The submission of the assessment will consist of an individually written report of 2400 (+/- 10%) words, assessing in-depth knowledge and understanding of the main strategic approaches and theories and relating them to the external/internal environment that shapes a business. The assessment accounts for 40 % of the total mark.

Step 1: The Simulation Activity

–          You are required to complete a business simulation activity, either in class or remotely (This will be communicated on BREO and/or by your Tutor).

–          As part of the simulation activity, you will be asked to perform a series of tasks, which will simulate activities of running a business.

o    As you perform individual tasks, you will be asked to make strategic decisions, that will have an impact on the outcome of the business. It is important to think about how your decisions impact the business as a whole and try to focus on ensuring you produce an optimal outcome for the simulated business.

o    Decisions cannot be random; they need to be evidenced based and supported by specific internal/external strategic analysis.

–          As you are engaging in the business simulation activities, you are also required to record and capture all steps.

o    You can capture each step, in the form of individual notes (these should capture the application of strategic management tools ), screenshots and external sources (it is important to evidence how research was conducted).

Step 2: Prepare the Written Report (2400 words +/- 10%)

The written report should focus on providing a reflective account of the following:

–          What? – Describe what you did (Approx 1500 words)

o    Explain what did you do for the business simulation activity, what steps you took and what tasks you completed.

o    Explain for each steps/ task, what decision you took and why?

§  Provide evidence of how the decision was taken. Explain how you used strategic management tools to make the decision. – Include in-text references. Here

–          So What? – Explain why this activity was significant for you and your course (Approx 500 words)

o    Explain what did you learn from this activity?

–          Now What? – Explain how you will use the knowledge you gain will help you in the future. (Approx 500 words)

o    Think about your next units, your jobs, you future career/jobs, your personal life

§  Think about where can you apply the knowledge gain

In order to pass Assessment 1 you will need to:

·         Evidence Utilisation of business models in a business context

·         Show evidence of selecting and applying relevant strategic frameworks to determine theattractiveness of an industry and the distinctiveness of a firm.

·         Show evidence of evaluating and justifying the proposed strategy based on the use ofappropriate frameworks

·         Demonstrate awareness of importance of different strategic theories in strategic decisionmaking

1. The analysis:

Use the strategic tools you have designed to develop your analysis. Make sure you focus on the strategic approaches and theories and relate them to the external/internal environment that shapes a business. A list of strategic tools will not be accepted.

2. The link between theory and practice:

Remember to relate the two together sufficiently! You need to relate the theory to evidence in your assessment. The evidence needs to be specific. Don’t use generalised and anecdotal evidence.

4. Use of literature:

Use academic sources, i.e. books, journal articles etc. Refer to respected industry sources DO NOT overuse the Internet, do not use and / or quote from Wikipedia.

Reminder:

You are required to use proper in-text references and the reference list at the end using the Harvard Referencing System.

5. The writing:

Try to approach this assignment in a logical and systematic way. Make sure you have a logical structure, a convincing argument, clear description of the situations which‘set the scene’, and clear explanation which relate to theories, and a conclusion that draws your argument together.

Overall, you need to provide a logical and coherent demonstration ( strategic tools, like pestle, 5 forces, value chain etc should only be included in the appendix not the body of the report)

Week 2 of the block is devoted to data collection and to start structuring your assignment.

Week 3 any assignment-related queries will be addressed before the submission.

Your assignment will be marked according to the threshold expectations and the criteria on the following page.You can use them to evaluate your own work and consider your grade before you submit it.