Accountant in Business Assignment -

Learning Outcomes -

• Demonstrate an understanding of the role and functions of accounting in an organisation.
• Examine the link between accounting and other key management functions.
• Demonstrate an appreciation for organisational factors, which could influence the effectiveness of the function of accounting.

Assignment Task: The company to be examined is British Airways plc (BA). BA is owned by International Airlines Group plc (IAG). Your task is to analyse BA's "current situation". You can source the latest information from the IAG website.

Assignment Questions (please answer all questions):

1. a) Using appropriate management tools and models, analyse BA's "external" environment, as at 2014. Your answer should contain as a minimum:

• Market segmentation
• PESTLE analysis
• Porter's 5-Forces
• Critical Success Factors

2. Using appropriate management tools and models, analyse BA's "internal" strategic position as at 2014. Your analysis should include as a minimum:

• The basis of competition (Porter's generic and/or Bowman as a minimum)
• The activities and resources of the company (Value Chain and the Resource Based View; VRIN)
• The culture of the company (Cultural Web; Hofstede)
• The stakeholders of the company (Stakeholder Analysis: power/interest matrix)
• A comparison with competitors in the same industry
• Conclusions

3. What are the key drivers for change for BA and what implications arise?