Unit title & code

Bss050-6 Strategic management

Assignment number and title

1 written analysis of an industry and a firm

Assessment type

Individual Written Report

Weighting of assessment

40%

Size or length of assessment

2400 words (+/- 10%)

Unit learning outcomes

1. Demonstrate the following knowledge and understanding :

 Demonstrate an in-depth knowledge and understanding of strategic information, including financial statements, corporate reports and CSR reports related to the nature and characteristics of strategic issues and problems.

1. Demonstrate the following skills and abilities:

 Deploy analytical tools of strategic management in relation to both the external and internal environments of organisations to synthesise, evaluate and develop appropriate strategic options in a complex environment.

What am I required to do in this assignment?

Your assessment is a 2400 (+/- 10%) word individually written report assessing the attractiveness of a given industry and the distinctiveness of a firm. The essay accounts for 40 % of the total mark.

1 when possible, this unit use live case study which (Study Active). In the case no firm can be found, the tutor will provide a list of firms the students can work from 

2 Group preparation. Collect information about both the company and the industry in which the company evolves. Construct strategic tools that will lead to the analysis performed in your individual report.  This task is your research and is not graded. However without the research you will not be able to successfully complete the individual task

3. The Individual Report (2400 words). This submission only will be graded.

• Provide a critical analysis of the business environment of the firm. You should consider the main competitors and their competitive position; the structure of the industry, market details (value; share etc.); current trends and key drivers in the market; future trends and key drivers in the market. You will need to base some of your analysis on the reflection you have posted on your individual journal (Attractiveness of the industry).

• Provide a critical internal analysis of the firm giving details of its current strategic position and tactics. You should also consider the resources and capabilities of the firm and how they impact upon the success or otherwise of the firm. You will need to base some of your analysis on the reflection you have posted on your individual journal> (Distinctiveness of the firm based on the identification of competitive advantages).

The submission will be in the form of a consultant’s report. The exact presentation style will be at your discretion, but should be a professional, business-like report.  It should also use Harvard referencing.

What do I need to do to pass? (Threshold Expectations from UIF)

In order to pass Assessment 1 you will need to:

· Collect relevant data to logically and coherently assess the current strategic positon of a real organisation

· Demonstrate some evidence of selecting and applying relevant strategic frameworks to determine the attractiveness of an industry and distinctiveness of a firm

In order to pass Assessment 2 you will need to:

· Generate and design a coherent strategy based on a logical decision making process backed up by relevant qualitative and/or quantitative data

· Evaluate and justify the proposed strategy referring to evidence based analysis and selection of appropriate strategic framework