Jeffrey Preston “Jeff” Bezos an American technology entrepreneur who has played a key role in the growth of e-commerce as the founder and CEO of Amazon.com, the online merchant of books and later of a wide variety of products. Under his leadership, Amazon.com became the largest retailer on the World Wide Web.
Your task is to prepare an evaluation of the leadership and management style of Jeff Bezos. To get you started a small number of articles about Bezos from leading business magazines is attached. You are then invited to supplement the information in this article by wider reading. You will find extensive information on Jeff Bezos on the web.
Your report should be about 2,500 words excluding references, typewritten – Ariel 11 point, single-sided, 1.5 line spacing. A 10 per cent variation in word count is acceptable. Submission date via Turnitin will be agreed in class.
In writing your report you are expected to utilise leadership and change theory in your critical assessment of Bezos. In so doing you may, among other issues, wish to consider the following issues:
• Is Bezos a manager or a leader or both?
• Bezos’s characteristics that helped him drive the company forward,
• What could be the consequences of taking his style too far?
• Is Bezos the right person for Amazon during the times ahead, or does the company now require more of a ‘manager’ than a ‘leader’?
Stress is placed on referencing and the application of appropriate theory. For example, in looking at Bezos as a manager/leader you are expected to assess Bezos by specific reference to appropriate theory.
Your challenge is complex and you should therefore make reference to a range of literature and introduce other issues that you consider to be relevant to a thorough understanding of leadership at Amazon. You are expected to demonstrate that you have understood the relevant application of theory to this case study. Higher marks will be awarded by demonstrating a critical approach to the application of theory
