| Category | Assignment | Subject | Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| University | University of Wollongong | Module Title | MGT3173 Business Strategy |
Individual report based on the strategic analysis of a given organisation. The assignment addresses module learning outcomes 1- 6.
Present the results of a detailed strategic analysis of your given company to determine the strategic fit between its operating environment, its capabilities and resources and the strategies it is pursuing.
• The report should be prepared as linked dashboards of information in PowerPoint
• Length: up to 12 slides; not including cover page, tables of contents and references
• Based on research using recommended sources of information and appropriate supplementary sources
• For multi-business firms, you are allowed to focus on one specific business in the UK.
This assignment has two main parts. Activities related to research, evaluation, analysis, interpretation and synthesis in each part make up your portfolio of assessment. The report will be marked as one seamless piece of work. So, make sure you assemble all the parts to make a coherent whole.
You are strongly advised to treat the components identified above as hints and cues about what to research rather than as a check-list for the assignment. Depending on your firm, some topics or factors might be more important than others. It is expected that your report will show an ability to focus on what is important appropriate for Level 6, i.e. final year.
For multi-business firms, choose one business as the focus of your report. Choose the business for which there is most information in the university’s databases.
-> Start your research using the sources of information introduced in the research workshop (week 2 lecture in My Learning).
-> Use appropriate supplementary sources to fill in missing details and to bring your research up-to-date.
-> Appropriate supplementary sources were also identified in the research workshop
-> All sources of information should be current (to the extent possible), reliable and valid.
-> Avoid the temptation to make lists
->Avoid taking a fill-in-the-blanks approach
-> Show that you can evaluate information, i.e. decide what is relevant and important
-> Integrate the general and industry-level information to show analytical skills and the ability to interpret information.
=> Competitor analysis
-> products/services, market commonality, positioning; strategic group (or key rivals)
-> where possible, assess higher value subjects/questions: for example, does the firm have a distinctive value proposition? Does it currently have first-mover advantage for any product or business? Does it benefit from breakthrough innovation in any area?
-> Use an appropriate technique to evaluate the firm’s key capabilities and competitive resources
-> identify any resources or capabilities which might be the basis of competitive advantage
-> list-making and assertions are not appropriate; this section should show an ability to apply a suitable technique of analysis
=> Basis of competition
-> identify and evaluate your firm’s basis of competition, i.e. its business-level strategy
-> assess whether the firm’s strategy is supported by its capabilities and resources; whether it is competitive within the firm’s strategic group; can the firm separate itself from its rivals?
=> Non-market strategies
-> the company’s corporate social responsibility activities
-> its alignment with UN Sustainability Develop Goals (SDGs)
-> evaluate and/or compare to key rivals
=> Are there any external evaluations of the company’s performance?
=> How does the company compare to its key rivals or industry standards?
=> You need to interpret the results of your analysis and make some judgements about
-> whether the firm has achieved a strategic fit between its external and competitive environments and its capabilities and resources.
-> what is the firm’s strategic position?
=> Think carefully about how best to convey the information you want to present: can it be made into a diagram, a graph, a chart?
=> Remember: this is a report, not a presentation. You are not making slides; you are creating dashboards of information so that your reader can absorb high-quality information quickly.
=> Use text where appropriate but avoid ‘death by bullet points’
=> Be exceedingly careful about in-text citations (and their correct format)
=> Make sure all sources used are in your table of references (in the correct format)
=> Edit and proofread your report (several times)
=> Create a professional looking colour theme for your report (it is preferable to use your own rather than a pre-formatted one)
=> Think about margins, the look of the page, choice of fonts and font sizes, headings and subheadings, white spaces and alignments of shapes and boxes.
=> The report is written in PowerPoint so that you can integrate graphics and text more easily than in Word.
Let's Book Your Work with Our Expert and Get High-Quality Content
