• Apply relevant strategic management tools to conduct internal and external environmental analysis.
• Critically evaluate the strategic position of a business.
• Formulate appropriate strategic options for different contexts.
• Evaluate potential strategic choices using relevant models and frameworks.
• Critically appraise and make practical use of mainstream global strategic concepts in simulated and real business situations.

1. Be able to review the organisational strategic aims and objectives
2. Be able to analyse progress towards organisational strategic aims and Objectives
3. Be able to evaluate strategic options to support a revised strategic Position

Assume that this Strategy Report is being prepared for submission to the organisation’s Board of Directors. As such, it should reflect a high standard of professionalism in both its research depth and analytical rigour, as well as in its formatting and writing style.

You are expected to incorporate and apply relevant business models and analytical frameworks commonly used for conducting an environmental audit. The report should also include a thorough evaluation of strategic options, considering their suitability, practicality, and long-term viability. Use clear headings and subheadings to structure your discussion effectively.

The starting point of this strategy report is selection of an organisation. You must select one international organisation of your choice. You can also make your selection from the list of FTSE 100 constituent companies. Choose your company carefully. Your selection could be based upon areas of interest, the type of company that you might want to work for in the future and/or the course you are enrolled on. We suggest that you shortlist a few companies and briefly review each of the organisations prior to making your final choice. The choice must be yours alone and not your tutor’s.

Executive summary: This is a summary of key points from each section of the report. What did you find out? What conclusions have you drawn?

Introduction: This includes the purpose of the report and an introduction to the company’s operations, its size (number of total employees and locations), their proposed strategy, its financial situation, general state of the sector/industry (for example, is it in growth or decline) and its key competitors. Your analysis appears in the main body of the report. This section also includes an outline of the contents of your report.

Sector Analysis: An analysis of the sector/industry through Porter’s Five Forces model.

Strategic Position Analysis: Analysis of the organisation’s strategic position in its industry by using relevant business KPIs in comparing the performance of the organization with that of its main competitors.

Internal Business Environment Analysis: An analysis of the organisation’s internal business environment – specifically the capabilities of the organisation. This will include the use of the VRIO framework.

Organisation’s Strategic Direction Analysis: This needs to be undertaken with a clear identification of the methods by which the organisation’s strategies have been pursued. You can use Six Sigma framework or Boston Consultancy Group (BCG) framework to analyse this.

Strategic Expansion: In this section you must make a critical strategic decision for the expansion of the organisation to a destination (country/region) of your choice.

You must justify your strategic expansion by selecting one appropriate internationalisation framework (e.g., Network theory, Transaction Cost theory, Uppsala model) and one Entry Mode. You should critically evaluate the benefits/outcomes of the suggested expansion.

Recommendations: Your recommendations are derived from examining the organisation. These should link back to your research.

• Written or typed notes that you have developed from textbooks, journal articles and other sources.
• Rough drafts of your work.
• Any downloads or print outs of journal articles that you have obtained.
• Material from quality newspapers and business magazines that you have collected.This material will be required if you are requested to attend a Viva Voce in support of your submission. You can be required to attend a Viva Voce if there is any concern regarding the authenticity of your work. [Please refer to the University’s Regulations on Academic Misconduct].

Assignments must be organized in the following format:

• Word-processed in Arial font, 12.
• Margins must be as follows: Top; 1.0 inch (2.5cm), Bottom; 1.0 inch (2.5 cm), Left; 1.25 inches (3.2 cm), Right; 1.25 inches (3.2 cm).
• All pages must be numbered in the top right-hand corner.
• Use only a plain white background – no coloured/designed backgrounds (including company logos) as this impedes readability.

Use of Tables: Use tables only where appropriate. Where you do use tables (perhaps to show changes in values) make sure that they are clearly labelled (e.g., Figure 1 Title) and there is a clear interpretation of the information within the text (e.g., figure 1 demonstrates…).

Diagrams: Use diagrams carefully, remember that this is to be a professional strategy report, as such any illustrations must be suitable to present to a board of directors.

Written English: Review both your sentence and paragraph structuring prior to submission. Your written English must be of a professional standard.

Peck, J. and Coyle, M. (2005) The Student’s Guide to Writing: Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling. (2nd Ed). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

There are also other resources that you can use