BUSM3200 Strategic Management
Detailed assignment guide
Semester 2, 2017
Assignment 1 (Group assessment): Strategic Analysis
Weighting
This assignment accounts for 35% of the assessment in this Course.
Due Date
Due Time
Place
Format
Length
Monday, Week 7
By 7.00pm (Local time)
via RMIT Blackboard electronic submission
Report
3000 words (max), 1.5 line spaced, 12 point Times New Roman.
Note: The word count does not include references or appendices
You will work in a pair (two persons per group) to conduct a strategic analysis, and write a report on a real-life
business. Please note that this report will focus on business-level strategy.
You are responsible to form a pair from the same tutorial class for this assignment. Once you have paired, you
must register your pairings on the Blackboard. Instructions on how to do so will be published on the
Blackboard. You must form your pair by Week 4. It is your responsibility to inform your local lecturer if
you are unable to pair with another student. A 10% penalty (3.5 marks) will be applied for those who
have not registered their pairings on the Blackboard or failed to inform the lecturer of their inability to
pair by the end of Week 4. Your lecturer will then allocate the pair member for you if you fail to form the
pair by then.
The assessment will be discussed in the Modules 1 and 2. You are required to conduct strategic analyses for
Bellamy, an Australia’s organic food manufacturer (https://www.bellamysorganic.com.au/), for this
assignment, focusing on its infant formula milk power business only. You are advised to conduct research
such as Internet searching for industry and media reports, and browsing the website and annual reports of
Bellamy (http://investors.bellamysorganic.com.au/) and other relevant organisations.
Write a 3000 word report, excluding references and appendix. In this report, you are required to perform the
following tasks:
1. Describe briefly the background information (strategic context) of the organisation (Bellamy). This
information should be brief and relevant to the discussion of your assignment and thus may include
ownership, history, size, business scope, major products/services, and major markets of the
organization selected.
2. Conduct a macro-environment analysis (focusing on Australia only in this assignment) for the
entire industry within which the organisation operates. You should use the analytical framework
provided in the textbook. Foci will be placed on the understanding of the purpose of this analysis, the
identification of key factors and their implications in terms of key opportunities and threats, and
the discussion of their overall impact on the industry growth in the future. Draw your conclusion
based on your macro-environment analysis.
1
3. Undertake an industry (competitive) analysis using Porter’s 5-forces model. You are required to pay
attention to the purpose of this analysis, the inter-connectedness of different aspects of the
competitive forces, the links between the competitive forces and macro-environment, and their overall
impact on the industry and the organization selected in terms of main driving forces in the
competitive environment. Draw your conclusions based on your five-force analyses.
4. Identify those resources and competences of the organization that are likely to provide sustainable
competitive advantage. Justify why these resources and competences can be regarded as strategic
capabilities using the four criteria (VRIO) covered in the textbook.
References should be utilised within this Report to validate the information presented, and should be drawn
from academic sources and organisational information such as the website and annual reports. The business
press may be used to identify relevant issues.
Learning outcome/s and capability development
This assessment is deliberately designed not only to test what you know, but also to build your
lifelong learning skills. The skills that you will be developing include:
•
cognitive conceptualisation skills
•
critical thinking and analysis skills
•
creative application skills.
All these are valuable skills you will need in future employment. How well you are able to
demonstrate these skills and knowledges will impact not only on you and your group (in terms of a
mark) but also has the potential to influence the future of the case study organisation. Your work
matters.
Specifically, completing this assignment can help you develop your capabilities in the following
areas:
•
Understanding of the key concepts, models, theories, and analytical concepts covered from the relevant
Modules (1-4) in this Course;
•
Developing your ability to apply strategic management concepts and theories to the organisation
selected, particularly in analysing its strategic position;
•
Enhancing your capability in critical think through evaluating existing strategic concepts, analytical
frameworks, and theories; and
•
Developing your generic skills for pursuing your professional career in the areas of communication and
report writing.
Advisory notes for this assignment
•
You should conduct an extensive information search on the organisation selected.
•
Company websites, annual reports, and media reports are important sources of such information, but their
objectives, and thus credibility, should be carefully analysed and evaluated.
2
•
You should use appropriate concepts and analytical tools in your report.
•
The report should be written in prose; however limited use of dot points is acceptable.
•
This advice should be read in conjunction with RMIT assessment policy and the course guide.
Guide for assignment presentation
Written assignments must be presented in a professional format. Quality of presentation, especially literacy,
will be considered in the marking criteria. Written communication skills are an essential component of RMIT
University’s courses. In line with RMIT policy, all sources of information must be fully referenced using
standard Harvard or APA referencing systems. You are encouraged to use referencing software such as
Endnote for referencing and formatting. The assignment should be in report format and use Times New Roman
font size 12, 1.5 line spacing.
