Research background Octopus Limited, a technology company, began its operations sixteen years ago in a suburban garage i

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Research background
Octopus Limited, a technology company, began its operations
sixteen years ago in a suburban garage in the West Rand. The
founder, Theo Thebe, grew the enterprise rapidly in the first eight
years of the company’s existence. At the end of the tenth year,
with annual revenue topping R500 million and profit after tax
exceeding R50 million, the business went public by issuing 5
million shares at R100 a share. The following year, Mr Thebe
vacated the CEO position and assumed the Executive chairmanship
position of Octopus Limited. Mr Max Oliphant, the incumbent
financial director was appointed as the new CEO to replace Mr
Thebe.
Three years after Mr Oliphant’s appointment as CEO, Octopus
Limited experienced a significant decline in the company’s revenue
and operating margin. A preliminary investigation revealed that the
company’s competitive priorities were not aligned to the
requirements of the market. Mr Oliphant and his top management team
developed a brand new corporate strategy using a balanced scorecard
(BSC) approach, believing that a BSC approach is a more pragmatic
strategic management tool to turnaround the company’s fortunes. The
resultant corporate strategy prioritised quality customer
satisfaction as a means to regain lost market share and was
approved by the board of directors of Octopus Limited.
Motivation for the proposed study
Six years after Mr Oliphant’s
appointment as CEO, the board of directors of Octopus Limited has
requested that an evaluation of the impact of the strategic shift
at Octopus Limited be undertaken as part of a strategic review. The
aim of the proposed study and the research objectives of the
proposed study are shown in the box below
The aim of the proposed
study:
The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of the change in
corporate strategy on organisational financial performance and on
employee job satisfaction at Octopus Limited.
The research
objectives
To make practical recommendations to the management of Octopus
Limited on the appropriate steps to be taken regarding the
company’s future strategic direction
REQUIRED:
Please answer the following
questions about the proposed study described above:
1.1 Formulate a
suitable title for the proposed study and, on the basis of the 5Ws
framework, assess the appropriateness of the title you have
formulated.(7 marks)
1.2 Formulate FOUR (4) research
questions for the proposed
study. (4
marks)
1.3 Formulate the null and alternative
hypotheses for each of the first three research questions in
1.2.
(6 marks)
1.4 Motivate an appropriate research design for the proposed
study.
(3 marks)
1.5 Specify the purpose of the research design for the proposed
study.
(2 marks)
1.6.2 The board has decided to retrieve data from the company’s
database for the proposed study. Discuss the implications of the
board’s decision for sampling in the proposed study. (4 marks)