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- QUESTION
Organizational Creativity and Innovation
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ASSESSMENT BRIEF
Subject Code and Title BIZ301 Organizational Creativity and Innovation
Assessment Case Study Analysis
Individual/Group Individual
Length 1,200 words +/‐ 10%
Learning Outcomes a) Differentiate between the processes of creativity,
innovation, and entrepreneurship
- b) Identify organisations that develop and foster the
processes, practices, and attributes for creativity and
innovation
- d) Explain the implications for organisational strategy,
when developing a culture of creativity and/or
innovation
Submission Due by 11:55pm AEST/AEDT Sunday of Module 3 (week
6)
Weighting 35%
Total Marks 100 marks
Objective:
To develop an understanding of an how innovations are conducted in organisations
Understand the process and methodology of bringing innovative products and
solutions to the market
Develop an understanding of how customers play an important role in the
development of innovative market based solutions
The assessment will prepare you to be able to develop valuable skills towards the
group venture plan
Context:
Innovation and creativity are growing in importance, within organisations pursuing
excellence and growth, in a competitive business world. Organisations use various
innovative methods and techniques to ensure competitive advantage within their market
place and meet their customer’s needs. This assessment will encourage students to explore
the methods and approaches undertaken by a leading organisation and to critique a global
brand name. The aim of this assessment is to identify the success of Apple. Students will
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identify the attributes of the people, places, products and approaches that have made Apple
the most valuable company in the world, with regards to market capitalisation.
Instructions:
Students will review and critique the case study: Design Thinking and Innovation at Apple by
Stefan Thomke and Barbara Feinberg (2012). It may be helpful to print the case study and
highlight useful sections and/or take notes as you read. The output will be a 1,200 word
report that responds to the following four questions:
1) In the students view, how does innovation and strategy work together at
Apple?
2) Identify the innovation approach Apple has successfully used to identify
customers’ needs, and how did it help them to continue to stay ahead of the
competition?
3) What role did Apple’s people have, in the company constantly coming up with
innovative products, and how did the culture at Apple encourage/discourage
them?
4) What impact did Steve Jobs have on Apple and what did he bring, personally,
to the organisation? What was Steve Jobs view of process and innovation?
You have the option of undertaking further reading on Apple, if you wish, in order to
enhance your analysis. Any additional reading must be properly referenced in your report.
Submission Instructions:
Submit your research report, by clicking on the Assessment link, in the main navigation
menu in BIZ301 Organisational Creativity and Innovation. The learning facilitator will provide
feedback via the Grade Centre in the LMS portal. Feedback can be viewed in My Grades.
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Learning Rubric: Assessment 1
Assessment
Attributes
Fail (Unacceptable)
0‐49%
Pass
(Functional)
50‐64%
Credit
(Proficient)
65‐74%
Distinction
(Advanced)
75 ‐84%
High Distinction
(Exceptional)
85‐100%
Grade
Description
(Grading Scheme)
Fail grade is awarded if
a student is unable to
demonstrate
satisfactory academic
performance in the
subject or has failed to
complete required
assessment points, in
accordance with the
subject’s required
assessment points.
Pass is awarded for work
showing a satisfactory
achievement of all
learning outcomes and an
adequate understanding
of theory and application
of skills.
A consistent academic
referencing system is
used and sources are
appropriately
acknowledged.
Credit is awarded for work
showing a more than
satisfactory achievement of
all learning outcomes and a
more than adequate
understanding of theory
and application of skills.
A consistent academic
referencing system is used
and sources are
appropriately
acknowledged.
Distinction is awarded for
work of superior quality
in achieving all learning
outcomes and a superior
integration and
understanding of theory
and application of skills.
Evidence of in‐depth
research, reading,
analysis, and evaluation is
demonstrated.
A consistent academic
referencing system is
used and sources are
appropriately
acknowledged.
High Distinction is
awarded for work of
outstanding quality in
achieving all learning
outcomes together with
outstanding integration
and understanding of
theory and application of
skills.
Evidence of in‐depth
research, reading,
analysis, and original and
creative thought is
demonstrated.
A consistent academic
referencing system is
used and sources are
appropriately
acknowledged.
