Apple Inc. Strategic Management

Case 10: Apple Computer and Steve P. Jobs (2006) Issue/Problem Identification 1. Apple is known to provide customers with a personal computer revolution that is easy-to-use machine. It was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Apple was a success at the beginning period of its production due to marketing and technological innovation and the company has invented. Apple grew quickly as the development of the products increases and the revenue continued to grow. Apple’s business strategy is to focus its products on differentiation by providing a unique product that is impossible to clone and charges its products at a premium price.In 1983, Apple faced a difficulty because PC entered the market and was marketing their products at a low price to its consumers taking some of Apple’s consumers. About two years later, Job resigned and John Sculley became the CEO and Chairman of Apple. With Sculley taking over, Apple increased its sales in the 1990s and was selling mo re personal computers than any other companies until PCs using Microsoft Windows started to dominate the market. In 1997, Job was replaced back as the CEO and brought its products back to success. 2.One of the major overriding issues in this case deals with the management team. The CEO of Apple was continuingly changing. The result of shifting CEO made Apple unstable. The company was successful at the beginning of the business and after a few years when a new CEO took over, it was faced with a couple issues, and the CEO was replaced once again to bring Apple back to the competitive market. Another major issue to the case includes the late filing of the quarterly report. Apple was warned by NASDAQ of their possibly delisting.Because Apple was having difficulty with their options accounting, the company took more time to figure out what to report for their third quarter. Yet, Apple was not the only company that faced this issue. More than 7,300 companies were also faced with the same issue. 3. The continuingly changing of CEO and the delisting from NASDAQ exchange were not the only two issues that Apple faced. Other related issues include the stock option investigation, the laptop batteries, and making iTunes and iPod player a compatible music player.In 2006, Apple faced an issue on the investigation of irregularities related to the company’s issuance of stock options. The shares of stock fell 3 percent and the investigation was performed. Another related issue was the recall of 1. 8 million laptop batteries. Apple was not the only company who recalled their product; Dell was also faced with the same issue. Furthermore, iTunes was the source that allowed customers to download music if they are using an iPod. IPod was not compatible with any other music player except for iTunes; that created an issue because it limited the customer’s source of downloading music.Stakeholder Analysis and Management Evaluation 1. The stakeholders in this case are Steve Jobs and the other CEO of Apple, the customers, the employees, and the government. Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, and the rest of the CEO have a hope of earning income from the company. Customers from all over the world purchase products from Apple. As for the employees of Apple, the company cannot function without its employees and these employees receive income from the company.Another stakeholder is the government. Apple has to pay license fees and the government has regulatory authority over the company. 2. The central management decisions were effective at a certain period of time. The company is basely run by Steve Jobs. When Jobs created Apple, the business was a success. After he resigned and passed the CEO position to someone else, the company continued to do well for awhile, but faced a downfall at a point until Jobs came back for the CEO position again.When Jobs was the CEO, the management decisions were effective because the company was creating revenues and the p roducts were attracting to customers. As competitors started to sell similar products, Apple was faced with a few issues since the company chose to differentiate its products by selling its product at a premium price. For Apple to sell its products at a premium price, it must be a trusted and well-known brand. As it is obvious today, Apple has created many loyalty customers. Recommendations and Implementation 1.In order for Apple to create more revenues and continue to stay in business, Apple’s management team should not only depend on Steve Jobs. The management team must work as a team and make sure that the company can still be successful without Steve Jobs. It is true that because of Steve Jobs, Apple has become a successful company but Steve Jobs is not going to be with Apple forever and the management team must take that into consideration and be able to carry on the business without Steve Jobs. 2. Some alternatives include developing new products every so often to attra ct consumers. Also Case Study will describe why Apple Inc. is a very successful company.Apple is already good at doing this because it is always renovating its products in many different ways whether it is a Mac Book, an iPod, or an iPad to attract its customers and keeping up with the society. This alternative is good for both long-term and short-term. People will continue to trust that the brand is still attracting. 3. Some of the implementation that should be considered is to hire the right people to work for the company; people that will bring new ideas to the company. Because Apple is always developing new products, the company should also continue to ensure that the quality of the products is at its highest level.

Statement of Goals and Choices

This project clearly shows mages that have a positive view on math and science but a negative view of English. The reason being is because I wanted to show what most people In the united States think about English. The use of black and white pictures was to show that the matter at hand is serious and that it is black and white, meaning that there is two sides you can choose. This effectively forces the audience to automatically start thinking about which side they will choose. Making this exactly what I wanted to achieve, to make people think deeply about education.Pictures having people who hate reading represent the stress that comes along with the subject of English. Other pictures give a real feel to the audience because the pictures show actual facts, people, or things that represent emotions and connotations In the realm of education. No matter how far fetched the pictures were I was able to connect them to the goal of getting English to be a more sought after subject. My audie nce for this project was very broad. I chose to target the entire united States.This seemed necessary because children aren't able to choose things for themselves their whole lives but when they get older propaganda they have seen will still have an affect on them. So, If parents were to see the posters the hope would be that they would be able to help the process of their child being more Involved with English. Other audience members would include everyone from the President down. The broad audience to me was a way of having some type of call to action to citizens and officials alike.This medium was chosen because I felt that the more original and authentic the project was people would make personal connections. I think that personal connection Is the most effective way to Influence and educate someone. If they feel that they are a part of the argument it may lead to them doing their own research. Other projects such as; videos, blobs, and digital posters did not appeal to me. The reason being is because I am talking about English needing to be the more important subject in schools. Sing technology seemed a little hypocritical and the affect that he plain black and white photos have on people Is perfect. Mediums other than mine did not feel' right. This lead me to Just doing something simple because that Is naturally to most people. The ability to be literate is a rarity in the world, why do most people take it for granted. This project shows exactly what message I was trying to get across and its simplicity makes people over look the depth of each photo. Which in turn makes them wonder and think, which is all that is needed when trying to influence people.

