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MGT420 Unit 1 IP2 2-3 pages
OD in Practice: Can Steve Jobs Keep His Mojo Working?
Can chief executive Steve Jobs provide a permanent reprieve for Apple Computer, Inc.? Jobs has brought Apple back from the verge of oblivion, racking up profits and restoring Apple's image with the innovative iMac and iBook. Apple stock has increased more than 8 times since Jobs returned.
Now it's time for his next act. Before an adoring crowd at the Macworld Expo in New York, Jobs unveiled a long-awaited notebook version of the iMac aimed at consumers and students. (The two-toned iBook is priced aggressively and available in either blueberry-and-white or tangerine-and-white plastic). "It's a rocket ship," Jobs brags. The iBook fills in the last piece of a product road map Jobs had outlined earlier. Its success could restore Apple's luster in portable computers - as the iMac did on the desktop. And thanks to "being cool," Apple gets away with charging up to 25 percent more than competitors for a similarly equipped machine.
CHARISMATIC LEADERSHIP
In the past, many felt that Steve Jobs' charismatic leadership and idiosyncrasies caused some internal problems. At Apple, he was seen as a leader whose brilliance and idealistic vision of "providing computers as a tool to change the world," drew other talented people to him. Yet, by the same token, his management style tended toward throwing tantrums and to berating and humiliating employees who disagreed with his ideas. Also, his habit of making decisions and then suddenly changing his mind has been given as part of the reason he is difficult to work for.
WHAT'S NEXT?
But is the iBook enough to sustain Apple's momentum? Most analysts think so - at least for now. Admittedly, like all computer makers, Apple is operating in a pricing environment so brutal that some PCs are now offered for free in conjunction with multiyear Internet service contracts.
More important, it could be a new vehicle for rebuilding market share. Even after Apple's turnaround, the company still sells fewer than 4 percent of the world's PCS, says researcher Dataquest Inc. What's more, the opportunity in portables is particularly promising: After all, in the early 1990s, Apple PowerBooks were top sellers. But Apple had quality and manufacturing problems and ceded leadership in the category to IBM and Dell. Its share plunged to just 2.3 percent by 1997.
CREATING DEMAND
Under Jobs, Apple has regained ground in traditional desktop strongholds such as graphic arts and rolled out pricey new PowerBooks aimed at professionals. However, the biggest growth opportunity for PCs today is among consumers - especially novices. The iMac has already attracted many such customers, and Apple is trying to do the same for portables - where sales are now growing 33 percent faster than sales of desktop PCs.
For this assignment you are to answer the following questions:
1. Is this an example of organizational renewal or transformation? Why?
2. Do entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs have to leave large organizations to achieve innovation, or can they successfully transform larger companies? Why?
3. What adaptive orientation was used? Support your answer
Instructor Comments:
In this assignment you have been given some background information specifically relating to Steve Jobs. After doing your readings from the textbook, respond to the three questions listed. We know about the iPhone so Jobs has gone a little bit beyond what is being discussed. Please take full advantage of the knowledge that you have about this organization and others like it in responding to these three questions
Best papers will be:

1. Double spaced, using 12 point font.
2. The essay will have internal headings to separate out the different elements of the assignment for which a response is required.
3. It will be comprehensive and when supporting your answers the paper will use proper in text citation and have a matching reference on the reference list.
***************************************************************************
MGT420 Unit 1 DB 8 paragraphs
You must complete the activity in class materials to complete this assignment. Go to multimedia course materials, Unit 1, click on the activity button, and follow the directions in the activity. After completion of the activity answer the following questions:
1. Based on your rankings what employee characteristics did you value highly and which did you view as less valuable? (1 paragraph)
2. How did your values compare to the executive group's? (1 paragraph)
3. What type of culture is likely to be the end product if layoffs proceed using your rankings? (1 paragraph); the executive group's rankings? (1 paragraph)
4. Why is culture important anyway? (1 paragraph)
5. What are some of the legal and ethical issues that must be kept in mind when making layoff decisions? (2 paragraph)
In your own words, post a response to the Discussion Board and comment on other postings. You will be graded on the quality of your postings.

Instructor Comments:
This is a very interesting activity found in the multimedia presentation. Please do not take shortcuts you will need to do with the activity in its entirety. Carefully think about the descriptions are provided for each one of these individuals as it will greatly assist you in responding to these five questions contained in the assignment.

Best responses:

1. Will have headings for each of the five questions
2. Utilize research as identified in the Instructor Expectations under Virtual Tools/DB Grading criteria (which describes how to earn A, High B, etc.) and in proper APA format.
3. Ensure that you have at least one substantive reaction, as defined in the Instructor Expectations, to one learner that contributes to an in depth discussion.

