Training and Development of Apple Co.

A Project Submitted to

University of Mumbai for Partial completion of the degree of

Bachelor of Management Studies

Under the Faculty of Commerce

By

Atharva Bharat Pavaskar

Under the Guidance Teacher

Mr. Vineet Murli

Mahatma Education Society’s

Pillai HOCL Educational Campus of Arts, Science and Commerce,

Re-accredited ‘A+’ Grade by NAAC (CGPA 3.26, 2nd Cycle)

 Training and Development of Apple Co.

A Project Submitted to

University of Mumbai for Partial completion of the degree of

Bachelor of Management Studies

Under the Faculty of Commerce

By

Atharva Bharat Pavaskar

Under the Guidance Teacher

Mr. Vineet Murli

Mahatma Education Society’s

Pillai HOCL Educational Campus of Arts, Science and Commerce,

Re-accredited ‘A+’ Grade by NAAC (CGPA 3.26, 2nd Cycle)

1
 Certificate

This is to certify that Ms/Mr ATHARVA BHARAT PAVASKAR has worked and duly completed
her/his Project Work for the degree of Bachelor of Management Studies under the Faculty of
Commerce in the subject of HUMAN RESOURCE and her/his project is entitled, “TRAINING
AND DEVELOPMENT OF APPLE” under my supervision.

I further certify that the entire work has been done by the learner under my guidance and that
no part of it has been submitted previously for any Degree or Diploma of any University.
It is her/his own work and facts reported by her/his personal findings and investigations.

Seal of
Name and Signature of Guiding Teacher
the
College

Date of submission:

2
 Index

Topic Page no.

 Chapter I Introduction ----------------------------------------------- 6

 Introduction To Human Resource Management
 Introduction Of The Training And Development
 Importance Of Training And Development
 Training And Development Objectives
 Chapter II Research Methodology ----------------------------------------------- 14
 Importance Of Training Objectives.
 Models Of Training.
o System Model Training.
o Transitional Model
o Instructional System Development Model
 Benefits Of Training.
 Methods of Training
 Training Implementation
 Chapter III Literature Review -------------------------------------------------- 29
 Introduction to Apple Inc
 Training Needs Analysis
 Identification of Training Needs based on Data Analysis
 Training and Intervention Strategies
 Strategic Human Resource Activities at Apple Inc
 Apple’s Employee Training Engagement Strategies
 SWOT Analysis of Apple
 Chapter IV Data Analysis and Interpretation ------------------------------------ 63
 Pie charts
 Cost – Benefit Analysis for the Training and Development Program
 Training and Development Program Evaluation
 Chapter V Conclusion and Suggestions ----------------------------------------- 72
 Conclusion and Suggestions
 Bibliography and References

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 Declaration

I the undersigned Mst. Atharva Bharat Pavaskar here by, declare that the work embodied in this
project work titled Training and Development of Apple co., forms my own contribution to the
research work carried out under the guidance of MR. Vineet Murli is a result of my own research
work and has not been previously submitted to any other University for any other Degree/ Diploma
to this or any other University. Wherever reference has been made to previous works of others, it
has been clearly indicated as such and included in the bibliography. I, here by further declare that
all information of this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic
rules and ethical conduct.

Name and Signature of the

learner

Certified by

Name and signature of the Guiding Teacher

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 Acknowledgement

To list who all have helped me is difficult because they are so numerous and the depth is so
enormous.

I would like to acknowledge the following as being idealistic channels and fresh dimensions in the
completion of this project.

I take this opportunity to thank the University of Mumbai for giving me chance to do this project.

I would like to thank my Principal, Dr. Lata Menon for providing the necessary facilities required
for completion of this project.

I take this opportunity to thank our Coordinator Mr. Sumeet Mhatre, for his moral support and
guidance.

I would also like to express my sincere gratitude towards my project guide Mr. Vineet Murli whose
guidance and care made the project successful.

I would like to thank my College Library, for having provided various reference books and
magazines related to my project.

Lastly, I would like to thank each and every person who directly or indirectly helped me in the
completion of the project especially my Parents and Peers who supported me throughout my
project.

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 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

About Training and Development

According to the Invancevich and Glueck, “HRM is concerned with the most effective use of
people to achieve organizational and individual goals. It is the way of managing people at work, so
that they give their best to the organization”.

Why is it important?

Training is important because it represents a good opportunity for employees to grow their
knowledge base and improve their job skills to become more effective in the workplace. Despite the
cost of training for employees, the return on investment is immense if it is consistent.

We will also learn about the types of Training and Development, mainly those have two types
called Traditional Training and Development Approach and second is Modern Training and
Development Approach.

We will also see that why the Training and Development objectives are necessary and every
company should adopt it, For eg, Apple Inc. have adopted objective that is “to bring the best
innovation, products, software and service to the market”

We will also study different models of training and development, those are, System Model,
Transitional Model, Instructional System Development Model.

Also, the benefits of training objectives, advantages of setting training objectives.

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 Introduction To Human Resource Management

Human Resource Management was originally known as personnel or people management. In the
past, its role was quite limited. Within any company or organization, HRM is a formal way of
managing people. It is a fundamental part of any organization and its management.

The main responsibilities of the personnel department include hiring, evaluating, training, and
compensation of employees. The human resources department deals with any issues facing the staff
in their working capacity within an organization. HR is concerned with specific work practices and
how they affect the organization’s performance.

HRM is the personnel function which is concerned with procurement, development, compensation,
integration and maintenance of the personnel of an organization for the purpose of contributing
towards the accomplishments of the organization’s objectives. Therefore, personnel management is
the planning, organizing, directing, and controlling of the performance of those operative functions
(Edward B. Philippo).

According to the Invancevich and Glueck, “HRM is concerned with the most effective use of
people to achieve organizational and individual goals. It is the way of managing people at work, so
that they give their best to the organization”.

According to Dessler (2008) the policies and practices involved in carrying out the “people” or
human resource aspects of a management position, including recruiting, screening, training,
rewarding, and appraising comprises of HRM.

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 Introduction to Training and Development

Training and development initiatives are educational activities within an organization that are
designed to improve the job performance of an individual or group. These programs typically
involve advancing a worker’s knowledge and skill sets and instilling greater motivation to enhance
job performance.

Training programs can be created independently or with a learning administration system, with the
goal of employee long-term development. Common training practices include orientations,
classroom lectures, case studies, role playing, simulations and computer-based training, including
e-learning.

Sometimes referred to as Human Resource Development (HRD), most employee training and
development efforts are driven by an organization’s HRD function. These efforts are roughly
divided into two types of programs

Training and development refers to educational activities within a company created to enhance the
knowledge and skills of employees while providing information and instruction on how to better
perform specific tasks. Training is a short-term reactive process meant for operatives and process
while development is designed continuous pro-active process meant for executives. In training
employees' aim is to develop additional skills and in development, it is to develop a total
personality. In training, the initiative is taken by the management with the objective of meeting the
present need fan employee. In development, initiative is taken by the individual with the objective
to meet the future need of an employee. A program of upgrading of employee’s skills, knowledge
and competencies is known as training. The job related training is often provided to the employee

8
to ensure they can well perform on the assigned tasks and contribute to the success of the
organization.

Importance Of Training And Development

Everything you need to know about importance of training and development. Training and
development is the corner-stone of sound management.
Training and development makes employees more productive and effective. It is actively and
intimately related to all the personnel or managerial activities. It is an integral part of the whole
management program with all its many activities functionally inter-related.
Training and development is also important for any organization that wants to take advantage of
changes, techniques and improvements.

Training and development is important for the following reasons:-

1. Optimum Utilization of Human Resources

2. Creating a Highly Skilled, Motivated and Enthusiastic Workforce

3. Increase Productivity

4. To Improve Quality of Work

5. To Decrease Learning Period

6. Build Team Spirit

7. Healthy Work Environment

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8. To Reduce Cost

9. To Improve Health and Safety

10. To Improve Organisational Climate

11. Personal Growth of Employees

12. Improve Employee Morale

13. Better Managerial Skills

14. Corporate Image

15. Skill Enhancement and

16. Reduce Employee Turnover.

Training and development is one of the lowest things on the priority list of most companies. When
it's organized, it is often at the persistence of the human resources department. There is, however,
enormous value in organizing proper training and development sessions for employees. Training
allows employees to acquire new skills, sharpen existing ones, perform better, increase productivity
and be better leaders. Since a company is the sum total of what employees achieve individually,
organization.

Training is particularly important for new employees. This can be conducted by someone within the
company and should serve as a platform to get new employees up to speed with the processes of the
company and address any skill gaps. If shortcomings and weaknesses are addressed, it is obvious
that an employee's performance improves. Training and development, however, also goes on to
amplify your strengths and acquire new skill sets. It is important for a company to break down the
training and development needs to target relevant individuals. If I can draw examples from my
organization, every department has targeted training groups.

Training and Development Objectives

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In this competitive world, where nothing is static, every day an innovation comes into the market.
This made the organization to be dynamic in their business process and keep on implementing the
changes so that they will be competitive in the market. But how can you be competitive and win in
the market? It’s your employees, who will help you to be competitive in the market. The business
owner or HR manager must needs be active and look out for the various strategies which help the
organization to grow in the future. Large organizations generally provide training to their
employees for better utilization of their skills. Also, they know the importance of training and
development impact on the organization. While in case of SME’s they don’t feel much benefit
because they concentrate on every single amount spend on the business. In training and
development process the employees don’t concentrate much on projects in order to attend the
training sessions. That may delay the deadline for the projects. Despite this fact, a large
organization employer doesn’t feel for that, because as employees get highly skilled the process
would be much faster and they can be competitive in the market. With lack of skilled employees,
the process and strategies utilized will make the overall process slow and the quality may also get
affected.

1. Increased Productivity

For any company, keeping the productivity at its peak is as important as getting in new customers
for business. Since even a slightest of the disturbance can take the business to the brink of huge
losses. Moreover, to tackle with the immensely growing competition in the target market, it is
important for one to increase the productivity of its workers while reducing the cost of production
of the products. So, that’s where the training comes as a savior of the company, jumps in the
scenario and takes it out of the dangers bravely.

Training takes the current capabilities of the workers of a brand, polishes it and makes them learn
and devise new and effective methods of doing the same thing, in a repeated manner. In other
words, the training, if done in a proper way, can give your business a whole new look with a much
powerful base as experienced workers at its core.

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 2. Quality Improvement

Improving the quality of the product is obviously one of the main objectives of training and
development since it’s not like those times when customers weren’t such quality conscious.
Today’s customer knows what’s better for him and what’s not. Simply said, those old methods

some sweet talk and business won’t work for much long, because once they know the reality behind
the curtains through the services and products quality, they will leave the company as it is without
giving it, even, a second thought.

Just think of it as if you and your competitor are competing for the same service with some
difference in quality but at the same price, it is obvious that they will choose the one who is better
at handling the task without any quality degradation. Even if your price is a little higher, then it is
most likely the case that most of the customers will come to you.

