As the world changes around us, there are a lot of challenges to manage. Many of these revolve around technology, and how it changes the way we live our day-to-day lives or run our businesses. This has led us to the brink of a new era – a new industrial revolution that is set to completely revolutionise the world as we know it. It’s been labelled the Fourth Industrial
Revolution (4IR), and while it brings some exciting changes with it, it also presents some significant challenges for businesses around the world.
You have been appointed the Business Development Manager of a popular private company in South Africa to assist the organisation in positively responding to the 4IR. You are advised that the company has been struggling with various challenges related to growth, gaining a strong competitive advantage and managing change. You are expected to draft a situation analysis report and recommendations to your Chief Executive Officer

Deliberate the relevance of a functional organisational structure in contemporary organisations and critically analyse the relationship that exists between organisational structure and your business strategy in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) era. Apply appropriate examples to substantiate your answer. The organisation is a medical laboratory.