Instructions

• The Assignment must be submitted on Blackboard (WORD format only) via allocated folder.
• Assignments submitted through email will not be accepted.
• Students are advised to make their work clear and well presented, marks may be reduced for poor presentation. This includes filling your information on the cover page.
• Students must mention question number clearly in their answer.
• Late submission will NOT be accepted.
• Avoid plagiarism, the work should be in your own words, copying from students or other resources without proper referencing will result in ZERO marks. No exceptions.
• All answered must be typed using Times New Roman (size 12, double-spaced) No pictures containing text will be accepted and will be considered plagiarism).
• Submissions without this cover page will NOT be accepted.

Course Learning Outcomes-Covered 

• Employ the skills for managing peoples and other complex issues in technology based organizations. (Lo 2.5)
• Ability to collect and synthesize data, facts and figures to evaluate risk for new product development and use of information technology as a tactical resource ( Lo 2.6 , 2.7 & 2.8 )

Assignment                                                                                  Marks: 10                                                          

Abstract from ‘Smart or Crazy? What Steve Jobs Did with the First iPod Prototype’ by Henry Jay, 2 March, 2016.

“Steve Jobs announced the first iPod as a Mac-compactible product with 5GB hard drive that put 1,000 songs in your pocket. But before the event, something happened behind closed doors between Steve Jobs and Apple’s Engineers who produced the iPod.

When engineers working on the very first iPod completed the prototype, they presented their work to Steve Jobs for his approval. Jobs played with the device, scrutinized it, weighed it in his hands, and promptly rejected it. It was too big.

The engineers explained that they had to reinvent inventing to create the iPod and that it was simply impossible to make it any smaller. Jobs was quiet for a moment. Finally, he stood, walked over to an aquarium, and dropped the iPod in the tank. After it touched bottom, bubbles floated to the top.

“Those are air bubbles,” he snapped. “That means there’s space in there. Make it smaller.”

And that was how the tiny size of the first versions of iPod came into existence. All thanks to the Genius Steve Jobs.”

https://medium.com/@wealthy_brains/smart-or-crazy-what-steve-jobs-did-with-the-first-ipod-prototype-3f8e7233cf14

Questions:

On the basis of the given abstract, your research, knowledge and experience answer the following in the Question and Answer format with minimum of 180 words.

Question 1- Assess the role Steve Jobs played as a leader in management and innovation of technology as he walked the engineers of Apple Inc. through the ‘challenges of technical team work’ while developing IPod. (2.5 Marks)

Question 2- Measure the innovative performance in the development of IPod with the help of variables such as- Response Time, New Product or Service and Quality etc. (Use a minimum of 5 variables) (5 Marks)

Questions 3- Place yourself in the boots of Steve Jobs and shed light on what steps you would have taken in leading the technological teams along with managing R&D and innovation during the development of IPod. (2.5 Marks)

NOTE: It is mandatory for the students to mention their references and sources.