Effective
incorporation of the
data from the case
study
Limited understanding
of the organisation.
Limited knowledge of
Adequate understanding
of the organisation.
Shows clear
Good understanding of the
organisation.
Identifies different
Highly developed
understanding of the
organisation.
A sophisticated
understanding of the
organisation.
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30%
the different
approaches or methods
used by Apple to
achieve their goals.
understanding of the
different approaches or
methods used by Apple to
achieve their success.
approaches or methods
used by Apple and is able
to clearly link this with the
success of the organisation.
Clearly outlines the
macro‐level strategies
employed by Apple to
demonstrate competitive
leadership.
Clearly outlines and
integrates the key
aspects of macro‐ and
micro‐level attributes of
Apple’s product
innovation, people, and
customer/market need.
Knowledge and
understanding of
appropriate theory
30%
Limited understanding
of required concepts
and knowledge.
Often conflates/confuses
assertion of personal
opinion with information
substantiated by evidence
from the research/course
materials.
Supports personal opinion
and information
substantiated by evidence
from the research/course
materials to outline Apple’s
contribution to society.
Discriminates between
assertion of personal
opinion and information
substantiated by robust
evidence from the
research/course materials
Systematically and
critically discriminates
between assertion of
personal opinion and
information
substantiated by robust
and extended reading. evidence from the
research/course
materials and extended
reading.
Integrates Apple’s
Synthesis of case
study data and
theory
20%
Limited synthesis and
analysis of the key
information.
Limited
application/recommend
ations based upon
analysis.
Demonstrated analysis
and synthesis of new
knowledge with
application.
Shows the ability to
interpret relevant
information from the
case study, to develop a
list of approaches.
Well‐developed analysis
and synthesis, with
application of
recommendations linked to
analysis/synthesis.
Outlines the key aspects of
the innovative approaches
taken by Apple.
Thoroughly understands
the approaches of
innovation taken by the
organisation and its
impact on the success of
the company.
Is able to attribute the
approaches to the
continued development
of innovative products.
Highly sophisticated and
creative analysis of the
approaches used.
Is able to link the
approaches used and
their impact on society.
Able to identify other
organisations that may
use these approaches to
remain competitive.
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Delivery of a
professionally
structured, written
and presented
Poorly structured
document that is
difficult to understand
and not well presented.
Acceptable structure and
presentation and
adequately written.
Information, evidence, and
explanations are well
structured and presented.
A mostly clear flow to the
Information, evidence,
and explanations are well
structured and
presented.
Expertly presented; the
report is logical,
persuasive, and wellsupported
by evidence
document investigative approach. A very clear flow to the Demonstrates an
20%
Line of reasoning is easy to
follow.
investigative approach.
Line of reasoning is
logical, insightful, and
excellent flow and
professional approach to
the investigation.
easy to follow.
Effective use of graphics Clear line of reasoning
and supporting data, to and approach is expertly
aid with communication. delivered.
Extremely effective use
of graphics and
supporting data.
Engages and sustains the
audience’s interest in the
topic.
| Subject | Business | Pages | 11 | Style | APA |
|---|
Answer
Innovation and Design Thinking At Apple
Apple is one of the leading companies in the world that has remained innovative for years by delivering quality products with much simplicity. The continued quest for innovation, development of quality products, formulation of strategies and their implementation, presence of a dedicated and visionary leader, and healthy attitudes of employees towards the business have formed vital core principles of Apple Company. Therefore, this paper describes ways in which innovation and strategy work together in Apple Company and highlights specific innovation approach that the company used to the needs of its customers. More importantly, it examines the role and contribution of the company’s employees towards innovative products. Lastly, the report describes the impacts that Steve Job had on Apple Company and his personal view of innovation and process.
How Innovation and Strategy Work Jointly
Innovation refers to the process of creating unique and new products and services that easily attract the attention of customers, while strategies are thought results transformed into processes to attain effective marketing (Bowman, 1998). Apple's company set out the objective of linking its strategy with its innovative development. In particular, the organization understood that it should target individuals who wanted quality computers with modified features. Taking this into account, the company addressed these concerns by integrating other factors such as the design of the computer. Typically, in marketing, firms launch services and products that deal with challenges that consumers experience but at the same time integrate new features that attract customers’ attention and make them remain loyal to the brand (Clark, 2003). Principally, Apple used innovation while designing Mac; the outcome was a new product that in return, increased the company's sales volume and consequently increased its revenue.
