7015MHR Strategy and International Business CW Assignment Brief | CU

7015MHR Assignment Task

Description of the Task

Select an organisation as a case study and write a strategy report which critically analyses the business environment of the organisation and evaluates the strategies implemented by the organization.

Imagine that you are submitting this Strategy Report to the Board of Directors for their consideration. Therefore, it must be professional both in content (depth of research and analysis) and presentation (layout and writing style).

The first step is to select an international organisation of your choice. Select your company carefully. Your selection could be based upon areas of interest or the organisation that you might want to work at in future.

7015MHR Coursework Structure

Cover sheet: This must contain the module title and code, assignment title, your ID number, name of your seminar tutor, submission date and word count.

Executive summary: This is a summary of key points from each section of the report.

Introduction:

This section should introduce the purpose of the strategy report and the selected company to the reader with richness and relevant data. This data should surround firm’s purpose & operations, size & locations, financial health & key competitors, and the general condition of the industry this firm operates within.

Sector Analysis: 

Analyse the industry in which your selected company operates using Porter’s Five Forces (P5Fs).

Strategic Position Analysis: 

Analyse your selected organisation’s strategic position in its industry using relevant KPIs. Please indicate the importance & strength of these KPIs by comparing them with those of main competitors (selection of 2-3 competitors is sufficient for this analysis).

Resource Analysis:

An analysis of the organisation's resources and capabilities. This should be completed with the use of VRIO framework.

Organisation's Strategic Direction Analysis:

Analyse organisation’s strategic direction by evaluation of its operations quality with the use of Six Sigma framework and its portfolio with the use of Boston Consultancy Group (BCG) framework.

Strategic Expansion:

Analyse and present a hypothetical expansion of your selected organisation to an appropriate destination (country/region). Justify your expansion with the use of one internationalisation theory and one entry mode. The benefits of this expansion should be clearly evaluated.

Recommendations: 

Selection of recommendations shouldn’t be overly ambitious or impractical. Instead, they should be aligned with organisation’s financial ability, resources, and overall objectives.
Examine if your recommendations are:

• Rational.
• Could be supported by evidence.
• Are logical for the company to consider them.

Please Note: At least one recommendation must be from CSR or technology perspective.

Conclusions: 

Summarise the main findings and interpretations of the report.

References: 

A comprehensive list of references should be presented according to APA 7. These references should be linked to in-text citations throughout the report.

Appendices: 

If required.

7015MHR Submission Instructions:

The report must be professionally formatted, presented, and appropriately referenced. 

Assignments must be organized in the following format: 

• The method of submission is ONLY via Aula-Turnitin
• Word-processed in Arial font, 12, Justify and Line and Paragraph Spacing 1.15
• Margins must be as follows: Top; 1.0 inch (2.5cm), Bottom; 1.0 inch (2.5 cm), Left; 1.25 inches (3.2 cm), Right; 1.25 inches (3.2 cm).
• Formatting of submission (i.e., Microsoft Word) – NB. For written assignments this should always be Microsoft Word and not PDF.
• All pages must be numbered in the top right-hand corner.
• Use only a plain white background – no coloured/designed backgrounds (including company logos) as this impedes readability. 

Assessed Module Learning Outcomes of 7015MHR:

1. Critically review research on external and internal environmental factors for a critically informed understanding of the strategic decisions that are crucial for organisations and projects in particular situations.
2. Critique knowledge and make practical use of the mainstream strategic management concepts and tools in simulated/real business situations.
3. Critically evaluate knowledge in unfamiliar contexts, synthesise ideas or information in innovative ways, and formulate strategies or generate transformative solutions based on informed judgement.
4. Evaluate effective written skills to enable the presentation of key results and recommend appropriate strategic action.