Assignment submission
You are required to submit your assignment online. It should be attached with a coversheet, which can be
downloaded from the Course Blackboard and signed. Please submit it via the course Blackboard and note:
•
Submit your assignment into Turnitin first to check the authenticity of your report. Submit both your
assignment and a copy of its Turnitin originality report through the Final Submission link provided in the
Course Blackboard.
•
Use only ONE student log-in account for your pair to submit the pair assignment into the Turnitin, and
then to the course Blackboard. Otherwise your Turnitin report will have a high similarity percentage.
•
Further submission instructions will be given in the seminars.
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3/7/17
BUSM3200 Strategic Management
An explaination to assignment 1Strategic Analysis
Dr Xueli (Charlie) Huang
School of Management
Assignment 1 – Strategic Analysis
(Individual assignment)
• Weighting: 35%
• Due Date: Monday, Week 7
• Due Time: By 7.00pm (Local time)
• Place: via RMIT Blackboard electronic submission
• Format: Report
• Length: 3000 words (max), 1.5 line spaced, 12
point Times New Roman.
• Note: The word count does not include references
or appendices
RMIT University©2017
School of Management
2
1
3/7/17
• You will work in pair (two persons per group) to
conduct a strategic analysis, and write a report on a
real-life business. Please note that this report will
focus on business-level strategy.
• The assessment will be discussed in the Modules 1
and 2, and will be covered in Modules 2 and 3. You
are required to conduct strategic analyses for
Bellamy, an Australia’s organic food manufacturer,
(https://www.bellamysorganic.com.au/), for this
assignment. You are advised to conduct research
such as Internet searching for industry and media
reports, and browsing the website and annual
reports of Bellamy and other relevant organisations.
RMIT University©2017
School of Management
3
Key information sources of Myer
• Bellamy’s Website
–https://www.bellamysorganic.com.au/about-us/
–It contains information about its brief history
and current business operations
–Its “Investor information” link has a detailed
information about its strategic context (Annual
reports, corporate governance, market
announcement) and its recent strategic change
and implementation.
RMIT University©2017
School of Management
4
2
3/7/17
Key information sources of Myer (cont’d)
• Other information sources:
– The Internet
–Media (online newspapers, such as The
Australian, Australian Financial Review)
–Library: Database such as industry report
RMIT University©2017
School of Management
5
Write a 3000 word (max) report, excluding references
and appendix. In this report, you are required to perform
the following tasks:
• 1. Describe briefly the background
information (strategic context) of the
organisation (Bellamy). This information
should be brief and relevant to the
discussion of your assignment and thus
may include ownership, history, size,
business scope, major products/services,
and major markets of the organization
selected.
RMIT University©2017
School of Management
6
3
3/7/17
• 2. Conduct a macro-environment analysis
(focusing on Australia only in this
assignment) for the entire industry within which
the organisation operates. You should use the
analytical framework provided in the textbook.
Foci will be placed on the understanding of the
purpose of this analysis, the identification of key
factors and their implications in terms of key
opportunities and threats, and the discussion of
their overall impact on the industry growth in the
future. Draw your conclusion based on your
macro-environment analysis.
RMIT University©2017
School of Management
7
• 3. Undertake an industry (competitive) analysis
using Porter’s 5-forces model. You are required
to pay attention to the purpose of this analysis,
the inter-connectedness of different aspects of
the competitive forces, the links between the
competitive forces and macro-environment, and
their overall impact on the industry and the
organization selected in terms of main driving
forces in the competitive environment. Draw
your conclusions based on your five-force
analyses.
RMIT University©2017
School of Management
8
4
3/7/17
• 4. Identify those resources and
competences of the organization that are
likely to provide sustainable competitive
advantage. Justify why these resources
and competences can be regarded as
strategic capabilities using the four criteria
(VRIO) covered in the textbook.
RMIT University©2017
School of Management
9
• References should be utilised within this
Report to validate the information
presented, and should be drawn from
academic sources and organisational
information such as the website and annual
reports. The business press may be used
to identify relevant issues.
RMIT University©2017
School of Management
10
5
3/7/17
Assignment submission
• You are required to submit your
assignment online. It should be attached
with a coversheet, which can be
downloaded from the Course Blackboard
and signed. Please submit it via the course
Blackboard and note:
• Submit your assignment into Turnitin first to
check the authenticity of your report. Attach
the turnitin report to your assignment.
RMIT University©2017
School of Management
11
Pair formation
• You are responsible to form a pair from the
same tutorial class for this assignment.
Once you have paired, you must register
your pairings on the Blackboard.
Instructions on how to do so will be
published on the Blackboard. You must
form your pair by Week 4.
RMIT University©2017
School of Management
12
6
3/7/17
Pair formation
• It is your responsibility to inform your local
lecturer if you are unable to pair with
another student.
• A 10% penalty (3.5 marks) will be applied
for those who have not registered your
pairings on the Blackboard or failed to
inform the lecturer of your inability to pair
by the end of Week 4.
• Your lecturer will then allocate the pair
member for you if you fail to form the pair by
then.
RMIT University©2017
School of Management
13
7
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