3. Learning time Reduction

Keeping an eye on the learning capabilities of employees, and providing them the help which they
need, can be highly beneficial in longer runs. This capability of theirs’ is what that determines how
quickly an employee grabs the newly discovered fact and so, shape the future products on this

discovery. The weaker the capability, the harder it is to learn. But this scenario can also be
supported by the usage of proper learning material and experienced instructors who prefer real-life
experience than cramming. So, reducing the learning time is also one of the main objectives of
training and development.

4. Safety First

Safety of anyone, either he is a worker, an officer or even a customer, is not something that can be
taken lightly, especially in cases, where one knows that even a minute mistake can even lead to life
threats. Therefore, providing the knowledge, for using the equipment in a proper way and creating
the life-friendly product, also belongs to one of the major objectives of training and development.
The higher, the employees are better at handling equipment, the better it is both for the company
and for the workers.

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 5. Labour turnover Reduction

No business can flourish well while it is regularly turning over its workforce since it is obvious that
every new workforce will require some time to understand the type of work, its principle and safety
precautions, which lead to decreased productivity. Moreover, it also diminishes the feeling of self-
confidence among the workers, and this really isn’t a good thing.

On the contrary, training ensures that the company doesn’t need to turn over its workforce again
and again because it prepares the employees to face any situation which proves helpful in bringing
in the feeling of workers. Therefore, the workforce feels safe and secure at a particular job.

6. Keeping oneself Updated with Technology

Computers and mobile phones are the miracles of the past but the world of today is far more
advanced than that. It’s time for latest technologies capable of connecting the world in just a blink
of an eye. Now, earthlings are trying to reach far off planets to get information about the life force
present there. Newer technologies are rolling in and we could continue to list it down but we
haven’t got time for that. Training and education to the employees keep them updated with the
latest of the additions to the technologies, methods, techniques and processes. Since it also opens a
new gateway for them to look for a way which is greater in productivity and efficiency but
decreases the need of manual work immensely.

For example, spraying of pesticides and herbicides to keep the crop healthy and safe from invaders
with the help of a hand pump is a lot more tiresome work than it would be with the help of a semi-
automated machinery. But how can workers know that such a type of machinery is available in a
market, which cuts the time needed in the matter of hours instead of days, without any update on
what’s going on around the globe?

7. Effective Management

One of the primary objectives of training and development process is to give rise to a new and
improved management which is capable of handling the planning and control without any serious
problem. With the knowledge and experience gathered through training, acting as the guiding light
for this newly shaped management, it lets them handle the tough decisions and confusing realities
thus opening the way for bigger and better opportunities for business for the cause of the brand.

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Creating meaningful, relatable and effective training objectives is important for the overall success
of the employees who participate. Several reasons to give added attention to your training
objectives.

CHAPTER II RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

In this chapter we will talk about topics like, what is the importance of Training objectives, why
they need to be set by the Trainer and staff members before hand of the training,

We will learn about the models that are usually seen in the Training and Development programs,
who are the beneficiaries of the training program.

We will also touch the topic of various methods of training and development, such as on the job
training and off the job training.

This information is a secondary data and it has been gathered through various reviews, surveys,
web articles, journals and different websites and reports.

Importance of Training Objectives

Training or learning objectives are the intended measurable outcome that your learners will achieve
once they’ve finished a course. They should detail the information that will be acquired and what
learners will be able to accomplish through learning this information. Importantly, training
objectives should be concise, focused statements that break down what each course will accomplish
and how they will help reach the business’s overall end goal of training.

Why create training objectives?

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1. More clarity for learners

The most basic advantage of learning objectives is that they enable you to clearly explain to your
learner what the purpose of their training is.

2. Creates a clear path to reaching your business’s overall learning goal

With each course having a learning objective, you can see whether a course that’s been created
actually meets that objective and whether it fits in with your overall training goal.

3. Helps build more focused courses

When creating your training courses, having an objective in mind helps you to tailor the content
towards reaching it.

4. Saves on resources

Often avoided as it’s seen as a time-consuming task, in reality, establishing training objectives from
the offset saves your training project time, money, and resources.

Beneficiaries of Training Objectives.

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 Trainer - The training objective is also beneficial to trainer because it helps the trainer to
measure the progress of trainees and make the required adjustments. Also, trainer comes in
a position to establish a relationship between objectives and particular segments of training.
 Trainee – The training objective is beneficial to the trainee because it helps in reducing the
anxiety of the trainee up to some extent. Not knowing anything or going to a place which is
unknown creates anxiety that can negatively affect learning.

 Designer - The training objective is beneficial to the training designer because if the
designer is aware what is to be achieved in the end then he'll buy the training package
according to that only.

 Evaluator - It becomes easy for the training evaluator to measure the progress of the trainees
because the objectives define the expected performance of trainees. Training objective is an
important to tool to judge the performance of participants.

Models of Training

Training is a sub-system of the organization because the departments such as, marketing &
sales, HR, production, finance, etc depends on training for its survival. Training is a

transforming process that requires some input and in turn it produces output in the form of
knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs).

The Training System

A System is a combination of things or parts that must work together to perform a particular
function. An organization is a system and training is a sub system of the organization. The
System Approach views training as a sub system of an organization. System Approach can be
used to examine broad issues like objectives, functions, and aim. It establishes a logical
relationship between the sequential stages in the process of training need analysis (TNA),
formulating, delivering, and evaluating. There are 4 necessary inputs i.e. technology, man,
material, time required in every system to produce products or services. And every system must

16
have some output from these inputs in order to survive. The output can be tangible or intangible
depending upon the organization's requirement. A system approach to training is planned
creation of training program. This approach uses step-by-step procedures to solve the problems.
Under systematic approach, training is undertaken on planned basis. Out of this planned effort,
one such basic model of five steps is system model that is explained below.

Organization are working in open environment i.e. there are some internal and
external forces, that poses threats and opportunities, therefore, trainers need to be aware
of these forces which may impact on the content, form, and conduct of the training

efforts. The internal forces are the various demands of the organization for a better
learning environment; need to be up to date with the latest technologies.
The two model of training are:

1. System Model
2. Transitional Model
3. Instructional System Development Model

System Model

The system model consists of five phases. It should be repeated on a regular basis to
make further improvements. The training should achieve the purpose of helping the
employees to perform their work to required standards

Transitional Model
Transitional model focuses on the organization as a whole. The outer loop describes
the vision, mission and values of the organization on the basis of which training model i.e.
inner loop is executed. This model lays emphasis on both the aspects of an organization i.e.,
the vision, mission and values of the organization and how they are executed.

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 Values: It is the translation of vision and mission into communicable ideals. It reflects the
deeply held values of the organization and is independent of current industry environment.
For example, values may include social responsibility, excellent customer service, etc. The
mission, vision, and values precede the objective in the inner loop. This model considers the

Instructional System Development Model

Instructional System Development model was made to answer the training problems. This
model is widely used now a day in the organization because it is concerned with the training need
on the job performance. Training objectives are defined on the basis of job responsibilities and job
description and on the basis of the defined objectives individual progress is measured. This model
also helps in determining and developing the favourable strategies, sequencing the content, and
delivering media for the types of training objectives to be achieved.

Benefits of Training

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1. Case Studies
Case studies are a proven method of training that boosts learners’ motivation. Employers present
workers with a fictional or real complex situation to analyse and find solutions.

2. Game-based Training
Organizations can use games such as Old-Fashioned Jeopardy, What’s Behind the Box and What
AM I for various educational purposes.

3. Internships

Internships are helpful for both employers and staff. Supervisors can benefit from the help of
interns while providing them with guidance and new corporate experience.

4. Job Rotation

Job rotation refers to moving workers between different tasks to promote variety and versatility.

5. Job Shadowing

Job shadowing is a type of on-the-job training program in which a new and existing employee, who
intends to gain expertise in a different job, observes the operating activities of an experienced and
seasoned employee.

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6. Mentoring and Apprenticeship

When organizations want to groom staff for growth and promotion, they plan to impart knowledge
from experts who have mastered that particular craft or skill.

7. Role Modelling

Role modelling is one of the most powerful teaching tools for passing skills, knowledge, and
values.

8. Stimulation

Simulation is a process of creating a true-to-life learning environment similar to real-life scenarios

and culture.

9. Team Training

This practice emphasizes enhancing a team’s work processes.

10. Orientation

Orientation is essential for new recruiters who impart training through a handbook, lecture or one-
on-one session.

11. Computer-based Training

This approach focuses on computer-based tutorials that offer instructional materials facilitating the
learning process

Evaluation of Training

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1. Reaction

Reaction refers to the attitude of employees about the training, whether the employee considers
training to be positive or negative. If the reaction is positive, people accept the program, and
changes will be possible.

2. Learning

Another method of judging effectiveness is identifying learning levels, i.e., how much the people
have learned during the training. This can be found in the trainers’ mark sheet, the report submitted
by the employee, and actual performance.

3. Behaviour

The HR department needs to understand the employees’ behaviour and the effectiveness of training.
The behavioral change can be seen in how the person interacts with juniors, peer groups, and
seniors. They mark the behavior change and inform the HR department of the training program’s
success.

4. Result

The employee’s monetary results also determine the effectiveness of the training program, i.e.,
employee success in handling the project, the group performance before and after training, etc.

Why Should Training Programs Be Evaluated?

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The main reason for evaluating the training program is to determine whether they accomplish
specific training objectives that correct performance deficiencies.

A second reason for evaluation is to ensure that any changes in trainees’ capabilities are due to the
training program and not other conditions.

Third reason can be training programs should be evaluated to determine their cost-effectiveness.

Evaluation is useful to explain program failure should occur. The credibility of training and
development is greatly enhanced when it is proved that the organization has benefited tangibly from
it. If a specific performance factor can measure the trainees’ performance after the training can be
compared with the objectives of the training program. If the training objectives have been met, then
the training has been successful.

For example, a training objective could be to train ten people to type at least fifty words per minute
with less than a 1 percent error rate.

In this case, evaluating the training program’s success would involve testing the typing skills of all
trainees both before and after the training. If the objective were found to have been met, the
program would be evaluated as having been successful.

Methods of Training

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On-the-job training methods

On-the-job training methods are based on the concept Of learning by do- ing. In this method,
trainees are provided with real job settings to do their jobs. In some situations, they are given sole
responsibility to handle the issues on their own and this is how they learn by doing their task. Also,
the new employees gain knowledge of What is to be done from the existing employees and improve
their skills under the guidance of experienced ones. This type of training method has become very
popular and is used by most of the corporations. Some of the crucial on-the-job training methods
are discussed below:

Job Instruction Training (JIT):

Under this training process. trainees are given instructions systematically one-by-one. These
instructions are given by the experienced trainers who are well-known with the tech- niques and
procedures to be used and the functions to be performed during the job. In this training method, the
learners first observe their instructors While performing the task and then follow them by perform-
ing the task on their own. This helps the trainers to easily point Out the faults committed by the
trainees and rectify them as soon as possible

Apprenticeship:

It follows the principle of "earning while learning". In this method, an expert and experienced
person gives his knowledge and skills to the trainee Who desires to learn that skill. Once the trainee
has completed apprenticeship programme, trainee can apply for the permanent job, if there is any.

