ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES

1. ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES Case Study Dr Evi Lanasier e.lanasier@cbs.curtin.edu.au

2. Important dates • The assignment should be submitted in two forms : • Hardcopy + marking sheet attached directly to the teacher • Late penalties • 10% (I mean 10% of 100 here = 10 marks) per calendar days • Apply for extension in advance (not on the day or the day before the due date unless very urgent) • Needs to be unexpected reasons (heavy workload is NOT unexpected) • Medical reasons need to be supported by medical certificate

3. Assessment 2Case Study**Week 9 : 21 September 2012**

4. Students are to write a business reporton the given case study on Yahoo(available on Blackboard). Reports should be no more than 2500 wordsin length. • Your task is to prepare a current report outlining the implications of management challenges and strategic management decisions Yahoo would need to consider during the change process it is recently undergoing. • The focus questions you must analyse and answer are detailed at the end of the case study – refer to blackboard for the actual case study and related exhibits.

5. Guidelines to Yahoo Case Study

6. Question 1. • Analyse cultural and political context in Yahoo -- general response and attitude to innovation, risk taking, new ideas, middle management, political conflicts and frequent changes in management • Consider how did all these factors affect Yahoo's ability to quickly adapt to changes in the tech market, competition, meeting needs of customers...etc.

7. Question 2 • Select relevant concepts of culture excellence approach (culture, leadership and structure) • Peters & Waterman 8 attributes • Kanter post-entrepreneurial model on internal synergies and external alliances to promote innovation and new opportunities • Handy's theories on attracting attaining and developing knowledge workers (3Is, Shamrock, Federal organisation) • Organisational learning -- promote an environment that employees and motivated to continuously learn, share, and create • Make sure you relate to these theories • How could these help address Yahoo's problems identified in Q.1

8. Question 3 • Propose concrete and specific HR practices and role of leaders to promote cultural attributes proposed in Q.2 • What kind of KSAs and personal attributes to promote creativity, diversity, sharing, collaboration, teamwork, learning, sharing....etc • How to attract, retain, promoteand develop the kind of talents Yahoo is looking for • What kind of behaviour and attitude should be encouraged • What kind of organisational environment should be created... • Through job design and restructuring, performance objectives, rewards, appraisals, recruitment, selection, development -- need very concrete suggestions • What is the role of leaders? Vision? Role model? Demonstrate support??

9. Question 4 • Any reasons some Yahoo employees may dislike and resist the changes you are going to introduce (or the new CEO is likely to bring)?Make use of the four models of resistance • Psychological -- fear of unknown • System -- loss of personal benefits • Institutionalised -- clinged to old practices, don't see the need to change and benefits the change might bring • Cultural -- conflicts with Yahoo existing culture • Relate back to the changes you have proposed in Q.2 and Q.3 and existing condition in Q.1

10. You have to apply the theories mentioned in the focus questions (minimum requirement) • Integrate theories to the case: • you need to relate the theories to the circumstances Yahoo is facing – establish stronger links between the case and the theories • Make it very explicit – e.g. what cultural characteristics of which theory of the cultural excellence approach, organisational learning, explain how are they going to be relevant to Yahoo in particular • Specificity of recommendations: • How exactly the HR practices should be designed e.g. not only provide reward system to improve performance – what specific performance objectives should be designed to promote the cultural characteristics of the culture excellence approach and organisational learning you have proposed in Q2. • Need to support your arguments with empirical evidence in the academic literature – actual studies were performed to see the link between various factors (e.g. learning, autonomy..etc.) on performance (e.g. productivity, creativity, flexibility, commitment, job satisfaction….etc.) Theories in textbook do not provide such evidences; websites, newspapers…etc. generally provide factual data only, not research evidence

11. Do not forget • Turnitin below 20% -- attach the page with the similarity index • Coverpage – please write down your class, datestamped • Adhere to referencing requirements to avoid penalties – same requirements as first assignment

12. General comments • You have to apply the theories mentioned in the focus questions (minimum requirements) Some students did not meet the requirements in the 1st assignment to identify change perspectives, make use of theories and tools in change strategy -- marks deducted very significantly • But you can also go beyond these theories and integrate the concepts you have learned so fart in change management or you can even read ahead (e.g. topic on change leadership) • Integrate theories to the case: in the 1st assignment, many students failed to fully integrate theories to the case e.g. when applying the theories and models, need to provide more details about what the organisation has actually done to demonstrate relevance of these theories – For this assignment, you need to relate the theories to the circumstances Yahoo is facing – establish stronger links between the case and the theories