Personal Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Personal Ethics - Essay Example It is beneficial if a nurse who is not a native speaker communicate in English as their second language. This makes it very easy for the nurse to communicate with the patients since most of them speak English. One’s culture impacts on their belief that a warm environment is crucial to maintaining optimal health. In the Filipino culture, formal greetings are usually welcomed with handshakes. Furthermore, a nurse may ask the patients how they feel and nod their heads as a sign of agreement. However, a Filipino nurse may not understand since in their culture head nodding does not always mean agreement. They are also very close to the patients since they believe that kinship goes beyond biological connections. A nurse needs to use an indirect approach when discussing terminal illness for the first time. This has enables effective passage of information without creating the feeling of anxiety. As cited by Ludwick and Silva (2012), nurses need to encourage the patients with chronic illness to have strong faith and they will survive. It is believed that if a person has a strong faith he or she will actually survive. Nurses need to have personal values, such as, managing time. This ensures that they provide care in a timely manner. Studies have demonstrated that nurses are self-less and determined people and always ensure that they take care of the patients as well as clients who deserve suitable and safe care. In some instances, they also apply religious values both in times of happiness and despair. According to Yeo & Moorhouse (2010), ethics in nursing practice entails seeking the best way to take care of the patients together with the best nursing action. Â  It has been found out that ethical values form the basis for collection of codes of ethics. Nurses often act based on the morals and values they have chosen (Mahmoodi, Alhani, Ahmadi, & Kazemnejad, 2008). As cited by Carr and Steutel (2009), morals define a personal character.

Sugar Cane Alley Video Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sugar Cane Alley Video - Assignment Example Indeed, formal education had thought him that nothing could be more enslaving than for his true identity to be missing. In his search for knowledge therefore, Jose was also seriously searching for his true identity and a self will that would make him accept his roots and identity as the best. After all it is said that even if the back of your teeth is sour, it remains where your tongue licks. This means that even if you shy away from your identity because of whatever negative tag it may have, it remains your roots. For Jose to have said that "tomorrow Ill return to Fort de France and Ill take my Black Shack Alley with me" therefore means that Jose had finally come to find the solution to the puzzle he had been trying to solve since the beginning of the movie. The puzzle of his identity – the puzzle of who he was! The solution was that he was Black and came from the true Black identity, which is of course Africa and for the fact that he admired and revered where he was coming from, he was ready to take his identity along with him without fear or shyness. The statement therefore means the discovery of Jose’s identity and his readiness to embrace his true and original identity without

Iran and Nuclear Power Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Iran and Nuclear Power - Essay Example Though the stockpiling of such weapons has been justified by many countries, notably the U.S., as being a deterrent for war, the dangers associated with the use of nuclear weaponry has been loudly trumpeted by politicians, scientists, scholars and the majority of the world’s citizens alike. In addition to the previously mentioned five countries considered ‘nuclear weapons states,’ and those that have tested or are suspected of possessing nuclear weapons, other countries including the Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus and South Africa have had nuclear capability but have since disarmed. Other countries including Argentina, Brazil, Iraq, Algeria and Libya have pursued a nuclear program in the past. Israel will confirm of deny that they have nuclear weapons capabilities (Reuters, 2005) The latest countries to pursue nuclear weapons capability is North Korea and Iran. Though North Korea signed the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty in 1985, it pulled out of the treaty in 2003. In October of 2006, North Korea announced it had successfully tested a nuclear weapon at an underground site near the country’s east coast. This sent political and diplomatic shockwaves around the world though the test itself was deemed rather unspectacular. Iran announced in April of la st year that it had the ability to enrich uranium which is an essential phase in the making of a nuclear weapon. However, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has steadfastly claimed that Iran only plans to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and intends to continue enrichment on a much larger scale. Following this announcement, the UN Security Council has put forth a resolution which, in effect, insists that Iran must immediately discontinue any and all enrichment activities (â€Å"The Nuclear Club†, 2006). Some suggest that Iran is not escalating the fanatical rhetoric or aggressive actions because it has

Organisational Information System-Bright Light Limited Essay

Organisational Information System-Bright Light Limited - Essay Example Apart from this there exists a high degree of interdependence between these departments. They need to constantly interact with one another to keep the business running. A lot of information needs to flow from one department to another in order to carry out their transactions. It may so happen that the ignition for the transactions in one department may come from the outputs of another department. Hence this clearly shows that there indeed is a necessity of some means of communication between various departments. The case of Bright Light Ltd is no different. If the transmission of this information among various departments is carried out manually then the maintenance and timely delivery of this information in the expected format would be a highly impossible task. This would be tedious, time consuming and inefficient. It is here that the need for an Information System would be felt. â€Å"An Information system is a formalized computer Information system that can collect store, process and report data from various sources to provide the information necessary for managerial decision making.† (Hicks, 1993) Information system being described here is concerned with not only a computerized application but it also considers the information regarding the organizational activities. An Information system can be specified with the help of the functions it performs. The functions carried out by the Information System broadly fall under five categories. These are namely: (Angell, 1991) Having these things in mind the following report would analyze the Information flow between various departments in the Bright Light Ltd organization. To facilitate this discussion the â€Å"General Systems theory† is chosen. The following discussion would include a brief introduction regarding the systems approach and the concepts used in this approach. This would be followed by identifying the departments in the BLL organization and an information flow