Job Rotation:

It is that process in which the employees are given the opportunity to perform the functions of other
departments in the organisation. When the employees are rotated from one department to another
department or from one division to other division, they gain new knowledge and experience about
the different jobs performed by different people in the organisation. Job rotation takes place either
in the form of promotions in which the employees are promoted from lower level to higher level or
in the form of lateral transfers, in which only the job responsibility changes, but not the position Of
the employee. Thus, this training method is the best way to transform an employee to an expert.

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Coaching:

The guidance given by the superiors of the organisation to their subordinates is called coaching.
Besides being an unofficial and un- planned training method, it improves the bonding between the
employees and their superiors. The senior manager acts as a coach or instructor and guides the
employees about how to perform the task and how the mistakes done can be rectified. Later, they
also evaluate the performance of these employees.

Understudy:

It is the method of preparing the trainees to perform the responsibilities of his trainer or to occupy
the position of his senior in future. In this method, when the superior or manager is about to get
separated from the organisation due to the reasons of transfers, resignation, retirement etc., his
position is allotted to that employee who has received training under him, this method is different
from coaching in the sense that the manager can select employee from his department for
understudy.

Mentoring: In this method, training is given by a specialised and experienced person. In

organisations, mentoring is usually done by senior employees where they try to enhance the skills
of junior employees.

Off-the-Job Training Methods

Unlike on-the-job training methods, off-the-job training methods are not based on the concept of
'learning by doing' but it follows the rule of 'learning by gaining knowledge'. Under this method, the
trainees are called upon in a classroom which may be situated inside the company or some outside
place such as institutes or centres to provide the training. Because of outside location, trainee can
learn freely without the stress of job work. The main focus of this guidance is to improve the
knowledge of the new employees. Some of the well-known off-the-job training methods are as
follows:

Lectures:

When there is a requirement of imparting technical knowl-edge to the new employees, lecture
method proves to be the best way to clear the notion, ideas and hypothesis to the trainee. It is a one-
way communication method in which the mentor collects the entire rel- evant data for the trainees

24
and conveys a lecture using various teaching aids such as models, chart papers, visual aids, audio
aids, etc. Thus, it is the simplest method of providing knowledge to the trainees.

Simulations:

This training method depicts a real-life situation of the job that may have happened in the
organisation in the past such as damage to any valuable thing, any serious enquiry that may have
adversely affected the company, any mistake that had costed the company a lot, etc. Several
realistic examples can be shown to the trainees to prepare them to handle the situations accordingly.
By this, the organisation prepares the trainees well in advance about what may hap- pen on the job
and how they have to deal with these types of situations. This method is used in those industries
where on-the-job training can be expensive or destructive, such as, in an aeronautical industry.

Case Study:

Under this method, the real business cases are framed and they are provided to trainees. Trainees
have to discuss it and give their ideas on how they would have tackled that situation. This method is
called case study method and is one of the very common ways of imparting knowledge based on
actual business situations.

Role-Play:

In this method, trainees are provided with an imaginary or real problem which is generally
concerned with the organisation. They are asked to assume identity of a particular person and
behave as if they are in that particular situation. In order to enhance their managerial skills,
employees can make use of various visual aids and tips given by their mentor while executing their
performance.

In-Basket Exercise:

In this method, the trainee is given all the relevant things like letters, reports, records, etc. that are
needed by managers. The trainee is given a specific situation which managers confront regularly.
He is asked to assess the situation, prioritise the things, justify his reasons and give final decision
on the issues raised during the exercise. The exercise gives the manager a snapshot of learner's

25
ability to perform the executive functions and roles in the job. The whole exercise is video-recorded
and the concerned candidates aft: tested on the grounds of proposed set of their skills and abilities
such as of problem-solving ability, time management, etc.

Conferences:

A structured method of communicating thoughts to a large number of audiences who are attending
the event is called as a conference. Experts from specific fields come together to share their views
on a common topic and also obtain answers to their questions, if they have any.

Seminar:

Another word for 'Seminar' is "Seed Plot" which means it is a base ground for gaining knowledge.
These are conducted by experienced and expert people who not only prepare the topic of discussion
and de- liver it in front of learners but also help them to share their ideas and explore their views
towards the topic of discussion. Since, it is focussed on any particular topic, learners are able to
understand the things more clearly and respond effectively.

Group Discussion:

It is one of the very common training methods adopted by numerous organisations. Under this
method, a topic is given to the group of trainees and they are asked to actively participate in it and
give their outlook towards the issue.

Sensitivity Training:

As by name, sensitivity training, it is very clear that this training is related to emotions and
sentiments. It is also called as T-group training or laboratory training. The assessment is based on
the behaviour of 'one for the other'. This training is carried out to make employees get aware of and
respect the feelings and emotions of other co-trainees.

Syndicates:

Syndicate training method has proved to be very useful for training higher management. In this
training method the employees form a group and get united to execute any particular function. This
method includes numerous groups who work altogether to achieve the organisational training goals.

26
 Training Implementation

1. Identify skills gaps

Before you decide what training needs to take place, you must identify where the current skills gaps
are in your employees. A skills inventory is a good place to start. This is a list of all the
qualifications, professional skills, and experiences that your employees have.

2. Design training objectives with your business goals in mind

It’s easy to design and develop training initiatives for almost any line of work. But what’s
important is that you first understand the business you’re in and what you ultimately want to
achieve. When you have a clear idea of your short and long-term business goals and objectives, you
can then work backward and design targeted training to help you get there. A deep understanding of
your organization and industry and where it’s headed enables you to utilize a mix of formal and
informal learning to develop targeted, focused training.

3. Consider individual learning needs

Every employee at every organization is an individual with different skills, experiences, and
preferred ways of learning. Whether there are 50 people in your organization, 500, or even 5000,
there are many variables to consider.

27
4. Communicate the value of the training

For your employees to make the most of targeted training, they must understand what they’re
learning and why this matters. How will this training help them perform more effectively in their
role? How will this training better equip them for the predicted future changes due to digitization?
What are the benefits of this training to them, and are they aware of these?

5. Set up a reasonable training schedule

In an ideal world, you would be able to identify the skills gap and immediately close it. However,
this is not realistic. It’s essential that you create an achievable timeline for when you expect
employees to have the skills you require them to and what you will provide them with to help them
get there.

6. Combine formal and informal learning opportunities

Some organizations rely solely on formal training. This type of training includes days or weeks of
intensive training in a classroom or online setting. The drawback with this method is that much
information is thrown at employees in one go, which means much of it is not retained. Plus, new
hires and existing employees have no on-the-job context to understand what they’re learning. This
leads to a fraction of the training being remembered and applied.

7. Help learners apply their skills

If you want employees to truly retain what they’ve learned in your training programs, it’s vital that
you present them with sufficient opportunities to apply their new skills. This can be, for example,
through job rotation. Additionally, make sure to discuss in the training session how learners can use
their training when they get back to their job.

8. Collect feedback

Throughout your targeted training program, seek out feedback from your employees. You can
conduct anonymous surveys, interviews, and focus groups to determine whether your training is
helping you meet your business objectives. Make sure your learners feel able to be honest and give
critical feedback without fear of being punished or treated differently.

9. Measure training effectiveness

Measuring training effectiveness helps you assess:

28
  how effective your current program is,

 whether it’s benefiting your employees,

 whether it’s meeting your original goals,

 and its effect on the overall performance of the business.

A final word

The creation and implementation of a targeted training program is one of the key business strategies
to help you effectively close skills gaps, boost your team’s productivity and drive significant
improvements in performance, and manage your resources in an optimal way. Ultimately, such a
high-quality training program will positively impact your organization’s bottom line.

CHAPTER III LITERATURE REVIEW

The Apple endeavours to have a pipeline of talent to work towards achieving long-term objectives.
In support of the goals, the Apple Inc. has organized several tailored training and development
schemes designed to help its people fulfil their potential. The training and development programs
are both on-the-job and off-the job. For instance, the Apple Incorporation initiated the ‘lead to
succeed program’. It is build around the core business values and is firmly aligned with the
business strategy – developing skills that will support future growth of the business.The program is
designed for senior managers. Since it was launched, over 300 senior managers have completed the
program.

Next topic we cover is, Financial Report of Apple Inc. right from 1990 to 2022, I have gathered
some graphs, tables, financial reports, charts.

29
We will talk about the Apple’s training and development needs analysis, as how does Apple
analyse its needs and fulfils it efficiently on training grounds and their employees benefits from it.

We will also talk about the, Critical components of the Apple’s Training Needs Analysis Program.
There are 3 major points which are described below briefly.

Selection of appropriate evaluation method is as training given to the employees, that’s why we
have discussed some of the Training Evaluation Method Assessment.

Further, we will also learn Training and Intervention Strategies of Apple as-well.

Introduction to Apple Inc.

Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino,

California. Apple is the largest technology company by revenue, totalling US$394.3 billion in
30
2022. As of March 2023, Apple is the world's biggest company by market capitalization. As of June
2022, Apple is the fourth-largest personal computer vendor by unit sales and second-largest mobile
phone manufacturer. It is one of the Big Five American information technology companies,
alongside Alphabet (known for Google), Amazon, Meta (known for Facebook), and Microsoft.

Apple was founded as Apple Computer Company on April 1, 1976, by Steve Wozniak, Steve
Jobs and Ronald Wayne to develop and sell Wozniak's Apple I personal computer. It was
incorporated by Jobs and Wozniak as Apple Computer, Inc. in 1977. The company's second
computer, the Apple II, became a best seller and one of the first mass-produced microcomputers.
Apple went public in 1980 to instant financial success. The company developed computers
featuring innovative graphical user interfaces, including the 1984 original Macintosh, announced
that year in a critically acclaimed advertisement. By 1985, the high cost of its products, and power
struggles between executives, caused problems. Wozniak stepped back from Apple amicably and
pursued other ventures, while Jobs resigned bitterly and founded NeXT, taking some Apple
employees with him.

As the market for personal computers expanded and evolved throughout the 1990s, Apple lost
considerable market share to the lower-priced duopoly of the Microsoft Windows operating system
on Intel-powered PC clones (also known as "Wintel"). In 1997, weeks away from bankruptcy, the
company bought NeXT to resolve Apple's unsuccessful operating system strategy and entice Jobs
back to the company. Over the next decade, Jobs guided Apple back to profitability through a

number of tactics including introducing the iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad to critical acclaim,
launching the "Think different" campaign and other memorable advertising campaigns, opening
the Apple Store retail chain, and acquiring numerous companies to broaden the company's product
portfolio. When Jobs resigned in 2011 for health reasons, and died two months later, he was
succeeded as CEO by Tim Cook.

Apple became the first publicly traded U.S. company to be valued at over $1 trillion in August
2018, then $2 trillion in August 2020, and $3 trillion in January 2022. As of January 2023, it was
valued at around $2.2 trillion. The company receives criticism regarding the labor practices of its
contractors, its environmental practices, and its business ethics, including anti-competitive
practices and materials sourcing. Nevertheless, the company has a large following and enjoys a
high level of brand loyalty. It is ranked as one of the world's most valuable brands.

