Intro To Business Administration
Intro To Business Administration
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INSTRUCTIONS:
4. Quantitative computations may be done by inserting a table or using Microsoft Excel and then
importing into the document.
5. PLEASE ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS.
6. This paper represents 40% of your total grade.
7. Total Marks on this paper is [80].
8. Please ensure that you number your questions correctly.
9. Write clearly the number of the question being answered on each of the additional pages.
10. Where questions have multiple parts, all parts must be answered.
PLEASE UPLOAD THE COMPLETED MICROSOFT WORD DOCUMENT ONLY, AT THE END
OF THE ASSESSMENT PERIOD.
Write your REGISTRATION NUMBER clearly on each page of your attachments.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
❖ Submit as your own, someone else’s unpublished work, either with or without
permission.
Consequences of Plagiarism
❖ If the final work you submit—all of it—is not yours, it does not matter how you
came by it. Charges of plagiarism are brought to the attention of Academic Affairs,
which initiates an investigation that may lead to formal charges.
❖ The process for the investigation and adjudication of charges may be accessed at
the Dean of Undergraduate Studies Office.
When in 2016, Nintendo’s Japan based headquarters welcomevd a new boss, Tatsumi
Kimishima, even as he took his seat, one thing seemed clear: fixing the company would be no
easy task.
Tatsumi Kimishima replaced Satoru Iwata, the beloved CEO at the company who tragically died.
During Iwata’s reign, Nintendo had its fair share of ups and downs, watching its business grow
to great heights on the back of the ‘Wii’ game console, and subsequently plummet at the hands
of iPhones and Android.
Iwata was widely acknowledged for caring for the people on his team while being focused on
getting the job done and achieving set company goals and targets. While he believed in some
measure of order and consistency he embraced change. Although he believed in group
decision-making, when necessary he used the task or boss-centered approach; for instance, he
personally decided not to compete directly with Nintendo and Sony and instead focus on
creating an innovative product, the Wii. At the same time, he would never lose his focus on his
people, always aligning them, motivating and inspiring them to ensure their involvement and
support of whatever organizational goals were decided on.
At a press conference, Kimishima said he has no immediate plans to change his company’s
strategy. His comments reassured investors who believed Iwata’s plan was the right path for
Shenneil Laing- 20222001 Page 5 of 15
Nintendo. And while other names had been floated to replace Iwata, Kimishima’s history - past
work in banking, experience running Nintendo’s U.S. operations, and heading up the
company’s Pokemon giant, suggested that he was the right choice and had all of the tools to fix
Nintendo’s ailing business. In fact, he made a point that he planned on building on Iwata’s
“The potential for the new CEO to turn Nintendo around is high, you simply cannot count
Nintendo out,” Cole, an industry analyst said. “They have a great deal of resources and we all
know on which one the strength of the company has been built”.
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QUESTION 1
b) Is there evidence in the case that Iwata was both a leader and a manager?
Explain by citing one (1) characteristic he consistently displayed:
QUESTION 2
In the estimation of Cole, the industry analyst, which of the four types of resources was he
most likely thinking that the new CEO, Kimishima, would be relying on most heavily when
fighting the competition? Explain with justification. [8 marks] [CLO 1]
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QUESTION 3
The new CEO obviously had ‘big shoes to fill’ and would have needed to sharpen his
managerial skills. According to the contemporary school of thought on management skills,
managers are typically involved with three (3) types of activities and the relevant skills are
aligned to these.
Describe the three (3) categories of managerial activities in question to Kimishima and say
which single one if any, should he be more focused on. [8 marks] [CLO 1]
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QUESTION 4
One of the popular known brands Nike, that manufactures sports and clothing, has more
than 50,000 workers and produces shoes through subcontractors. Most of their factories
are located in Asian countries because of large non-employed population and low-cost
workers. In 2005, Nike started disclosing their Corporate Social Responsibility activities
after a couple of years of silence due to legal concerns. After several audits, Nike
reported that a large percentage of their overseas factories have their employees working
in terrible environments for low pay and in unsanitary health conditions. This is the first
time that a major corporation has revealed such problems to the public so honestly.
Nike is now taking a new strategy and approach in an attempt to correct these problems.
working conditions with several branches of their industry. Nike plans to reshape the way
customers, supplies, investors, and regulators see the company. They are changing it from
a closed system and making the company more open, so that suppliers and customers can
relate to Nike. One of Nike’s problems is changing the way its leadership and
management style that is “leaders beyond borders”. Nike needs to reach out to wider
issues of trade flows, governance, and media otherwise all their changes may not make a
a) Explain to Nike the four (4) areas of Corporate Social Responsibility using a practical
QUESTION 5
Rochele Spencer after ruling the catwalk goes on to her own business despite the perils
Rochele Spencer models one of her designs. (Photo: Lensking Andrew Clarke)
Walking away from the security of a steady income to pursue a dream is not something many
people would do. Fear of the unknown and the possibility of failure prevent many from taking
that risk. Not Rochele Spencer. The 30-year-old, best known for being the season six winner of
the reality competition series Mission Catwalk, risked it all when she resigned from her job in
the banking sector to pursue her dream of being a designer.
It paid off in spades when Spencer created her line , 'Yours Truly, Rochele ' and saw her
passion move from being a side hustle where she designed and styled family and friends, to a
viable business. “I purchased a domestic sewing machine solely for the purpose of altering my
personal garments that did not quite fit. I figured 'how hard could it be to make something
from scratch?', started doing research, and decided to go for it and never looked back.”
An early interest in hairstyling and make-up artistry only served to whet her appetite as a
creative. That insight about herself would serve as a catalyst for her next move while doing
what was “typical” when she found a job after graduating from the University of Technology
in Kingston.
Shenneil Laing- 20222001 Page 13 of 15
“I currently own and operate a boutique and showroom, where I display my designs and
meet with clients for consultations and fittings”, she said, adding “I also do styling
consultations for talents in video and photo shoots. Though she has reaped great success in a
relatively short period of time, Spencer still deals with the occasional challenges associated
with many small businesses, including “drawing the line between being a friendly boss and
being a friend”, saying she combats this by establishing boundaries very early.
“I am motivated to keep pushing and going because of the tremendous growth I have had
over the years, both in my craft and customer service. When I look at how far I have come,
it shows me that I'm capable of exceeding even my own expectations — and I'm excited to
see how much more I continue to grow.”
Her parting advice to budding designers who want to follow suit? - “If you feel strongly
and passionate for something, go for it. There are no failures, just lessons — so take each in
stride and don't give up.”
a) The Case speaks to the founder of 'Yours Truly, Rochele' as being an entrepreneur.
b) In this Case, the formulation of opportunity for Rochelle arose from a new product or
service.
END OF ASSESSMENT