreases. It is also important to make sure that cross-cultural interactions between people working in different departments (as well as countries) is effective (Rozkwitalska, 2013). Apple is one of the companies that use this approach and develop a centralized strategy. It is noteworthy that the company has developed certain corporate culture and it makes its partners share the values revealed in the culture. Apple (which has diverse labor force) has quite effective communication channels that ensure proper communication among the company’s employees.
Major Issues
However, the company has had a number of scandals that could have a considerable negative effect on Apple’s image but the company managed to solve the issue and prove that it is the company of innovation and development. The rate of suicides committed by employees in China and Taiwan was rather high and Apple was no exception. When the scandal broke out, however, the company launched a wide scale program against this practice (Cavusgil, Knight, Riesenberger, Rammal & Rose, 2014). The company made sure that its facilities as well as partners complied with regulations issued. Thus, two of the major reasons why people committed suicides were low salaries and harsh working conditions (Chan, 2013). The company addressed these concerns, which had a considerable positive impact on the situation in the company’s facilities.
It is also important to add that employee’s dissatisfaction with salaries and working conditions is not a characteristic feature of oversees facilities of Apple. Surprisingly, employees involved in retailing claim that the working conditions and especially payments are inappropriate (Segal, 2012). Employees note that salaries are unfair as people have to work long hours but they earn even less than employees at companies selling Apple products. Clearly, the company has to address this issue and it has not been resolved yet. Edwards (2013) stresses that many employees (excluding corporate jobs) regard jobs at Apple as a good start for young people who want to try working in a huge multinational. However, it is seen as inappropriate for people who have already had certain experience.
On the other hand, the company pays a lot of attention to innovation and there are high chances to be move upwards the professional ladder. At that, Edwards (2013) notes that the attitude of the company towards sales and retail employees is unlikely to change due to the number of people who are willing to work for Apple. It is also a fact that having working experience at Apple in one’s resume can be regarded as a significant advantage of the person.
Conclusion
On balance, it is possible to note that Apple is a successful company as it has managed to create a very specific atmosphere where people are willing to work hard and focus on innovation and development. The company operates in many countries in the world and maintains proper communication among departments and employees, which makes its operations successful. At the same time, one of the most striking issues is the disparity between salaries of corporate employees (especially top management) and other employees (especially those involved in retail and manufacture). Interestingly, the disparity is evident in all countries including the USA. Now, it seems that this issue remains unnoticed and the company is still seen as one of the most desirable employers. Nonetheless, this may change soon and, hence, the company may have to address this issue to sustain its image in the global arena.
Reference List
Cavusgil, S.T., Knight, G., Riesenberger, J.R., Rammal, H.G., & Rose, E.L. (2014). International business. Sydney, Australia: Pearson Australia.
Chan, J. (2013). A suicide survivor: The life of a Chinese worker. New Technology, Work and Employment, 28(2), 84-99.
Edwards, J. (2013). What Apple employees say about the company’s internal corporate culture. Business Insider. Web.
Inclusion inspires innovation. (2014). Web.
Rozkwitalska, M. (2013). Effective cross-cultural relationships in multinational corporations. Foreign subsidiaries’ viewpoint. Annual International Conference on Enterprise Marketing & Globalization, 65-74. Web.
Russell, N. (2006). It’s not about time. Business Credit, p. 58.
Segal, D. (2012). Apple’s retail army, long on loyalty but short on pay. The New York Times. Web.