You are required to analyse your company’s strategy using the 5 P’s framework (Mintzberg,
1987). To conduct the analysis you must carry out original research. Your analysis should take
the form of a critical evaluation and the report should present a clear and convincing argument.
EXPLANATORY NOTES ON TASK
Use of the 5 P’s framework: You are required to analyse all of the 5 P’s but you are free to
give greater emphasis to some of the 5 P’s than others. If one of the 5 P’s does not fit your
company, you should explain why.
Each of the 5 P’s is based on a considerable body of literature and you are encouraged to delve
into this literature to gain a deeper insight into each of the 5 P’s. For example, the definition of
strategy as ‘position’ is based on the work of Michael Porter (2004) and the Boston Consulting
Group (Stern and Stalk, 1998), among others.
Presenting your analysis of the 5 P’s of your company’s strategy in 3,000 words is a difficult
task and should not be underestimated. It is strongly advised that you use diagrams to help you
present your findings clearly and economise on words.
Carry out original research: Your analysis should be based on data that you have collected
and analysed yourself. As a minimum, it is suggested that you use your company’s website, its
official reports, and press releases as sources of data. Further, to analyse a number of the 5 P’s
you will likely need to collect data over a number of years, for example strategy as pattern.
Conduct a critical evaluation: For this assignment, it is not enough to describe your
company’s strategy. You will need to consider the limitations of their strategy also. The 5 P’s
framework can help to you to critically evaluate your company’s strategy. For example, you
may feel that your company is paying insufficient attention to one or more of the 5 P’s or that
the relationships between some of the 5 P’s is problematic.
Present a clear and convincing argument: The quality of your argument will likely be a key
determining factor in the grade you receive. Your report should say something meaningful
about your company’s strategy and you should be able to summarise this message in no more
than three sentences. Further, it should be clear from the report how the analysis supports your
argument.
ASSIGNMENT STRUCTURE
The assignment must include an abstract, an analysis section and a critical evaluation section.
The expected content for each section is provided below. The sections will be weighted as
follows:
? Abstract – 10%
? Section 1 – 60%
? Section 2 – 30%
Abstract
The abstract should present the following:
? Description of the company chosen.
? Rationale for choosing the company.
? The argument of the report.
? Description of the data used for the analysis.
Section 1. Analysis of your company’s strategy using the 5 P’s framework
In this section, you will present the analysis of your company’s strategy. This will consist of 5
sub-sections (1.1 to 1.5), one for each of the 5 P’s. These sub-sections may vary in length
depending on the emphasis that you give to each of the 5 P’s. There is no need to present the 5
P’s framework as the marking team are familiar with it. You should define key terms however.
For example, you could define positioning using the definition from Mintzberg (1987), a
definition from Porter (2004) or the Boston Consulting Group (Stern and Stalk, 1998).
Section 2. Critical evaluation of your company’s strategy
In this section, you will move beyond description to critically evaluate the strategy of your
company. The form of the critical evaluation will depend on the analysis conducted but you
may want to think about the balance between the 5 P’s in your company’s strategy or the
relationship between the 5 P’s. You may even consider the relationship between your
company’s strategy and its financial performance. In this section, it should be clear how the
argument of the report evolved out of the analysis conducted.
NOTES OF ASSIGNMENT STRUCTURE
The structure of the report is designed in such a way that you will focus on writing up content
that will contribute towards your grade. An introduction is not required as the marker will get
an overview of the report from the abstract. Background information on your company, beyond
that presented in the abstract, is not required. The marker will get a better understanding of
your company from your analysis of its strategy. A conclusion is not required. Instead, section
2 will act as a conclusion for the report.
FORMAT
3000 word (+/- 10%) written assignment.
References should be presented in the Harvard Style format.
The report should be written in size 12 Time New Roman font and should be double-spaced.
A standardised template for the final report is provided at the end of the assignment brief and
must be used by all students.
the template:
Abstract
1. Analysis of [insert your company’s name]’s strategy using the 5 P’s framework
Present sub-sections using the numbers 1.1 to 1.5.
Figures and Tables should be numbered and titled.
2. Critical evaluation of [your company’s]’s strategy
Present sub-sections using numbers, starting with 2.1.
Figures and Tables should be numbered and titled.
References
Please insert your reference list in Harvard Style format here.
PS: the company chosen is the company “NEXT” a fashion retail company.
Please use the company reports among the references.
