This assessment task is to gauge how well you can apply 4-5 relevant topics/concepts from the unit to a ‘real life’ organisation. What you need to do early on is to select an organisation – either domestic or international – for detailed analysis. The organisation may be of any size and it is likely that data availability will vary with size and international recognition.

What I am trying to get at in this task is how well you understand the ideas presented in this unit and how well you can articulate this knowledge by applying it to an actual situation. The emphasis is on understanding, rather than presentation. You are not describing, but analysing situations/behaviour. Assignments that are excessively descriptive or make excessive use of point-form, will not achieve a very high grade.

In Report Part A (AT2) you will consider:

• Brief overview of the organisation
• The organisation’s external environment: PESTEL, Industry Analysis, Competitor Analysis
• The internal environment of the organisation: does your firm have any distinctive strategic

resources/assets? HOW/WHY?

For Report Part B (AT3), basic issues to be addressed MIGHT include (in no particular order):

• Purpose and Strategic Leadership
• Corporate Strategy: is the organisation diversified? WHY/WHY NOT? How did it diversify e. organic v. merger or acquisition? Is the diversification related or unrelated? HOW/WHY?
• The organisation’s value chain and vertical boundaries: what value chain activities does it

perform in-house, what activities are outsourced, HOW/WHY?

• Any cooperative arrangements (alliances, JV’s, ) it has in its value chain and WHY? Relationships with suppliers, distributors, retailers, etc. and WHY?
• International/global strategy: is the organisation a global firm? HOW/WHY?
• Competitive Strategy: how is it competing against rivals?
• Blue Ocean Strategy; market “tipping”; network effects; positive feedback
• Platform/ecosystem strategy, HOW/WHY?
• Does your firm have a competitive advantage? HOW/WHY?
• If yes, is this advantage sustainable? HOW/WHY?

Not all of these issues will be relevant for every organisation. Notice that I emphasise HOW & WHY issues because if you do this, then you will be analytical, rather than descriptive. Students are required to use their initiative in what issue they address, and what issues they ignore.

Likewise, you are required to use your initiative in how you structure/organise and present the issues addressed – there is no model answer or blue-print for success in this exercise, though some examples of both good and bad past assignments will be provided. These should be regarded as indicative of style and structure rather than of content.