1. Explain the rationale behind the proposed initiatives in terms of value provision and organisational performance

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Academic Year 2015/16 for full-time students

ASSIGNMENT 2: Innovation Management

A global consumer electronics company, (Logitech for example) is planning on expanding their business by entering a new market. They have identified security systems for commercial properties (shopping centres, office block airports etc.) as a possibility.

Such systems may offer (amongst other things):
prevention of access to unauthorised areas; intruder detection; fire and carbon monoxide detection; protection of valuable assets; remote access and monitoring.

This assignment considers the issues that the company would face if they acquired a small high technology firm with expertise in this new area.

Address the following:

Part 1. Value Creation (25% of assignment marks) To confirm that markets exist, the following must be done:
a survey and analysis of currently available systems;
an assessment of the level of competition the company will be likely to face;

an analysis of the needs of potential customers.
Examine building security applications and assess competitors’ offerings (via the Internet). Examine the needs of different potential customer segments.

Part 2. Managerial Planning and Goals (25% of assignment marks) Conduct a PEST analysis of the potential business environment – this is to be in the form of a large table followed by a short synthesis of the key points.
The company now has the information it needs to make decisions about the way ahead. Discuss managerial decision making approaches the company might use. Select one to enhance company competitiveness and discuss/illustrate.

Part 3. Innovation Management (25% of assignment marks) Consider the management implications of integrating the existing company staff and those from the newly acquired company. Utilise the literature in the field of innovation management to make proposals to integrate and motivate staff based on the course materials and wider reading.

Part 4. Strategic Leadership (25% of assignment marks) To ensure that the takeover goes smoothly and that key staff remain with the company, strong leadership is needed. Utilise the literature in the field of strategic leadership to discuss leadership styles (including contingency approaches) to influence cultural and organisational changes.

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Academic Year 2015/16 for full-time students

Some tips:

Write formally (do not use ‘I’ or ‘we’) utilising the Organisational Behaviour (OB) theory and demonstrate “Critical Thinking Skills” (see text book of this title by Stella Cottrell) and evaluate the situation against appropriate frameworks. Start each of the four parts on a new page (this is to aid the marking process). For this assignment you are expected to undertake research using the Internet. Clearly state your sources.

You must demonstrate the application of the appropriate theoretical frameworks from the course materials and wider reading to support your proposals including organisational culture and other aspects that impact performance and motivation in organisations. To cite a source (only give the page number if it’s from a text book):

For a source by one author use: Author, Year, page number
For a source by two authors use: Author and Author, Year, page number For a source by three or more authors use: Author et al, Year, page number i.e. cite it by using the first named author followed by “et al” (“and others”)

For example:
Locke’s theory on goal-setting (Mullins, 2005, p498) identifies X, Y and Z

Learning organisations have three main characteristics A, B and C (Daft

and Marcic, 2009, p26)

For higher grades: discussion giving insights into the firm’s situation; the management implications and making sector comparisons is expected as well as appropriate use of business/management terms and evidence of wider reading.