Training Needs and Analysis

31
Apple Inc. as a market leader has experienced both booms and depressions in the tech
industry .Due to the increasing competition, advancement in technology, a market
flooded by cheap substitutes, and economic depression, Apple Inc. has lately faced a
shrinking market for its brands and diminishing annual returns. To compete effectively
and ensure high profits, the company needs to proactively predict patterns and respond
strategically to meet the market demands. Currently, computers are regarded as consumer
goods and not for the select few nor for educational and business establishments. Apple Inc.
needs to promptly react to the changing market dynamics to survive in the foreseeable
future.To conduct the Training Needs Analysis (TNA), the HR and/or Training and
Development department will take a leading role to ensure the exercise goes to its successful
completion. From the TNA the company will determine the deficiencies and work to
ensure the ideal state is realized. The whole T&D program will be dependent on the training
needs identified as well as those prioritized as critical to assist the organization turn-
around or realize its corporate objectives . The TNA will be started from a higher

level given the company size and complexity of operations. Starting the TNA at a
higher level will ensure the following: First, the company ascertains the purpose of each
and every individual role against the overall corporate goals and objectives. Secondly, the
training can simply be prioritized as per its significance to the overall corporate objectives as
opposed to its significance to a more individual role. Thirdly, given a new project, a team or
department; it facilitates one to pinpoint individual tasks and responsibilities to be done by the
whole team as well as individuals found within the team or department without losing focus
on the overall objective. Apple Inc. TNA will be extracted from the whole
organization to increase the levels of accuracy.

Selection of Analysis to Employ for Apple Inc.

This means that there is a need to employ either of the three; Organizational analysis,
Person analysis or Task analysis.

32
1. Organizational analysis involves determining the appropriateness of training, given
the organization’s business strategy, its resources available for training, and support by managers and
peers for training activities.

2. Person analysis involves determining whether performance deficiencies result from a lack of

knowledge, skill, or ability (a training issue) or from a motivational or work-design problem and

3.Task analysis identifies the important tasks and knowledge, skill and behaviours that need to be
emphasized in training for employee to complete their tasks. Determining the Size of the Training
Audience. Another important consideration is to which level the training will be. The size
desired training program for Apple Inc. will determine the nature of assessment, so start by
determining the size of your potential training pool.

Three critical components of the Apple’s Training Needs Analysis Program are-

1. Knowledge about the Skill Sets that your team should have
2. Evaluating the current skill levels of your existing workforce/employees
3. Highlighting the skill gap of your employees.

Apple computer has experienced both good and bad times as a main player in the computer
industry. It has been a leader in computer technology in the past but has struggled recently in
keeping pace in the fast developing computer industry. Emergent technology and developing

computer applications have contributed to a business environment that is very competitive. Survival
in this industry needs the skill to foresee changes and to effectively react to market demands. The
computer industry has grown for the last two decades due to the popularity of personal computers
even as a household item. This market is no longer limited to the business and educational
environment; computers are a consumer good worldwide. Apple Computer, Inc. must respond to
this business environment if it is to survive in the future. This is the driving factor for this project.
Training Needs Analysis can be complex and demands a creative, people needed to prepare the
Training Needs Analysis are already within their organization. It would just be a matter of forming
the team maybe from the management or from the HR/Training and Development Department. For
this to be successful, the process should be designed in a way that it is simple to use but is effective.
Again, this is parallel with the basic philosophy of Apple Inc. that is to be user friendly. The
purpose of a Training Needs Analysis is to ensure the best possible returns for the organization. It
works in such a way that Training and Development activities for the company depending on the
target training audience should be planned and managed similarly with what we are doing with
33
investments. The Training and Development Program that will be implemented must be dependent
on the identified training needs that were properly. what we are doing win investments. Ine training
and Development program that will be implemented must be dependent on the identified training
needs that were properly identified and prioritized for the organization to achieve its objectives.
The familiarization towards the selected organization which is the Apple Inc. was already made in
the first phase of this project. The overview is not that enough in determining right away to what to
do for the training since the company in focus is quite large in terms of employment and its share in
the market is worldwide. So it is better to start the analysis on a higher level. The first stage then, is
to decide where to begin. There are a number of advantages to starting your analysis at a high level:

a. You identify the purpose of each individual role in relation to the overall organizational aims and
objectives.

b. Training can be easily prioritized according to its importance to the overall organizational
objectives, rather than its importance to an individual role.

c. For a new project, department or team, it enables you to identify the individual responsibilities
and tasks to be undertaken by the team, and individuals within the team, without losing sight of the
overall objective.There are numerous situations wherein training needs can be assessed from and
they can be from an individual role, project team, department, or an entire organization

Selection of Analysis to Employee

This means that there is a need to employ either of the three; Organizational analysis,

Person analysis or Task analysis.

1. Organizational analysis involves determining the appropriateness of

training, given the organization's business strategy, its resources available for training, and support
by managers and peers for training activities.

2. Person analysis involves determining whether performance deficiencies result from a lack of
knowledge, skill, or ability (a training issue) or from a motivational or work-design problem and (2)
identifying who needs training and

3. determining employees' readiness for training. 3. Task analysis identifies the important tasks and
knowledge, skill and behaviours that need to be emphasized in training for employee to complete
their tasks.

Determining the Size of the Training Audience

34
Another important consideration is to which level the training will be. The size desired training
program for Apple Inc. will determine the nature of assessment, so start by determining the size of
your potential training pool.

a. For a few members in a single department, very informal assessment methods like interviews,
observation, and review of work samples may work well.

b. For a group of 10-20, or for a cross-functional group, you may need to use slightly more
structured methods, such as questionnaires.

c. Larger groups are often assessed through sampling - using a few representative individuals
instead of everyone.

In general, it would be a daunting task to figure out which analysis to do for the case of Apple Inc.
because based on its objectives there are a lot of important things that can be considered and it
seems everything needs to be prioritized.

Selecting Appropriate Assessment Method

Observations are sometimes considered the most direct method of collecting needs
assessment data, although in many cases, a great deal of inference is involved in interpreting
observations. Interviews are considered the easiest way of collecting needs assessment data.
Questionnaires and focus groups may also be relatively effective and efficient methods. It is
sometimes important to verify the results of interviews with observations and document analysis.
The assessment of training needs is accomplished through a questionnaire that focuses on seven
major skill competencies: Work, communication, people, leadership, customer focus, business and
analytical skill.

35
Questionnaires

Communication

36
Interpersonal Skills

Conflict Resolution

37
 Identification of Training Needs based on Data Analysis

Training need identification is the most important and the foremost step in the whole process of
training and development. Training helps to fill out the gaps and bridge them between what is
required and what they already have. What they require means that what is required in terms of
skills and abilities by the job and their role in the organization and what they have means what they
are already possessing in them in terms of skills, capabilities, talents and abilities. These have a
direct link with the social skills and the surroundings of the person as they are a part of society
which has a major impact on them.

So, there is a proper and due need of identification of the training needs on the behalf of the
employees. These in general terms means to identify the areas where the employees lack skills and
abilities and which needs to be improved so that the person can perform better on the job and
achieve the departmental, individual and the organizational goals as well. These are in direct link
with both the requirements of the organization as well as the individual’s requirements.

There are many methods which have been proposed in order to train the employees with the overall
aim of improvements in the productivity and efficiency. People can do job analysis, performance
appraisal, analysis of the difficulties of the jobs in order to identify the training needs among the
employees. The training need identification is a comprehensive process that needs to be divided
into 3 broad categories which have been mentioned as

Organizational analysis:

38
These mean to analyse the full organization in a more comprehensive manner. One can do this in
terms of missions, goals, objectives, resources, culture, ethics, environment and many more factors.
This analysis helps to identify the deficiencies among the whole organization and the means to
overcome them have been defined. The sub parts have been discussed as;

 Objectives analysis:

The overall analysis begins with analysis of the goals and the objectives of the
business which can be short term as well as the long term. Long term is usually of
more than one year and these can be strategies for overall organization or some
specific departments. Short term objectives are of usually less than one year and
involve proper and thorough analysis of the internal and the external factors
affecting them. Further they can be of general and specific nature as well. General
can be of not concerning with any particular brand or product whereas specific can
be related to some products, brands or departments as well. The objectives set must
be time based and measurable which means that the goals set in advance should be
such that they can be achieved in later stages of life. There must be proper planning
at the time of setting the goals so that there is no difficulty in the later stages

 Resource utilization:

This involves analysing the human and other physical resources so that one must
come to know about the proper implementation and evaluate their role in achieving
the overall objectives. There must be proper utilization in such a manner that there is
no wastage related to the resources and the overall goals are being achieved. This
will reduce the levels of inefficiency and improve the productivity of the
organization. One can even examine the input and output levels of the whole system.
There must be proper and due focus on the human resources as well as they are the
ones who are going to use the other resources and help in achieving the overall
objectives.

 Scanning of environment:

39
 The environment can be scanned in two categories as internal and external. The
external environment involves the opportunities and the threats. The opportunities
are the chances of the success in the coming future whereas the threats can be
termed as the probabilities of losses if not tackled properly by the organizations.
These are even influenced by the socio-cultural activities which mean that
environmental factors play a crucial role in achieving the goals.

 Climate analysis:

A thorough analysis must be done on the behalf of the organization so that there is a
cool environment in the company. The relations must be cordial among all the
employees and even with the superiors. There must be proper communication and
coordination between the people in a company.

Analysis of job:

The term is also called the job analysis. This involves proper study of all the elements of all the
components in a job. There must be a proper match between the job requirements and the skills of
the person doing the job. This also involves studying the conditions under which the job is to be
performed. These can be well measured if the standards of the job are known by the people so that

they can easily measure the tasks in both quantity and quality. This helps the employee to match the
skills and achieve the goals accordingly.

Analysis of people doing the job:

This involves studying the man who is going to perform the job in terms of the skills and
competencies and the abilities required to perform the job. The knowledge and attitude plays a
crucial role here in this step. Features such as job attention and absenteeism play a crucial role here
in this. The job requirements much match the skills of the people. A detailed analysis is very
necessary in order to achieve the overall goals.

There are three key stages of training needs analysis. These involve identifying the direction of the
organisation, understanding the skills and knowledge of staff through a task analysis, and analysing

40
the individual needs of each employee. These three stages of training needs analysis are explained
in more detail below:

1) Organisational needs - this step evaluates the overall training needs in the business. This is
where you analyse future skills needs due to changes in products, equipment, technology, teams or
in response to economic or political factors. Upcoming changes in law or industry standards may
also influence the training needs for your business. Practical ways of identifying organisational
needs is by reviewing documents, processes, setting up advisory teams and carrying out a SWOT
(strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and strengths) analysis - our SWOT analysis template will
help you get started:

2) Task analysis - at this level you compare the job requirements of your business with existing
employee skills and knowledge. This will help you to identify the potential gaps. Here you establish
how often specific tasks are performed, the level of skill and knowledge required to perform these
tasks and where and how these skills are best acquired. Practical ways of carrying out this analysis
is to create assessment centres, tests or practical observations of employees carrying out key tasks.

