Read the following article.

NRC Handelsblad (edited)

Education saved, Amarantis disbanded Amarantis is no more. The Dutch educational giant has been split up into five new schools. Once the new schoolyear starts, the doors will be reopened. And that has been a real point of uncertainty these past months, as the conglomerate was struggling with a 90-million Euro debt.

“During the first months, it was unclear whether we would be able to keep offering education in any form. We had to regain the trusts of all the parties who no longer had faith in Amarantis: the banks, the Ministry of Education, local officials. Once they showed they were willing to look for a solution together, we set to work in April. I soon felt that there would be only one way to safeguard any offer of education: a reorganisation followed by a restructuring of Amarantis into logical units. Over the coming months, we will be reviewing the ways in which we can align our education to complement the trainings offered in the regions in which the individual units operate. We need to take into account the human dimension. The vast conglomerates that have emerged over the past decades have often led to alienated staff, teachers in particular. Honestly, education is not improved by a 3%

efficiency gain requiring a merger.

Education benefits from good, committed teachers – they are the ones who make the difference.”

a What was the direct cause for Amarantis to reorganise?

b What other indirect cause for restructuring an organisation into smaller components is also mentioned?

c Which starting point did Amarantis use as the basis of their organisation?

d Is this an example of a design approach or a development approach?