Managing Change Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)

Managing Organizational Change Tutor Monitoring Assignment

MANAGING CHANGE IN SMEs

The challenges of sustaining local Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) continues despite the economic and governmental support obtained for setting and developing SMEs within economies. Reflecting on SMEs in your context, analyze the challenges faced in the business and pressures in the business if you are appointed as a change agent to improve the SMEs.

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As a change agent, you are required to present a professional report to the owners of the business. The report submitted is about 2500 words that evaluates change and resistance to change. Your evaluation as a change agent should focus on the following:

1. Background of the SME local sector you have chosen being it a restaurant, a convenience store, a local service provider, boutique, café or any local form of SME that needs to consider change to sustain growth or maintain its market niche (15 marks).
2. Explain the environmental pressures for change (fashion, demography, external mandate, etc.) and critically analyze the SME sector you have chosen in this context and what were the main drivers towards change (25 marks).
3. Explain how change can take place and what challenges can a change manager face and how s/he should deal with them. Reflect in your answer on the SME sector you have chosen by analyzing the nature of changes that took place and challenges faced and how it was dealt with (45 marks).
4. Explain resistance to change and how such resistance can be managed. Analyze the case you have chosen from this perspective by reflecting on the most appropriate approach to manage resistance to change in the SME sector you have chosen (15 marks).

Guidance

• Research about the SME you are to choose as your case study before you start your assignment to ensure that you have the needed information.
• You should present your discussion in an essay format with an introduction and a conclusion.
• You are to think outside the box. You might find out new pressures or challenges pushing the case you have chosen to change.
• Ensure to provide a list of references ( at least three should be from the e-library)

1. Format: Write your answers in essay format. Failing to do so could result in grade deduction from presentation marks up to 5 marks. You may, however, use bullet points, diagrams, tables, or any graphs to support your arguments.
2. Referencing: Use Harvard referencing style for in-text citation and make a table of references at the end. Failing to do so could result grade deduction of referencing marks up to 5 marks.
3. Research: Use a minimum of two additional sources of information. It is strongly recommended that you use scholarly articles found in the E-library at LMS. You can lose up to 5 marks if you do not use at least two external sources. In addition, although text books assigned in the course may be used freely as references, you are required to use a minimum of three external sources. It is recommended that you use scholarly studies found in the E-library link at the LMS. Failing to do so could result in grade deduction of referencing marks up to 5 marks. If you do not find required additional information at the e-library, you can always refer to Google scholar.

Last Updated on August 1, 2023