Exam Paper and Answer Book with
Instructions for Remote Assessment
Candidates
Please read this document fully and carefully. It contains important information on how to
complete your exam and how to submit it correctly. Contact details are provided if you have
queries with the exam or technical problems when trying to submit it.
The exam questions start here.
Student and Assessment Details
Student ID Number: (13703595)
Candidate Number: (U102833)
Department: Department of Management
Module Title: MANAGEMENT STUDIES I
Module Code: BUMN077H4
Credit Value: 15 credits (at Level 4)
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Instructions for candidates
1. Student ID Number
Please complete page 1 of this document with your student ID number. Read all the
following instructions carefully before starting the assessment.
2. Assessment Format
This is an open book assessment which can be submitted at any time within the permitted
48 hours assessment window. The examiners will be expecting answers similar to those
produced under examination conditions, not long essays. Full references and
bibliographies are not therefore expected, unless specified in the assessment instructions.
Please use in-text citations to indicate source material where appropriate.
3. Word Limit
The word limit is 1,000 words per question.
4. Assessment Window
This assessment was released at 10:00 AM on Monday, 14 December 2020. The window
for completion of this assessment is 48 hours. The assessment is expected to take 3-4
hours (or more if identified in a Study Support Plan).
5. Deadline
The deadline for submission of this assessment is 10:00 AM on Wednesday, 16 December
2020.
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Assessment Questions
Assessment Instructions
Answer TWO questions only
The total number of questions is FIVE
All questions carry equal marks
Cross through/delete any material you do not wish to be considered
No credit will be given for additional questions attempted
Please note that you should not use Studiosity or contact the learning development tutors
for the completion of this assessment.
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Questions
QUESTION 1
Douglas McGregor challenged the Scientific Management school of thought by proposing two
distinct views of human beings: Theory X and Theory Y. Describe and contrast these opposing
views and, using examples, discuss their relevance to management in the modern workplace.
QUESTION 2
Critically assess Mintzberg’s view of the classical, deliberate, formal model of strategic planning.
Discuss, using examples, the extent to which his alternative, emergent planning model
represents a more realistic view of how the strategic planning process operates in a modern
organization.
QUESTION 3
Use Porter’s Five Forces to analyze the industry of an organization of your choice. Critically
assess how managers can use the model as part of the strategic planning process.
QUESTION 4
Compare and contrast the rational model and administrative models of decision making. Use
examples to illustrate your discussion, showing how the application of these models might
enhance a manager’s understanding of the decision-making environment.
QUESTION 5
Define the key elements of the Cultural Web model. Applying the model to an organization of
your choice, illustrate how its application might enhance the ability of the practicing manager
to better understand the nature of the organization’s internal environment.
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Start your answers here. Please ensure to label your
answers clearly for marking clarity (ie Question 1, Question 2…)
QUESTION 1
Douglas McGregor challenged the Scientific Management school of thought by proposing two
distinct views of human beings: Theory X and Theory Y. Describe and contrast these opposing
views and, using examples, discuss their relevance to management in the modern workplace.
ANSWER
Douglas McGregor And His Theory on Management
Born in Detroit, Michigan on September 6th 1906, Douglas McGregor was a distinguished
professor who first taught at Harvard University and then at MIT Sloan School of Management.
While at MIT, he created the theories of human work motivation and management popularly
known as Theory X and Theory Y.
Theory X and Theory Y were first explained by McGregor in his book, "The Human Side of
Enterprise”. These refer to two contrasting styles of management – authoritarian which is the
Theory X and participative which is the Theory Y.
THEORY X
Theory X is an authoritarian style of management and is developed on assumptions like:
People dislike the idea of work.
They don’t enjoy responsibilities.
They need to be controlled and directed at every step.
They are not ambitious and need to be enticed by rewards to work.
Organizations with this approach have multiple levels of managerial posts as compared to other
organizations to supervise at all levels and ensure proper functioning. Even though this type of
management may seem obsolete, it is still very much in action and deeply rooted in large
number of organizations, mainly due to its effective way of managing large group of employees.
Organizations with large workforce like at Foxconn where more than 700,000 people work
doing all types of work including physical labor, this type of managerial system is needed to
ensure quality and consistency.
Employees at such organizations are more often depressed because of doing monotonous work
and thus the point that they work only for money can be concluded.
Managers at such organizations tend to be more result oriented and care more about facts and
figures and not feelings and emotions.
