AQA BUSS 4 - Corporate Culture Discussion

http://www.tutor2u.net/blog/index.php/business-studies/comments/buss4-revision-clinic-16-june-2013 This should be helpful, guys The Buss2 one was really good!

I've got this:
Company name - Apple Inc.
Leader - former iconic founder and leader Steve Jobs, later Tim Cook
Leadership style - democratic/ lassez-faire
Culture - Handy's task and power culture. Generally a culture of innovation, secrecy and discipline

Apple is a company where one man, Steve Jobs, established how things are done around the company. The distinctive culture had helped to increase productivity, sustain a comptetitive advantage and establish a worldwide-known brand which makes it one of the biggest and most profitable companies in the world.
Apple’s culture is as distinct as its products are groundbreaking. That’s no accident; one leads to the other.
The main characteristics of Apple's culture are:
Apple's culture is brutal and unforgiving, where accountability is strictly enforced and decisions are swift.
Simplicity is the key to Apple's organisational structure. The hierarhy is deceptively straightforward.
Specialisation is the norm at Apple, with every employee NOT working outside their area of expertise.
Culture of innovation because the business is 'run by ideas', a key in the market they operate in.
THE NEW CEO
As a result of Steve Jobs's medical problems, new CEO, Tim Cook, was appointed. He focuses more on valuing employees, e.g. praising them publicly and giving them discounts on the company products.

Thanks alot man! I was wondering whether or not it was too vague! How long roughly did it take you to get all the information?

right in the buss4 thing it said that you had to refer to the case study in section A, it said you can either make it as your point or you could either compare and contrast, but what does the compare and contrast thing mean???

if you were to do

4 points

2 point for, 2 points against but on different companies to the one in the Section A case study,

by comparing and contrasting does that mean within all your points you compare or contrast it to the case study company in section A?

Hey, what points could you write for this question if it came up for Section A:

'Will organisational culture inevitably get in the way of a significant change in a strategic direction?'

To get 'good' application you have to make a REFERENCE to the company given to you in the short case study. You can make a separate point on it e.g. one question was on whether the product determines whether a company can be fully socially responsible. BAT (British American Tobacco) was given as the case study firm and you could make a separate point how the product itself means that the company is not socially responsible.

You can compare and contrast, but you DON'T have to use it in all your bullet points. The top-tip would be - just make sure you mention it at least once

was Steven Job's an autocratic leadership? and wat businesses can you use for bonus culture and why was bonus culture used? and also wat businesses has a toxic culture, dynamic culture, static culture and why?

Ah okay! thank you!




Can anyone help me with what type of culture the royal mail has, if they're focusing on communication and having a better culture and expanding to parcels??

also before, where they were resistant to change would this be a role culture?

thanks

Yes, Steve Jobs was quite autocratic as he took most of the major decisions between himself and a few senior execs.

Yes, Steve Jobs was quite autocratic as he took most of the major decisions between himself and a few senior execs.

Barclays used a bonus culture and it was used to maximise revenues in the short term, Barlcyas were seen as too short termist which ultimately led to the culture shake up that is happening now.

Ah okay! thank you!




Can anyone help me with what type of culture the royal mail has, if they're focusing on communication and having a better culture and expanding to parcels??

also before, where they were resistant to change would this be a role culture?

thanks

was Steven Job's an autocratic leadership? and wat businesses can you use for bonus culture and why was bonus culture used? and also wat businesses has a toxic culture, dynamic culture, static culture and why?

Steven Jobs - democratic/ lassez-faire; centralised decision-making but innovation encouraged.

Bonus culture - banks, e.g. Barclays - profit-orientated, culture of short-termism leading to illegal actions such as tax avoidance, mis-selling PPI and fixing Libor rates - this led to scandals.
Compare this with John Lewis Partnership/Waitrose - they have bonus culture, but in this company owned by employees there is a culture of shared responsiblity and trust which means that if employees work hard and make profit, they will get a bonus. Recently, they received 17% bonuses (equalling to nine-weeks pay) despite competition and recent recession.

Toxic culture - Enron
Static - probably Nokia and Royal Mail because they were unresponsive to the changes in the market

Dynamic - Apple probably, flexible to the changes in the market

ok thanks but if I may ask what is Toxic, static and dynamic culture?