Part 1 – Research Proposal:Once you have chosen a company, you must write a one page (we will not look at anything on a second page) Research Proposal. This should be formally presented and have the following sections:Introduction: one sentence identifying and describing the company you have chosenSituation Report: one or two short paragraphs briefly describing the major strategic issue or challenge facing the company Proposed Methodology: one or two short paragraphs outlining the research methodology you propose to use, and (if you can) identifying important tools that you plan to use. Note: you will not be required to use the methods and tools you give here. This Part is to start you thinking: you may well change your mind once you start work on the report proper.Deliverables: one or two sentences outlining what you expect the final report to contain.Part 2 – Strategy Report:This is the first half of your final report. The presentation of your report is a critical aspect of this assignment. It is essential that your report is formatted appropriately, and carefully edited and re-edited to achieve a professional standard. Your submission should be a serious business report, not a promotional document or a just a description of a company. It should be a critical analysis. Allow time to draft and re-draft both parts of your assignment prior to the due dates in order to improve the quality of writing and presentation. It is a good idea to plan on having each part of the report finished two or three days before the due date to allow time for further refinement and editing.You must follow the report structure and requirements set out below, unless you have very good reason for doing otherwise (and explain why). You may also want to revisit the advice on writing assignments given in Lecture 1.
Title Page
In the title page, you should include:
Title of the report, e.g. ‘Company X: A Business Strategy Report – Stage 1’.
Your name and student ID
Off campus or on campus status.
Introduction
This section provides some background and context to your report. Your introduction should include:
A brief description of why we undertake this study, i.e. the value of undertaking a strategy review of the business and how will it be beneficial for the business.
An introduction to the business, its industry, and its macro environment,
A brief outline of the following sections of this report and their contents, and
Any serious limitations or restrictions on the report.
Strategic Analysis
5.1 Methods Provide a brief description of the data collection and analysis used in this section, including an outline of the sources used to gather the data upon which the report is based. Data may be collected from sources within the business (business documents, questionnaires, interviews) and from industry reports, media sources, the internet and database searches. It is important to describe the types and quantity of your data sources so that the reader can evaluate the breadth, quality and validity of the data on which your analysis is based. At least eight data sources should be collected and analysed.5.2.External analysis Conduct a PESTEL analysis of your business’s macro environment, evaluating whether each of the PESTEL factors is positive, neutral, or negative for the industry. Provide an overall evaluation of the impact of these factors on growth and consumer demand in the industry.Identify and explain the two most significant influences in your analysis that are likely to be the main drivers of change in the future.Using Porter’s five forces framework, evaluate and briefly describe two key forces at work in the industry environment of your business.Draw a strategy canvas for your business and for two main rivals (see Figure 3.8 in the text). Describe briefly the three most critical success factors for your business (see pp. 85-86). The three most critical success factors are a subset of the total critical factors impacting businessEvaluate the influence of innovation on the industry.Part 3 – Complete Strategy Report:Part 3 of the assignment is the second half of the complete strategy report. You must submit part 2 together with part 3. You are advised to take into consideration the comments provided in part 2 when you develop part 3. To compile your complete report you must develop part 3 of your report and submit part 2 and part 3 as one comprehensive report.For part 3 you must develop the following:2.Table of ContentsInclude all the headings and subheadings used in your report, together with page numbers.
Executive Summary
This is a summary of the findings of the complete report in only one page, written as a series of short paragraphs, outlining your key findings and your recommended strategic options. Although this comes first in the report, it should be written last to include all findings.5.3.Strategic capability
Apply the ‘VRIO’ criteria to describe, evaluate and assess the strategic capabilities of your business. VRIO matrix is a must.
Present a SWOT analysis in table form with an interpretation of the significance of your findings. The factors listed in this analysis should be rated for their level of significance.
5.4Strategy and cultureBriefly evaluate the relationship between the culture and strategy of the business. Drawing a cultural web of the business may assist with this. Be sure to include only elements which are specifically to this business.5.5Competitive strategy Identify and describe the most viable competitive strategy for the business. To undertake this task, refer to Figure 7.2 on p. 211 and the relevant discussion. Explain how your chosen competitive strategy enables the business to:
Respond effectively to the industry and macro environments described in your external analysis, and
Match the capabilities and strengths of the business to the opportunities in the environment, described in your earlier analyses, to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage.
Select a competitive strategy based on your study and the factors considered above.
This competitive strategy may be the same as the strategy the company is currently using, or it may a strategy that you have developed that you think is more appropriate.5.6Business strategy statementDescribe the mission, vision, objectives, scope, and advantages of the business as it currently operates (see section 1.2.3 in the text, on page 8). Summarise these descriptions into a clear and compelling strategy statement in 35 words or less. Your strategy statement should be based on your analysis and competitive strategy. (Do not use the existing vision and mission statements. Formulate your own based on the situation and study conducted.)
Conclusion
This section is written in paragraph form to provide a summary of one key finding from each of the report’s sections from 5.2 to 5.6 above. Highlight the recommendations or suggestions for growth and sustainability of the business based on your study.Part 4 – Board Presentation:So now you have completed your Business Strategy Report. But the CEO of the company you have reviewed wants to hear about your review. You have been asked to give a short presentation to the CEO and the Board, summarising the major findings of your report. As Part 4 of your assignment you now need to produce and submit a maximum of five Powerpoint slides that you would use for your presentation to the Board.You will need at least one introductory slide, to introduce your report. You will need at least one conclusion slide, to conclude your message and to reinforce the most important recommendation from your analysis. In between, it is up to you. You do not have to have five slides – that is the maximum. Your slides should be clear and well-presented, but they do not need to be fancy or elaborate. You will get marks for clarity and relevance, not for decoration.
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