Module Name: Strategy, Enterprise and Innovation

Description

Module Name: Strategy, Enterprise and Innovation

Level 6

Item of Assessment: Report

Word Limit 2,000 words (+10% maximum)

Acceptable Formats for Submission: Microsoft Word

Assessment Details

Task:

The word limit for this assignment is 2,000 words.

This item of assessment is designed to allow you to demonstrate your ability to undertake a detailed analysis of a firm’s strategic capabilities and the external environment. Your evaluation of the firm’s internal and external environment should demonstrate an understanding of the nature of entrepreneurial recognition, including the need for innovation and creativity that helps the organisation to exploit market opportunities.

Select an organisation, (except this five: Amazon, Dyson, Ikea, Tesco and Apple), from any industry or sector which operate in the UK, and write a report in response to the following tasks:

a) Provide a brief introduction for your report. (200 words)

b) Critically analyse the internal resources and capabilities that give the organisation a competitive advantage. (600 words)

c) Identify the key drivers of change in the external environment and evaluate their impact on the entrepreneurial activities of the organisation. In your response, use an appropriate framework to analyse the external environment. (400 words)

d) Using Porter’s Five Forces framework and/or any other relevant tools, evaluate the impact of the main competitive forces that are influencing entrepreneurial activities and profitability within the industry. (600 words)

e) Write a clear conclusion that succinctly highlights the key aspects covered in your report in answers to the tasks above. (200 words)

Structure details and weighting

Your report should be structured as follows (additional guidance/requirements are given in bullet points):

• Introduction (200 words) (5%)

Introduce your chosen firm and provide an overview that highlights some key aspects of its position within the sector/industry.

Explain briefly how you are going to analyse the firm and highlight any relevant models/frameworks chosen and applied to support analysis in the report.

• Analysis of the firm’s internal resources and capabilities (600 words) (30%)

• Evaluate the impact of external environment factors on the entrepreneurial activities of the firm (400 words). (20%)

• Evaluate the impact of the competitive forces on entrepreneurial activities and profitability within the industry (600 words). (30%)

• Conclusion (200 Words) (5%)

Highlight the main points covered in your report: showing, for example, how your answers have demonstrated the interplay between the company’s internal strengths/weaknesses based on resources and capabilities, external factors, and competitive forces within the industry.

Briefly explain how the firm uses its internal capabilities and resources to achieve competitive advantage within its external environment.

• References and use of Harvard referencing style (5%)

Use the Harvard referencing style and include a range of sources from academic literature, industry reports and other good quality and credible internet sources.

• Structure and presentation

Additional guidance:

In your report, you are expected to:

• Follow the structure outlined above but you may change the wording of the headings and add sub-sections to your report

• Conduct independent research and use a range of academic sources

• Use Harvard referencing throughout for your citations and the reference list.

• This assignment should be submitted as a Microsoft Word file.

Please use in the paper, especially from the list below, the Harvard referencing style and include a range of sources from academic literature, industry reports and other good quality and credible internet sources.

Word Limit

All written assignments include clear guidance on the maximum amount that should be written in order to address the requirements of the assessment task (a ‘word limit’).

If the submission exceeds the word limit by more than 10%, the submission will only be marked up to and including the additional 10%. Anything over this will not be included in the final grade for the

item of assessment.

Abstracts, reference lists, indented quotations, and footnotes are excluded from any word limit requirements.

In-text citations, embedded quotations, and all headings and titles are included in the word limit.

Where a submission is notably under the word limit, the full submission will be marked on the extent to which the requirements of the assessment task have been met. Generally speaking, submissions under the word limit fall short of the requirements of the assessment task.

Recommendable sources from academic literature:

Johnson G., Whittington R., Scholes K., Angwin D and Regner P (2017) Exploring Strategy: Text and Cases (11th edition). Pearson Education

MacKay B, Arevuo M, MacKay D and Meadows M (2020) Strategy: Theory, Practice, Implementation. Publisher Oxford University Press.

The teaching materials for the lessons taught to us in the course are especially inspired by these two above. Please use these two above sources as much as possible in the report.

Grant R. M (2016) Contemporary Strategy Analysis: Text & Cases. 9th Edition, Wiley & Sons Ltd

Bessant, J., and Tidd, J. (2011) Innovation and Entrepreneurship.2nd Edition, John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Johnson, G., Scholes, G. & Whittington, R. (2014) Exploring corporate strategy: text and cases, 10th Ed. Pearson Education

Lynch, R. (2004). Corporate Strategy, 4th Ed. Pearson Education.

Barney J. B and Hesterly W.S (2012) Strategic Management and Competitive Advantage: Concepts and Cases. 4th edition, Pearson Education Limited

Porter M E (1996) ‘What is strategy?’, Harvard Business Review.

Any other specialized academic sources, preferably not older than 2017, can be used in the paper.

Recommended websites:

CMI Management Direct

Harvard Business Review: an excellent site for sourcing real-world case examples and leading-edge developments in strategy, enterprise and innovation. hbr.org/ (Links to an external site.)

Strategic Planning Society: this site publishes Long Range Planning; a highly rated strategy journal and the site provides insight and gateway to some of the leading contemporary debates in strategic management. sps.org.uk (Links to an external site.)

The Blue Ocean strategy concept is one of the most influential strategies to emerge in this century. Several cases and research papers can be found on the official website. blueoceanstrategy.com

Marking Guidance Assessment

Task

Marking Guidance (Breakdown)

a) Introduction (approx. 200 words)

(5%)

· The introduction shows a specific organization has been selected from a specific industry/sector in order to complete the tasks.

· Introduce your chosen firm and its position within the sector/industry. This could include a brief overview of the company with clear evidence of research from e.g. its website and other relevant sources.

· Explain briefly how you are going to analyse the firm in the report. (5%)

b) Critically analyse the internal resources and capabilities that give the organisation a competitive advantage. (600 words)

(30%)

· The company’s internal distinctive resources and capabilities (core competencies) have been clearly identified and critically analysed as sources of competitive advantage. (15%)

· The answer clearly shows the application of some relevant models/frameworks (such as VRIO analysis, Value chain analysis, SWOT analysis) (15%)

c) Identify the key drivers of change in the external environment and evaluate their impact on the entrepreneurial activities of the organisation.

In your response, use an appropriate framework to analyse the external environment. (400 words)

(20%)

· PESTEL factors clearly applied to identify and critically analyse the key drivers of change from the external environment and their impact on the entrepreneurial activities of the selected company (20%)

d) Using Porter’s Five Forces framework and/or any other relevant tools, evaluate the impact of the main competitive forces that are influencing entrepreneurial activities and profitability within the

industry. (600 words)

(30%)

· Porter’s Five Forces framework has been clearly applied to evaluate the impact of the main competitive forces that are influencing entrepreneurial activities and profitability within the industry. (20%)

· Other relevant tools (e.g. P.A.R.T.S, Value Net) from Game theory has also been clearly applied to analyse the competition and complement that increase value within the industry. (10%)

e) Conclusion (approx. 300 words)

(5%)

· The report provides a brief conclusion that highlights the main points that succinctly explains how the firm uses the strengths of its internal distinctive resources and

capabilities to achieve competitive advantage on the market. The conclusion also clearly highlights the main key drivers for change from the external factors and the main competitive forces within the industry. (5 %)

Appropriate structure and use of Harvard

Referencing format

(10%)

· The report is well written following an appropriate

structure (5%)

· Harvard format has been correctly and consistently used in both citations and the reference list. This also includes the correct use of citations where illustrations of relevant frameworks are presented in the report. (5 %)