Innovation Approach to Apple
Initially, Apple Company had an approach to developing computers that were different from its competitors in terms of features and quality. Nonetheless, the primary objective of the organization was to design a new product that had the same features and carrying capacity but was more portable and could be carried with ease. As a result, the organization introduced the iPad, a device that certainly transformed and improved the commencement of new technologies. Reports have indicated that in most cases, the development of new technologies occurs as a result of imitating innovative products that already consumed or sold in the market (Tony, 2000). In the case of Apple, the steady evaluation of the needs of customers in light of its first creation, the iPad, ensured that it developed quality devices such as iPhone, iPod, and Macs.
Secondly, Apple evaluated possible effects of personal computing on people once such individuals would establish the benefits of personal computers. As a result, Apple ensured that its devices were user-friendly. It attained this by integrating simplicity in its product design approaches. In particular, it took into account finer details of its product, assessed whether any feature or part of the product was indeed required, and adopted new technologies. It also explored various approaches and materials, and improved customers experience by producing highly interactive devices.
To deliver smooth and positive customer experience, the company took into account the most beautiful details while creating or manufacturing the product. This was done to realize sophistication by considering the intent for the product, its development principles, processes of designing it, as well as, experiences that users can get while using the product. Undoubtedly, the slim appearance and design of Apple products, easy to use solutions, design, resemblance, and consistency across brands played a significant role in improving the experiences of the users.
: Contribution of Apples’ Employees
The significant performance of Apple as one of the leading technological firms can be attributed to various roles played by its employees. As outlined in the case study, the integration of the company’s employees contributed much to the innovation. In particular, the design department assessed current technologies so that they could integrate shapes and frames in their future Apple products with the central purpose of ensuring that such devices appear more presentable and of higher quality than the ones designed by the competitors. The coordination amongst Apple's employees made the company to attain challenging goals. In particular, the employees upheld the culture of teamwork that assisted them in achieving its goals. As a team, the employees work hard, and everybody relied on each other. As a fact, they created a loving and healthy family that clearly understood that passion and commitment were essential aspects that must be considered for the company to succeed.
Legacy of Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs played a critical and prominent role in propelling Apple to its current status and the reputation its products have gained within the technological markets or industry. As stated in the case study, Jobs had an inherent design sense and an exceptional vision of the meaning of the company, its products, as well as, ways in which the firm could succeed in the competitive environment. Indeed, it is Jobs’ concept that Apple Company adopted to achieve quality and elegant solutions by focusing on the critical attributes of the products and underlying philosophy of the problem that customers were experiencing while using such devices.
According to the case study presented, Jobs required products that were of high quality, had ultimate sophistication and unique capabilities but very simple to be used by everyone. Indeed, he is one person who persuaded people to have Apple computers for personal computing during a period when most of the players in the industry were spending sleepless nights developing enterprise solutions. Mostly, his passion for excellence and personal involvement in almost all phases of product development, coupled with how he presented himself to customers remained the key elements that contributed to rapid innovation witnessed at Apple Company.
In conclusion, Apple Company adopted to design thinking and innovative strategies to design services and products to increase its market share. Through these, the company has created positive brands within the technology industry that has ensured loyalty and that the developed products and services continue to attract the attention of the customers. Increase in the number of loyal customers has increased the company's revenues. In this light, business leaders must ensure that employees acquire talents to enable them to come up with beneficial strategic decisions. Further, formulating the vision of the organization should be connected to design thinking and innovative choice to create a dependable market and business sustainability. More importantly, organizations should ensure that they have friendly policies so that they can improve their productivity and using their resources effectively to make sure that their objectives envisioned with design thinking and innovation is attained.
References
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Bowman, J. (1998). Teaching ethics and values in public administration programs: Innovations, strategies, and issues. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. Clark, P. A. (2003). Organizational innovations. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Tony, P. (2000). Strategic marketing. Abingdon: Taylor & Francis Ltd / Books.
Appendix
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