Chinas Economic Advantages Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Chinas Economic Advantages - Essay Example The Mongols promoted trade in China by offering security to caravan traders who were moving long distances for an exchange of goods and services. They guarded the path which cut from Asia to Russia hence ensuring the safety of caravans from robbers who instilled fear on the earlier traders. The Mongols were united under Yuan and were well organized both in war and in trade. Their emergence reshaped China, rising from a humble nation to one that caught the world’s attention with its commerce and highly advanced technology. Added to China’s advantage was the fact that it had a large population which provided labor and ready market for its produced goods. Its population offered a great advantage to traders who channeled their goods to China since there was a large market with willing buyers and willing sellers dealing in silk and other products. Slaves were in abundance for exchange. Another factor which boosted Chinese expansion of trade was the opening of the Silk Road. The Silk Road covered parts of the Middle East and extended to parts of Russia. The road was a convenient way through which traders could transport their goods to and from China to their destination. Another factor that made China thrive in trade is the kind of political peace it enjoyed under the Mongol’s Yuan dynasty. Being a dynasty with a strong political background, China enjoyed a peace and was free from external attack. The Mongols were an organized lot with a strong military base; a factor which had a direct impact on trade.... Added to China’s advantage was the fact that it had a large population which provided labor and ready market for its produced goods. Its population offered a great advantage to traders who channeled their goods to China since there was large market with willing buyers and willing sellers dealing in silk and other products. Slaves were in abundance for exchange. Another factor which boosted Chinese expansion of trade was the opening of the Silk Road. The Silk Road covered parts of the Middle East and extended to parts of Russia. The road was a convenient way through which traders could transport their goods to and from China to their destination. This was a boost to the growing influence of China as a hub of commerce in the world. Another factor that made China thrive in trade is the kind of political peace it enjoyed under the Mongol’s Yuan dynasty. Being a dynasty with strong political background, China enjoyed peace and was free from external attack. The Mongols were an organized lot with strong military base; a factor which had a direct impact on trade. China’s economic meltdown came as a result of a number of factors. It is important to look at such factors in relation to their effect not only in China but also in other countries that formed part of Eurasian trade. The most known cause for the decline in China’s economic strength is the emergence of the Black Death. It is believed that the plague commonly known as the Black Death began its spread from the Chinese Mongols, spreading all the way to other parts of Europe and many parts of the Middle East (Lin 19). The Black Death also known as the bubonic plague fuelled the collapse of Yuan dynasty. It is

Can the U.S. Government Still Be Regarded as a Federal System of Essay

Can the U.S. Government Still Be Regarded as a Federal System of Government - Essay Example Across America’s history, federalism has been defined in different ways. Cooperative federalism implies that the two forms of government are to work in collaboration with one another. Dual federalism supposes that the two forms of government are working separate from one another. Creative federalism relates to a combined planning and decision making system amongst the two. Horizontal federalism relates to the interaction and shared programs amongst them while vertical federalism means the conventional systems of federal governance whereby the actions of the central government are considered to be supreme as interpreted by the constitution. Every state in the US is characterized with its own positions relative to legal authority and political importance. Although states are not considered sovereign entities they can assume power and take actions relative to the functions of other governmental set ups (McKAY, 2001). The US Constitution had established division of authority among st the state and federal governments that had initially put restraints on the federal government in areas of foreign policy, defense and the controls over currency and commerce amongst states. Over time, this bifurcation of authority has been diluted and currently the federal government enjoys extended authority relative to almost aspects impacting US citizens. However, despite such increase in federal authority, states in the US continue being very significant centers of governmental functioning. Over the years, there have been different policies enacted by different Presidents in regard to reducing the federal government’s powers and vice versa.... This essya stresses that federalism is understood as a governance system whereby the constitution partitions power amongst the state and central governments and both governments take direct actions relative to the people they rule, in terms of the prevailing laws. It is understood that both entities are supreme in the context of their respective spheres of authority. The central and state governments are required to give their consent in the event of proposals being made for changing the constitution. Very rarely does federalism appear in discussions and debates pertaining to modern public policies. A good feature of federalism is that it retains power, traditions and local dignity while permitting the central government to deal with common issues. This paper makes a conclusion that the founders of the Constitution displayed a great deal of loyalty towards their respective states and were not inclined to provide unlimited powers to the central government. While framing the Constitution, the founders created a document that greatly succeeded in bifurcating powers while creating a balance in favor of the nation as a whole. However, it is widely perceived that over the decades the US has diverted from what was intended by the founders of the Constitution because the original intent was not to provide the federal government with extensive authority over issues relative to law enforcement, housing and education

Structured Multisensory Approach to Teaching Dyslexic Students Research Paper

Structured Multisensory Approach to Teaching Dyslexic Students - Research Paper Example However, it is unfortunate that there seems to be no known and appropriate medical interventions or alternatives that can be used to alleviate effectively the various challenges in cognitive processing which are presented in many cases of dyslexia. There is a myriad of successful approaches- with the most predominant being the structured multisensory teaching- which have been attempted and developed through a number of studies and which have shown to provide eminent solutions to this contentious dilemma.   All dyslexic students require quite a different language teaching and learning approach from the conventional ones applied in most of the classrooms. They should be taught their language’s basic elements thoroughly and slowly, putting emphasis on the letters and the sounds that represent them, as well as how to mingle the two and how to separate them. For conscious retention and organization in their learning, there ought to be plenty of practice in order for them to coordinate their ears, writing hands, voices, and their eyes. This is basically what constitutes a structured multisensory teaching approach to dyslexic students. But before we specifically discuss this approach in detail, it is imperatively important to give some working definitions and background of the dyslexia condition. Perhaps the most important question to address ourselves to at this juncture is â€Å"what is dyslexia?† For a long time, many people have not been able to distinguish between dyslexia from mental retardation. Over the decades, there have been many terminologies that have been adopted to define dyslexia.

