Part A – Written Assessment

Case study report

The Apple organisation provides an interesting case study in terms of organisational management and change. Between 1993 and 1997, Apple was struggling to find a consistently profitable source of revenue. They developed everything from digital cameras and portable CD players to TV appliances. The company had a range of CEOs after Steve Jobs had been removed from the position and nothing seemed to be working. Jobs was reinstated as CEO in 1997 and the company’s direction changed radically, with Apple focussing once more on electronics, starting with the iMac in 1998. The also acquired the video editing and digital production companies and began to develop electronics that used these media. Apple led the digital music revolution with the iPod and iTunes. They reinvented the mobile phone with the iPhone and led mobile computing with the iPad. The iPod was an enormous success, selling over 100 million units within six years of its 2001 launch. The iPhone produced a 100% year-over-year rise in sales according to CNN Money.

(Adapted from https://bit.ly/1eENjqj)

None of this would have been possible without organisational change in a big way. The change management process required the program manager, in conjunction with key stakeholders and under the sponsorship of Steve Jobs
to consider such things as cost benefit analysis, risk analysis, prioritisation of change requirements, the development of a change management project plan, processes for gaining approvals, how resources would be assigned and what the reporting protocols would be.

Research “Apple” Organisation and write a report (3-4) pages about the changes at Apple, taking into account the following items:

1. Completing a cost benefit analysis (5 marks)
2. Completing a Risk analysis and assessment (5 marks)
3. Prioritising the change requirements from Low to High (5 marks)
4. Developing a Change Management Project Plan (5 marks)
5. Obtaining the necessary approvals before implementation (5 marks)
6. Assigning resources to the project and agree to relevant reporting protocols with the relevant managers. (5 marks)
7. In your own words explain

• how Apple identified how the changes needed to be made (5 marks)
• what processes they took to develop a change management strategy (5 marks)
• how it was implemented (5 marks)
• what the outcomes were. (5 marks)

Some helpful sites for this assessment include:

• https://bit.ly/2xvRi5b
• https://bit.ly/1PWLkYN
• https://bit.ly/2xdWxGZ
• https://bit.ly/2xlqhkb
• https://for.tn/2wFpgjv
• https://bit.ly/2fyhbqT
• https://bit.ly/1eENjqj

Part A total: 50 marks

Part B – Written or Oral Questions   

1. Define change management. (5 marks)
2. Explain the importance of change and change management in an organisation. (5 marks)
3. List the five steps of the change management process and briefly explain each step. (1 mark per step, 2 marks per application – total 15 marks)
4. Why should policies and procedures be regularly reviewed against strategic directions? (5 marks)
5. What is a gap analysis and give examples of how is it used by managers? (2 marks for definition 3 marks for examples – total 5 marks)
6. What is a SWOT analysis? Explain how it is used by managers.(2 marks for definition 3 marks for explanation of use – total 5 marks)
7. Give three examples of risk documentation. Why is it important to maintain documentation?(2 marks for definition 1 mark per example, 2 marks for explanation of importance – total 5 marks)
8. What are the components of a communication plan in relation to change management? (5 marks)
9. Give 5 examples of workplace learning activities. (5 marks)
10. Give 5 methods you can use to reduce resistance to change. (5 marks)

Part B total: 60 marks

Part C – Written Assessment

Prepare a change management communication plan for a project or program you have worked on or which has been done in one of your workplaces.

Part C total: 10 marks

Assessment 1 total: 120 marks