Assessment 1: Essay (2,000 words)
The first assignment of this module should be written and submitted individually to the Essay submission point on the module Moodle site by 25th Nov 2022, 11.30pm. The word count for this essay is 2,000 words (excluding references).
Based on a FT (FT.com) news article, please select a company that is facing a failure/decline and analyse possible reasons of its strategic mistakes. The task requires demonstrating the following:
• providing an overview of a company strategy
• explaining what is meant by failure/decline
• analysing the possible reasons of failure/decline
• suggesting how this could be avoided.
Applying strategy tools is NOT required for this task. It is essential to include relevant academic literature into discussion, inform sources with in-text citations and provide reference list by following Harvard referencing style – please check the guide to the Harvard referencing system provided in the link
https://www.gre.ac.uk/articles/ils/referencing.The selected FT (FT.com) news article(s) and any cited news article(s) must be included in the reference list as well along with other references used.
Please note, to use FT.com, you must register with it. Please see the document titled ‘Registering for FT.com’ uploaded to the Moodle in the assignment help folder for further help. If you have any issues in registering, please contact the subject librarian, Rachael Hartiss at [email protected]. An example of
essay on Wirecard is uploaded to the assignment help folder in the Moodle to guide you with its structure and it is suggested to avoid using the same company due to the possible similarity issues. Similarly, avoid using too old companies. If you are not sure about the selection, please check with your tutor. Your tutor will
not select the company for you, but you can consult if your selection is applicable or not.
The marking rubric for the essay can be found at the end of this handbook as well as in the assessment help folder in the Moodle.
Assessment 2: Strategic Appraisal (4,000 words)
The second assignment of this module should be written and submitted individually to the Strategic Appraisal submission point on the module Moodle site by 9th January 2023, 11.30pm. The word count for this essay is 4,000 words (excluding references).
The second assignment of this module is a Strategic Appraisal (to be written and submitted individually) to be undertaken on a given real company SegaSoft Networks Inc. (SegaSoft). Please refer to the module Moodle site to access the link to the relevant case study. The link will be available not earlier than teaching week 6, due to the Sequential-Learning process of teaching taken at this module.
Students are required to engage with relevant theory before starting to work on this assignment.
Please note: If an alternative company or case is taken for Strategic Appraisal, the submission will be given 1 mark (meaning failure) irrespective of the quality of work. You will be expected to apply the strategy tools/theories/models you have learned throughout the module. This will include: 1) the analysis of the external and internal environment of the company; 2) the identification and evaluation of its main strategic
options for growth, and 3) recommendation for further development of the company.
You may include appendices (not more than 5 pages) at the end of your report to provide supporting data/evidence of research, but all essential information should be included in the main body of your work. Appendices should also be referred to where relevant in the main body. Appendices are only to support your
argument/discussion in the main text and will not be considered as a replacement to it and will not be marked separately.
Please note, evidence of additional researched material, mechanical structure, and soundness and how well the different sections are linked and integrated within the overall report will be greatly appreciated. A good report emphasises clear, concise writing with focused and solid content. This is crucial since report writing skills are
essential to any strategic management exercise. The case study material provided alone is not sufficient and required further research to understand the changes in the company in the recent time.
The purpose of the assignment is to draw out the key strategic issues and challenges encountered in running of the company; apply the relevant models/frameworks; rationalise and justify the key decisions taken; describe and discuss the underlying strategic principles. You would need to carry out additional relevant research to inform your analysis and findings. Please present your analytical frameworks in a table format in order to save enough space for your written discussion and evaluation. Use of tables is encouraged but they must be accompanied with relevant discussion and evaluation as tables alone willnot be sufficient.
The suggested format for this report and a possible approach to the word count allocation could be
found below:
CONTENTS PAGE
The report should be clearly structured and follow logically. A contents page should be included which should adequately set out the structure of the report in a systematic way.
INTRODUCTION AND COMPANY BACKGROUND (150 words)
State clearly what the report is about and provide a brief overview of the company to set the context for the case. You need to explain: the purpose of the report; what is the core business of the company do; what industry does it operate in; what are its geographical markets; what are the company’s mission, vision and
values?
PART I: External Analysis (900 words)
Part 1 requires an analysis of the external environment using appropriate strategic models and frameworks, which will be discussed during the weekly workshops. In particular, the external analysis will require two main parts and corresponding tools:
– The Macro-Environmental Analysis through the application of the PESTEL model (table format)
– The Industry Analysis through the application of the Porter’s Five Forces of Competition model (table format)
Finally, deriving from the external analysis, you should then identify the main opportunities and threats present in the company’s environment (partial SWOT analysis, should be presented in a table format).
PART II: Internal Analysis (900 words)
Part 2 entails the internal analysis of the company under investigation using appropriate strategic models and frameworks. In particular, the internal analysis will require three main steps and corresponding tools:
– The Identification of the Resources & Competencies of the company through the application of the Value Chain model (table format)
– Use Competency Framework to identify threshold/ordinary vs. distinctive/core resources/capabilities
– The Appraisal of the Resources & Competencies through the application of the VRIO framework (table format)
Finally, deriving from the above-mentioned three steps, you should then identify the main strengths and weaknesses of the company (partial SWOT analysis, should be presented in a table format).
PART III: Company’s Business Strategy and Business Model (300 words)
Description of the company’s Business Strategy in terms of Porter’s Generic Strategies model or Bowman’s Strategy Clock model. In this section you also need to provide a brief explanation of the company’s
Business Model in terms of value creation, value configuration and value capture.
PART IV: Issues & Challenges and Strategic Options for Growth (800)
In this section you will need to summarise the main issues and challenges faced by the company, which should logically follow from the previous steps of your analysis.
Based on that you need to generate a number of strategic options that the company could pursue in response to the identified issues and challenges in order to continue to grow. Strategic options should be generated with the use of the Ansoff matrix or the TOWS Matrix models (table format).
PART V: Evaluation of the Strategic Options for Growth and Implementation
(800)
In this section you should provide a specific suggestions to the company based on evaluation of strategic options identified previously through the application of the SFA framework (table format) and select the best one. Please explain your choice and discuss what resources needed to implement the strategic option
chosen effectively.
CONCLUSIONS (150)
Provide a brief summary of the major findings arising out of your analyses and leading on to YOUR final strategic recommendations for the company’s ongoing health. What problems will the company face in order to sustain a competitive advantage over its rivals?
REFERENCE LIST (Alphabetical order and Harvard style. It is not included in the word count)
APPENDICES (Not included in the word count)
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