Blue Origin Assignment | Online Assignment

Referee to the articles: GE’s Imagination Breakthroughs: The Evo Project
Attempt to answer the following questions and provide appropriate level of details to demonstrate your
understanding of the case study, innovation process, strategy and analysis tools (all questions equally
weighted):
• General:
• Q1. Is innovation manageable or just a random gambling activity where you sometimes get lucky? if it is
manageable, how can firms organise and manage it – what general principles might they use?
• Analysis:
• Q2. Attempt to analysis GE market situation when Immelt take over based on the 5 Forces .. provide very
brief statements (analysis)
• Q3. Look back and identify GE key areas of concentration. What were the present portfolio of innovative
activities? Give example of initiatives.
• Q4. What were the major directions of change Immelt when takeover from Jack Welch (previous CEO)?
• Q5. What was the ‘big idea’ Immelt was trying to exploit when he became GE’s CEO?
• Q6. Attempt to analysis the situation based on SWOT .. very brief list of factors/statements

Using the 4Ps approach to explore innovation space :
• Q7. What are the new initiatives “Imagination Breakthrough” (IB)? how these relate to innovation.
• Q8. What are IB’s strengths – and where (and why) the gaps?
• Q9. Try and map GE (under leadership of Immelt) innovation approach on to the 4Ps framework including the
IBs
• Q10. Are these IBs relevant or based on Technology Push and Market Pull, explain.
• Innovation Process:
• Q11. Draw the model of the innovation process. List key questions in each area linked to how GE manage
innovation i.e. How GE search, select, implement?
• Q12. How GE attempt or plan to capture value of innovative products? What are the measures?
• Leadership: Illustrate your argument with examples from Immelt (GE’s CEO) practice.
• Q13. What is innovation leadership? List characteristic traits of good (bad) leaders.
• Q14: What are the key factors for leaders to focus on. How can you differentiate these factors for upper,
middle, and lower management leaders?