Course Note on Organizational Behaviour Essay Example for Free

Course Note on Organizational Behaviour Essay DEFINITION OF ORGANISATION According to Gary Johns, Organisations are social inventions for accomplishing goals through group efforts. This definition covers wide variety-of groups such as businesses, schools, hospitals, fraternal groups, religious bodies, government agencies and so on. There are three significant aspects in the above definition, which require further analysis. They are as follows: Social Inventions: The word social as a derivative of society basically means gathering of people. It is the people that primarily make up an organisation. Accomplishing Goals: All organisations have reasons for their existence. These reasons are the goals towards which all organisational efforts are directed. While the primary goal .of any commercial organisation is to make money for its owners, this goal is inter-related with many other goals. Accordingly, any organisational goal must integrate in itself the personal goals of all individuals associated with the organisation. Group Effort: People, both as members of the society at large and as a part of an organisation interact with each other and are inter-dependent. Individuals in themselves have physical and intellectual limitations and these limitations can only be overcome by group efforts. MEANING AND DEFINITION OF ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR Organisational behaviour is concerned with peoples thoughts, feelings, emotions and actions in setting up a work. Understanding an individual behaviour is in itself a challenge, but understanding group behaviour in an organisational environment is a monumental managerial task. As Nadler and Tushman put it, Understanding one individuals behaviour is challenging in and of itself; understanding a group that is made up of different individuals and comprehending the many relationships among those individuals is even more complex. Ultimately, the organisations work gets done through people, individually or collectively, on their, own or in collaboration with technology. Therefore, the management of organisational behaviour is central to the management task—a task that involves the capacity to understand the behaviour patterns of individuals, groups and organisations, to predict' what behavioural responses will be elicited by  various managerial actions and finally to use this understanding and these predictions to achieve control. Organisational behaviour can then be defined as: The study of human behaviour in organisational settings, the interface between human behaviour and the organisational context, and the organisation itself. The above definition has three parts—the individual behaviour, the organisation and the (interface between the two. Each individual brings to an organisation a unique set of beliefs, values, attitudes and other personal characteristics and these characteristics of all individuals must interact with each other in order to create organisational settings. The organisational behaviour is specifically concerned with work-related behaviour, which takes place in organisations. In addition to understanding; the on-going behavioural processes involved, in their own jobs, managers must understand the basic human element of their work. Organisational behaviour offers three major ways of understanding this context; people as organisations, people as resources and people as people. Above all, organisations are people; and without people there would be no organisations. Thus, if managers are to understand the organisations in which they work, they must first understand the people who make up the organisations. As resources, people are one of the organisations most valuable assets. People create the organisation, guide and direct its course, and vitalise and revitalise it. People make the decisions, solve the problems, and answer the questions. As managers increasingly recognise the value of potential contributions by their employees, it will become more and more important for managers and employees to grasp the complexities of organisational behaviour. Finally, there is people as people an argument derived from the simple notion of humanistic management. People spend a large part of their lives in; organisational settings, mostly as employees. They have a right to  expect something in return beyond wages and benefits. They have a right to expect satisfaction and to learn new skills. An understanding of organisational behaviour can help the manager better appreciate the variety of individual needs and expectations. Organisational behaviour is concerned with the characteristics and behaviours of employees in isolation; the characteristics and processes that are part of the organisation itself; and the characteristics and behaviours directly resulting from people with their individual needs and motivations working within the structure of the organisation. One cannot understand an individual’s behaviour completely without learning something about that individuals organisation. Similarly, he cannot understand how the organisation operates without; studying the people who-make it up. Thus, the organisation influences and is influenced by individuals. ELEMENTS OF ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR The key elements in the organisational behaviour are people,, structure, technology and the environment in which the organisation operates. People: People make up the internal and social system of the organisation. They consist of individuals and groups. The groups may be big or small; formal or informal; official or unofficial. Groups are dynamic and they work in the organisation to achieve their objectives. Structure: Structure defines the formal relationships of the people in organisations. Different people in the organisation are performing different type of jobs and they need to be (elated in some structural way so that their work can be effectively co-ordinated. Technology: Technology such as machines and work processes provide the resources with which people work and affects the tasks that they perform. The technology used has a significant influence on working relationships. It allows people to do more and work better but it also restricts people in various ways. Environment: All organisations operate within an external environment. It is the part of a larger system that contains many other elements such as government, family and other organisations. All of these mutually influence each other in a complex system that creates a context for a group of people. NATURE OF ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR Each individual brings to an organisation a unique set of personal characteristics, experiences from other organisation, the environment surrounding the organisation and1 they also possess a personal background. In considering the people working in an organisation, organisational behaviour must look at the unique perspective that each individual brings to the work setting. But individuals do not work in isolation. They come in contact with other individuals and the organisation in a variety of ways. Points of contact include managers, co-workers, formal policies and procedures of the organisation, and various changes implemented by the organisation. Over time, the individual, too, changes, as a function of both the personal experiences and the organisation. The organisation is also affected by the presence and eventual absence of the individual. Clearly, the study of organisational behaviour must consider the ways in which the individual and the organisation interact. An organisation, characteristically, exists before a particular person joins it and continues to exist after he leaves it. Thus, the organisation itself represents a crucial third perspective from which to view organisational behaviour. NEED FOR STUDYING ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR The rules of work are different from the rules of play. The uniqueness of rules and the environment of organisations forces managers to study organisational behaviour in order to learn about normal and abnormal ranges of behaviour. More specifically, organisational behaviour serves three purposes: What causes behaviour? Why particular antecedents cause behaviour? Which antecedents of behaviour can be controlled directly and which are beyond control? A more specific and formal course in organisational behaviour helps an individual to develop more refined and workable sets of assumption that is directly relevant to his work interactions. Organisational behaviour helps in predicting human behaviour in the organisational setting by drawing a clear distinction between individual behaviour and group behaviour. Organisational behaviour does not provide solutions to all complex and different behaviour puzzles of organisations. It is only the intelligent judgement of the manager in dealing with a specific issue that can try to solve the problem. Organisational behaviour only assists in making judgements that are derived from tenable assumptions; judgement that takes into account the important variables underlying the situation; judgement that are assigned due recognition to the complexity of individual or group behaviour; judgement that explicitly takes into account the managers own goals, motives, hang-ups, blind spots and weaknesses. IMPORTANCE OF ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR Organisational behaviour offers several ideas to management as to how human factor should be properly emphasised to achieve organisational objectives. Barnard has observed that an organisation is a conscious interaction of two or more people. This suggests that since an organisation is Ihe interaction of persons, they should be given adequate importance in managing the organisation. Organisational behaviour provides opportunity to management to analyse human behaviour and prescribe means for shaping it to a particular direction. Understanding Human Behaviour Organisational behaviour provides under ­standing the human behaviour in all directions in which the human beings interact. Thus, organisational behaviour can be understood at the individual level, interpersonal level, group level and inter-group level. Organisational behaviour helps to analyse why and how an individual behaves in a particular way. Human behaviour is a complex phenomenon and is affected by a large number of factors including the psychological, social and cultural implications. Organisational behaviour integrates these factors  to provide* simplicity in understanding the human behaviour. Interpersonal Level: Human behaviour can be understood at the level of interpersonal interaction. Organisational behaviour provides †¢ means for understanding the interpersonal relationships in an organisation. Analysis of reciprocal relationships, role analysis and transactional analysis are some of the common methods, which provide such understanding. Group Level: Though people interpret anything at their individual level, they are often modified by group pressures, which then become a force in shaping human behaviour, Thus, individuals should be studied in groups also.. Research in group dynamics has contributed vitally to organisational behaviour and shows how a group behaves in its norms, cohesion, goals, procedures, communication pattern and leadership. These research results are advancing managerial knowledge of understanding group behaviour, which is very important for organisational morale and productivity. Inter-group Level: The organisation is made up of many groups that develop complex relationships to build their process and substance. Understanding the effect of group relationships is important for managers in todays organisation. Inter-group relationship may be in the form of co-operation or competition.