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THEORY Y
Theory Y is a participative style of management and is developed on assumptions like:
People enjoy work at their own initiative.
They are self-motivated to accomplish goals and achieve results.
They enjoy taking ownership of their work.
They view work as satisfying, fulfilling and challenging.
They seek responsibility and don’t require too much guidance.
Organizations with this approach of management are considerate of mental well-being of their
employees and give freedom to them. They believe a person’s full potential is expressed when
not supervised too closely.
They encourage creativity and work towards a stress-free workplace.
Organizations like Apple and Google use such type of management because of their need for
creativeness amongst employees. Their work place is relaxed and highly productive.
This allows employees to come up with different ideas and share it with confidence.
Employees enjoy working at such organizations and work is less monotonous allowing better
workplace experience.
Mangers do exist in such organizations but in low numbers to allow control and freedom in the
groups of employees.
Theory X and Theory Y at Modern Workplace
While Theory X and Theory Y seem completely contrasting to each other, rarely very few
companies operate using just on style of management. In the 21st century with so many human
rights issues and work place laws it has become a necessity for making work place employee
friendly and comfortable.
Organizations may tilt towards one or the other style of management but neither both nor
single.
Workplace demanding physical work from employees like at factories tilt towards Theory X as
this type of management restricts creativity and encourages strict following of guidelines and
procedures while companies where development of new products and innovation is required
tilt toward Theory Y to allow employees to come up with innovative and creative solutions.
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Examples of modern organizations
Google
Google is one of the largest tech giants with more than 100,000 employees and it follows
Theory Y style of management at a large extent. They assume their employees are self-
motivated and expect them to accomplish goals on their own. The employees have freedom of
work and tend to work at their own convenience. They believe that ideas and inspirations may
not strike while sitting at a desk but while playing games, socializing and having fun. This has
resulted in increased creativity in work-place and several major developments in the
organization.
Google offices have a participative atmosphere and optimistic management which aims at less
supervision and more freedom.
The disadvantages of such type of management were also seen at Google. Some tasks may not
get completed on time due to over relaxation of staff. This is because not all employees are self-
motivated to the same extent. But Google considers it to be less of a concern than their
increased creative productivity.
Foxconn
Foxconn is the world’s biggest E manufacturer with clients like Apple, Dell, Samsung, Nokia etc.
It follows Theory X style of management at a large extent. It assumes its employees are lazy and
their main motivations to work is money therefore force its employees to work at maximum
physical productivity. It has a factory type organization where employees work together and
manufacture electronic goods such as iPhones and laptops. It has supervisory roles at every
level allowing them to control employees more closely. It practices scientific management to an
extreme level, and so forcing a specific way of doing a work amongst the workers. This has
resulted in large negative feedback from workforce, and widespread depression amongst them.
Many employees even committed suicide before the company decided to intervene and
retrospect on their style of management. It still encourages its employees to work overtime.
The company’s lack of focus on emotional well-being on its workers has resulted in lack of right
attitude amongst the workers and negligence of their actual potential. People work like
machines and are almost always replaceable. Their creativeness is not valued but even after
such conditions, the productivity of the company is one of the highest and so it can be
concluded there is no one way of management but a right way of management.
Theory X results in high physical productivity while Theory Y in high creative productivity. Both
have its advantages and disadvantages. From employees point of view Theory X seems
daunting but is the only option available for companies hiring people for just physical labor.
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QUESTION 3
Use Porter’s Five Forces to analyze the industry of an organization of your choice. Critically
assess how managers can use the model as part of the strategic planning process.
ANSWER
Porter’s five forces is a study tool that takes into account five different industry forces to
analyse the current market intensity in terms of competition within the industry and the
profitability level it can achieve. “Porter’s Five Forces of Competitive Position Analysis were
developed in 1979 by Michael E Porter of Harvard Business School as a simple framework for
assessing and evaluating the competitive strength and position of a business organisation”
(cgma.org, 2013). “Porter developed the Five Forces Analysis in reaction to the SWOT analysis
which he personally found unrigorous and ad hoc” (Hubspot, 2019). The five forces basically
help to determine what an organization’s basic strengths and weaknesses are so it is able to
compete within its given competitive market. This model is one of the most crucial
determinants in knowing if a firm should enter the existing market or even knowing about one’s
competition.
The model also allows one to market the company and its goods or services using the results
through an analysis of the five forces.
