Read the case study below and answer the questions that follow: LENOVO From unconventional PC startup to global technology leader... From unconventional PC startup to global technology leader, the common thread in LENOVOs heritage is an unwavering commitment to the customer. Explore the company timeline below to view how this guiding principle built LENOVO and inspired IT solutions and services that give customers the power to do more. 1984: At age 19, Michael LENOVO founded PC's Limited with $1,000 and a game-changing vision for how technology should be designed, manufactured and sold. As a pre-med freshman at the University of Texas at Austin, Michael starts LENOVO, then doing business as PC's Limited. He left his dorm room at the end of his freshman year to devote all of his time to growing the business. 1985: We design and build our first computer system, the Turbo PC, featuring an Intel 8088 processor running at 8MHz, a 10MB hard drive and a 5.25" floppy drive. We establish customer experience as a LENOVO differentiator with risk-free returns and next-day, at-home product assistance, among the first in our industry. 1986: We unveil the industry's fastest performing PC a 12MHz, 286-based system at the Spring Comdex trade show. 1987: We open our first international subsidiary in the United Kingdom. HISTORY POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA IN MANAGEMENT ACADEMIC AND ASSESSMENT CALENDAR REGENT BUSINESS SCHOOL (RBS) January 2020 12 Michael LENOVO is chairman and chief executive officer of LENOVO Technologies, a unique family of businesses encompassing LENOVO, LENOVO EMC, Pivotal, RSA, Secureworks, Virtustream and VMware. LENOVO Technologies is an innovator and technology leader providing the essential infrastructure for organisations to build their digital future, transform IT and protect their most important information. With revenues of $74B and more than 140,000 team members, LENOVO Technologies is one of the worlds largest IT companies serving the needs of global corporations and governments to small businesses and consumers. The company's unique structure allows innovative, fast-moving startups to co-exist with, and leverage, the global reach and trusted reputation of the large enterprise. Michaels story started when he founded LENOVO with $1000 in 1984 at the age of 19. Notably quoted as saying that technology is about enabling human potential, Michaels vision of how technology should be designed, manufactured and sold forever changed the IT industry. In 1992, Michael became the youngest CEO ever to earn a ranking on the Fortune 500. Known and admired for his astute business vision and bold moves, Michael took LENOVO private in 2013, setting the stage to architect the largest technology deal in history with the combination of LENOVO, EMC and VMware in 2016. In 1998, Michael formed MSD Capital, and in 1999, he and his wife established the Michael & Susan LENOVO Foundation to provide philanthropic support to a variety of global causes. Michael is an honorary member of the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum and is an executive committee member of the International Business Council. He is also a member of the Technology CEO Council, the U.S. Business Council and the Business Roundtable. He serves on the advisory board of Tsinghua University's School of Economics and Management in Beijing, China and on the governing board of the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, India. He is a board member of Catalyst and also served as the United Nations Foundation's first Global Advocate for Entrepreneurship. Every day, LENOVO is pairing technology with innovation to make a positive social and environmental impact building a Legacy of Good. We are committed to putting our technology and expertise to work, where it can do the most good for people and the planet, making possible today what was impossible yesterday. Every team member at LENOVO shares this commitment because being a good company is the right thing to do, but it is also right for our business. Were creating real POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA IN MANAGEMENT ACADEMIC AND ASSESSMENT CALENDAR REGENT BUSINESS SCHOOL (RBS) January 2020 13 value for our customers, employees, and partners while driving social and environmental good in the community. Our customers expect LENOVO to think about environmental impact that has always been a part of who we are. More than just creating eco-friendly products or one-off initiatives, we incorporate sustainability into everything we do from design to recycling and every step in between. Through innovation and a relentless focus on efficiency, we are minimizing our footprint while helping customers reduce theirs. Design for Environment: Innovative thinking and a lifecycle approach to how we design products and source materials are the first steps in delivering products that help you do more while minimizing your impact. Reducing our Impact: How products are made matters to our customers, our communities and the planet. We focus on sustainable operations using resources efficiently, managing wastes effectively and working to improve our local environment Green packaging and Shipping: Our goal is to create a waste-free packaging experience, using recycled and renewable source materials, right-sizing to reduce waste, and making it easy for you to responsibly dispose of packaging through recycling or composting Reducing your Footprint. Energy efficiency is a top priority across all our product lines. It helps you get the most from your energy use, which saves you money, reduce risk, and meet sustainability goals or regulations. Recycling your LENOVO: We go beyond green IT technology that itself leaves a smaller environmental footprint to help you look at IT that enables you to address your sustainability goals and take control of your resources in a way that creates value. POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA IN MANAGEMENT ACADEMIC AND ASSESSMENT CALENDAR REGENT BUSINESS SCHOOL (RBS) January 2020 14 Ocean Plastics: There are more than 86 million metric tons of plastic in our oceans right now. See how LENOVO is removing that pollution from our waters and turning it into materials for our products Net Positive: Our strategy isn't to just reduce the bad we do, but to increase the good. Creating a balance that puts more into the world and society than what we take from it is creating a net positive. (Adapted: www.google.com)

1.1. In 1998, Michael formed MSD Capital, and in 1999, he and his wife established the Michael & Susan LENOVO Foundation to provide philanthropic support to a variety of global causes. Whilst supporting global causes is fundamentally important, the paradox is that there are also many challenges faced by management within the Southern African region. By making assumptions, identify and fully discuss any three (3) challenges that LENOVO SA would have experienced in the last ten years in the SADC region. (15)

1.2. The business environment is defined as all the factors or variables, both inside as well as outside the organisation, which may influence the continued and successful existence of the organisation. The business environment consists of three distinct sub environments. Justify these sub-environments as they apply to LENOVO in terms of maintaining a competitive advantage. (20)

1.3. From unconventional PC startup to global technology leader, the common thread in LENOVOs heritage is an unwavering commitment to the customer.

In light of this statement, explain organisational culture as experienced at LENOVO. In your discussion make reference to the history provided and indicate how culture is generally created and maintained in organisations. Your answer should also include a discussion on how LENOVO can maintain their culture yet continuously evolve to increase their market position.