Example answers to Questions on Organisational Change

Example answers to Questions on Organisational Change Introduction to the Organisatiion This assignment is solved using Shore to Shore Logistics Pvt. India Ltd (STS). It is a branch of Khanna Paper Mills (KPM). The organization deals in the Logistics field. It had a number of clients who are in this field. Introduction to working Scenario STS is a transporting unit initiated by KPM and works as an intermediary between KPM and Transporters Its main task is to arrange the trucks at a reasonable cost and then follow the clients of KPM till the consignment is reached at the destination. On the other hand when raw material arrives at a port, it arranges the containers and follows the service providers till the consignment reaches its base station Amritsar. The STS has a large number of employee who work in different departments. The hierarchy of the organisation is as follows: Managing Director -> Director General Manager -> General Manager -> Sr. Manager -> Manager -> Executives. Recently it has to undergo a number of changes with respect to its functionality so that the work may be finished with greater speed. New technologies had been adopted specially in the field of Information Technology and other departments. Discus three models of Change Management. (AC: 1.1, 4.1) ADKARs Model of Change Manegement: This model was first published in Prosci Change Management Series in 1998 after researching on around 300 companies that were affecting change management. The model is sequential and cumulative in its approach. It has major 5 stages to effect change management. Awareness: It is related to the change whether there is need to change. If there is, what areas should be focussed for change. Desire: There is a lot of difference in desire and demand. Desire is an abstract and vague term that can be weaker whereas the demand has robust background of resources. Everyone should have desire to participate in the change otherwise demand cant e met with. Knowledge: It the factor that vests with the leads. The participating persons should have knowledge of the change that will be effected and the possible outcome of the change. Ability: It is the capability of change. It should be slow in action but fast in result. The strategy implementing team must be able enough to rollback the action in case the change is not successful. Reinforcement: It is the capacity to retain the position once attained. There should be break points that may be created and one breakpoint should be followed by the other on successful completion of one breakpoint.[1] Lewins Change Theory: This model is a three stage model for change management. The stages are Unfreeze: This stage is related with the change of human behaviour. It is unchangeable under normal circumstances, however the knowledge and desire to have more always has a positive relationship with the change. More you learn more you get. This stage is for changing the existing beliefs, scenarios, triggering need for learning etc. In other words, we concentrate on the areas that need to be observed and changed. Change: When we have recognised the areas and opened up the avenues for change, we can effect the change. In this stage we make up our mind to explore and learn new eras of improvement. New technology is adopted, experts are assigned to train the less trained employees. The environment is changed. ReFreeze: This stage is the final stage of the model in which the changes are frizzed for the current scenarios so that these may not affect and get affected by other factors. [2] Lippitts Phases of Change Theory Lippitt, Watson, and Westley contributed to Lewins model and created a seven-step theory. It focuses more on the role and responsibility of the change agent than on the evolution of the change itself. Information is continuously exchanged throughout the process. The seven steps are: Diagnose the problem. Assess the motivation and capacity for change. Assess the resources and motivation of the change agent. This includes the change agents commitment to change, power, and stamina. Choose progressive change objects. In this step, action plans are developed and strategies are established. The role of the change agents should be selected and clearly understood by all parties so that expectations are clear. Examples of roles are: cheerleader, facilitator, and expert. Maintain the change. Communication, feedback, and group coordination are essential elements in this step of the change process. Gradually terminate from the helping relationship. The change agent should gradually withdraw from their role over time. This will occur when the change becomes part of the organizational [3] Suggest an appropriate model of change for your chosen organisation. Discuss your reasons for suggesting the model. (AC: 1.2) Keeping in view our organisation, we suggest the application of Lippitts model. Justification: This model takes into consideration Kewins approach and extends it. On the other hand ADKAR model is also based on the same lines but is more rigid in its approach. In the concerned organisation, third parties were called from their respective fields for evaluation of the existing system and suggest changes that improve the functionality of the entire system. There were transfers from STS to KPM and vice versa. A new Vice President for Operations was appointed who introduced a number of changes to smooth the functionality. The main changes introduced were as follows: The VP stressed on the IT department with full force because this department had the potential to undergo an upliftment. Interviews were conducted for appraisals and executives were promoted. Open opinions were asked for change. Executives were called at the KPM for training. In the initial stages the employees were reluctant to go change but the management made them round in due course of time. The training was over and the executives were restored to their orginial work place. After this study was conducted and those who added much to their performance were promoted. In this way the organisation freezed the change. Strategic planning stands for planning for the long-term. Keynes said that in the long run we are all dead because a long run is composed of a number of short periods. But the time frame of this type planning in many organizations is from three to five years. Due to this timeframe, there are several challenges associated with long-range planning. These include: [4] Creating a plan that is breakthrough in its orientation. Getting all stakeholders to commit to the organizations strategies and to follow through on implementation of critical activities, and decreasing cycle time in the planning process. This sort