Applied corporate strategy
In week 2 you will be given a list of organisations to choose from. Choose only one organisation from the given list for the purposes of this assignment. Note that you have to choose an organisation.
Formative work in weekly seminars will guide students through analytical techniques and processes required to complete the task.
The Strategic Report should address the following:
1) Carry out external analysis (business environment and industry) to identify a set of Opportunities and Threats in that environment and assess industry attractiveness.
2) Analyse unique resources and distinctive capabilities (activities/competences) of the organisation to identify a set of Strengths and Weaknesses and identify core competences (key factors that may give the company its competitive advantage).
3) Evaluate the given strategy (as per chosen organisation) using SAFe criteria.
In this Strategic Report, high marks come from using strategic concepts and analysis from the module clearly applied to the organisation. Harvard referencing, a professional report style plus appropriate diagrams/tables are also required. Outline marking expectations are as follows:
Q1: (30%) External analysis (not about organisation)
Discuss the business environment and identify a number of Opportunities – Os and Threats – Ts (we expect 6 issues from business environment to be discussed in total each of which concluded as an O or a T). Identify and discuss 6 most important issues in your opinion. Demonstrate how an issue is an Opportunity or a Threat.
Industry analysis (5 Forces) should be applied to assess industry attractiveness (each force should be discussed and assessed as High, Moderate or Low and industry attractiveness should be assessed having these forces in mind).
Also, note that this is an external analysis so it is not about the firm but about issues in that industry (in context).
Q2: (30%) Internal analysis (about organisation)
Identify and discuss organisation’s unique resources & distinctive capabilities (approximately 10-12 Strengths and Weaknesses should be covered in total). Discuss resources (what a company has) and competences (activities) separately.
While addressing unique resources (physical – e.g. retail outlets, manufacturing facilities, products etc.; human – e.g. people and teams crucial for successful strategic development; intangible – e.g. brands, links to external stakeholders etc. and possibly financial) make sure that each is discussed separately and concluded as an S or a W.
Identify and discuss 5 to 6 resources in total.
While discussing distinctive capabilities (activities/competences) construct a Value Chain for the organisation and within list a number of specific and distinctive activities for your organisation (5-10 in total). Demonstrate how unique capabilities link to competitive advantage (most important distinctive competence from Value Chain – say 5 of these – should be “pushed” through VRIO to identify Core Competences for the organisation).
Identify one (or two at most) core competence provide a discussion about these below VRIO (what is the activity and how does it contribute to firm’s competitive advantage – your reasoning behind V, R and I).
Q3: (30%) Strategy Evaluation
Evaluate the given strategy – see “Companies for the assignment” on moodle) using the three SAFe tests:
Construct TOWS populating Os, Ts, Ss and Ws fully (all Os and Ts obtained from Q1, all Ss and Ws obtained from Q2). Place the strategy you are evaluating in one of the inner sections and try to associate it to one or more internal and one or more external items while addressing Suitability (e.g. if you place a strategy in S-O quadrant identify appropriate S or Ss combined with O or Os while contemplating this strategy).
Construct Power/Interest matrix with a number of relevant stakeholders, then choose two stakeholder groups that will be affected with the strategy and for each discuss if the strategy you are evaluating is acceptable or not and why.
While addressing Feasibility, comment on financial resources and skills required for implementation of the strategy being evaluated.
