Coursework Assessment
Please carefully read this guide as it contains important information on your coursework assessment and the related requirements. This graded assessment accounts for 100% of your final grade and includes two separate components, Part A and Part B, which are both weighted equally at 50% of your final grade. Please ensure that the submission deadlines are strictly adhered to.

Assessment Part A
In Part A, the learning outcomes of this module are assessed by means of a case study information on the strategic development process for a specific organisation.
The purpose of this brief is to provide you with the:
 specific details of the coursework assessment, namely the case background and questions,
 information on the case study presentation and submission date,
 useful guidelines to help you answer the questions,
 assessment marking criteria and the feedback sheet for Part

A. Each one of these points is developed below.
 Case Study Background & Questions
Carefully read the evidence on the organisation, which is contained in the following three sources:

1) Case Study Analysis:
 Ryanair (“Ryanair: the low fares airline – always getting better?”, pp.622-632) in Exploring Strategy: Text and Cases, by Johnson, G., Whittington, R., Scholes, K., Angwin, D., and Regner, P. (2017),11th Edition, Pearson Education.

2) Corporate Website:
 https://corporate.ryanair.com

3) Annual Reports:
 https://investor.ryanair.com/results-centre/

The case study gives you background information and overview of the company as well the opportunities and challenges it has faced in recent years. The corporate website provides information on the
company’s history as well as some key facts and figures. The annual report provides financial information about the organisation and its current strategic direction. The case study has been published a few years ago and you should use the corporate website and annual reports to access updated information.
Make use of these sources in combination to answer the Part A of this assignment.
Part A of your coursework assessment requires you to answer two questions (see below), using a case study report structure:

Questions:
1. Analyse Ryanair’s business strategy using Porter’s Generic Strategies. Use information from the case study, the corporate website and the annual reports. (35 marks)
2. Using appropriate academic sources, critically analyse Porter’s Generic Strategies and suggest another model to overcome its limitations. (35 marks)
N.B.: 30 marks allocated to introduction, conclusion, arguments, evidence, academic citations and referencing style. Both questions are weighed equally. Refer to the Coursework
Feedback Sheet for information on how grading is awarded.

 Case Study Presentation
The assessment in Part A is a case study analysis; therefore, please note that a case analysis is not a conceptual explanation or discussion, but rather the application of concepts and frameworks to interpret case
information, to analyse key events and statements, and to reach evaluative judgements or conclusions. The concepts and frameworks are covered in the lectures, tutorials, and prescribed reading; the guidance
provided in the section below gives you a few pointers on how you need to use this knowledge to answer the questions. In developing your analysis and arguments, you should use supporting evidence from the information
contained in the case study, corporate website, and the latest annual report.
Your answers should take into account and reflect the three sources listed above. The case study is the primary source of information. The corporate website should be used to obtain updated information. The annual report gives you an overview of the efforts undertaken by the organisation during its last financial exercise. The core textbook and academic sources should also be used to critically analyse the framework.
The e-library should be used to source the academic journals for the critical analysis of Question 2.
In terms of case presentation, you should introduce each question by stating how you will structure your answer and conclude each answer by referring to your previous arguments and the task required by the
question. Do not present your answer as a rigid, “bulk” report; instead, divide your answer into sections with suggestive headings and subheadings that reflect the key elements of your analysis.

The total word count of your answers to both questions must be 2,000 words and it must comply with the guidelines provided here:
– Introduction and background section: 200 words
– Question 1: 800 words
– Question 2: 800 words
– Conclusion: 200 words
The word limit for Part A does not include the cover page, reference list, and appendices. This is subject to a ±10% allowance to the allocated word count.
Where a submission exceeds the stated word limit (allowing for the +10%), the maximum grade awarded will be P1. Appendices can be useful to provide additional information from your analysis, but you must incorporate the key analytical arguments into the main body of your answer.

 Useful Guidance Notes
The assessment feedback sheet at the end of this section presents the marking criteria for the overall case analysis. Remember, when writing your answer to the questions, you must not reproduce or describe what
the case already says, but rather use the concepts to analyse the information and draw on the evidence/facts provided in the case to support your analysis.

Question 1 requires you to apply the Porter’s Generic Competitive Strategies framework to determine the organisation’s business strategy to evaluate its competitive advantage. This question is the precise application of a framework to develop an analysis specifically for the company. You are encouraged to use visual diagrams and tables to illustrate your analysis. You should use headings and sub- headings to structure your answer. Please note that the tables and diagrams are included in the word count.

Question 2 requires you to reflect on and analyse the framework.
The aim is to identify the benefits and limitations of the framework, not the organisation. At the PG level, you should be able to critically analyse a framework and objectively assess its contribution as well as its limitations.
You should use academic sources to support your arguments. You should use headings and sub-headings to structure your answer.