of orientation necessitates approaches to strategic planning that involve all employees and stakeholders in the planning process and a planning process that can occur within a shortened time frame. There are a number of techniques that can be used for this purpose: Change = (Dissatisfaction)(Vision)(First Steps) > Resistance [5] The Future Search Method: This method was developed by Marvin Weisbord and Sandra Janoff of USA in 1980s. This method is for adopting System-wide strategic planning and Enabling diverse and potentially conflicting groups. To find common ground for constructive action and Finding new approaches to tough issues. The participants generally are in the form of parallel array of 88 tables and sitting 64 persons. The Time duration it takes to decide may take from two to three days. The Real Time Strategic Change Method: This method was developed by Kathie Dannemiller and Robert Jacobs of USA in 1980s. This method is useful when we have to design and implement the whole system for change and create organisation-wide alignment with mission, vision and strategy. It is limited only by size of venue and the event takes two to three days to complete. Its main influence is observed on group dynamics and Organisation development. The time it considers for implementation is Two months. The participants include mixed stakeholder group. The tables are round and can accommodate 8 persons per table. The key focus areas are the sponsors who want to tell or sell the product or is unwilling or unable to meet design principles or sponsor has no intention of implemention of action plans. The model has been used by Boeing (777 Development), Ford Motor Company, Marriott Hotels and Mobil. The Open Space Technology: This model was developed by Harrison Owen of USA in 1985 and presented in Annual international conferences on Organisation Transformation. The primary purpose of this model is creation of self-managed collaborative meetings that generate high levels of ownership and Resolving complex or conflict-ridden issues in a short period of time. Other purpose is team development and creating strong community spirit. The space requirement is limited only by size of venue and the event takes one, two or three days to complete. The implementation requires two weeks. The main participants are sponsor and consultant/facilitator (although some practitioners work with an RTSC-style design team). This model requires a large room that will accommodate the whole group seated in a circle or several concentric circles in tens. In this model emphasis is laid whether the sponsor wants to tell/sell or control the process, predetermined outcome is required, answer is already known and there is hidden agenda.The model has been implemented at The Engineering Council Diageo, Petroleum Development Oman, and Prudential [6] The organisation under consideration applied the mix of these three strategies. The sponsors are the transporters whose will is to get the most out of the pocket of the company and the executive who want to minimize the burden on the company. The transporters were reluctant to provide service as the volume of work is increased during the seasonal hours causing problems and conflicts therein. On the other hand the consignments were sometimes delayed or misreported. To overcome this problem a meeting was called and the solution developed was to implement an IVR system that took 3 months in its implementation. The solution was developed by Beas Software Solutions and is running fine. After the implementation the policy adopted was that the driver will be given an incentive of 1 Pound for calling the IVR system and penalised 5 Pounds for not calling. The IVR is capable of detecting the city from where it is receiving call and automatically throws the mails to the concerned parties. This resulted in regulation of the transporting facilities and the clients are seemed to be also happy. Task 2: Understand Issues relating to strategic change in the organization Discuss the generic background to change that exists in modern economy, and the specific drivers that motivated your chosen organisation to consider Change. (AC:2.1,2.2) World appears to be integrating economically, politically and culturally. Irrespective of the national boundaries huge developments in information, communication and technology has taken place. Ownership patters of corporate sector all over the world have become more complex like joint ventures, cross-border acquisitions etc. Global strategies have emerged in the production of goods and services, distribution and management of labour. These have had an immense impact on business activities. The world economy is now more closely interlinked and the finance has become a global resource. Ricky (2009) In the current economic circumstances organizations are facing both external and internal forces that ultimately make change unavoidable. External forces such as new work force demographics; changing expectations about quality, productivity, and customer satisfaction; and new technologies are dramatically affecting the operating environment in organizations globe wise. Internally, financial limitations, the condition to do more with less, cross-functional groups, mergers and acquisitions and empowered employees all influences organizations position to compete in the global marketplace In case of the concerned organisation, the following are the factors that lead to the change: Increase in area of operations. The organisation has opened its new offices in Canada, UK and US for procuring raw materials. There is need for more manpower to manage the tasks related to the ports. There is dire need of regularising the transport of consignments (Inbound/ Outbound). The competition in the market requires new innovative ideas to be developed. The spreading of education and awareness requires recycling of paper waste to optimize the performance and less cutting of trees. Waste Management needs restructuring. The world is fast enough and we need a centralised database to keep the transactions at one location whether these are performed in India or abroad. In the light of above facts, the organisation under consideration needs change and should adopt a changing policy. Following are some of the resources implications Human and other Capacity Requirements Human force is one the major resource that is hard to change for their natural instincts. We need to develop employees for their skills and use potential sources of these resources. Also, other capacity needs required such as internal systems, management structures, engaged partners and Network NOs and POs, and a supportive legal framework etc. Financial Requirements The finance required to implement this