13. Specificity of recommendations: How exactly the HR practices should be designed e.g. not only provide reward system to improve performance – what specific performance objectives should be designed to promote the culture and organisational learning; not only about recruiting new employees, what kind of skills and personal characteristics Yahoo should look for in the particular situation? • Need to support your arguments with empirical evidence in the academic literature – actual studies were performed to see the link between various factors (e.g. learning, autonomy..etc.) on performance (e.g. productivity, creativity, flexibility, commitment, job satisfaction….etc.) Theories in textbook do not provide such evidences; websites, newspapers…etc. generally provide factual data only, not research evidence

14. Case studies: analysing and evaluatingCombining theory with practice Case studies tell a story & set out a situation or actual event. Therefore, case study analysis involves : • Reading the story • Determining what is happening • Finding the problem • Analysing and finding possible solutions to the problem

15. Nature of Case Study • The problem in a case study is not always clear at first reading, critical analysis skills are applied to the case to determine what the problem actually is. Often there is an underlying problem, or an overall problem, underpinning the situation. • Therefore, the case study needs careful analysis or evaluation. Critical analysis questions and uncovers what is happening at particular times during the case study. Some of the information uncovered is not relevant to the problem and must be carefully filtered and eliminated. • It is important to make notes as you read and to continually evaluate what is happening at critical times during the case.

16. Five Steps Approach : • Step 1 - Read the case study from beginning to end and get an overall idea of what is happening. • Step 2 - Actively read again, making connections with the text by highlighting anything you feel is important and related to the problem. Ask: What is happening here? Who are the key players? How could this be done better? What is wrong and why? Is this the problem or is there another problem impacting the situation? What must be done to get a better result? • Step 3 - Review your theoretical papers, journal articles or other texts and find material that you can apply to the text. These theoretical papers provide a framework for analysing the situation and for keeping you focussed on the situation, the theory and the language when writing. Apply the theory to the case and use it as an investigative and application tool to find solutions to the problem.

17. Step 4 - Re-read the case • Highlight areas that seem important to the case. • Ask: Is this correct or is there a problem? Ask questions: What? How? Who? How can this be? • Be a detective: investigate and eliminate what is irrelevant to the situation and does not logically appear to fit the context. • Apply the theories you have read and consider possible solutions. The theories are your evidence for your ultimate decisions for problem-solving. • Make notes. Analyse and organise the information.

18. Step 5 - Write your answer, detailing : • The issues • Your analysis • Findings and recommendations for solutions based on the theories read. Use the theory as evidence for your decisions.

19. Structure of the answers • Introduction • Analysis of the case (point 1 & 2 = 10%) • Identification of major issues (15%) • Possible solutions (with reference to existing theories/ literature), here you need to address (60%) • Cultural & Political (apply the relevant information about culture and politics from the case to the theory & support them by additional theories from journal articles) • Culture-excellence approach (apply the relevant information about culture-excellence from the case to the theory & support them by additional theories from journal articles) • Organisational Learning (apply the relevant information from the case about organisational learning to the theory of OL & support them by additional theories from journal articles) • Human Resources and Leadership (apply the relevant information from the case about HR & leadership to the theory & support them by additional theories from journal articles) • Organisational Culture & Resistance to Change (apply the relevant information about organisational culture & resistance to change from the case to the theory & support them by additional theories from journal articles) • Conclusion.

20. Referencing Requirement : • You are expected to use at least EIGHT (8) different academic sources, lack thereof is a fail. These include: • Textbooks • At least four (4) “academic/scholarly” journal articles (please refer to the list of major academic journals available in the library) • You are especially encouraged to use articles that you may find from your search of the journals listed above. • Only one source from the internetmay be used (excluding electronic journals accessed through the library) and students will be penalised for using more than one non-academic internet source. • Avoid internet sourcesthat do not have the author’s name as well as the publisher. • Wikipedia is NOT allowed. • Chicago referencing styleis to be used

21. *end of slides*