Introduction
The company’s ability to survive in the highly competitive business world depends on the effectiveness of chosen strategies and approaches to managing human capital. These factors might ensure competitive advantage and promote the achievement of leading positions in the sector. For this reason, the most successful companies devoted much attention to selecting the most practical communication strategies to build effective frameworks for human interactions.
Analyzing the approaches these corporations employ, acquiring an enhanced understanding of how potent strategies for managing the company can be created is possible. The proposed paper focuses on analyzing Apple Inc. as one of the corporations on the Fortune 500 list. The firm’s success justifies the choice, the iconic brand status, and the employment of approaches promoting creativity and helping to hold leading positions in a highly competitive market.
Type of Human Relationship Structure
Apple devotes much attention to using the most effective human resource (HR) management strategies to attain the best outcomes. The company admits that the staff is more motivated when employees feel belonging and essential and when their achievements and accomplishments are appreciated (Apple Inc, 2022). For this reason, the structure implies establishing an equal opportunity for all workers to show their best performance (Apple Inc., 2022).
Additionally, the brand is committed to its vision, which means building and sustaining an inclusive workforce representing the communities it serves (Apple Inc., 2022). In such a way, the relationship structure within Apple is based on the principles of inclusion, with the idea of cooperation and equal opportunities for all specialists, regardless of their current position or background. It contributes to establishing more effective and diverse teams.
Types of Customers
Apple’s organizational structure and approach to managing employees help to address its target audience effectively. The company focuses on consumers, small and mid-sized businesses, and enterprise, education, and government markets (Apple Inc., 2022). It means that an increased diversity of demands and preferences characterizes the clients. Thus, the typical customer belongs to the middle or upper class, as the price for the offered products is high.
At the same time, Apple’s device users are highly aware of the most topical concerns, such as sustainability, tolerance, and inclusion (Apple Inc., 2022). The brand’s approach to forming its teams and establishing its organizational structure simplifies serving the outlined category and meeting clients’ needs. The attention to diversity and innovativeness also contributes to attracting new loyal clients and guaranteeing high sales.
Communication Strategies
The communication strategies employed by the company are linked to its HR management strategy and its central values. The company ensures that open and honest communication between teams, managers, and leaders establishes an open, collaborative, and trustful work environment (Apple Inc., 2022). It allows all stakeholders to contribute to the company’s success and participate in discussions.
Furthermore, the brand utilizes several communication channels, such as websites, social media, the Internet, oral presentations, written reports, or venues (Apple Inc., 2022). The choice of method depends on the message’s central goal and the desired outcome. The brand’s communication with customers also implies various channels to gather feedback and remain informed about the changes in their demands or preferences. As a result, the company effectively delivers messages to the most critical stakeholders.
Several factors explain the effectiveness of the communication strategies. First, the approaches that allow customer interactions between customers and the brand contribute to increased loyalty levels (Almeida et al., 2021). For this reason, Apple gives much attention to establishing a space where all parties can interact. These include social media, websites, or regular meetings during presentations. As a result, the clients are more satisfied because of the ability to ask their questions directly to the top management.
Furthermore, advertisements and word-of-mouth are potent tools to promote clients’ acknowledgment of the brand’s device (Almeida et al., 2021). That is why utilizing various channels and attention to customers and their needs leads to better recognition of the offered products and their acceptance. In such a way, the communication strategies used by Apple are practical and are an integral part of its popularity.
Nevertheless, the current approach can be improved to ensure better interaction with the target audience. Currently, Apply uses websites, press releases, and social media as the leading platforms for interacting with people (Apple Inc., 2022). Although it provides the brand with specific advantages, the company disregards the opportunity to use specific mobile applications to interact with clients faster.
The existing solutions, such as the Apple Store, cannot resolve the problem, while the speed of providing clients with necessary information is critical in the modern markets. For this reason, it can be recommended that its application be created as a tool to gather feedback or engage in direct interaction with clients who have problems or need advice on their devices. It would lead to better results and increased loyalty levels among the target populations.
Teams and Teamwork
Apple’s success is, to a greater degree, explained by the effectiveness of its staff. For this reason, the company devotes much attention to building high-performance teams. First, its recruitment is aligned with the idea of a distinctive and inclusive culture, which is viewed as a driver for success (Apple Inc., 2022). The teams are formed based on the current company’s needs, meaning that highly skilled employees critical to success are invited (Apple Inc., 2022).
