Element 010 Assignment 4500 Strategic Plan
Order ID 53563633773 Type Essay Writer Level Masters Style APA Sources/References 4 Perfect Number of Pages to Order 5-10 Pages Description/Paper Instructions
Assessment description and marking criteria
Learning Outcomes
Anglia Ruskin modules are taught on the basis of intended learning outcomes and, on successful completion of this module, you will be expected to be able to demonstrate you have met these outcomes.
- Knowledge and Understanding:Critically analyse the importance of strategic resource capabilities and competitive environment of business organisations, the organisations’ strengths and their environmental threats and opportunities.
- Knowledge and Understanding:Critically evaluate the strategic issues and choices facing business organisations; and the resource implications of the strategic management process, bearing in mind recent developments in strategic thinking.
- Knowledge and Understanding:Critically examine the implementation issues facing business organisations; and the role of leadership and innovation in the management of change.
- Intellectual, practical, affective and transferable skills:Undertake a detailed analysis and evaluation of the resource capability and competitive environment of business organisations, with a particular focus on the strategic fit of such organisations.
- Intellectual, practical, affective and transferable skills:Undertake a detailed analysis and evaluation of the strategic options available to a business organisation.
- Intellectual, practical, affective and transferable skills:Interpret complex analysis correctly and then report and present those findings in an appropriate manner.
See, additionally, course outcomes.
Element 010 – Assignment: 4500 Strategic Plan
STRATEGIC PLAN GUIDANCE
You are required to write a 4,500 word strategic plan for a company of your choice. Please choose a non-diversified company (one industry only, e.g., Clarks Shoes or IKEA) or the business unit of a corporation (e.g., BT Consumer, rather than BT Group; Unilever Foods, rather than Unilever).
Your strategic plan should be written in report style. The detailed guidance which follows provides a suggested format.
Utilise diagrams and tables to inform your analysis and provide insights. Generic diagrams or tables add no value. Given this is a practical assessment diagrams and tables should be enriched with the appropriate contextual information thus applying to the company in question. Inserting a photo of a neatly drawn diagram is acceptable. Diagrams and tables are excluded from your word count.
You should critically apply the online module material to inform the development of your strategic plan. This material should be referenced according to the Harvard referencing system.
You should also use the core text book Exploring Strategy: Text and Cases by Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, Angwin and Regner (2014) to inform the development of your strategic plan. Implementation considerations are outlined on page 520, for example. Once again Harvard referencing is required.
Title page
- Clear report title disclosing the company name and focus of the strategic plan.
- Word count utilised stated.
Contents page
- Number headings and sub-headings.
- Introduction to company and challenge(s) – 5 marks (c. 250 words)
- Share your relationship to the company or interest in it, justifying why you selected the company to focus upon in this assignment.
- The introduction to the company should include the current situation and a summary of the key challenges it needs to overcome.
- Include any existing purpose statements the company has e.g. vision and mission statements, core values and strategic objectives (citing academic and company references). Discuss how the statements inform the company’s challenge(s). Statements should be critically analysed.
- You do not have to address all purpose statements – select those that are available for the company, or the most relevant. If no purpose statements are available reflect on purpose based on other types of information (e.g., the ‘About us’ section of the company’s website; CEO/director’s interview, Annual Report etc.). Another approach is to suggest your own purpose statements.
- Environmental analysis – 50 marks (c. 2,250 words)
- MACRO trend environment analysis:
- (PESTLE)analysis to identify key drivers of change (based on possible level of impact and likelihood). Consider strategies to either mitigate possible impact of threats or take advantage of opportunities that might be presented.
- MICRO trend environment analysis
- Industry (Five Forces) analysisto understand intensity of competition and relative attractiveness of market.
- Establish which industry life cycle stagethe company is in sharing any competitive implications of this.
- Customer (Segmentation) analysis to share a summary of current customers/users utilising segmentation variables.
- Identification of Opportunities and Threats and Critical Success Factors
- Summarisethe macro and micro analyses by clearly articulating what they represent in terms of opportunities and threats for the company.