3) Individual needs - at this stage, you examine the training needs of each employee. This
information is most often gathered from performance reviews and appraisal systems. You may seek
feedback from employees on their recommendations on how to solve problems that may be
hampering their day-to-day job. Other practical ways of identifying individual training
requirements for your employees is through surveys, questionnaires, interviews and focus groups.

Advantages of carrying out TNA (Training Need Analysis)

 Identify performance gaps

 Aligns training with organizational objectives

 Determines the ‘Where’, ‘What’, ‘Who’ factors of training

 Provides a benchmark for training evaluation

 Reduces the risk of training failure

 Helps manage training budgets effectively

41
TNA Benefits

1. TNAs enable you to identify knowledge and technical skills gaps before they become a
problem

One major benefit of completing a training needs assessment is it can help you and the employee to
identify any knowledge and skills gaps before they become an issue and have a negative impact on
the business and or the individual. Highlighting the potential problem and finding a solution is far

better than having to deal with an issue because of the gap. The training needs analysis will allow
you to take a proactive approach rather than waiting for something to go wrong before you realise
there is a problem.

2. They help you to plan your training for the year

On completion of the TNA, you will be able to plan your Leadership Development Programme or
other learning and development events, allowing you to align training to working practices, patterns
of high business activity and importantly prepare a budget for your training over the course of the
year.

3. Highlights training you may not have considered

It is often difficult to formulate a plan for training within a large organisation without completing
some sort of background research first. You may think that you know the type of training your team

42
should be completing, but a TNA could highlight areas that your team needs training on that you
never even considered before.

Without the use of a TNA, you may never have considered a particular area of training, which
could have severely hindered your business.

4. Enables training to be focussed on the right areas

Completing a TNA will allow you to see exactly what you need to focus on, but it will also
highlight the areas your team really do not need any further training on for the moment.

Key point – if there are no apparent gaps in knowledge or skills in a particular area, then running
further training on it could be a waste of time and money!

5. Helps to determine who should attend training

Determining who should attend training is an important step in planning training – the key is to
ensure the right people are in the right training sessions. There is no point in making everyone in
your organisation attend every training session you run. To be honest this is a complete waste of

energy, time, and money for the business. This approach also leads to disengagement and
demotivated staff – staff will not be engaged with training sessions if they are frequently attending
training which is of no use to them.

A TNA will enable you to target the correct people for each training session, ensuring everyone is
following a personalised training plan, so they get the most benefit possible.

An example of this is with running apprenticeship programmes. The programmes we run

include management apprenticeships, sales executive apprenticeships, coaching professional
apprenticeships, project management apprenticeships and customer service apprenticeships.

6. Helps you to prioritise training needs

Most organisations find it difficult to plan training – it is hard to determine which training is the
most important. By using a TNA, you will be able to target the training which needs to be
completed ASAP, and which training can be left till later in the year.

43
 How To Conduct Training Needs Analysis

Competency Based Assessments

These can take many forms including behavioural assessments, skills checklists, gap analysis and
aptitude tests. Competency based assessments are where the employee demonstrates their ability to
work through specific areas of competency which are based on what excellence looks like in the
role.

360 Degree Feedback

This is where knowledge, skills and behaviours are assessed by:

 The learner themselves (self-assessment)

 The learner’s line manager
 Direct reports of the learner
 Peers of the learner

The learner may think they are great at a particular task but what do their direct reports think?
There might be a big disconnect between opinion and reality.

44
By gathering training needs via a 360-degree feedback activity you can gain a more rounded and
accurate picture of the learner’s strengths and areas of development rather than just a self-
assessment.

Performance Management Data

Think of all the reviews and one to ones that take place in your organisation…

There is so much data that can be used on the outcomes of these.

If the reviews are done consistently and in the same kind of format, then training assessment needs
can be obtained quite easily. The challenge comes if reviews are ad-hoc and that there is no
standard approach to collating and gathering the data.

TNA Questionnaires

A TNA questionnaire is normally a self-assessment of skills, knowledge, and behaviours. A survey

will be sent out to each learner, and they rate themselves, normally out of 5 or out of 10.

It’s the simplest form of TNA but it is effective.

SWOT Analysis

I’ve seen this completed on an individual and group basis in the past. In terms of a group, you can
gather learners together who are in the same role and through some interactive exercises and
practical activities you can ask them to brainstorm all the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and
threats in terms of their role and the knowledge, skills and behaviours that are required in their role.

Johari Window

This can be used as an exercise for gathering individual or team training needs.

The facilitator can use the Johari Window to identify strengths and weaknesses. This works well
when you can gather a team or department together.

Training and Intervention Strategies

45
The Apple endeavours to have a pipeline of talent to work towards achieving long-term objectives.
In support of the goals, the Apple Inc. has organized several tailored training and development
schemes designed to help its people fulfil their potential. The training and development programs
are both on-the-job and off-the job. For instance, the Apple Incorporation initiated the ‘lead to
succeed program’. It is build around the core business values and is firmly aligned with the
business strategy – developing skills that will support future growth of the business . The program
is designed for senior managers. Since it was launched, over 300 senior managers have completed
the program.

Training and development forms part of organizational strategy mostly because the Apple Inc. has
been characterized by numerous expansions both without and within the region. Consequently,
there is a need to merge organizational skills, knowledge and culture with the new challenges and

demands (Osterman 406). The Apple Incorporation uses training and development largely because
it is operating in a highly competitive retail sector. The HRM team of the Apple Incorporation has
used the outcomes of trainings and development in decision making relating promotions and
transfers within the organization, especially in the sales and marketing department.

The Apple has undertaken several career development programs tailored towards attracting and
retaining human resource base. The team provides job compensation structure that supports the
organizations as well as individuals’ growth and development perspectives. The Apple also

46
evaluates employees and produce succession pipe-lines for vital job positions in the organization. In
view of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, management of the Apple Inc. always strive to create room
for recognition, promotional opportunities and a chance for career growth This has boosted self-
actualization of employees to some extent.

Current Challenges

Currently, the human resource management department does not have policies that reinforce
customized training and development among the employees. In many jurisdictions, it is mandatory
to have an independent training and development management function in an institution.
Unfortunately, there are scenarios where the human resource management department of the Apple
is not efficient and therefore, fails to take up key control issues in time. There is no proper schedule
for periodic and continuous employee training and development within the Apple, which has a
quantifiable module for tracking the feedback and level of engagement among the employees. As a
result, it is almost impossible to monitor the performance of each employee against the set targets.
Besides, the lack of training and development may be attributed to low employee morale and
redundancy at the organization. It is necessary to establish the most appropriate training and
development strategy for the Apple Inc. to monitor and micromanage its employee productivity.

Despite the fact that the Apple Inc. spends several millions on training seminars and internal
programs, the training modules have not been modified to fit within the organization’s corporate
culture. This research paper will establish the most appropriate approach that the Apple should

adopt to improve on its training and development strategies. The Apple Inc. will greatly benefit
from appropriate training and development strategies, which translate into better employee
development and client satisfaction .

The need for employee efficiency in the Apple Inc. necessitates more research in the area of
management styles and their impacts on organizational performance within the US. It is for this
reason that the research will attempt to provide a framework for organizational performance as
directly influenced by the type of management strategies at the Apple. At the end of the research,
the Apple, which wants to further improve organizational performance and increase its commitment
to efficiency, will have mechanisms that it can use to decide on the most appropriate management
style.

47
Significance

The main effect of improving training on the employees is that it will create quality service
environment. The management would have to restructure the organization in a way that allows for
the implementation of the proposed employee training plan (Klotz et al. 111). The staff would need
to adapt to the new requirement of learning the dynamic communication system in a bid to
accomplish the organization’s goals.

Apple Goals

I. Ensure that the various available methods appeal to the financial health of the organization.
II. Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the current mode of communication between
the employees and the organization through incorporation of multicultural training.

Apple Objectives

A. To increase the number of clients that the organization handles on a daily basis in a bid to
accomplish the organization’s objectives.

B. To ensure that the organization improves the standard of the working environment.
C. To ensure smooth flow of information within and without the organization.

Implementation

The strategies in this plan require the organization to take a collaborative perspective in dealing
with the subject matter. In essence, this aspect means that the plan requires the management and

48
staff of the Apple Inc. to work together. The main requirement for the creation of such a set-up is
an exchange of information and knowledge relevant to the project (Perri et al. 14). Actualization of
the tactics that this plan proposes requires the management of the organization to work closely with
the staff and allow the staff freedom to associate with clients and form networks with other
organizations as they accomplish their duties.

Recommendations

With regards to the above findings, there is need to make the training programs more proactive and
performance oriented. The goals of this recommendation are to progress the competence of the
current mode of training between the employees and the organization through incorporation of
multicultural training and to ensure that the various available methods appeal to the financial health
of the organization. This recommendation will address the objectives of ensuring that the
organization improves the standard of the working environment, increasing the number of clients
that the organization handles on a daily basis in a bid to accomplish the organization’s objectives,
and ensuring level flow of information within and without the organization.

Measurement and Evaluation

It is difficult to establish the exact timeframe within which the organization shall complete the
communication training program due to the variation of learning capabilities among trainees. Most
options available for incorporation into the training program are cost-effective and they work
towards the sole purpose of furtherance of the organization’s goals and objectives. The solutions
also cater for the main stakeholders, the organization’s management, staff, and clientele. When
properly implemented, the current production, human resource, and organizational culture will
become more proactive and sustainable.

Apple Intervention Strategies

Structural Intervention Strategy

Apple Inc. (Apple) is highly regarded as one of the most successful tech company that were
established and founded in 1970s with a significant trademark creation product, Macintosh
computer. Ever since, Apple has managed to take the lead in highly competitive personal computer
49
and smartphone industry and creating substantial value by keep on innovating and creating one of a
kind products that shown distinctive class in term of quality, attentive customer service and design
styles. One of the factors contributed to the success of Apple in tech industry is its Human Resource
department who did tremendous job in organizational development.

As we know, Apple organization structure hierarchy operates based on flat collaborative structure

rather than the traditional tall divisional one. This implies that Apple favors on collaborative
working environment where all the think tanks and professionals cooperated to achieve the
organizational goals independent of their location. In order to sustaining this positive working
environment, their HR department come up with intervention strategies such as distribution of
specific colour T-shirt to the employees based on their role in the company. They also deployed the
workforce effectively in order to concentrate their supervisors and managers focus on leadership
and improving customer service. HR department also work hard on retaining talents with growth
opportunities within the organization and make their employee’s work meaningful. Apple always
encourage their employees to climb the corporate ladder for career advancement (Suzanne, C.,
2012)
In the times where companies struggle to retain great talent, Apple should keep on implementing
these intervention strategies in the long term duration in order to allow the organization to be highly
competitive in tech industry.
Training can be defined as making available to employees planned and coordinated educational
programs of instruction in professional, technical, or other fields that are or will be related to the
employee’s job responsibilities. Training can be accomplished through a variety of approaches,
such as classroom training, e-learning, and professional conferences that are educational or
instructional in nature. Development is generally considered to include training, 16 structured on-
the-job learning experiences, and education. Developmental programs can include experiences such
as coaching, mentoring, or rotational assignments. The essential aim of training and development

programs is to assist the agency in achieving its mission and goals by improving individual and,
ultimately, organizational performance. It has been said that the objective of the investigative
segment of the Training and Development Program lies on the creation of a developmental strategy.
This is why the identification of training needs does not necessarily guarantee that this will already
bring benefits to the Apple Inc. It would only serve as a reminder for the superiors to look into the
weak points and come up with the appropriate solution and in this case it is the actual selection of
the training and development program and the method that should be employed targeting the

50
best results. There two ways that will help in the choice for what training method to use. First, after
the identification of the training needs, the willingness of the company should be checked and so
with the employees as to how far they can go for the project. It will involve confirming
their budget, time and the acknowledgement of the project as urgent and important for them and for
the company. With all of these, the management can now look into the most suitable
methods based on their assessed stand of the company andthere are actually a lot available to choos
efrom depending on the allowed scope, budget and time by the management.