MGT420 Unit 1 IP1 3-4 pages

Using the Internet, Library, and/or personal experience, select an organization that is fairly well known to most people. Based on information obtained at the organization's web site, anecdotal information, and personal experience, you are to:
1. Describe the artifacts you find or recall that define the culture.
2. Indicate what these artifacts reveal to you about the shared values and basic assumptions of the organization you selected.
As with all situations throughout this course, in which you are referring to someone else's writing, cite any sources used and format them according to the requirements of the APA style guide.
APA Format assistance is available using the following:
? Choose Library from the top navigation bar
? Choose APA from the left navigation bar
? Several choices of Example Sources appear
Writing Assistance is available from the Writing Lab, please use the following directions to access this information:
? Choose Labs from the top navigation bar
? Choose College English Learning Lab
? Choose Resources from the left navigation bar
Please submit your assignment.

Instructor Comments:
For this particular assignment, please do not mistake personal experience upon which to respond entirely to this project. The personal experience is about an organization that you may have had personal experience with. The most important thing remember is that your assignment is going to be written based upon the information obtained at that organization's website (so make sure that if this is an organization that you chose that it has a website and that it is fairly well known), and it can also include anecdotal information and personal experience. Anecdotal information merely refers to information that is about your understanding of something, for example something that you obtained through observations, as opposed to something that could clearly be based in fact through research.

Please review the instructor files area on the main announcement board. There is a file called APA Quick Tips to Citing Electronic Media and this will be of great assistance to you when you are referring to websites. Remember you do not use the URL in lieu of a properly formatted in text citation within the body of your work, it only belongs on the reference list. But please review this 1 1/2 page APA document. It is an easy read.

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The response address the queries posted in 892 words with references.

// In this paper, we will discuss the case of Apple Computers headed by Steve Jobs to study the organizational development concepts. As we know that Steve Job has been a charismatic leader and Apple has seen times of both adversity and success with him. We will analyze the company for organizational transformation and leadership: //

Organizational transformation process deals with making far-reaching changes inside an organization that includes all the aspects of an organization and the organization is renewed in its functioning to improvise the efficiency. The changes are done in each significant dimension of the organization, ranging from its mission and values to its culture and structure (levy & Merry, 1986).

Apple computers revolutionized the world of computers by introducing Mackintosh in 1984. Since then, they have been providers of innovative products that are invariably the firsts in the industry, whether it is desktop, iPod, light notebook or iPhone. It was Steve's penchant for unique and striking gadgets that would attract the customers and bring profits to the company. The lacking features in the company included lack of co-ordination between the research & development department and the sales & marketing people. There were changes needed in the industry including the leadership that could be more empathetic and realistic towards achieving the business goals. The employees were not sure about the strategic direction of the company and the high prices resulted in low market share and less profits. Apple computers tried reinventing themselves after realizing they were facing huge competition from Microsoft and the organizational leadership and communication needed change. In 1994, they allied with IBM and Motorola and in 1996, there were massive changes made at the company including layoffs: CEO was replaced, Steve Jobs was back as an advisor and later became the interim CEO and restructured the company's product line. In 1998, they were back to making profits and made huge profits after the launch of iPod (Beer, n. d.)

// We have discussed the introduction of the company and the how was the change within equalized to transformation, now we will discuss the entrepreneurship of Steve Jobs and how it worked in Apple's favor: //

Steve Jobs is believed to possess the charisma that has the power of binding a crowd; he was given the title of prince of technology. He envisioned building the best of gadgets and taking the company to unimaginable heights. To the world, he is known as brash, cold, unsympathetic and he became human only after he realized his own people had rejected him (Young & Simon, 2006). The transformation did not just include the changes within the company, the Apple iCon too had evolved with time. His vision was providing computers as a tool to change the world and this created a team of gifted people. His leadership style was more of the laissez faire style and his employees always found it difficult to work with an arrogant boss. Despite all these, the strengths that Jobs possessed lead to taking Apple computers to the respectable level that it has reached today. While his partner Wozniak was contended with the advanced gadgets he made for himself, Steve was the one who thought about the marketability of those products. It was his passion alone that revolutionized the computer industry of today. He had some principles including finding the work on loves to do, trust in the higher powers, living each moment as if it were the last, and being a leader and not a follower. His energy and enthusiasm was powerful enough to build such a big company, he once sated, "I want to put a dent in the universe" (Steve Jobs Articles, n. d.). This unstoppable spirit he carried in himself indicates that an entrepreneur like him doesn't need to leave a large company to achieve innovation; their energy can be channeled to successfully transform larger companies.

// We will now try to understand how the company adapted itself to manufacture profitable products and how it was possible for the leadership and others to bring it to reality. We should note that Steve Jobs had rejoined the company and he played a major role in gaining the lost power: //

The company was incurring losses in the time after the product manufactured by them was not a huge hit, expensive price range was a reason for low popularity, and competitors offered products thinking of the price that customers are willing to pay. Then the company identified the weaknesses which included an ineffective top team, laissez fair style of general manager, conflicting priorities, communication gaps and low coordination among functions. They realized they needed to change the management styles and processes within the organization to harmonize the various activities and bring a desirable level of excellence. The leadership was changed and the product line too was reworked, the company got rid of profitless divisions and departments to increase its market share which instantly showed improvements, profits were back and company revived its image of the most innovative software company. ...

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