We will furthermore take a look at the Mobile phone industry and analyse it using Porter’s Five
Forces:
1. Threat of new entrants: This force determines how easy or difficult it is to enter a particular
industry. If the industry is profitable and there are a few barriers to enter, rivalry soon
intensifies (Jurevicius, 2013). In the mobile phone market, it is a clear determinant that Apple
is the leading giant in this industry. If brands like Samsung or OnePlus wishes to enter, they
have to compete against the loyal customer base of the IOS ecosystem. Hence, Samsung has to
drop its prices and so has to any new brand trying to enter the market. It becomes just
impossible for them to compete with Apple at Apple’s prices.
2. Bargaining power of suppliers: “The fewer sellers there are in a competitive market, the
more one need their help which results in strong position of the supplier and their ability to
charge you more” (Mindtools, 2020). However, in the cell phone industry it is quite the
opposite. All the suppliers want to get their hands on every new launch of Apple Smartphones
and accessories. It is because of the dominance Apple has in this industry and it is Apple having
the bargaining power over the suppliers thus, keeping a price check on its products. Which is
not the case for other brands, and it is usually seen their products being sold at discounted
prices.
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3. Bargaining power of buyers: “Buyers have the power to demand lower price or higher
product quality from industry when their bargaining power is strong” (Jurevicius, 2013). “When
a business is trying to run on just a few powerful buyers, it results in the buyers dictating the
terms” (cgma.org, 2013). Apple being the major brand, has a hold over its buyers as well. It is
able to constantly keep the sales up while keeping the prices at the higher end as well. It is
because of the brand loyalty and the unique software ecosystem Apple has been able to
provide its customers which they are not able to leave easily.
4. Threat of substitutes: “This force is easily threatening when a buyer can easily find a
substitute product with an attractive prices or better quality to back it up” (Jurevicius, 2013). If
a buyer is able to find a product that is cheaper and maybe better in quality, it is easier for the
buyer to get convinced to switch the product/organization. When it comes to threats, the next
close competitor to Apple is Samsung which is getting a stronger hold worldwide. However,
Samsung’s market isn’t Apple’s customers, but those who are not able to afford Apple
products. Hence, it provides Apple with an opportunity to keep their prices because of the
brand value and experience it provides to its customers.
5. Rivalry among existing competitors: “This force means the degree of competition amongst
existing firms in the market” (marsdd.com, 2020). The more the competition, the more the
firms fight to get a hold over the market share, resulting in better prices (sales) and hence
reducing the overall profit margin of each firm. Within the cell phone industry, Apple is the
leading brand and is able to manipulate and dictate its prices. Brands like Samsung and
OnePlus have a control on the customers who want premium quality phones but are not
willing to pay Apple prices. These brands are constantly trying to compete against each other,
through cheaper prices, better quality products and constant innovation. Brands like Samsung
and OnePlus have a control on the customers who want premium quality phones but are not
willing to pay Apple prices.
Managers can use Porter’s five forces to help determine their strengths and weaknesses and
plan their steps and working accordingly. “Porter’s Five Forces offer businesses a way to analyse
and outmanoeuvre their competitors in the marketplace” (Martin, 2019). Knowing your enemy,
and in this case, your competition is very critical to the brands or an organization’s survival.
Managers need to constantly keep a check on the five forces in relation to their competition, so
they can change their policies whenever needed be. When there is serious competition rivalry
within an industry. “Serious rivalry competition can lead to a price war which can really degrade
a brands bottom line” (Martin, 2019). Managers should know the competitor’s weaknesses in
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order to counter them in such a situation. Managers should also be able to keep a tab on the
number of suppliers their organization brings in to supply their products. They should have
enough suppliers in case of some starts asking for more prices or decide to leave. If the
managers are not careful the bargaining power of suppliers can increase resulting in the
organization losing its control over the supply chain hence risking profit. . Managers should
keep a tab on the number of customers their organization is dealing with. “They want to have
enough customers buying power reduced, by keeping a check on the amount the customer is
buying and also ensuring difference in their products than their customers “martin, 2019).
“Managers within any organization not only should keep a tab in the existent competition but
also the new ones trying to enter the market” (Martin, 2019). More competition means a wider
choice of option for the customers reducing the market base for all the organizations. In today’s
market, it is really easy for a customer to switch products. It is the manager’s responsibilities to
keep a tab on its competition as to what they are providing, at what price and keep providing
their customers with alternates. They should be able to constantly be informed by switching
costs, and keeping a tab on the customer’s inclination to change with the ever growing and
altering market.
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