BSNS5004 Assessment 1

Weighting 

25%

Learning outcome

1 Apply practices and processes relevant to organisational change and innovation.

Instructions

Complete and submit your assessment according to the Open Polytechnic’s Assessments webpage. This includes information on academic integrity, formatting, word limits and referencing.

• Include your name, student number and the assessment number.
• Number your pages.

Submission

• Submit your assessment in one file.
• Submit your work through your iQualify course.
• Emailed assessments will not be accepted.
• You will receive an automated notice advising you of your successful submission.

By submitting your assessment, you confirm that it is your own original work.

Overview 

In this assessment, you will apply practices and processes of change and innovation to the following business using the information in the following scenario:

Jamie Whiting and the New Barkers

In 2008, Jamie Whiting was asked to do some consulting for New Zealand menswear retail chain Barkers. What he found wasn’t pretty. The colour, the style and the quality all felt tired and below where it should have been. A couple of months later, Jamie was asked by Barkers’ ownership to run the business.

Jamie was a Barkers customer, and the challenge appealed. The brand was iconic, with a rich history in New Zealand and had its own distinct feel, but there was a lot to do. Since the founder, Ray Barker, sold out in the early 2000s, it had lost its way. In the late 2000s, garments were uninspired and store fitouts bland. There were some great people out in the shops, but the head office was a distant place, which barely communicated with them.

Almost immediately, Jamie realised Barkers was in deeper than he had thought. The company had forgotten its past and didn’t even sell the famous Barkers track pants anymore. One of the first things Jamie did was seek out Ray Barker to spend time learning about how the brand was born. He told stories of the first shop on High Street in downtown Auckland and of the highprofile customers they were getting, including the time when staff hung out with the Doobie Brothers when they were on tour.

Inspired by the past, Jamie decided to move the head office from the suburbs to the city centre, a few hundred metres from where it all began. The old silos were broken down, and a new team was built out of true believers and new recruits who shared a sense of mission for the brand.

There was so much to do, but resources were extremely limited. The one thing that could be controlled was the product – the first true new range was Winter 2011. Better fabrics, slimmer cuts and brighter colours were rolled out, and things started to turn around. As this range was heading into stores, Barkers made its first big strategic move. A decision was made to seek a new supplier of high-quality, pure merino suits in striking cuts. They landed in February 2012, and a different kind of customer started to come in, the kind of person who would have naturally shopped at Barkers in the 90s but hadn’t been seen for years.

At the same time, a rolling rebrand began, one which nodded to the past while looking to the future. Everything that could be changed was – the logo, the bags, the website and interaction with customers.

Despite the lack of cash, which was a major barrier to the next item on the agenda, they managed to turn around the stores. Opportunity knocked in Hamilton. Tainui had just built the Base, a big, striking mall on the outskirts of Hamilton, which saw what Barkers were doing and wanted them there. The only catch was how to pay for a shop fitout. So, Barkers had to get creative and make do with what they had. They made use of recycled timber and interiors salvaged from dismantled New Zealand villas. Staff raided wrecker’s yards and second-hand stores, and the idea was to nod at an automotive theme in tribute to Ray Barker’s lifelong involvement with motor racing. The budget was so tight that the senior executive doublebunked in motels and worked 14-hour days on drills, hammers and paintbrushes. When The Garage opened, the sense of achievement was overwhelming.

The idea took off. Every store would then be given its own unique identity, which played on the geography and history of the area. Classic memorabilia such as reconditioned old surfboards, pushbikes and guitar amps were sought out, and themes were expressed in new stores. The new store in Hamilton traded above expectations from day one, providing further proof Barkers was on the right track.

When the new Barkers project began, almost all the garments were sourced from New Zealand agents, which in practice meant that they found factories in China to make the goods to sell back to Barkers. This meant that Barkers were paying two sets of people, which inevitably compromised on quality and price, and there was no visibility on how the garments were made. Barkers wanted to know more – not just to buy from the manufacturers in China but also to see how they worked. Over the next few years, Barkers would find new places to make socks or shirts while struggling to get manufacturers for other items they were happy with. But Barkers kept at it, went to the factories in China and, in time, got this vital piece of the puzzle into place.

The next breakthrough came in Wellington in 2013. By then, a number of new concept stores had been rolled out, but none felt like they expressed all that Barkers aspired to be. Barkers wanted to become a lifestyle brand where men could get more of what they needed. The opportunity came on Lambton Quay. The area had long been a retail stronghold, but for 10 straight years, sales had flatlined. It was a tired store that didn’t offer a good impression of the brand. A better space was offered up in a better part of the street. The only catch was its size: over 350 sqm, more than twice as big as the typical store. Barkers embraced the challenge to show what the future of Barkers looked like. A specialist suiting area where men could sip an espresso while being fitted up. A range of Baxter skincare products and footwear were also introduced, while records were played from local record shop legend Slowboat Records. They also had a barber’s chair where you could get a fresh fade and something cold while it happened. In short, this was a new kind of men’s lifestyle experience. It was a smash hit, and the store took off, giving Barkers the confidence to do something even bigger in Auckland: a flagship on High St, where it all began – a 450 sqm store with bespoke suiting, a six-chair barber and a barista. The revival was complete and went from strength to strength.

All this might make the first 10 years of Barkers’ revival look like plain sailing. But it was anything but. That first decade at Barkers was about reviving a classic Kiwi brand. The second will be about making the brand sustainable, ethical and as environmentally low-impact as possible.

The full article on which this case study is based can be found at:

Whiting, J. (2019, March 10). The revival of an NZ menswear icon. The Spinoff. https://thespinoff.co.nz/partner/10-03-2019/the-revival-of-an-nz-menswear-icon © Jamie Whiting/thespinoff.co.nz (Adapted)

You may make reasonable assumptions to support your answers, as long as your reasoning is clearly explained to support the assumption.

Task 1: Application of a suitable change model

a. Use an established change model from the course learning materials to describe the change and innovation situation that occurred in the Barkers case study. Ensure you discuss your chosen change model and how it applies to Barkers.

b. Include your reasoning for and why you consider the change model is appropriate.

(Word count guideline: 350 words)

(30 marks)

Task 2: Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation model

a. Explain how Barkers introduced innovations for the revitalisation that spread through each of the profile groups of innovation diffusion. Give reasons for your choice(s).

(Word count guideline: 250 words)

(20 marks)

b. Explain how the five factors of adoption of innovation apply to the identified behavioural profile of Barkers’ customers.

(Word count guideline: 250 words)

(20 marks)

Task 3: Marketing approach 

Provide an overview of the Red and Blue Ocean Strategies.

(Word count guideline: 150 words)

(10 marks)

b. With reference to the Red and Blue Ocean Strategies, provide your opinion on Barkers’ marketing approach (any one you choose) and which of the two strategies Barkers sits within and why.

(Word count guideline: 150 words)

(10 marks)

Writing and referencing

Ensure the structure and flow of your writing is clear and logical. Structure your writing with appropriate headings. Use correct grammar, spelling and punctuation.

You will be marked on your use of relevant references and citations when discussing different models. Follow APA 7^th referencing conventions accurately whenever you refer to external resources contained in the course content or any other external resources. Use in-text citations in every answer. At the end of your assessment, write a reference list with all the materials you have used.

(10 marks)

(Assessment 1 total: 100 marks)

BSNS5004 Assessment 1 Marking schedule