Strategic analysis and choice for selected organisation
(Strategic Management)
Introduction
This assignment requires you to choose one organisation and then undertake an analysis of the strategic capability and the environment faced by that organisation, identify the best strategic option for that organisation, and to identify the strategy formation process that the organisation utilises. The organisations that you may choose from are:
Ford (https://corporate.ford.com/homepage.html)
Samsung (https://www.samsungcnt.com/EN/cnt/index.do)
BP (https://www.bp.com/)
Accor (https://www.accorhotels-group.com/en.html)
Assignment
This assignment requires you to take a range of academic models and frameworks from the strategic management subject area and apply them to a real-world organisation.
The assignment is in three parts. The first part requires you to use a range of models and frameworks from the strategic management subject area in order to analyse the strategic capability and the environment faced by that organisation. The second part then requires you to build on the analysis of the strategic capability and the environment to identify and justify what you consider to be the most appropriate strategy for the organisation to pursue in the future. The third part requires you to identify the extent to which the strategy creation process is dominated by an intended formation process rather than an emergent formation process.
Task 1 – 40 Marks
For one of the organisations listed above, use appropriate analytical frameworks from the strategic management subject area to identify what you believe to be the significant strategic capabilities of the organisation, and the significant issues within the environment facing that organisation.
It is strongly recommended that you select just one strategic business unit within any of those four organisations, rather than undertaking your analysis for the whole organisation. That strategic business unit might constitute a particular group of products or services from within the complete range offered by the organisation, or the activities of that organisation within a particular country or region of the world. You need to ensure that you have access to sufficient information upon which to conduct your analysis, while also recognising that the word limit for this assignment will restrict the volume of analysis that you can undertake. You must clearly state what strategic business unit you have chosen.
It is probably useful to refer to a summary model of strategic management such as that outlined in Exploring Strategy, (Johnson, G., Whittington, R., Scholes, K., Angwin, D & Regnér, 10th edition, 2014, page 11), in particular the environment and capability elements under “Strategic Position”.
Task 2 – 40 Marks
Identify the significant strategic options available to the organisation, and using your analysis of the strategic capability and environment of the chosen SBU of the organisation from Task 1, evaluate those alternative options in order to identify what you consider to be the best option for that organisation to pursue (you should use the same strategic business unit for this Task that you used for Task 1). In the Johnson et al model (2014), this task relates to the “Strategic Choices” circle.
Pick the models, frameworks and concepts that are most useful to the chosen SBU of the organisation, and emphasise the conclusions and implications from those models, frameworks and concepts. For instance you could identify a range of alternative directions for the future strategy using the Ansoff matrix and then evaluate those with an appropriate framework (such as the Suitable, Feasible, Acceptable framework.)
Task 3 – 20 Marks
Identify the extent to which the strategy formation process within the organisation you select has been intended (rather than emergent) over the past 10 years. Use examples of developments in the strategy of the organisation over the period to explain and justify your conclusion (you should use the same strategic business unit for this Task that you used for Task 1 and Task 2).
This task is concerned with the strategy formation process, and not with the strategy of the organisation. This task will require you to gather evidence relating to the strategy formation process within the organisation. You should try to identify a number of changes or developments in strategy, or strategic initiatives that have occurred over the past 10 years, and then try to work out the strategy formation process that led to those changes, developments or initiatives.
You should try to work towards determining whether each of those changes, developments or initiatives was the result of a primarily intended strategy formation process, or whether an emergent process also had an influence. You should then be able to come to a conclusion on the balance of intended and emergent influences, and be able to justify that view.
Guidance
Consult with your tutor if you are uncertain about any aspect of the assignment.
You will need to obtain some information and data about the strategic business unit of the company you select. All four companies are multinational companies for which information and data to complete the Tasks is readily available from company websites, company Reports and Accounts, and from other sources. Do recognise, however, that this is not a ‘data gathering’ assignment, and that the emphasis is upon analysing the data you obtain.
Submission requirements
? A single word-processed document containing all material pertaining to all tasks.
? The word count is 3000 words, not including the appendices.
? The document should be properly structured as an essay with a bibliography (online and literature sources) and appendices (where necessary). Refer to the Assignment Presentation Requirements for more information.