Select an organisation that you are familiar with-preferably the one for which you currently work. Select a challenge which has arisen which requires the organisation to change its current way of operating or affects its competitive advantage. Examples may include but not be limited to:

1. Competition from overseas or local enterprises

2. Merger with or acquisition of another organisation

3. Economic recession and/or recovery

4. New government legislation

5. New technology which makes your own obsolete

6. Development and introduction of innovative practices, processes or systems

7. Attraction and retention of staff (this will also require an understanding of Topic 10 - Human Resource Management)

8. Corporate social responsibility

9. Ethical issues and compliance

10. Any other challenge which is feasible and credible (e.g. change of government, a series of product failures or a major lawsuit). This assignment is designed to give you the opportunity to apply some of the issues raised in Topics 1-5 of the Study Guide to your organisation. If you are currently not working, you can choose an organisation for which you have previously worked.

INSTRUCTION Prepare a report on how, as the manager of this organisation, you would deal with this challenge. The report will include the following:

1. A brief description of your organisation. Concentrate on details that are relevant to your subsequent discussion, but you must include areas such as its products, its structure, its markets and its competitive advantage.

2. A description of the challenge which it is facing, including the source of the challenge and the likely effect on your organisation as a whole. In doing this you must analyse the internal and external environments and the likely impact on key stakeholders.

3. An outline of how you intend to respond to this challenge. Provide details on the strategies you will use as well as examples of specific actions you would take. This should include descriptions of the following where relevant:

_ Strategic considerations and planning

_ Required changes to organisational structure

_ How planning and implementation will be approached

_ The change process you will follow, what resistance you might meet and how you will address this

_ Cultural considerations and impacts.

How you will employ the various roles of management (at least four) and the functions of management (at least three) in this regard.

4. A description of the information you would gather to measure your progress in managing and meeting the challenge identified (as outlined in Question 3 above) You will need to identify the elements to be measured, why it is important that they be measured, how to measure them and what you would use this information for.

5. An overview of the ethical issues which may arise in the course of responding to this challenge and how you would deal with them. Specific examples should be provided.

6. An executive summary for your management board. While you complete this last, it must appear at the beginning of your report The key requirements of this assignment are:

1. That your approach is largely based on the techniques and theories which have been presented in the course in Topics 1-5. These techniques and theories do not need to be described or explained: you will need to refer to them and your application will show your understanding.

2. You are required to submit a report, rather than an essay. Make sure it has a logical flow, rather than a series of standalone answers. Do not title each section, Section 1, Section 2, etc. It should include an Executive Summary, Introduction, Background,

Sub-headings, Conclusion, Recommendations.

3. Your assignment answers need to be clearly written and any assumptions and conclusions you draw must be supported by reference to the material in your Study Guide, prescribed texts, readings or other sources.

4. Present clearly structured arguments paying attention to grammar, spelling and layout.

5. Marks will be given for clarity, logic and brevity. Do not exceed the word limit. Give concise descriptions and avoid irrelevant detail. In marking the assignment, attention will be paid to your ability to express your ideas clearly and concisely. Assignments that excessively exceed the word limit may be penalised.

6. Diagrams, lists, bullet points and any other form which aids understanding are useful. They are not included in the word limit and are a simple way to convey a complex message.

7. If you have any sensitivity about criticising your own organisation, or any other organisation, remove any specific reference to the identity of the organisation.

Referencing

In preparing your assignment you may draw upon material from a range of sources including the Study Guide and textbook. Wherever you draw upon the work of others in your assignment, you must acknowledge this by referencing the source of the information (e.g. the Study Guide, websites, textbooks, company reports, etc.). This applies to more than just direct quotations-you must also reference things like key definitions, ideas from authors consulted and any statistical data that you use in your report. If you find helpful statements in an existing document that you wish to include in your report, you must either paraphrase them significantly and reference the source or include them as direct quotations. You must use an accepted referencing system (e.g. the Harvard system) and at the end of your assignment include a reference list.