Bus305 Small Business Management : Assessment Answer

2.Explain senior management's role in preparing the organization for its most recent change. Provide evidence of whether the transition was seamless or problematic from a management perspective. Provide support for your rationale.

3.Evaluate management's decision on its use of vendors and spokespersons. Indicate the organizational impact of these decisions.

4.As a manager within the selected company, suggest one (1) innovative idea that could have a positive impact on both the employees and customers of the company. Indicate the approach you will take in implementing the new idea. Provide support for your suggestion.

5.Predict the selected company's ability to adapt to the changing needs of customers and the market environment. Indicate how open communication channels are critical for successfully implementing change in the organization. Provide support for your prediction.

Answers:

Introduction:

Apple Inc is an American multinational organization that is involved in the development, designing and selling consumer electronics and computer software. Steve Jobs, Ronald Wayne and Steve Wozniak founded the company in the year 1976 ("Apple", 2017).  Apple is the world’s largest company in terms of information technology and the second largest smart phone manufacturing company. Working in Apple has been a dream job for several individuals as a result of an efficient management system and its brand value.

Changes in the management style of Apple:

Steve Jobs had kept the management of the company simple and he avoided too many layers of senior level officers. People were appointed according to their talents and skills. Even today, the employees of Apple are promoted on the basis of their skills and abilities rather than on the basis of their tenure in the organization ("Apple", 2017). The credit for the success of the company goes to the management style of the company that has enabled the company to survive through several ups and downs.

Earlier, Apple Inc. had adopted charismatic style of leadership under the leadership of Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs was a very humble person and the employees of Apple could easily approach him in case of any issues. The employees were also free to forward their ideas that could help the company in developing further. Steve Jobs has been known to be a simple man with a simple lifestyle that enabled him to concentrate entirely upon his company ("Apple", 2017).

There have been several changes in the management style of Apple in the recent time. The first change is that, Tim Cook has emphasized more upon transparency within the organization and has focused upon teamwork (Grant, 2016). Cook has been a very calm and composed person that has made him more approachable than Steve Jobs. Cook has implemented an open- door policy within the organization that has inspired the employees at Apple. Cook has been emphasizing more upon the company’s products that have been successful in the market however; Steve Jobs had emphasized more upon innovation and development of new products. Tim cook has been a more flexible leader and has encouraged the employees to work together towards the achievement of the organizational objectives (Clarke & Boersma, 2017). He has also been result- oriented that has made Apple one of the most successful companies in the world.

The second change in the management style of Apple is that under the leadership of Tim Cook, the company has emphasized more upon marketing strategies and cost- cutting strategies than just focusing upon product innovation. Under the leadership of Tim Cook, the company paid dividends to its shareholder for the first time (Schlegelmilch, 2016). The major change in the management style was that the management was now more focused upon launching marketing campaigns and saving the costs. The company now focuses more upon teamwork than just upon the utilization of the individual talents. I believe the company is well- managed due to which it has become one of the most successful companies in the world. People all over the world desire to get an opportunity to work in the company. The excellent management system of the company has helped the company to reach up to such heights ("Apple", 2017). The company has a large number of satisfied and loyal employees that have become an asset to the company.

Senior management’s role in change management:

Tim Cook has made several changes in the senior management that included the promotion of executives and expanding the roles of several senior officers. The changes were brought in leadership of the marketing division and hardware division. The senior management plays a pivotal role in the changes brought in the company (Boone & Kurtz, 2013). The executives of the company are responsible for any changes brought in the company in terms of policies, financial budgeting, and many more. The senior management in Apple offer proper guidance to the lower level managers and employees when any change is implemented within an organization. It is also responsible for the career planning and development of the employees. The senior management helps in the team development during the period of change implementation.

The company has ensured that the decisions taken by the senior management is conveyed to the employees and their opinions on the changes are asked. This has build trust among the employees and they are able to easily adapt to the changes. The senior management has played a vital role in handling the confusions and helping the employees adapt the changes. The senior management in Apple has been very active in handing the grievances of the employees and taking actions for solving the issues (Kanagal, 2015). The changes brought in the company had positive impacts upon the company as it has further improved the efficiency of the operations that has resulted in the development of the company.

Management’s decision on the use of vendor’s and spokespersons: 

  The company has ensured that it is able to keep its day to day functioning and strategies secret without bringing them to the notice of the general public. The company encourages an atmosphere of secrets within the organization that has enabled the employees to perform enthusiastically. The company has also ensured that only the CEO of the company provides any important information regarding the company to the public through press conference. The remaining news is provided by the company in the form of press release (Bridges & Bridges, 2017). This has ensured that there exists only a strong figure, which is responsible for providing the important information regarding the company so that there is no scope of confusion. The company has several vendors and suppliers as the company has outsourced its manufacturing process. In case of any problems arising from the side of the vendors or suppliers, the company speaks on their behalf. The company also ensures that there is no harm to the goodwill and reputation of the company and there is no misleading and conflicting press release.

Recommendation as a manager:

In order to improve the performance of the company, Apple must reduce the amount of secrecy it maintains within the organization. The employees within the organization are unaware about the projects done by the other employees and the ideas they come up with. However, in case the secrecy is reduced, the employees shall be aware of the work done by the other employees and there shall be lower possibility of duplication of work (Lewis, 2014).

The company must be involved in continuous innovation and expansion of its product line in order to remain ahead of its competitors. In order to provide better benefits to the customers, the company must focus upon cutting its costs so that the end products of the company are available at a comparatively lower price in the market (Ashkenas et al., 2015).

Apple’s ability to adapt to changing needs of customers and market environment: 

Apple has the capability of adapting to the changing requirements of the market and the customers. The company has been frequently coming up with updated gadgets as per the changes in the market and the competitor’s products. The company has always positioned itself above its competitors and this has been possible only by meeting the needs and expectations of the customers (Heracleous, 2013). Open communication channels are essential for implementing change within an organization because in order to successfully implement any change, the management is required to communicate the changes to the employees who are to be mostly affected by the change. Open communication is very important to avoid any confusion within an organization and to maintain the smooth functioning of the organization. Therefore, the organizations must ensure that there is open communication within an organization and all the employees are communicated regarding the changes.

References:

Apple. (2017). Apple. Retrieved 18 August 2017, from https://www.apple.com/

Ashkenas, R., Ulrich, D., Jick, T., & Kerr, S. (2015). The boundaryless organization: Breaking the chains of organizational structure. John Wiley & Sons.

Boone, L. E., & Kurtz, D. L. (2013). Contemporary marketing. Cengage learning.

Bridges, W., & Bridges, S. (2017). Managing transitions: Making the most of change. Da Capo Press.

Clarke, T., & Boersma, M. (2017). The governance of global value chains: unresolved human rights, environmental and ethical dilemmas in the apple supply chain. Journal of Business Ethics, 143(1), 111-131.

 Grant, R. M. (2016). Contemporary strategy analysis: Text and cases edition. John Wiley & Sons.

Heracleous, L. (2013). Quantum strategy at Apple Inc. Organizational Dynamics, 42(2), 92-99.

Kanagal, N. B. (2015). Innovation and product innovation in marketing strategy. Journal of Management and marketing research, 18, 1-25.

Lewis, T. G. (2014). Booms. In Book of Extremes (pp. 51-67). Springer International Publishing.

Schlegelmilch, B. B. (2016). The Future of Global Marketing Strategy. In Global Marketing Strategy (pp. 221-249). Springer International Publishing.