complete an in-depth analysis of their target organisation’s external environment, discuss the strategic options open to the organisation and develop a mission and objectives statement for the organisation going forward.

complete an in-depth analysis of their target organisation’s external environment, discuss the strategic options open to the organisation and develop a mission and objectives statement for the organisation going forward.

The two key models to inform the analysis of the external environment are the macro-environment model (outlined and discussed on pages 68 – 75 of the text) and also Porter’s Five Forces model (outlined and discussed on pages 75 – 83 of the textbook).

I would spend around 1000 words on each of these two analytical models to explain what you see as the most important drivers affecting the organisations from its macro-environment (ie the macro-environment model) and its industry environment (ie the Five Forces model).

Then you should provide recommendations as to the strategic options open to the organization, leading to a mission statement and recommendations for key objectives.

For the structuring of this final strategic options/objective/mission section of your assessment item, I recommend one of two models:

1. The 5 Qs model in the text book provides five salient questions that any organization should be able to answer.
2. Alternatively, (ie, don’t use both models) there is an excellent paper in the ‘Unit Resources’ tab by Hambrick and Fredrickson. They propose that there are ‘Five Diamonds’ (Arenas: where will we be active?; Vehicles: how will we get there?; Differentiators: how will we win in the marketplace?; Staging: what will be our speed and sequence of moves?; Economic logic: how will we obtain our returns?). This paper also provides two examples (IKEA and BPI) and a fantastic checklist (Table 1 – Testing the Quality of Your Strategy) that you can consider. I really like this paper – it is easy to read, well-structured and logical.

Please read these documents before submitting your assignment.

UNE Assessment Rule

Assessments will be marked and feedback provided in line with the University Assessment Rule. Students should also be aware of the University guidelines on Academic Integrity including University Rules on Academic Misconduct and Plagiarism. Information is available in the Student Coursework Academic Misconduct and Plagiarism Rules and Avoiding Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct Advice for Students Guideline. All assessment tasks are required to be submitted through the TurnItIn Originality checking service unless there are specific instructions in the Assessment Information that require an alternative submission process.

UNE Business School Assessment Information for Students

For information on submission (including late submissions and extensions), return of assignments, and UNE grading system please refer to the UNE Business School Assessment Information for Students. Pay particular attention to the sections on presentation and referencing as this is very important in all UNE Business School units.

 

Assignment Guidelines – MM403

Trimester 2, 2016.

The first two assessment items (ie not the exam) require you to analyse an organisation and its strategic context. You will be required to choose a ‘target organisation’ for this analysis.

What is a ‘target organisation’? For some of you, this will be where you work as this will be an organisation where you have strong knowledge of the internal and external context. You will have access to good information and data about the organisation, its customers and its competitors. All of this knowledge and information will be important and helpful as you do your first and second assessment items.

Traditionally strategic management is applied within the private sector for-profit context. However, most students, if they are working, do not work in for-profit organisations. Other types of organisations where most people tend to work include the public sector, the defence sector, not-for profits and charities. Further many students work in family businesses that, while nominally ‘for profit’ are often not managed with the single goal of profit maximisation.

If you work in these types of organisations, you are very welcome to adapt the assessment tasks, in consultation with the unit convenor, so that if fits within the type of organisation that you are investigating.

However, for some of you it will be more appropriate to study an organisation that you are not working for. This may be because you are studying full time and/or not working or it may be for any number of other reasons associated with confidentiality or something else.

For this latter situation (ie when you have chosen an organisation where you are not working) it will be important to choose an organisation where there is substantial information regarding the internal and external context of the organisation.

Some examples (among millions of possible choices) might include Uber or Airbnb, two relatively new firms that have developed strong information systems that facilitates a ‘new economy’ peer-to-peer model within their respective industries. Another example might be BHP Billiton, a global mining firm that is struggling with the changing realities of the minerals and resources markets. Another example might be a small charitable organisation seeking to deliver services to its clients.

If you are going to choose such an organisation, make sure you choose one where there is plenty of information that is freely and readily available to assist your analysis. You will be making your life very difficult unnecessarily if you choose an organisation where there is limited information regarding its internal and external context.

 

Assessment one: (1,500 word report due 22 July 2016) – 20% (Now July 25 2016)

Assessment one requires students to complete an in-depth capability (internal) analysis of their target organisation.

Weight: 20%

There are a number of key models that you can choose to analyse your organisation’s internal environment. I am less prescriptive for this assessment item than I am for assessment item 2.

Some suggestions (choose any combination of elements from these, or from Chapter 4 of the textbook):

1. I really like the structure of the Trafalgar paper, where the authors assess the physical, human and organizational resources of the British fleet. They note that the combined Spanish and French fleet probably had superior physical resources, but this was overcome by the superiority of the British human and organizational resources. The authors assess these resources using a variant of the VRIO (valuable, rare, inimitable, well organized) model, specifying those resources that led to the British fleet’s competitive advantage.
2. Will Mitchell’s ‘Primer’ (available in the ‘Unit Resources’ tab) provides an excellent overview of relevant models that you could use to structure the first assessment item. Section D of this document is the relevant section. He uses the VRIN model, which is a variant of the VRIO model.