strategy is one of the most crucial factors. There should be proper allocation of funds required to implement the strategy. Estimate of Project Lifespan, Sustainability, and Exit Strategy We should consider a cost benefit analysis before falling into action. The timespan required to complete the project, the resources diverted and compensation of the same for the time span must be considered. Thomas (1992) Strategic Change Management Plan may only be considered complete when these components have been defined, at least in broad terms. As the project moves into change implementation, several of these components are the defined in more detail and tested in reality Task 3: Develop systems for understanding and involving others in the process of change Identify the key Stakeholders in your chosen organisation and propose systems to involve those stakeholders in the planning and implementation of change. (AC:3.1) Karen (2008) A stakeholder is a personality in business who has the greatest stake or the ability to influence the outcome of the strategy. They may break the solution even. The person may be internal or external who has the highest rank and cant be influenced by the strategic forces. Different stake holders have different expectations and can be involved in the process of strategy building in a number of ways as follows: Involve them in problem solving. Keep them up to date of standing towards corporate objectives Take actions on feedback received by them Mobilize the correct resources at the right moment to recognizethe implementation plan In order to involve the stake holders to the process of change the new chief executive officer of STS carried out the following actions; Simplification of Financial Services: For the purpose of involving the customers to the process of change the Chief Executive Officer of STS adopted a customer focused approach. The CEO simplified the ever complex financial services in terms of their understanding and it was now made very simple to understand. Now the customers know that what they are investing into and what return their investment is expected to yield at the end of the contract. Earlier customers have always been confused between the complex calculations. Now the customers are happy because they dont need any financial interpreter to understand the ins and outs of the services offered by the STS. Workforce Development: An-other very important stake holder of the organization is the employees. Mark (2005) An employee is a person whom we must rely. The intention of the employee plays a vital role in success or failure of the project. The CEO of STS took into confidence the employees. He assured more incentives and job rotation at different places to the employees for their overall development. He also made arrangement for necessary training and development programmes. The CEO arranged for their further studies with the leading colleges and IMTs so that their skill may be developed more. Creating Distinct Market Place: the CEO of the company purchased more land for having in house container and custom clearance house. It will unleash the power of the internal as well as external trade. The land will be used as a warehouse where others may also store their inventory. This will diversify the business and help in promoting the output of the STS. Critically evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the systems you proposed in task 3a. (AC:3.3) The system discussed in the section A involved a number of persons as stake holders into consideration before in acting the strategy. The need for change in these factors is made keeping in view the internal as well as external forces. The STS was performing in the service sector of arranging the transporters for only one client that is its parent firm KPM whereas due to the volume of business being stable in one direction and to explore more opportunities for revenue earning, new eras are explored. This strategy really worked in the real time environment. The employees and govt agencies showed keen interest in the development plan and setup of a new industry in the border district where no major investment takes place in wake of war at any time with Pak. Mark (2005) The other system that the Chief Executive Officer developed was to train the workforce. The employees were addressed about the need for the change and the possible proposed changes and before implementing the change assuring them that they will not be over burdened with this new implementation. it is very essential that the workforce is capable enough to perform their duties into the new environment. For the purpose workforce was developed with rotating job descriptions and Management Development Programme was conducted by a Institute of Management Technology Ghaziabad(Delhi) to train the employees about how to respond to the change. Finally the Chief Executive Officer had to respond to the most vital reason for the change that is the fact that STS was trading with only its parent firm KPM and arranging trucks for its consignments. But now the policy has changed and diversification is desired which is possible only with the help of the employees. Along these lines media w as involved in the development of the organisational strategy that helped it in procuring necessary licences and tie ups with the govt and other agencies. Discuss how you would develop a change management strategy with the key stakeholders. (AC:3.2) Stakeholder management is critical to the success of introducing change in the organization . The more people are going to be affected by change. These may be the person who have the power to influence the current project. There are both possibilities, if the results are coming to the expectations, they will be great supporter otherwise opposers. Harriet (2005) Stakeholder Management Strategy is an important discipline that successful people use to win support from others. It helps them ensure that their projects succeed where others fail. Rob (2008) Stakeholder Analysis is the technique used to identify the key people who have to be won over. You then use Stakeholder Planning to build the support that helps you succeed. The benefits of using a stakeholder-based approach are that: We should take into confidence the stakeholders so that they may guide in a better way by their valuable opinions in times of need and keep the project on the right track. The in time communication to the stakeholders give them chance to evaluate the current and the future output of the action being implemented. In this way they can stop the wrong actions, take corrective measure and even encourage the team to carry on in case there is complete success. It builds a sense of confidence in the team. What strategy