- Internal environment capability analysis
- Adopting a resource based view (RBV) of strategy, undertake a critical evaluation of the company’s strategic capabilities.
- Apply McKinsey’s 7S Frameworkto assess the fit between the company’s strategy, structure, systems, staff, style, skills and superordinate goals.
- Apply the VRIO criteriato the distinctive capabilities
- Value chain analysiswill identify where the strategic capabilities actually reside in the company’s value chain.
- The analyses point to the company’s strengths and weaknesseswhich should be summarised.
- Strategic fit with the operating environment
- Present aSWOT analysis which summarises the main findings from your macro- and micro-environment trend analyses.
- Evaluate the company’s strategic fit in respect its relevant congruence with its operating environment by applying the EVR framework.
- Strategic options – 20 marks (c. 1,000 words)
- Based on the SWOT that resulted from your previous analyses, consider the different strategic options that your selected organisation could adopt. You may find it useful to map these options in a TOWS matrix. These options will be either business-level strategies orcorporate-level strategies (or a combination of both – it depends on your context).
- Evaluatethe feasibility, acceptability and suitability of the strategic options to inform your selection of one preferred option for the company.
- Proposed strategy & implementation challenges – 20 marks (c. 1,000 words)
- If you are suggesting a change in business strategyfor a single business unit (SBU) apply Porter’s generic strategies or Faulkner & Bowman’s strategy clock to explain how the company will proceed with their preferred strategic option.
- If you are suggesting new corporate strategy direction, you can apply the Ansoff matrixto show potential strategy directions and comment on potential strategic methods (organic development, mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances) if a diversification strategy is proposed. Application of the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) matrix is useful for determining the attractiveness and balance of a business portfolio.
- The feasibility of your proposed new direction should be considered implementation challenges identified and some thought given to how these might be addressed. You should also briefly consider risks and how these might be overcome or mitigated.
- Conclude withtriangulation linking back the proposed strategy to the content of the introduction. Does your strategy address the challenge(s) you identified? How does the proposed strategy exploit the opportunities in the environment and/or avoid the threats? How does the proposed strategy capitalise on company’s strengths and/or avoid or remedy the weaknesses? Do the resources and competences currently exist to implement the strategy effectively? If not, can these resources and competences be obtained, and how? Does the proposed strategy align with the purpose of the company?
- References
- Guidance on how to correctly use the Harvard referencing systemcan be found on the University Library website; https://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/referencing.htmLinks to an external site. and https://library.aru.ac.uk/referencing/harvard.htmLinks to an external site.
- There are also resources on good academic practice to ensure that you are honest in your work and don’t plagiarise the work of others: https://anglia.libguides.com/GAP/welcome(Links to an external site.)
- Appendices
- Appendices should be used sparingly. The detailed analyses (such as PESTLE and SWOT) should be included within the main body of the assignment. Tables, figures and diagrams are excluded from the word count.
- If you do make use of any appendices, be sure to identify them with specific headings and to mention these in the actual report.
- Presentation – 5 marks
Report structure adopted. Presentation, cogency, correct spelling and grammar, appropriate use of tables, diagrams and appendices all taken into consideration when awarding marks. The Harvard referencing system should be correctly observed.
- Word count – 4,500 words
- The word limits for each section are a general guidance – you have some flexibility to adapt this as you see fit.
- In addition to the guidance which follows below from the academic regulations, markers would be concerned at (excessive) use of lengthy word for word quotes; you should be expressing yourself in your own words.
- An extract from page 66 of the August 2018 Academic RegulationsLinks to an external site.on word count follows:
A written assignment must not exceed the maximum word limit set for that assignment.
Students are required to enter an accurate word count on the Assignment Cover Sheet.
When a written assignment is marked, the excessive use of words beyond the stated word limit is reflected in the academic judgement of the piece of work which results in a lower mark being awarded for the piece of work.
