idual Strategic Report: Week 10 (100%)
· Pick a company of – Thomas Cook
· You are asked to develop a Professional Strategic Analysis Report addressing the four specific tasks set in the guideline below. This should be 1000 words excluding Title, Abstract, Table of contents, Bibliography and Appendices.
· You must develop a complete strategic management analysis of an organization of your choice. You should research the key developments inside and outside your case organization. The study must not stretch back beyond 5 years.
· For further information see the “Assessment Guideline”.
The report must address the following tasks:
· Analyze the key changes in the strategic position i.e. external environment and internal environment (including changes in organizational resources, competences, capabilities, leadership, culture and other internal aspects) of the case study organization during the period identified for your research.
Students are to use a variety of the theoretical materials as well as company/market/sector data to analyze the major changes in the internal and external environments of a case study organization.
· Critically evaluate how well the organization responded to the external and internal challenges over the period concerned. Part of your critical evaluation could be a discussion of whether the strategy of your case organization is prescriptive and/or emergent.
The focus of the critical evaluation is to determine how well the case organization responded to the changes analyzed in task 1. This evaluation should include considerations for the realized strategy of the organization and evaluation of its successes and failures. Such considerations should be supported by analysis of the key performance indicators for the period studied i.e. from the end of the case study to present.
· Critically discuss the basis and sustainability of the competitive advantage of your case organization.
Students are to use a range of theoretical frameworks to develop a critical discussion about the basis of the competitive advantage of the case organization and how it changed over the period studied. Students are also to conclude how sustainable the competitive advantage of the case organization going forward.
· Based on the above- develop a range of strategic options available to your case organization to ensure its success and sustainability into the future. Choose the most appropriate option and critically discuss a range of implementation issues associated with it.
Students are asked to develop a range of strategic options for the organization to ensure its long-term success. This needs to be specific and relevant to the organizational context studied. They need to be strategic and not operational in nature. Development of each option needs to be supported by the theoretical materials studies during the module and the company/industry/market data.
Structure of the work
Cover page
The Table of Contents
Introduction: Background, Scope, Method of Investigation, Research Question, Research Objectives
Body of Analysis: Analysis using theories and models studied in class; use of facts, figures, graphs and visual material
Conclusion
Bibliography
Appendix
Grading Criteria
The work will be graded on the clear objectives displayed, the use of theories to analyze the internal and external environment of the company, the identification of critical success factors, the development a clear strategy with three levels, and a strong conclusion with recommendations. Attention will be given to the use of theories, facts and the clear transition of ideas in the work.
Submission
The assessment must be upload on a Turnitin folder created by the lecturer on Moodle. The tile of the file should be containing the following information: Student Names – Student IDs – Work Title
Submission within a week after the deadline will be capped at 70%. Submission 8 days and more after the deadline will receive a zero (F).
Mitigating Circumstances
In case the student cannot attend an assessment or submit it on time, the student can fill in at the office a mitigating circumstances document with a proof to receive a chance to submit or attend the exam at another date.