The Trafalgar paper provides a great example of a creative adaptation of strategic management models to a not-for-profit example and context. Obviously Horatio Nelson’s objective at Trafalgar was not to make a profit, but rather to win a battle. However you will see how the authors have creatively adapted the RBV model to this context and objective.

Read the FAQs at the end of this document for some more ideas and insights.

 

Assessment two: (2,500 word report due 2 September 2016) – 40% (Now 5 September 2016)

Assessment two requires students to complete an in-depth analysis of their target organisation’s external environment, discuss the strategic options open to the organisation and develop a mission and objectives statement for the organisation going forward.

Weight: 40%

The two key models to inform the analysis of the external environment are the macro-environment model (outlined and discussed on pages 68 – 75 of the text) and also Porter’s Five Forces model (outlined and discussed on pages 75 – 83 of the textbook).

I would spend around 1000 words on each of these two analytical models to explain what you see as the most important drivers affecting the organisations from its macro-environment (ie the macro-environment model) and its industry environment (ie the Five Forces model).

Then you should provide recommendations as to the strategic options open to the organization, leading to a mission statement and recommendations for key objectives.

For the structuring of this final strategic options/objective/mission section of your assessment item, I recommend one of two models:

1. The 5 Qs model in the text book provides five salient questions that any organization should be able to answer.
2. Alternatively, (ie, don’t use both models) there is an excellent paper in the ‘Unit Resources’ tab by Hambrick and Fredrickson. They propose that there are ‘Five Diamonds’, namely:
   • Arenas: where will we be active?;
   • Vehicles: how will we get there?;
   • Differentiators: how will we win in the marketplace?;
   • Staging: what will be our speed and sequence of moves?;
   • Economic logic: how will we obtain our returns?.
3. This paper also provides two examples (IKEA and BPI) and a fantastic checklist (Table 1 – Testing the Quality of Your Strategy) that you can consider. I really like this paper – it is easy to read, well-structured and logical.

Read the FAQs at the end of this document for some more ideas and insights.

 

 

Assessment three: Exam – 40% (For exam only, a Pass grade of 50% minimum is required to pass the unit)

This will be held during the exam block with final date and locations to be advised by the UNE Examinations section.

The examination counts 40% towards the final mark, please note that students must achieve a pass (50%) in the final examination to pass the unit.

The examination consists of five (5) short essay type questions, each question carries equal marks. Students are required to answer three (3) questions. Please be sure to carefully consider which questions will best reflect your efforts and knowledge when selecting your three questions.

The examination covers the following areas:

1. Topic five: Alternatives to Strategic Analysis: There are two readings reading 5.1 and reading 5.2 which are central to formulating a meaningful response to this question. The Forum question in Topic five is useful from a preparation perspective.
2. Topic eight: Generic Strategies and other Dimensions of Strategy formulation: Focus on the Generic Strategies, the topic notes and pages 180-192 contain the relevant material to inform your response to this question.
3. Topic nine: Strategy Formulation, Multi Business Strategies and Diversification: Focus on Diversification, the topic notes and the material relating to related and unrelated diversification on pages 255-272 should inform your response to this question.
4. Topic eight: The Topic notes do not cover International Strategy, International Strategies are however one of the strategic opportunities open to organisations. The pages of the text to read to inform your response to this question are pages 316- 324.
5. Topics Ten and Eleven: Strategy Implementation. In preparing for this question students should consider what needs to be done to successfully implement the organisations strategy. Figure 12.3 on page 347 of your text is the framework with which to develop your response to this question.

 

 

Rubric for MM403 Assessment Items (1 & 2)

 

Grades	Criterion:Task Achievement	Criterion:Analysis and Application	Criterion:Quality of Expression
High Distinction  Excellent as demonstrated by:	Thorough completion of all task components supported by deep and broad relevant research.	Broad and deep analysis and application of all relevant concepts;  High level of critical thinking;   Well-reasoned discussion throughout.	Conforming to high academic standards;  Coherent throughout;   Well-developed position in relation to the literature.
Distinction  Very good as demonstrated by:	Completion of most to all task components supported by relevant deep and broad research.	Mostly sound conceptual analysis;  Very good critical thinking;   Mostly sound reasoning.	Most components conforming to academic standards;  Mostly coherent;   Mostly well-developed position in relation to the literature.
Credit  Good as demonstrated by:	Completion of most task components supported by relevant research.	Some evidence of application and analysis of relevant concepts;  Some critical thinking;   Some evidence of reasoning.	Some components conforming to academic standards;  Somewhat coherent;   Position in relation to the literature is emerging.
Pass  Satisfactory as demonstrated by:	Completion of the main task components supported by some relevant research.	Limited evidence of analysis and application of relevant concepts;  Mainly descriptive;   Adequate effort to address the question.	Mostly uses own words;  Limited coherence;   Literature is summarised.
Fail  Unsatisfactory as demonstrated by:	Main task not completed and minimal knowledge about relevant research.	Fails to apply relevant concepts;  Little or no evidence of analysis;   Inadequate development of the discussion.	Using the words of others;   Poor coherence;   Literature is not summarised.