In determining the text to be included within the maximum word limit, the following items are excluded:
- abstracts
- indented quotations (of more than 50 words)
- tables
- figures
- diagrams
- footnotes/endnotes used for reference purposes (and kept within reasonable limits)
- list of references and/or bibliography.
- Final notes
- Remember this is a practical assessment. Critical applicationof theory, models and frameworks (duly referenced) to inform your analysis and provide insights. All assertions and arguments should be clearly justified. It is good practice to introduce module ideas, concepts, models and frameworks by briefly explaining their purpose and where appropriate offering definitions.
- Additional resources
- A useful resource in respect of diversified versus non-diversified companieswhich utilises practical examples may be found here: https://www.strategy-business.com/blog/How-IKEA-Disney-and-Berkshire-Hathaway-Succeed-with-Adjacencies?gko=99c07 (Links to an external site.)
- The University’s Study Skills Plus provides a lot of useful academic resources, such asacademic reading and note taking, academic writing and critical thinking: http://anglia.libguides.com/study-skills-plus/academic-skills (Links to an external site.)
- A report writing study guideis available in the ‘Academic Writing’ section of Study Skills Plus and may be found here: https://anglia.libguides.com/study-skills-plus/academic-skills/academic-writing (Links to an external site.)
- A step by step guide for writing assignmentsmay be found here: https://canvas.anglia.ac.uk/courses/4240/pages/step-by-step-guide-written-assignments
- Please use the University Library’s guidanceon Harvard referencing to ensure you reference correctly in-text and format your references list appropriately: https://library.aru.ac.uk/referencing/referencing.htmLinks to an external site. and https://library.aru.ac.uk/referencing/harvard.htmLinks to an external site.
- There are also resources on good academic practice to ensure that you are honest in your work and don’t plagiarise the work of others: https://anglia.libguides.com/GAP/welcome(Links to an external site.)
- Clear and useful guidance is provided by the University on formatting assignments, submitting assignments and accessing your feedback: https://canvas.anglia.ac.uk/courses/2232/pages/formatting-your-assignment-for-submission?module_item_id=50558
- If English is not your first language, or you need help with punctuation and spelling, there are a range of English language support resources that you may find helpful:
- Punctuation and spelling tips study guides may be found here: https://anglia.libguides.com/study-skills-plus/academic-skills/academic-writing(Links to an external site.)
- com is a free writing assistant: https://grammarly.com(Links to an external site.)
- Scroll down to the bottom of the web page for suggested language resources to help develop your English writing and comprehension: https://anglia.libguides.com/internationalstudents(Links to an external site.)
- Anglia Ruskin University Language Centre: https://aru.ac.uk/international/english-language-supportLinks to an external site.
Resubmission information
If you are required to complete a re-sit assessment for this module, please review the assessment requirements carefully and most critically, please carefully review the feedback on your initial submission which you have received.
This assessment is unique to each student, hence students are permitted to revise the original assessment as stated in the Assessment Code of Practice section 6.2.7:
“Where the assessment task is unique to the student (e.g. a case study, artistic artefact or performance, major project) the same assessment task may be used.”
