Part A – Application of the Strategic Management Cycle Framework used in this unit
Part B – Application of your “Specialist” knowledge to a chosen issue
This project uses a major Australian organisation as a case study (materials supplied).
Part A
You will take on the role of “strategic consultant” and apply the general strategic framework explored in this unit to the organisation to develop a strategic business plan.
Marking criteria:
- The professional production of the report, its logical development of ideas, sentence skills, structure of text, and awareness of the target audience
- The clear and thorough referencing of the sources all facts, views and opinions quoted or summarised that are not your own.
- The relevance of the information and resourced materials used (both quantitative and qualitative).
- The relevant and appropriate application of strategic analysis tools (that is, tools and techniques should be applied that are relevant to the analysis being undertaken).
- The quality and validity of recommendations and how well these are based on the strategic analysis (that is, the reader should clearly understand why you are making these recommendations given the previous discussion within your analysis)
- How practical the recommendations are to implement within the context of the organisation (this should be demonstrated within your discussion of how these are to be implemented)
Additional information/preparation:
Key activities/elements include:
- Identifying the major issues confronting the organisation based on the case study materials.
- Undertaking further research to obtain more detailed background information
- Applying the strategic management concepts and analytical tools discussed within this unit appropriately to fully define and explore these issues.
- Performing more detailed analysis as appropriate and relevant to help frame and provide context for the recommendations.
- Using the outcomes of your analysis to make clear, logical and implementable recommendations to help manage and/or benefit from these issues.
- Producing a report that is detailed enough to enable the organisation to commence planning/implementing your recommendations.
Part B
You will take the role of a “specialist” utilising the knowledge you have acquired within your Masters’ program to demonstrate how this specialist knowledge can add value to the organisation.
This part of the report is an opportunity for you to further develop a particular issue that, for example, may have been identified in your Part A analysis, but which now may benefit from further, more detailed, analysis, investigation or discussion using your specialist viewpoint. Or, it may be one that you have identified independent of your Part A work.
It may be, for example, a developing issue in the macroeconomy or a variable arising from changes in the social environment that may impact stakeholder expectations somehow in the years ahead.
It may be, alternatively, an issue concerned with internal organisation factors that may impact future strategic success, for example, skills or capability issues.
- It may be an issue independent of your findings in Part A but whatever the scenario you will pursue, it needs to be an issue that may potentially impact, either positively or negatively, the future success of the organisation. The issue you identify needs to be relevant to your specialisation and needs to be relevant to the case organisation – this is how you are demonstrating your value.