Principles of Management CW2 Summative Assessment Brief Oct 2025 | BPP

General Assessment Guidance

Please note late submissions will not be marked.

• You are required to submit all elements of your assessment via Turnitin online access. Only submissions made via the specified mode will be accepted and hard copies or any other digital form of submissions (like via email or pen drive etc.) will not be accepted. 
•  For coursework, the submission word limit is 5000 words. You must comply with the word count guidelines. You may submit LESS than 5000 words but not more. Word Count guidelines can be found on your programme home page and the coursework submission page. 
•  Do not put your name or contact details anywhere on your submission. You should only put your student registration number (SRN) which will ensure your submission is recognised in the marking process. 
•  A total of 100 marks are available for this module assessment, and you are required to achieve minimum 50% to pass this module. 
•  You are required to use only Harvard Referencing System in your submission. Any content which is already published by other author(s) and is not referenced will be considered as a case of plagiarism.
•  You can find further information on Harvard Referencing in the online library on the Hub (Found via Help&Support). You can use the following link to access this information: https://bpp.libguides.com/home/business 
•  BPP University has a strict policy regarding authenticity of assessments. In proven instances of plagiarism or collusion, severe punishment will be imposed on offenders. You are advised to read the rules and regulations regarding plagiarism and collusion in the GARs and MOPP which are available on HUB in the Academic registry section (Found via Help & Support). 
•  Use of AI in assessments is only allowed for the purposes of reviewing a draft, correcting language errors or if specified in the summative assessment brief. If you have used AI for any of these purposes, you should indicate this on the Assignment Cover sheet. For more information regarding acceptable and unacceptable use of AI, please enrol onto the Generative AI Foundations course on the HUB.
•  You should include a completed copy of the Assignment Cover sheet. Any submission without this completed Assignment Cover sheet may be considered invalid and not marked.

POM CW2 Assessment Brief

This module is assessed through one graded element worth 100%. You must achieve at least 50% to pass the module. For this assignment you will produce a 5000-word management report on Apple Inc., including a skills development plan and a reflective statement, in an academic style.
By completing this assessment, you will achieve the following learning outcomes (LOs):

LO1 – Apply knowledge and understanding of the key management theories and concepts/practices to contemporary organisations.
LO2 – Critically analyse and highlight the key principles and functions of management including planning, organising, leading and controlling.
LO3 – Evaluate the dynamics of global business environment, and the need for effective management as a value adding universal activity at global, national and local levels.
LO4 – Critically reflect on their own management competencies to design a skills development plan, which is aimed at their future career aims and objectives.

POM CW2 Assessment Scenario

Acting as a business consultant, you are required to analyse the management functions and practices and write a business report for the senior management team of Apple Inc. You must utilise the techniques and concepts you have covered in the module. You must also provide a skills development plan and reflective statement.

APPLE INC.

In the 2021–22 financial year, the company sold products and services for $394bn, an increase of 8 per cent on the previous year. iPhone sales brought in $206 billion (an increase of 7 per cent), while sales of services (advertising, cloud services and the AppStore) rose by 14 per cent to $78bn. These two categories accounted for 72 per cent of Apple’s sales.

In the intensely competitive market for computer electronics, Apple had had a good year – though in the management commentary with the financial results it cautioned investors about the difficulties it would face in maintaining this level of revenue. In February 2023 the company reported a decline in quarterly revenues for the first time in three-and-a-half years after ‘significant’ supply chain disruptions in China delayed iPhone deliveries. Chief executive Tim Cook signalled that revenues in the second quarter would also be less than in the previous year, with all products likely to experience lower demand.

The company began in 1976, designing and making personal computers. By 2023 the company’s product range included the iPod digital music player (2001), iPhone (2007), MacBook (2008) and iPad tablet (2010). The iPhone success was significant in showing that a computer maker could succeed in mobile phones. The attractive design enabled the company quickly to become the leading player in the industry, helped by thousands of iPhone apps available through the Apple Store – which competitors could not match.

When the late Steve Jobs and Steven Wozniak set up the business in 1976, each invested $1300. They secured funds from private investors, and in 1980 rapid growth again required more finance – which they raised by selling 4.6 million shares in the company to the public, for $22 each. In early 2023 these were trading on stock exchanges at $153 – vindicating Tim Cook’s leadership, CEO since 2011.                                                      

A measure of the financial value it was adding to resources is the operating profit margin – broadly the difference between sales and the cost of sales. The table shows that in 2022 this was over 43 per cent, helped by rising income from services, which have high profit margins.
Measures of financial performance in financial years to end of September 2021 and 2022

Source: Apple Inc. Annual Reports 2021 and 2022, filed with the United States Securities and
Exchange Commission

Further information can be found in the core textbook on the following reference:
Apple Inc: Boddy, D., (2024) Management: An Introduction, 9th Edition, Page 77. Available at: https://login.pearson.com/v1/piapi/iesui/signin     

POM CW2 Assessment Tasks

You are to critically analyse and evaluate the current management practices at Apple. You must recommend changes based on your evaluation that Apple must implement to improve its success.

Task 1 – Key Management Theories, Concepts and Practices (LO1)

For Apple, discuss how management theories, concepts and practices are currently adding value. Explain, with evidence, what these management practices have contributed to the success of Apple. Support your arguments with reference to appropriate academic literature, case study materials and your independent research.

Task 2 – Management as a value adding universal activity (LO3)

Evaluate the dynamics of the global business environment. Discuss how the management at Apple have adapted their strategies and methods, at global, national and local levels adding value to the organisation. Support your arguments with reference to appropriate academic literature, case study materials and your independent research.

Task 3 – Key Principles and Functions of Management (LO2)

Critically analyse the management approach taken by the management of Apple to address the key challenges. Highlight the key principles and functions of management (planning, organising, leading and controlling), with supporting evidence. Support your arguments with reference to appropriate academic literature, case study materials and your independent research.

Task 4 – Critical Reflection and Skills Development Plan (LO4)

For this task, you are required to produce a Skills Development Plan and a 500-word Reflective Statement. You are required to reflect on your own management competencies, in line with your career goals. 

Support your arguments with reference to appropriate academic literature, and your independent research

Tip for Mapping the Assessment towards Module Topics and Module Learning Outcomes (LOs)

The above table is an indicative word count for the planning of each section of the report. You must ensure that the final report is not over the 5,000 words as indicated in the guidance.