Training can be defined as making available to employees planned and coordinated educational
programs of instruction in professional, technical, or other fields that are or will be related to the
employee’s job responsibilities. Training can be accomplished through a variety of approaches,
such as classroom training, e-learning, and professional conferences that are educational or
instructional in nature. Development is generally considered to include training, 16 structured on-
the-job learning experiences, and education. Developmental programs can include experiences such
as coaching, mentoring, or rotational assignments. The essential aim of training and development
programs is to assist the agency in achieving its mission and goals by improving individual and,
ultimately, organizational performance. It has been said that the objective of the investigative
segment of the Training and Development Program lies on the creation of a developmental strategy.
This is why the identification of training needs does not necessarily guarantee that this will already
bring benefits to the Apple Inc. It would only serve as a reminder for the superiors to look into the
weak points and come up with the appropriate solution and in this case it is the actual selection of
the training and development program and the method that should be employed targeting the best
results. There two ways that will help in the choice for what training method to use. First, after the
identification of the training needs, the willingness of the company should be checked and so with
the employees as to how far they can go for the project. It will involve confirming their budget,
time and the acknowledgement of the project as urgent and important for them and for the
company.

Cost-Benefit Analysis for the Training and Development Program

The most logical thing to do next after identifying the training needs for the Apple Inc. and
determining the appropriate method of training is to conduct a Cost-Benefit Analysis. The idea here
is to simply sum up all of the costs entailed in conducting training needs assessment and total costs
in the actual training and development of the training audience, and weigh it versus the anticipated
results. A solid cost-benefit analysis relies mainly on the proper identification of the impact of the
changes or the proposal before the training and development were conducted. Example of which

51
are the lesser rejection leading to higher productivity rate, faster operations due to deletion of
redundant processes in the system, significant cost savings due to the acquisition of new equipment,
and many other examples. Only at this condition, we can directly confirm if there were
improvements in the system, reduction of losses in the processor simply if there were more benefits
than expenses. For the case of the Apple Inc., the cost-benefit criterion means that as a system is
changed, it’s expected additional benefits should exceed its expected additional costs. Oftentimes
the benefits are difficult to measure because of the intangible considerations such as human

It is a serious decision that should be taken by the management of Apple Inc. in the approval of the
conduct of training needs analysis and the formal training. At this point, it is also best to consider in
conducting a needs assessment to have a forward planning that would include the feasibility of the
possible outcome of the assessment. In such a case, it should be flexible enough for the various
possible scenarios and have alternatives options just in case there will be uncalled for
changes alteration in the program.

Strategic Human Resource Activities at Apple Inc

External Environment of Apple Inc

Apple Inc. is the leading global digital asset and smartphone provider. It is the only electronic
company that can provide and manage both software and hardware products (Jarvis, Mittleman, Xu
& Tam, 2014). The company manufactures products that allow consumers to have a variety of
electronic products that meet their expectations. Customers can share music, videos, and
applications on Apple products such as iPhone, iPad, and Mac among others on a media platform
known as iTunes (Bau, 2013). The company has experienced an increased sale volume in a variety
of its products as a result of the innovative technology used in the manufacturing process. In spite
of the tremendous performance in the market, there are different problems which are beyond the

52
reach of the company which it cannot control. They include political, economic, social and
technological factors.
 Political factors
Problems such as terrorism, geopolitical uncertainties, health issues and government policies can
affect the sales of Apple products in the world. Apple has outsourced in different countries
including China, Czech Republic, and Korea among other countries to reduce its operations cost
(Jarvis, Mittleman, Xu & Tam, 2014). In the case of political instability, Apple stands to lose a
market as result of the delay in the manufacturing process.
 Economic factors
The purchasing power of consumers relies upon the prevailing economic conditions. In the past
years, different countries have experienced rising cases of unemployment. This has affected the
purchasing power of consumers leading to decreased sales of Apple products. The increased oil
prices in the world also resulted in inflation thus affecting the economy. The consequences of these
economic factors reduced the purchasing power of consumers. This led to decreased sales of the
Apple products.
 Competition
Apple is a large corporation that runs a variety of products. As such, the company is faced with
competition in the market (Jarvis, Mittleman, Xu & Tam, 2014). The major competitors of Apple
include Samsung, Nokia, HPQ, Google, HTC and RIM among others. Apple has managed to
withstand the competition by investing in technology and talented employees. As such, they have
been able to get high returns to sustain the growth of the firm. Apple has penetrated the market by
manufacturing high-quality products that have enabled it to create customer loyalty (Bau, 2013).
The ability to produce superior products has allowed it to gain a wider market share in different
parts of the world.

Internal Environment of Apple Inc.

Apple revenue has continued to grow over the past years. The company has experienced increasing
revenue because it has specialized in the manufacture of electronic products that are of high quality.
According to Forbes, Apple was ranked as the best brand among other companies that makes
electronic products. The founders of the company have put a lot of emphasis on creativity and
innovation. As such, it has been endorsed by the largest brand among various companies. To
enhance its innovative culture, the company has invested in research and development. Apple has
also elevated its sales team by giving them essential skills through training to enable cover a wider
market niche (Grant, 2016). Most of its direct sales outlets have been positioned at strategic places

53
that can be easily accessed by the clients. The firm has located its direct sales branches in busy
traffic areas. This is aimed at strengthening the revenue of the company. Apple has been able to
control its supply chain. The company publishes the code of conduct of its suppliers on a yearly
basis with the primary objective of strengthening its brand. Apple produces products that are easy
to use. Most of the iPhones generated by the company are user-friendly, and most customers’ wants
to identify themselves with Apple products.
Apple has based its success on the strength of its employees. The HR strategy employed by the
company is the primary reason behind its continued growth and excellent performance in the
market (Grant, 2016). Apple has some of the great talents, and the management has been equipped
with the best talent management approaches. This is to ensure that the company attracts and retain
the talented workforce. Great talents and efficient management skills are the primary reason why
Apple has become a leader in the manufacture of consumer electronics.
Apple Inc. marketing strategy focuses on the expectations of the customers. Apple products are
aimed at improving the lives of the users (Jarvis, Mittleman, Xu & Tam, 2014). The company is
committed to understanding the needs of the consumers before launching a new product in the
market. Besides, the customers are provided with different skills and tools to enable them to use
the products efficiently. The marketing policies of Apple are based on creativity and innovation.
They are also responsive to the needs of their clients as stated in the mission statement of the firm.
The primary objective of the company is to promote personal computing among various groups of
people including creative professionals, students, consumers, and educators (Jarvis, Mittleman, Xu
& Tam, 2014). This has been made possible through their software, internet and hardware
offerings. Therefore, Apple Inc works in an environment full of challenges. However, it has been
structured to overcome such challenges. The internal structure of the company adopts best practices
that attract and retains talented force.

Models of Strategic Human Resource Management

The key people who work for Apple are at the marketing, technical, staff positions. The primary
objective of the company is to attract and retain its employees (Rees & Smith, 2017). To achieve
this, the company has employed different strategic human resource practices to attract skilled
professionals. Apple is interested in maximizing the efforts of its workforce by investing in their
skills. The company recognizes human capital as a vital element for overall competitiveness
(Storey, 2014). The human resources are the driving force towards its development strategy. As
such, the firm has capitalized on the competencies of its staff with the primary objective of
achieving competitive advantage in the market. The great talents and people management

54
approaches used in the company have enabled it to become the most innovative firm in the
consumer electronics industry.
 Recruitment and Selection
Recruitment and selection are the keys to the success of most organizations (Sparrow, Brewster &
Chung, 2016). Apple has invested a lot in recruitment process with the primary objective of getting
the right talents who can fit the organizational culture (Storey, 2014). The company requires
employees who are hard-working and committed to the activities of the enterprise. Apple uses a
different recruitment strategy which is different from other employers. Apple does not promise its
employees on career progression. The employees are required to own their career (Rees & Smith,
2017). In this, case the company does not support career path. The workforce is expected to seek
information concerning their jobs. The company also relies on pirate raiding of talented workers
from other businesses. The recruitment process is designed in such a way that only employees who
fit the organizational culture are hired. The selection process is based on the verbal interview. The
recruitment and selection model enables the company to get right talents to serve the organization.
 Diversity and Equal Employment Opportunities
Apple provides equal employment opportunities to all people regardless of their gender, race,
ethnicity or disability among others (Grant, 2016). The company also employees people from
diverse backgrounds. As such, it has been able to attract a talented workforce from different parts of
the world that have contributed to its continued success and growth.
 Employment Benefits and Compensation
Apple provides competitive packages to attract talented staff. The benefits are provided based on
the employment status and the geographical location of the employer (Storey, 2014). Some of the
benefits provided by the company include insurance cover, employee stock purchase programs and

investment and savings plan. Employees are also entitled to products discounts. They are also given
bonuses for working with experienced talents in the industry (Grant, 2016). Apple provides flex
benefits where employees are required to choose the benefits that best suit their lifestyles. The
Economic reward has been used as the best retention strategy by Apple. Employees are awarded
periodical stock grants for their contribution to the company (Rees & Smith, 2017). This is a great
opportunity for employees to create wealth and realize individual accomplishment at retirement.
The company also embraces agility. This has been the major contributing factor to its success and
employee retention. Employees are encouraged to shift from one manufacturing department to
another (Storey, 2014). For instance, an employee can shift from music industry to computer and
then to the smartphone industry. The company encourages employees to be a master of all activities

55
as they prepare themselves for the next big thing. This strategy has motivated employees to commit
their effort to the organizational culture since they are in a position to enhance their skills.
 Employee Appreciation and Recognition
The company has a program known Apple Fellows Program that was created in 1995 to recognize
employees who make an extraordinary contribution to the company (Rees & Smith, 2017).
Employees who receive this award are appointed as leaders. They provide visionary guidance to the
organization in their field of expertise (Storey, 2014). This strategy motivates employees to work
hard since it also associated with economic benefits. Apple appreciates and values employees who
are committed to innovation. As such, the firm has attracted some of the best and committed talents
in the industry.
 Career opportunity
The recruitment policy of Apple focuses on the suitability of the candidate to fit the organizational
culture as opposed to the level of skills and experience (Grant, 2016). Apple gives the employees
opportunity to advance their skills while working for the organization. It provides an opportunity
for training and development. Employees are encouraged to learn on the job. Besides, the company
provides on-the –job training to allow employees to advance their skills on the job.
Apple also absorbs employees through an internship. Those who are on internship are provided
with actual learning experiences that allow them to develop in their prospective careers. The
internship opportunity attracts the most talented students. They are provided with the opportunity to
develop their skills to equip them for future employment opportunities (Rees & Smith, 2017). At
the end of the internship, the interns who display outstanding performance are employed. Besides,
those who are not fortunate to get employment from the company can get jobs immediately. This is
because Apple provides a real learning experience that other firms cannot provide. The interns from
Apple are promptly employed by other companies within the industry.

