As a student, you are required to analyse, in
detail, the Business Strategy of your
Company that you were managing during the Simulation Exercise in the
form of an Individual Report.
Students will be expected to analyse in detail the
strategy of your Company using the following structure:
Executive Summary
Provide a short overview summary of your
presentation highlighting the key performance and strategic highlights.
Overview of your
original business strategy and plan
State the focus for your original plan and comment
on those elements that were successful and those elements that you needed to
adapt in the changing environment
Appraisal of the
External Environment
Using relevant theoretical frameworks, assess
the complexities of the external macro-environment and industry-level analysis
where your Company was positioned. Evaluate the state of competition (including
the market positioning) and sources of industry profitability. Identify the single key success factor of the
industry i.e. what it takes to be successful in a competitive industry?
Appraisal of the
Internal Environment
Using relevant theoretical frameworks, assess
the internal environment of your Company and its competitive advantage
within your business segment or environment. Evaluate the value proposition of
the company, the value management process of the company and the internal
controls mechanism. As a result, provide
an answer to the question: what are the resources that really served you well?
Sources of
Competitive Advantage
Identify the sources of ‘sustainable competitive
advantage’ based on the resources that served you well during the trading
period. In addition, evaluate the
sources of competitive advantage in managing the product portfolio and managing
value creation. Consider how unique they
are and whether they are sustainable.
Key Business
Results
Present and critically reflect on your key
business results to show the performance of your business since the start at
the end of final year. Whilst the
numbers and indicators are of interest, of greater interest are the factors
that lie behind the raw numbers that contributed to them.
Recommendations
going forward
Based on the analysis students should provide
strategic recommendations on how their Company can be sustainable in the
context of strategic threats and opportunities in the context of Socially
Responsible Business practices and/or the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
This summative assessment will require you to
display evidence of your ability to:
–
select appropriate
lenses, tools concepts and theories explained during
the module to justify your analyses and display a critical appreciation
for the tools employed.
–
link practical
observations that you have obtained during the Simulation Workshops with
theoretical arguments found within the academic debates. The overarching goal
of this analysis is to derive insight from the research to develop strategic
recommendations for your Company going forward.
–
think critically,
be able to analyse, evaluate and then apply concepts and theories taught during
the module. You should apply your own research skills in finding information
and use your own initiative to develop insights into the business strategy adopted by your Company. A case study
analysis method will be used.
–
able to justify
recommendations based on your analysis and the academic literature. You will
also be assessed based on the elegance of your arguments and your ability to
link observations with recommended solutions to the identified strategic issue.