The pool of interview candidates is created based on the tests to determine their cognitive abilities and existing skills (Apple Inc., 2022). The members of already formed teams are encouraged to ask questions, acquire feedback, and promote (Apple Inc., 2022). Apple also surveys employees’ views on career development and working conditions (Apple Inc., 2022). As a result, the firm has a diverse, creative, and high-performance collective, generating a competitive advantage.
Development of Managerial Decisions
Effective strategy and management are other distinctive features that promote Apple’s evolution. This advantage is attained due to the specific approach to developing managerial decisions. First, the core idea is that training an expert to manage teams is more straightforward than training a manager to be an expert (Podolny & Hansen, 2020). The brand can be described as an organization where experts lead experts (Podolny & Hansen, 2020).
As a result, every aspect of the company’s work, such as hardware or software, is managed by a highly skilled specialist (Podolny & Hansen, 2020). The managerial decisions are made based on their knowledge and expertise. However, more significant strategic planning is organized using the principles of collaboration, where every manager has the right to outline their position and justify it (Apple Inc., 2022). The given method leads to improved decision-making and a better understanding of the company’s future development.
Rate Within the Industry
Specific approaches to HR, staffing, and decision-making help Apple hold leading positions in the industry. Thus, in 2011, it was considered the most valuable brand among the 100 other companies (Lan, 2021). In 2021, Apple managed to preserve its leading positions, and its profits made it first among the top 10 global companies (Lan, 2021).
In 2022, Apple was the fourth-largest supplier of personal computers and the second-largest mobile phone manufacturer in the world (“Apple,” n.d.). Additionally, it is one of the Big Five American information technology companies, with a revenue of $394.33 billion (Apple Inc., 2022). The numbers evidence that the organization holds leading positions within the market and industry.
Organizational Performance Based on Human Capital
Apple’s attractiveness as an employer evidences the company’s outstanding organizational performance based on human capital. It tops the list of the most desirable companies for students or specialists working in the industry (Sellers, 2023). The brand wisely uses the existing specialists to ensure they are provided with the opportunity to outline their ideas, participate in the most critical processes, and improve decision-making.
The approach to organizing teams and interactions within them establishes the basis for the better use of human capital. Inclusion, diversity, and fair rewards motivate employees and promote their commitment levels (Apple Inc., 2022). Apple’s workers help the corporation to build a competitive advantage and hold leading positions.
Recommendations for Improvement
Nevertheless, there are always some ideas for improvement that can be implemented in any company. Apple’s organizational structure implies building expertise-based teams (Apple Inc., 2022). This approach is practical and leads to better decision-making and problem resolution. However, it also requires looking for experts with the required knowledge, which might be difficult and time-consuming. Instead, Apple might focus on raising its experts by allowing them to travel the path from the unskilled trainee to one of the leading experts. It requires establishing a specific training base and educational facilities; however, in the end, it would ensure that the corporation has its own devoted and skilled specialists with outstanding knowledge and vision.
Ethics
Finally, Apple can be considered an ethical company that devotes much attention to sustainability and diversity. As stated, the brand values inclusion, equality, and tolerance (Apple Inc., 2022). Additionally, the company is engaged in sustainability practices to care about the communities impacted by its work and to reduce environmental damage (Apple Inc., 2022). As for its marketing strategy and struggle against competitors, the brand uses fair, transparent, and ethical practices to avoid the deterioration of its image or legal claims.
Conclusion
Apple Inc. is one of the most powerful corporations on the Fortune 500 list. The company’s success can be linked to its effective human capital management and robust organizational structure. Apple uses the approach based on using experts to make the most critical managerial solutions and ensure there is a basis for the company’s rise. Its commitment to diversity and inclusion allows it to recruit specialists with various backgrounds and ensure they are part of high-performance teams. In general, the strategy utilized by Apple is central to the brand’s leading positions in the industry and its continuous evolution.
References
Almeida, M., Sousa, E., Rodrigues, C., Candeias, M. B., & Au-Yong-Oliveira, M. (2021). Samsung vs. Apple: How different communication strategies affect consumers in Portugal. Administrative Sciences, 11(1), 19. Web.
Apple. (n.d.). Library of Congress. Web.
Apple Inc. (2022). Form 10-K. Web.
Lan, B. (2021). Analysis of Apple’s marketing strategy. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, 543, 128-132. Web.
Podolny, J., & Hansen, M. (2020). How Apple is organized for innovation. Harvard Business Review. Web.
Sellers, D. (2023). Apple tops the list of the world’s most attractive employers (again). AppleWorld. Web.