RUBRIC
QUALITY OF RESPONSE NO RESPONSE POOR / UNSATISFACTORY SATISFACTORY GOOD EXCELLENT Content (worth a maximum of 50% of the total points) Zero points: Student failed to submit the final paper. 20 points out of 50: The essay illustrates poor understanding of the relevant material by failing to address or incorrectly addressing the relevant content; failing to identify or inaccurately explaining/defining key concepts/ideas; ignoring or incorrectly explaining key points/claims and the reasoning behind them; and/or incorrectly or inappropriately using terminology; and elements of the response are lacking. 30 points out of 50: The essay illustrates a rudimentary understanding of the relevant material by mentioning but not full explaining the relevant content; identifying some of the key concepts/ideas though failing to fully or accurately explain many of them; using terminology, though sometimes inaccurately or inappropriately; and/or incorporating some key claims/points but failing to explain the reasoning behind them or doing so inaccurately. Elements of the required response may also be lacking. 40 points out of 50: The essay illustrates solid understanding of the relevant material by correctly addressing most of the relevant content; identifying and explaining most of the key concepts/ideas; using correct terminology; explaining the reasoning behind most of the key points/claims; and/or where necessary or useful, substantiating some points with accurate examples. The answer is complete. 50 points: The essay illustrates exemplary understanding of the relevant material by thoroughly and correctly addressing the relevant content; identifying and explaining all of the key concepts/ideas; using correct terminology explaining the reasoning behind key points/claims and substantiating, as necessary/useful, points with several accurate and illuminating examples. No aspects of the required answer are missing. Use of Sources (worth a maximum of 20% of the total points). Zero points: Student failed to include citations and/or references. Or the student failed to submit a final paper. 5 out 20 points: Sources are seldom cited to support statements and/or format of citations are not recognizable as APA 6th Edition format. There are major errors in the formation of the references and citations. And/or there is a major reliance on highly questionable. The Student fails to provide an adequate synthesis of research collected for the paper. 10 out 20 points: References to scholarly sources are occasionally given; many statements seem unsubstantiated. Frequent errors in APA 6th Edition format, leaving the reader confused about the source of the information. There are significant errors of the formation in the references and citations. And/or there is a significant use of highly questionable sources. 15 out 20 points: Credible Scholarly sources are used effectively support claims and are, for the most part, clear and fairly represented. APA 6th Edition is used with only a few minor errors. There are minor errors in reference and/or citations. And/or there is some use of questionable sources. 20 points: Credible scholarly sources are used to give compelling evidence to support claims and are clearly and fairly represented. APA 6th Edition format is used accurately and consistently. The student uses above the maximum required references in the development of the assignment. Grammar (worth maximum of 20% of total points) Zero points: Student failed to submit the final paper. 5 points out of 20: The paper does not communicate ideas/points clearly due to inappropriate use of terminology and vague language; thoughts and sentences are disjointed or incomprehensible; organization lacking; and/or numerous grammatical, spelling/punctuation errors 10 points out 20: The paper is often unclear and difficult to follow due to some inappropriate terminology and/or vague language; ideas may be fragmented, wandering and/or repetitive; poor organization; and/or some grammatical, spelling, punctuation errors 15 points out of 20: The paper is mostly clear as a result of appropriate use of terminology and minimal vagueness; no tangents and no repetition; fairly good organization; almost perfect grammar, spelling, punctuation, and word usage. 20 points: The paper is clear, concise, and a pleasure to read as a result of appropriate and precise use of terminology; total coherence of thoughts and presentation and logical organization; and the essay is error free. Structure of the Paper (worth 10% of total points) Zero points: Student failed to submit the final paper. 3 points out of 10: Student needs to develop better formatting skills. The paper omits significant structural elements required for and APA 6th edition paper. Formatting of the paper has major flaws. The paper does not conform to APA 6th edition requirements whatsoever. 5 points out of 10: Appearance of final paper demonstrates the student’s limited ability to format the paper. There are significant errors in formatting and/or the total omission of major components of an APA 6th edition paper. They can include the omission of the cover page, abstract, and page numbers. Additionally the page has major formatting issues with spacing or paragraph formation. Font size might not conform to size requirements. The student also significantly writes too large or too short of and paper 7 points out of 10: Research paper presents an above-average use of formatting skills. The paper has slight errors within the paper. This can include small errors or omissions with the cover page, abstract, page number, and headers. There could be also slight formatting issues with the document spacing or the font Additionally the paper might slightly exceed or undershoot the specific number of required written pages for the assignment. 10 points: Student provides a high-caliber, formatted paper. This includes an APA 6th edition cover page, abstract, page number, headers and is double spaced in 12’ Times Roman Font. Additionally, the paper conforms to the specific number of required written pages and neither goes over or under the specified length of the paper. GET THIS PROJECT NOW BY CLICKING ON THIS LINK TO PLACE THE ORDER
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