would you use to manage resistance to the change you developed in your chosen organisation? (AC:3.4) In the opinion of the researcher in the case of STS, following points are worth mentioning There will be a workflow process in order to achieve results for mutual benefits for employees and organization. There will be an Authority Process in order to direct behaviour in the interests of the organization and its participants. There would be a Reward and Penalty Process to induce people to behave in away required by the interests of the organization and its participants and / or to behave in a way making associated activity possible. As in the case of truck drivers they will be given incentive to call and penalty in non compliance. There will be a Perpetuation Process to maintain, replenish, and make adequate the quantity and quality of social and natural resources utilized by the organization and its participants. There must be an Identification Process to develop a concept of the wholeness, uniqueness and significance of the organization. This is usually accompanied by efforts to select and define clearly understood emotionally toned symbols, concepts, or other such factors which will help individual participants identify the uniqueness of the organization as a whole, which in turn automatically helps to define the uniqueness of the organization in the larger environment in which it is embedded. There will be a communication process to provide for the exchange of information, ideas, feelings and values etc utilized in all activities to the stakeholders. This is automatic through the IVR system. There must be an evaluation process which establishes criteria for and defines levels of utility and value for people, materials, ideas, and activities and which rates them and allocates them to these levels. Task 4: Plan to implement models for ensuring ongoing change Explain the appropriate models for implementing change that suite your chosen organisation. (AC4.1) Jane (1998) A model for incorporating change is defined as the overall strategy to incorporate the change into the organizational environment. A model is implemented in the following steps: Access the necessity of change Forming a powerful alliance Creating an idea for change Communicate the vision Remove barriers To incorporate the change in the environment the CEO first conducted a SWOT analysis. He recognised that the company in entering into new avenues and hence need diversification of activities. For this purpose the CEO reserved the resources that may be required from time to time for the change. The CEO also implemented the proposed model to incorporate the change. He decreased the profitability by lowering the prices for services and introduced new warehouse at nominal charges to the interested parties. Since the custom house is set up, the cycle time is reduced for the importers and exporters that started trade with its neighbouring countries like Pak. How would you implement your model(s) in task 4a in your chosen organisation? (AC:4.2) The plan was implanted into a well defined phases as: Discovery Phase: this phase involved the justification of the need for change in the organisation. The employees and other stake holder in confidence. The discovery clarified the need for change, strengths and weaknesses in the organisation. Analysis Phase: In this phase the discovered resources were analysed for their pros and cons. Simulation: A simulation of the model was performed by taking into consideration the opinions and mock transactions with the parties from selected population. Conclusions: Finally the theoretical conclusions were drawn on the basis of simulation. The conclusions were proved to be useful and the change decision was enforced. Keeping in view the changes the CEO developed a new Behavioural framework mainly focusing 8 behavioural variables which are; Think of the Goal Let the old be changed for new to take place Compensate the employees as per their activity and skill level Build a team spirit Participation in decisive actions Learn and Grow No Communication gap Speed Balance and Grip in action What improvements do you expect to achieve by implementing your chosen model(s), and how would you measure these? (AC: 4.3) In this implementation phase land acquisition was made. Govt License and other formalities were met with. New agreements were made with the parties in the same line of trade. choices of services. STS launched new and ground-breaking services. It has facilitated to change the way in which consumers can look at their retirement income. STS is providing the levels of return promised and being responsible for any risks associated with doing so it provides more certainty about levels of income for the consumer. In short as the result of the change implement by the CEO of STS the company rebuilt its brand reputation, became more customer focused, started to provide more innovative products and became more popular among the consumers and ultimately the business has grown to a gigantic extent As the part of their strategy STS also undertook an audit trail to observe the behaviour of the organisation in the market and in the employees i.e. external and internal. The analysis revealed that STS was firmly positioned within the market. Its workforce was known for their considerable expertise, innovation and clarity of communication. The external audit also helped to determine where STS was placed in relation to its competitors. This audit provided a very important vision to the decisions that were needed to initiate the change process. [1].Prosci 1367 S. Garfield Ave. Loveland, CO 80537 USA [2] Lewin/Scheins Change Theory by Ross A. Wirth, Ph.D. (2004) [3]Lippitt, R., Watson, J. and Westley, B. The Dynamics of Planned Change. New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, 1958 [4]USING REAL TIME STRATEGIC CHANGE FOR STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION LORI L. SILVERMAN, OWNER Partners for Progress 1218 Carpenter Street Madison, WI 53704-4304 608.241.8082 (phone) [emailprotected] (e-mail) [5]USING REAL TIME STRATEGIC CHANGE FOR STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION LORI L. SILVERMAN, OWNER Partners for Progress 1218 Carpenter Street Madison, WI 53704-4304 608.241.8082 (phone) [emailprotected] (e-mail) [6]Leiths Guide to Large Group Intervention Methods Copyright  © 2004 by Martin Leith, all rights reserved. Martin Leith Limited  · 10 Pembroke Street  · Bristol BS2 8PZ  ·United Kingdom Phone: 0117 942 2727 (+44 117 942 2727) email: [emailprotected] Website: www.martinleith.com [7]Karen Sobel Lojeski, Uniting the Virtual Workforce, 2008, pages 204Karen Sobel Lojeski, Uniting the Virtual Workforce, 2008, pages 204. Others