On-the-job training provides junior staff opportunity to interact with the experienced and talented
workforce (Storey, 2014). In this case, they can overcome challenges that they are likely to
experience in the course of their duty.
 Training and Development
Apple utilizes a unique training approach to ensure that the employees are equipped with right
skills for the job. The company allows the employees to do things on their own to encourage them
to develop strong self-reliance (Storey, 2014). In this case, the workers can learn from their
mistakes. This strategy has enhanced skills development. Employees are encouraged to develop
innovative skills since they are allowed to work in different units within the organization. Apple
uses a unique approach to assigning roles to different teams (Grant, 2016). In this case, several

56
groups are assigned to perform a particular task. After accomplishing the task, they are then
assigned an entirely different role. The teams are required to do something new at all times. This is
the reason why Apple has developed as one of the innovative companies in the world. The teams
always compete to provide something new that is entirely different from the previous projects
(Storey, 2014). After completing the tasks, the work of each team is reviewed, and the best is
selected or chosen.
To enhance the culture of free thinking and innovation, the teams meet twice in a week. During the
meetings, they can brainstorm to come up with something new full of innovation. Apple does not
prepare training programs, but employees are encouraged to learn on their own (Rees & Smith,
2017). This type of learning allows the employees to receive incredible returns that contribute to the
development of the company. The challenges experienced during the projects encourage employees
to become proactive about what will be taking place the following day (Grant, 2016). The
employees of the Apple can learn on their own without training. This strategy has enabled the
company to nurture and develop talents that have made the company to achieve international
recognition.
The strategic human resource management approach used by Apple Inc. is aimed at attracting the
best talents and retaining them at the same time (Grant, 2016). These strategic HR practices have
enabled the firm to become the leading provider of consumer personal computing products in the
world.

According to Gizmodo, “Selling is a science, summed up with 5 cute letters: (A)pproach, (P)probe,
(P)resent, (L)isten, (E)nd.” These five words correspond to five specific steps that employees are
trained to walk a customer. By the last step the customer should feel welcomed, empowered, happy,
and eager to return. Although I explain the five steps in much more detail in this article and video,
the steps are:

A pproach customers with a personalized, warm welcome.

P robe politely to understand the customer’s needs (ask closed and open-ended questions).

P resent a solution for the customer to take home today.

L isten for and resolve any issues or concerns.

E nd with a fond farewell and an invitation to return.

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Showcase the technology. When you walk into an Apple Store a ‘specialist’ will check you in
using an iPad. They are showcasing the technology. An iPad is positioned next to each Mac with
more detailed explanations about its features.

Show empathy. Apple Store Geniuses deal with angry, frustrated, or worried customers all day
long. It’s essential that they display empathy.

Empower employees. The word “empowered” is another key concept to emerge from the training
manuals Gizmodo acquired. Apple Store employees are empowered to do what’s right for the
customer.

Deliver enriching experiences. There are only two words on the front of the Apple Store credo
card that all employees are asked to carry: enriching lives. When a company starts with the vision
of ‘enriching lives,’ interesting things happen. Think about the innovations introduced at the Apple
Retail Store.

Apple’s Employee Training Engagement Strategy

1. Alignment to Organisational Vision

Time and again, Steve Jobs was seen emphasizing his role at Apple was to spearhead
their organizational vision.

2. Office Design

Apple Park at Silicon Valley includes a fitness centre, an energy plant, and acres of apricot
orchards. Every detail of the plan has been carefully examined to create the ideal
environment for innovation and encourage collaboration between workers and between
departments.

3. Workplace Design

Apple has spaces called pods for each activity an employee engages in during the workday -
pod for office work, pod for teamwork, pod for socializing, etc.

4. Apple’s Stock Plan

58
 Apple often provides their employees stock of the company as compensation known as
ESOPs Employee Stock Option Plan. Which motivate them to stay and work in
organization.

How does Apple train its retail store employees?

With 70,000 employees across the globe, Apple needed to figure out the most effective way to mass
communicate with its dispersed workforce and equip them with relevant knowledge.
It should be of no surprise that the tech giant takes advantage of digital resources to train its
workforce. Each employee starts the day with Hello—an app that provides daily briefings on the
most important ‘need to knows’ of the day. This was revealed by Angela Ahrendts, the former
Senior Vice President of Retail at Apple, and the approach aims to keep all employees aligned with
Apple’s vision and ensure the company is never too far removed from its workforce.

They also utilize Loop—an internal social network where employees engage in peer-to-peer
learning. So if one Apple employee is selling a lot of iPhones, they can share a video clip offering
useful advice and tips. And to overcome any language barriers, Apple optimizes auto-translate,
allowing all stores to talk to each other.

The use of online learning is supplemented by a flexible training approach. Apple lets its trainees
decide the length of their initial onboarding training, empowering workers to assess their own skill
level and decide when they’re ready to work independently on the shop floor.

SWOT Analysis of Apple Inc.

Apple is a brand that is a favourite of any marketer purely because of the kind of learning you can
have from it. In this discussion, I will take you through the SWOT Analysis of Apple and will
scrutinize in detailed some interesting insights about Apple. SWOT analysis has been usual on this

59
blog. In today's article, I'll be continuing that with a SWOT analysis of Apple – but with a different
touch this time around.
SWOT Analysis of Apple
Let’s jump into our SWOT analysis of Apple Inc. Let’s go over each of the four aspects: Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.

Strengths of Apple
A company’s strengths rely on its internal assets. The performance of the people, processes, and
technology that sums it up will help you decide what strengths it possesses.
Here’s a non-exclusive list of areas you might want to have a look at to gather the strengths of a
business:

1. Tangible and intangible assets

2. Intellectual property

3. Company workflow, culture, and outlook

4. Financial standing

5. Company position/ Brand Name

1. Innovative Products, Unique Designs

Apple's ability to design their own hardware, software and other products helps it rank among the
ones at the top of the ladder. Each year, their new products add on to the predecessor and improvise
on the design, usability, and easiness of the product.

60
2. Introduction of New Services
Owing to the advent of several new technologies in terms of digital streaming and payments, Apple
has been successful in launching their own systems. Apple TV+, Apple Music, iTunes, and Apple
Card, and Apple Arcade are among the new services to be launched and improved. Recently Apple
launched Apple One, the easiest way to get all of Apple’s subscription services in one Simple plan,
Apple therefore, keeps improving its service facilities as well, retaining and attracting new
customers.

3. Organizational Culture
Apple’s ability to deliver high-quality products and stand atop the innovation ladder is solely
possible because of its culture. Striving for innovation, change, creativity as a whole and imposing
this mindset has helped them uncover brilliant ideas and develop a strong internal brand culture.

4. Technological Excellence
Compromise in quality is what disrupts a businesses' market share. Apple's been working on top-
notch technology and developing products with a focus on quality, and that's what boosts their
brand loyalty.

5.Global reach /Brand of Choice:

Apple is one of the most reliable and trusted company and has established a brand name for itself. It
is a globally known brand, selling products across 25 countries.

Weaknesses of Apple

1. Limited Distribution Network

Apple Inc. has a limited distribution network because it sells its products by itself, and few stores
are scattered all around the world.

2. Lack of Compatibility (Accessories Incompatibility)

When a customer buys an Apple product, they enter into the Apple Universe. Apple's products are
notorious for being compatible with Apple's accessories.

61
3. Price Point
Apple's premium pricing is a significant concern for many. The high-profit margin has been the
reason the product has only managed to target an elite class of people despite their audience being
general smartphone uses.

4. Unfair Business Practices

Apple has been accused of using tracking apps in its phone, which revealed the precise location of
users. Apple is under investigation for unfair business practices as well.

Opportunities for Apple

1. Brand Loyalty
Apple has created a premium image in the mind of the customers associated with style, status, and
customization boosting its sales. Apple’s product announcements and unveiling events spread like
wildfire.

2. Addition to Product Line

Apple’s small lineup of products only help it capture a specific portion of the smartphone market.
They should add more products and services to their portfolio which can help them compete against
other technology leaders.

3. Partnerships and Acquisitions

Apple has the opportunity to acquire startups and companies with investments in AI, Machine
Learning, and technology. Such acquisitions can allow Apple to incorporate this tech into their
products and further enhance its quality.

4. Technology
Apple has the opportunity to continue to grow beyond just Apple watch and airpods into other
wearable categories.

Threats to Apple

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1. Market Capture by Competitors
The entire ecosystem for smartphones and the industry is changing, and it's opening up the
opportunities for competitors to penetrate the market.

2. Coronavirus Outbreak and Global Tensions

Most companies rely on their manufacturing and supply chain setup in China. Unfortunately, the
outbreak of the novel virus has managed to damage up to 20% of Apple's annual revenues until
April 2020, specially in countries like China, Italy, South Korea, and The United States.
3. Lawsuits
Apple is actively dealing with hundreds of lawsuits. Consumers mainly open these in regards to
their phones being slowed down and the CPU rates being throttled. According to recent news,
Apple is to pay $18M to settle a lawsuit for slowing or disabling FaceTime on older iPhone models.

4. Increasing Competition and Market Share

Although Apple has established itself as a solid brand, It faces competition from brands like,
Samsung, Dell, etc., We can see the difference through the number of android users as compared to
Apple users

Conclusion

That's it for our article on the SWOT analysis of Apple. I have gone over each of the four aspects of
SWOT: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. The process starts with thorough
research of the business under consideration.

CHAPTER 4 : DATA ANALYSIS, INTERPRETATION AND PRESENTATION

63
After a successful training and development program every organization has to go down a survey,
data analysis or interpretation and Apple Inc. is no different.
After conducting a survey we had some questions. Those included :

How did they find the Training and development program at Apple?
How do they find Apple’s service?
How they get treated during Training period?

and many more questions, question’s survey can be found below through various pie charts
attached below.

Further we can find the Cost Benefit Analysis of the Apple Inc as a organization and how they
control and manage the expenses.

Training and Development Survey Apple INC.

64
65
 Cost Benefit Analysis for the Training and Development

The most logical thing to do next after identifying the training needs for the Apple Inc. and
determining the appropriate method of training is to conduct a Cost-Benefit Analysis The idea here
is to simply sum up all of the costs entailed in conducting training needs assessment and total costs

66
in the actual training and development of the training audience, and weigh it versus the anticipated
results. A solid cost-benefit analysis relies mainly on the proper identification of the impact of the
changes or the proposal before the training and development were conducted.

