1. Explain why change happens in a business environment. You should include at least three reasons in your answer.
Reasons for change in a business environment may include:
Internal factors
* A business wants to reduce waste and costs
* A business launches a new product
* A business introduces 24-hour customer support
* A business introduces quality management techniques
External factors
1. Political factors
Examples include:
* Government (policies, regulations, grants and the government as a client or customer) * International (conflict, political change, pressure groups and trade policies) * Legislation (domestic, European, future legislation, and international legislation) – Economic factors
Examples include:
* Domestic (competitors’ behaviour, economic performance of businesses in the UK, trends, tax and interest rates) * International (competitors’ behaviour, economy, economic trends, tax, interest rates, exchange rates and trade issues)
2.Social factors
Examples include:
Advertising and PR, brands and image, consumer attitudes, consumer buying preferences, demographics, ethical issues, events, media views.
3. Technological factors
Examples include:
Ability to install new technology (and of competitors to do so), emerging new technologies, funding for technological research, development and implementation, intellectual property rights, technology legislation and the technological life cycle.
The Essay on International Business Factor
Since the Second World War, international business appeared as the main economic factor responding to postwar needs. Nowadays, globalisation has increased the facility of international exchange and has risen the multicultural needs.The increase in demand for international products has resulted in large possibilities to do business abroad. However, it is really complicate to import or export ...
Section 2 – Understand the purpose of supporting change in a business environment
1. Identify the main reasons for reviewing working methods, products and / or services in a business environment.
Reasons for reviewing working methods, products or services may include:
* identifying anything that is not working
* providing the opportunity to improve
* Reviewing products ensures that they are still fit for purpose
* Reviewing services ensures that what is being offered is competitive and what the customer wants
2. When a business is going through change:
a) Describe the different types of support that people may need.
Effective planning the support for people in an organisation can be planned to come before any actual changes are implemented. If people must deal with ill-considered and poorly planned change then the consequences may be severe. When there is an absence of planning there is a greater likelihood of chaos and conflict. One way managers can support staff is to make changes that contribute to the long-term well-being of the organisation and work out the most efficient and effective ways to make those changes. This shows people that they have been considered and every attempt has been made to minimise unnecessary problems. Participation At times it will not be possible or appropriate for staff to take part in the decisions on the changes that will be made and how they will be implemented. There may be times when people will actively resist change. However there may be occasions when it is possible to involve staff and have their participation in the whole change process. This can certainly help staff as they have some control of the process rather than being passive and having no control. Clear communications and expectations
One way of supporting people during change is to make sure that they know…
What change are going to be made and what the organisation will be like once the changes have been implemented. How the changes will impact on the job of each person. Why the changes are being made.
If this information is not supplied, or only done in part, then people are only aware of a meaningless set of chaotic changes. Not surprisingly in this situation people may resist, or be confused or struggle. In these chaotic situations people can become frustrated and aggressive. There will be greater scope for staff to gossip and pass on rumours and this often makes things even worse. If this information is provided there can be no guarantee that everyone will be contented and things will run smoothly. There is always the possibility that people will not like the proposed changes. However for most people there will be clarity and any problems will be in terms of the actual changes rather than imagined ones.
The Research paper on Persuasive speech: People should support organic food production
Ladies and Gentlemen, Have you ever thought about the food you eat? Of course you have, we all do. We think about the taste, the ingredients and the health benefits, but we don’t question where the food comes from and we barely think about all the chemicals and toxins added to it, because most foods that we are surrounded with are all the same, most food companies that we enjoy are not organically ...
Training or retraining
Many of the changes in work methods, products or services may require people to work in new ways, operate new equipment and apply new procedures. This can be a problem for people if they do not receive sufficient help in making the transition to the new ways of operating. To help staff to make the changes it makes sense to provide high-quality targeted training. This provides staff with knowledge and skills that will aid the transition. With these new skills staff will be more confident that they can cope successfully with the changes, as well as feel reassured that the business is allocating time and resources to support its staff. In addition to the formal approaches to training there is likely to be informal training where managers help their staff or co-workers help each other on the job.
Encouragement and other supportive behaviours
A great way to support people going through a change process is to behave in ways that offer encouragement and assistance.
Some typical behaviour includes:
* Smiling
* Making encouraging statements re progress being made
* Asking if a person needs any help
* Being upbeat in the presence of others
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... led them to abandon the view of working people as lazy and reluctant to work without threats and incentives (Theory X).Instead he ... and reinforcement to bring about the desired changes. If you are hiring or managing staff, you should spend some time reading ... Amounts of equipment, tools, space, materials, spare parts, instructions, support systems, co-operation form others, or other resources which ...
* Being willing to listen
* Sharing experiences of successfully making changes in the past
* Emphasising the benefits of the change
Counselling or coaching
In some organisations it may be necessary to offer more structured professional support to staff. This involves the application of personal coaching or counselling skills from trained professionals who have experience of helping people to make changes. Here specifically designed techniques may be used to help people to work through difficult transitions in their work lives. If an organisation thinks carefully about changes, large or small, and seeks to offer appropriate support to staff there is an improved chance that minimising the problems that could arise. This also makes people more receptive and less resistant to further changes made in the future.
b) Explain the benefits of working with others.
Working with others really helps to keep a positive outlook on the change. Working together means you can help each other when something may become more challenging. People often adapt to change better if there is good communication. You may find that you will be able to help support your colleagues if they are finding something challenging and vice versa. It is important to remember that to support and work with colleagues effectively you will need to keep a positive outlook.
Section 3 – Understand how to respond to change in a business environment
1. In relation to your current business environment (or one that you are familiar with):
a) Explain why you should respond positively to changes in working methods.
If we can see a benefit for ‘us’ as to why the change is happening it is often easier to accept, but the change may not always benefit us directly. In these situations we will need to think about who else may benefit and why this is important. A new procedure may take you longer; however, it could allow a better service to be given to our internal/external customers, which could result in better working relationships and/or customer loyalty. Responding negatively to a change will influence those around us creating a difficult environment to work in. A positive approach encourages a good working environment and good teamwork.
The Essay on Slavery as a Positive Good
There was the fundamental belief that Africans were inferior to their white counterparts. Many saw the slave population as a labor force that ‘had it made’ as it were. The institution had also become so ingrained into the southern way of life that most had come to think of their human property as part of the family. The southern cotton empire was not limited to the south. Cotton was farmed and ...
b) Explain why you should respond positively to changes in products or services.
Changes are happening for a reason and it is always a good idea to know the reason so we can think positively about it. It could be that the change will improve the service that we give to our internal/external customers or speed up the time it takes us to complete a task.
c) Identify ways of responding positively to change.
The first positive action you can take is to look at the way you view change. Think of the change as an opportunity to gain new skills, improve your working procedures and even achieve career progression. Attend any training available with a positive attitude, the more knowledge you have the easier you will find doing something new. Support colleagues if they are struggling, this is a great opportunity to demonstrate different skills to your colleagues. Don’t get drawn into negative conversations, this will not make you or others feel good about the situation.
