BUS 161 SU Change Management Success Factors for Any Business

here is the link to the textbook, this final covers From Chapter 1 to 14. please use it as the only reference for the final, and search for the terms you need to use from it:Organizational theory and design

The Final Ex*am is worth 56 points in total. Please write a response to each of the two questions below (28 points each).

Question Prompt 1 (28 points):

An online news magazine that publishes in-depth articles on current events has seen a slow decline in readership. The magazine recently hired a new CEO who is pushing the organization to publish articles that are shorter and focused on “hot topics” that the CEO thinks will get more “clicks” from social media (such as Facebook’s News Feed). The CEO and the advertising department are worried that the financial condition of the magazine will deteriorate without a major change. However, some employees and departments are resisting this change initiative. Reporters and writers at the magazine are worried that the quality of the articles will suffer, and that the magazine will lose its loyal readers. Conflict within the company continues to escalate. You are brought in as a consultant to help the organization get on the same page. What advice do you give the CEO?

Question Prompt 2 (28 points):

A Wall Street Journal article recently described how Barnes & Noble Inc.—under new leadership—is changing its organizational approach. The bookseller has over 600 stores across the U.S. and has been in decline for years. This has been in no small part due to Barnes & Noble’s struggle to compete with the low prices offered by Amazon.

Barnes and Noble’s new CEO, James Daunt, argues that Barnes & Noble’s survival depends upon the company offering a high-quality, in-store experience that customers cannot get from online shopping. He is promoting major organizational changes.

Historically, Barnes & Noble’s store managers were not provided much decision-making authority. Instead, decision-making—including with respect to what books to order and include on the shelves—was concentrated among corporate executives at headquarters in New York. Mr. Daunt is now giving much more power to stores, for example by leaving most decisions regarding which books to order up to local managers. Store managers also now have flexibility concerning the manner in which they arrange their stores as well as display and organize books. Mr. Daunt believes this strategy—providing local autonomy instead of expecting company-wide uniformity—will help the stores better serve customer needs.

Utilizing course concepts, please analyze Barnes & Noble’s new organizational approach described above. What are the potential benefits and potential costs? What do you think is important for leadership to keep in mind as they try to change Barnes & Noble?

[Note: The summary above for question prompt 2 is based upon the December 5, 2020 Wall Street Journal article, “Barnes & Noble Plots Renewal — CEO James Daunt overturns strategy; gives control to local stores.” If you are curious to read the full article, you can find it here: (Attached below.) however, the full article is not required reading for this exam. You only need to read the summary provided in the prompt above and address the questions.]

GUIDELINES FOR FINAL EX*AM:

Guidelines (please read carefully):

The Final Ex*am is cumulative, covering Modules 1 through 11.
Your responses should each be in 12-point font. These are not short answer questions, but you should be able to answer them in less than one single-spaced page per question (two pages for the entire exam). Grading is based on quality, not quantity.
The exam must be completed individually with no collaboration or discussion with anyone else.
You may use class notes, lecture slides, optional review videos, and the textbook. You may not look at or use any other source.
The exam will be graded on the extent to which you (1) address the questions being asked and (2) demonstrate comprehension of course materials through the application of concepts and frameworks.
I am not grading on grammar, punctuation, or writing style. However, please try to communicate your ideas as clearly as possible.
Your responses should be completely in your own words. Anything not in your own words should be written in quotes (accompanied by the textbook page number, or slide number