Example of which are the lesser rejection leading to higher productivity rate, faster operations due
to deletion of redundant processes in the system, significant cost savings due to the acquisition of
new equipment, and many other examples. Only at this condition, we can directly confirm if there
were improvements in the system, reduction of losses in the process or simply if there were more
benefits than expenses.

For the case of the Apple Inc., the cost-benefit criterion means that as a system is changed, it's
expected additional benefits should exceed its expected additional costs.

Often times the benefits are difficult to measure because of the intangible considerations such as
human motivation for work, morale boosts and confidence at work or even the possibility of a team
reaching a level of better decision-making. All of the said examples are considered good benefits
but the measurement of its impact on the actual costs will be vague. Sometimes this becomes the
reason of reluctance in adopting new suggestions or actively supporting the training and
development programs because of the fact that the apparent benefits do not exceed the obvious
costs of gathering and interpreting the information plus the actual training. It is a serious decision
that should be taken by the management of Apple Inc. in the approval of the conduct of training
needs analysis and the formal training. At this point, it is also best to consider in conducting a needs
assessment to have a forward planning that would include the feasibility of the possible outcome of
the assessment. In such a case, it should be flexible enough for the various possible scenarios and
have alternatives options just in case there will be uncalled for changes alteration in the program.

What is Cost Benefit Analysis? Cost Benefit Analysis for Apple Inc. in 2012 case study?

Cost Benefit Analysis is a systemic and data-oriented approach to solve business problems. It is a
process of comparing various projected outcomes / benefits and associated costs that a Cook Apple
needs to incur in achieving the desired outcomes. The essence of Cost Benefit analysis is to make
sense of the course of action from a business perspective.
To put in simple terms, in cost benefit analysis, Cook Apple managers need to tally up all the costs
associated with a course of action against the projected outcome and assess whether it is meeting
the desired objectives or making the financial sense.
At EMBA PRO, we provide corporate level professional quantitative and analytics solutions. Apple
Inc. in 2012 case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by David B. Yoffie,

67
Penelope Rossano. The Apple Inc. in 2012 (referred as “Cook Apple” from here on) case study
provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Strategy & Execution. It also touches upon
business topics such as - Competition, Competitive strategy, Leadership, Marketing, Product
development, Strategic planning, Technology.
Our immersive learning methodology from – case study discussions to simulations tools help MBA
and EMBA professionals to - gain new insight, deepen their knowledge of the Strategy &
Execution field, cost analysis advantages, disadvantages, steps, different types of costs, various
types of benefits and more.

How do you perform a cost-benefit analysis? What are Steps involved in Cost Benefit Analysis.

According to Harvard Business Review, there are four steps to conduct a cost benefit analysis. The
four steps to conduct the cost benefit analysis are –

1. Establish a Framework for the Cost Benefit Analysis based on facts in case study

No cost benefit analysis can be done in isolation. It has to be aligned with the organization’s
strategy and financial objectives. The first step to conduct the cost benefit analysis is to establish
the framework for the analysis. The framework can include – strategic objectives, financial
objectives, and other KPI’s. Managers at Cook Apple should identify the goals and objectives that
they are trying to achieve. What should be considered a success? Managers need to make sure they
are measuring and comparing equivalent things.

2. Identify the costs and benefits mentioned in the Apple Inc. in 2012 case study

The second step is assigning the dollar value to the projected objectives and related costs. Managers
at Cook Apple needs to assess what are the different types of costs and assign them a financial
value. The four types of costs are – direct costs, indirect costs, intangible costs, and opportunity
costs.
Direct costs – Direct costs are associated directly with the project. For example the raw material for
the product.
Indirect costs – To undertake the process Cook Apple needs to undertake various indirect costs
which partly contribute in the production and delivery of the product and services. The most
common indirect costs are such as cost of utilities used, rent, and other overheads such as
departmental expenses.
Intangible costs – These costs are extremely difficult to measure and quantify. Often these costs are
overlooked in an organization and one process / product ends up subsidizing the other. For example

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decrease in the productivity levels of existing product because of the introduction of new product,
reduction in customer satisfaction because of changes in the service delivery processes etc.
Opportunity costs – The main task of an organization is to employ the resources in most productive
processes. Business processes and products compete against each other. Opportunity costs refer to
lost benefits or opportunities, when a business reject one process for another.

Some of the benefits covered in cost benefit analysis are –

Direct benefits – Increase in the sales revenue, profits, or customer satisfaction that Cook Apple
strives to achieve.
Indirect benefits – Some of the indirect benefits are – increased investment in product innovation
and technology leading to higher word of mouth marketing by the consumers.
Intangible benefits – If a company chooses a new processes which simplify the work process and
improves the morale of the workforce. New product launch increasing sales force motivation as
they have better product now compare to the competitors.
Competitive benefits – Some of the benefits could be strategic benefits such as first movers
advantage.

3. Assign a dollar amount or value to each cost and benefit based on data provided in Apple
Inc. in 2012 case study

Once the managers of Cook Apple have compiled a comprehensive list of costs and benefits, they
should put a dollar value to each cost and benefit. This will enable them to make objective analysis.
At embapro.com we recommend to do the weighted cost benefit analysis based on the strategic,
organizational, and financial objectives of the projects and processes.

The weighted cost benefit analysis will help the managers to focus their attention on the critical
aspects of the project costs and benefits. It will also help them to align the analysis with key
strategic and financial goals.

4. Tally the total value of benefits and costs and compare them in light of strategic and
financial objectives

Once all the costs and benefits are weighted and financially accounted. Managers at Cook Apple
should tally them and assess whether they are meeting the established framework in the first step.

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Advantages of Cost Benefit Analysis

Cost benefit analysis is a data driven approach – It reduces the scope of the managerial bias in the
decision making process. Secondly managers can objectively assess the projects before committing
resources to them.

Evidence based approach – The weighted cost benefit analysis helps the managers of Cook Apple to
provide concrete evidence to higher management, providing better chances of internal resource
allotment for their project.

Simplify the decision making process – Cost benefit analysis help the managers to reduce the
complexity of decision making by going through the overall costs and projected revenue of the
project.

Uncovers hidden costs and benefits – Perhaps the biggest advantage of cost benefit analysis is the
uncovering of hidden costs and benefits that allows the managers to make objective decision.
Secondly it can allow better cost allocation in terms of intangible costs, indirect costs, and
competitive benefits.

Disadvantages of Cost Benefit Analysis

The disadvantages of conducting cost benefit analysis for case study – “Apple Inc. in 2012” are –

Extremely difficult to predict all the variables – As the business environment is dynamic, it is
extremely difficult to predict all the variables with great certainty and in minute details, on which
the factor costs are calculated. Cost benefit analysis over a longer horizon is even more difficult as
market demand, global supply chain and other macro environment factors that are beyond the
control of the organization can dramatically alter the current scenario.

Data is hard to get by and cost benefit analysis build on shaky data also results in inaccurate
business projections and inaccurate cost benefit analysis.

Only suitable for short length projects – Over the last two decades the average project cycle has
dramatically reduced because of the use of technology. This infusion of technology has resulted into
constant monitoring and nimble and lean organizations. Cost Benefit analysis is one of the relics of

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60’s style strategic planning era where companies used to knew they competitors, customers, and
other market variables with great certainty.

Removes the human element – Even though it is an advantage in politically charged business
environment, but non-human involvement decision making can lead to either over optimization or
ethical questions going unanswered.

Training and Development Program Evaluation

Determinants of a successful Training Program

Effective training and development programs are an essential component of a learning environment
that can improve the Apple Inc.'s ability to attract and retain employees with the skills and
competencies needed to achieve results for the benefit of the company Training and developing
new and current staff to fill up new roles and work in dissimilar ways will be a decisive part in the
endeavors of the company to meet its transformation challenges. Ways that employees learn and
achieve results will also continue to transform how Apple Inc. do businessand engage or force the
employees in further innovation and improvements in line with its objectives.

Specific outcome expected from Training and Development Program

Effectively implementing this program would generally empower employees and improve their
performance. These are the basic outcomes that can be expected though it is very hard to set or find
clearly identifiable information on how training and development efforts contributed to improved
performance, reduced costs, or a greater capacity to meet new and emerging transformation
challenges. The conduct of evaluations of training and development programs is often discussed in
terms of levels.
One usually established model consists of five levels of assessment that gauge.

(1) Participant reaction to the training program.

Participant Reaction measures the initial satisfaction of the participant to the program design and
delivery. Information is frequently gathered through questionnaires at the end of the session.

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(2) Changes in employee skills, knowledge, or abilities.
Employability skills refer to the transferable skills that individuals utilise in their workplace.
Employers often seek these diverse set of skills in candidates in addition to their academic
qualifications. In order to stay relevant and improve their efficiency, employees should focus on
building up their employability skills. In this article, we analyse the various employability skills
that are much in demand in the workplace.

(3) Changes in on-the-job behaviours.

Workplace harmony creates a comfortable working atmosphere. It’s essential for creativity,
collaboration and staff retention.
(4) The impact of the training on program or organizational results.
Providing training to the employees help organizations performance, profits, reputation to climb up
the ladder against the competitors and it makes the staff happy as they are getting the respect they
adhere.
(5) A return on investment.
Calculating the payback period works better with long-term metrics such as improving staff
retention levels or reducing healthcare costs among staff. Results may only become apparent over a
long time period, hence calculating the annual savings is better.

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 Conclusions and Suggestions

Under noted few suggestions cum conclusion can be taken as for implementation to reap further
benefits.

 Making training and development process and entirely in house activity to reduce cost.

 It is found that the average age group of trainees are in their twenties or early thirties which
signifies that the consumer durable industry need more of young blood as enthusiasm is an
integral part of the industry.

 The maximum emphasis is given to job instruction methods where the trainee are made to
understand their job thoroughly and the role they are going to play in performing their job.

 Lecture as well as the presentation is the major part of imparting the education and training
them.

 The training objective are in keeping with needs and abilities of the trainee and it is this that
proves to be the major reason for success of the training as whole.

 The trainee fill the feedback form and from time to time test are conducted to know the
gauge the effectiveness of training to employee to check their memory if they retain
anything or not.
 We think that time management is one of the thing on which Reliance Mobile team must
emphasis so that there employee can be more productive as it was found during the visit to
the corporate office people they lack in managing.

Training and career development are very vital in any company or organization that
aims at progressing. Training simply refers to the process of acquiring the essential
skills required for a certain job. It targets specific goals, for instance understanding a
process and operating a certain machine or system. Career development, on the other
side, puts emphasis on broader skills, which are applicable in a wide
r a n g e o f situations. This includes decision making, thinking creatively and managing
people. We all know that training and development programs are important for an
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 organization to develop the employee. When a child was born he required constant touch of
parents till he stood on his own feet. An organization though flowered by creams of the
society, still training is required due to rapid technological up gradation and change in
working methods every day. Training aims at continued self-development of the employees.
Employees are expected to develop themselves continuously in an organization. When the
employees in an organization are developed from time to time with all updated knowledge,
then definitely that organization will grow to a greater height.

Bibliography and References

https://www.google.com/

http://www.wikipedia.org/

https://www.apple.com/

https://www.youtube.com/

https://www.ibm.com/in

https://www.hrhelpboard.com/

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