International Business Strategy
International Business Strategy
You are asked to develop a professional management report addressing the four specific tasks set below. This should be 3,500 words excluding title and content pages, executive summary, references and appendices. A management report is a professional document presented as detailed by the guidelines provided, and part of its professional presentation is the adherence to the word limits.
Tasks:
You are issued a complex case study based around strategic management issues of an organisation. You have to research the key developments inside and outside your case organisation from the end date of the case study to present (spring 2017).
As a result of your research, address the following tasks in your management report:
1. Analyse the key changes in the strategic position i.e. external environment and internal environment (including changes in organisational resources, competences, capabilities, leadership, culture and other internal aspects) of the case study organisation during the period identified for your research. Students are to use a variety of the theoretical materials as well as company/market/sector data to analyse the major changes in the internal and external environments of a case study organisation.
2. Critically evaluate how well the organisation responded to the external and internal challenges over the period concerned. Part of your critical evaluation could be a discussion of whether the strategy of your case organisation is prescriptive and/or emergent.
The focus of the critical evaluation is to determine how well the case organisation responded to the changes analysed in task 1. This evaluation should include considerations for the realised strategy of the organisation and evaluation of its successes and failures. Such considerations should be supported by analysis of the key performance indicators for the period studied i.e. from the end of the case study to present.
3.Critically discuss the basis and sustainability of the competitive advantage of your case organisation.
Students are to use a range of theoretical frameworks to develop a critical discussion about the basis of the competitive advantage of the case organisation and how it changed over the period studied. Students are also to conclude how sustainable the competitive advantage of the case organisation going forward.
4. Based on the above – develop a range of strategic options available to your case organisation to ensure its success and sustainability into the future. Choose the most appropriate option and critically discuss a range of implementation issues associated with it.
Students are asked to develop a range of strategic options for the organisation to ensure its long-term success. These need to be specific and relevant to the organisational context studied. They need to be strategic and not operational in nature. Development of each option needs to be supported by the theoretical materials studies during the module and the company/industry/market data.
Using a framework for strategic options evaluation, students are asked to select an option for the organisation to implement. A range of implementation issues associated with a chosen option needs to be critically discussed.
It is important that all tasks are addressed in your professional management report. The quality of your answer will be assessed on academic merits as well as in terms of the quality of your report: its format, structure, use of materials and the overall presentation.
The use of reputable company/industry/markets data and the theoretical material studied during the module are the key considerations. The grading will reflect if the tasks are answered partially or in full. For all the tasks, the application of a range of theoretical concepts and frameworks needs to be in evidence for high grades.
Assignment Criteria:
Tasks:
• Demonstration of analytical skills of working with data and problem-solving;
• Evidence of critical approach in your writing;
• Evidence of skilful and critical application of the theoretical models/concepts to address the assessment task.
• Use of a wide range of credible academic and professional sources to develop arguments;
• Evidence of wider reading;
• Use of relevant and up-to-date information on the case study organisation.
Format:
• Maximum word limit of 3,500 words, excluding title page, executive summary, table of content, references and appendixes. You are allowed 10% deviation from the word count, with max word count of 3,850 and min of 3,150 words. If you are in breach of the word count requirements – your grade will be affected.
• Written in professional management report format;
• Maximum number of pages allocated for appendixes is 10 pages;
• The report should be appropriately referenced and cited using Harvard Referencing System;
• You are required to produce an Executive summary as part of your report – it will not count towards 3,500 word count;
• The report should be written in a third person;
• Clearly structured with headings and subheadings;
• Word processed using 1.5 line spacing. Font 12 Arial.
