BE284 Strategic Management Coursework Brief

Assessment (Individual Report) Tasks

Select a small business in Southend or your home country that you are familiar with or have access to (this could be a local business, a family business, or an emerging start-up). Using the appropriate frameworks discussed in the lecture, evaluate the business environment of the chosen company. Identify a key strategic issue or challenge the business is facing (e.g., market competition, growth challenges, operational inefficiencies, etc.). Make sure the problem is specific, relevant, and can be analysed using strategic management concepts. Based on these details, please answer the following questions (Question 1 through Question 5). Additionally, you can provide a summary of your contributions and key learnings from the seminar activities in a table format, ensuring that each answer is linked to insights gained during the seminars.

Question 1 (200 words)

Use coaching techniques (Goal, Reality, Option, Will model) to help the business leader understand its strategic problem and provide an in-depth insight into the strategic problem. You need to clarify the problem and related
goal and discuss the business purpose (Mission, Vision, Values, and Objectives) for this business. 5WH and SMART frameworks can be utilised in this section

Question 2  (400 words)

To effectively analyse the business environment, market dynamics, and internal operations, various strategic management frameworks can be applied. These frameworks help identify key factors influencing business success and provide structured insights into real-world challenges. The following approaches can be utilized:

• PESTEL Analysis
• Porter’s 5/6 Competitive Forces
• Business Resources and Capabilities
• Business Culture and History Analysis
• Business Stakeholder Analysis

Apply these frameworks to systematically assess both internal and external factors affecting your chosen business. Evaluate strategic opportunities and risks, providing a comprehensive analysis that informs business
decision-making and long-term growth strategies.

Question 3 (600 words)

Use different strategic management frameworks to develop options. Based on your coaching analysis and strategic frameworks, suggest at least three actionable strategies to address the identified problem. These strategies should be SAFE. (Suitable, Affordable, Feasible, Evaluable) and aligned with the company’s resources and market conditions. Provide reasoning for each suggested strategy and explain how it will solve the problem.
Possible frameworks include:

• Internal/External Factor Analysis
• SWOT/SOFT Analysis
• SPACE Matrix (if applicable to the business)
• BCG Matrix (if applicable to the business)
• GE-McKinsey (if applicable to the business)
• Parenting Matrix (if applicable to the business)

Question 4 (500 Words)

Develop a short-term action plan (3-6 months) outlining steps for “Will/ Way forward” for business owners to implement the strategies. Consider necessary resources, potential obstacles, and the timeline for each action. Include how the business leader can continue using coaching techniques to monitor and adjust the plan as necessary.

Question 5 (300 Words)

Develop appropriate prompts and utilize ChatGPT or other generative AI tools to generate suggestions for this case. Compare your answers with the AI's suggestions. In cases where there are differences, analyse the reasons for these differences, and explain which response you consider better and why.