*Academic Standards = plagiarism, referencing, grammar, spelling, formatting and structure related to the assessment task

 

 

 

 

Assessment FAQs

Q: Do I need to pass all assessment pieces to pass the unit?

A: No, but you do need to pass the exam and also achieve over 50% overall to pass the unit.

 

Q: Do I need to reference my assignment and if so what format should I use?

A: Yes, your submitted assessments 1 and 2 need to include full references where appropriate. This is not necessary for the exam. You should use the APA format:

 

https://www.une.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/12958/REF_APA-Referencing.pdf

 

Q: How much referencing of evidence is needed for the assessment pieces. For example if I do my own workplace and say something about historical knowledge, length of employee service and so on, and how this contributes to my organisation am I expected to have evidence and references?

A: No – not if the knowledge is undocumented – which will often be the case in situations like this. In Assignment 2, however, the focus becomes more ‘external’, in which case it will be important to provide some references to information gathered relating to industry and competitors.

 

Q: I have found an older version of the textbook. Is this OK?

A: Yes, this is fine. The page numbers referred to here may differ slightly, but the main theoretical content will not have changed significantly.

 

Q: I work in a large organisation (the Australian Defence Force). Its three services provide a very ‘broad subject’ area to cover, and our essays are only 1500 and 2500 words respectively. Should I drill right down to my own local element and conduct an analysis from its point of view?

A: Yes, absolutely a good idea to keep the RBV analysis as narrow as possible. Staying narrow allows more depth of discussion about the variety of physical and intangible resources available to the organisation and, just as importantly, about how these are bundled into capabilities and routines.

 

Q: I’m confused about all the models regarding organisational resources. I’ve seen reference to RBV (the resource based view) and RBT (resource based theory) and even KBV (the knowledge based view). Are these all the same?

A: I know most of you aren’t destined for an academic career (quite wisely I suggest). Academics tend to make their names creating new theories, and being known for those theories.

 

RBV probably has its intellectual roots in work by Edith Penrose:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Penrose

 

This is a famous quote from her 1959 book (cited in the Wiki above):

 

“All the evidence we have indicates that the growth of firms is connected with the attempts of a particular group of human beings to do something.” In theorizing about companies that grow, Penrose wrote: “There are important administrative restraints on the speed of the firm’s growth. Human resources required for the management of change are tied to the individual firm and so are internally scarce. Expansion requires the recruitment of more such resources. New recruits cannot become fully effective overnight. The growth process is, therefore, dynamically constrained.”

 

Penrose was not a great self-promoter, and much of this remained dormant for decades until her insights were extended and ‘packaged’ by more recent theorists including Jay Barney:

 

http://jom.sagepub.com/content/17/1/99.abstract

 

In an intellectual (and self-marketing) sense, other academics sought to create adaptations of these theories (and indeed Penrose’s theories) to also make themselves ‘known’. Thus we have a proliferation of models and theories, essentially saying the same or very similar things.

 

I would include in this list the work of Hamel and Prahalad:

 

https://hbr.org/1990/05/the-core-competence-of-the-corporation

 

the work of David Teece and colleagues:

 

http://www.business.illinois.edu/josephm/BA545_Fall%202013/Teece,%20Pisano%20and%20Shuen%20(1997).pdf

 

the work of Eisenhardt and Santos (the Knowledge Based View):

 

http://www.uhu.es/alfonso_vargas/archivos/Eisenhardt%20y%20Santos-2001.pdf

 

and an entire Japanese tradition, perhaps best exemplified by Nonaka and Takeuchi:

 

 

Importantly (and saying things most positively) these various works are not competing alternatives like supporting the Manly Sea Eagles and supporting the mighty Bulldogs are alternatives – they really all explore similar underlying phenomena and cause-effect relationships.

 

The essential shared element of all of these theories is that one form of sustainable competitive advantage is doing what you do differently from your competitors – with a general focus on intangibles and especially employee knowledge and culture.

 

This is a useful intellectual history:

 

http://jom.sagepub.com/content/37/5/1299.full.pdf

 

Q: I’m doing Assessment 2. My organisation does not ‘compete’ with others for customers as we are a regulatory agency of government. As such, the Five Forces isn’t really relevant for my organisation. Likewise, when I look at the Hambrick and Fredrickson model, the idea of ‘differentiators’ doesn’t fit with our context. Should I choose another organisation?

A: No, I’d recommend you stay with your organisation as I’d like to see your assessment add real value for your current role and organisation. I would suggest you look at the elements of the models presented in the question that do make sense and are relevant. For example, your organisation may be using new forms of technology to monitor regulatory issues (this would be an example of a vehicle), may be moving to cost-recovery charging (economic logic) and may be part of a fee for service delivery arrangement with another jurisdiction (like New Zealand). The Hambrick and Fredrickson model is useful in framing some of these issues, but not all. Use it where it makes sense.

Likewise, issues in the organisation’s macro-environment (like technological change and demographic change) will be of vital importance to your analysis. Use these elements where they are relevant to frame your submission.

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