Assignment: Business Strategy

Select a business or part of a business that you are very familiar with. The business must already exist. This is not an Assignment to evaluate a new venture proposal.

1. 100 words maximum

Provide background to the business, or part of a business, you are basing your Assignment on (this is to familiarise your marker with your subject matter).

2. 100-200 words maximum

Select a customer target. Outline the customer 'job to be done', what they want, crystallise customer needs.

3. 100 words maximum

Outline your current and desired position/core value proposition in broad terms (a positioning statement outlines how you intend to meet the 'job to be done'/customer needs). Your current and desired position may be the same. If the position is the same your Assignment is primarily concerned with how you can execute that position more effectively, efficiently and build for the future. Note: You cannot decide on your desired position until you have conducted your Audit in Section 5. Your desired positioning in this Section informs the marker of the outcome of your subsequent analysis.

4. 100 words maximum:

Optional tabulations: Current and Desired Marketing P's and Key Success Factors You may wish to outline:

a) Your existing and desired standing on the Marketing P's. Product/service, Price should have already been outlined in Section 3 - Positioning, your core value proposition. These can be recapped and Promotion, Place and other P's audited.

b) How well are your Key Success Factors and Key Performance Indicators aligned with your current and desired Positioning, your core value proposition?

5. 500 words maximum

Audit how well the business, or part of a business delivers its position currently in the operating model

-Initially you need to explain/describe what is done currently (stressing quantification - use diagrams/tabulations for this)

-In describing the operating model of the business, or part of a business, USE ONLY ONE of the following frameworks:

• The Strategy Canvas (reference: Kim & Mauborgne, 'Charting Your Company's Future')
• The Business System (reference: K. & J. Jagiello, Note: 'Executing a Position')
• The Value Chain (reference: K. & J. Jagiello, Note: 'Executing a Position')
• The Activity System Map (reference: M.E. Porter, 'What is Strategy?') (Pre-Workshop readings are supported by Workshop applications)

-You should outline what are the core activities, costs and resources at each stage of your operating model - quantify

-Note resources include: Financial (covered in Section 1 of the Assignment), Tangible, Intangible and Human. Your description should enable an evaluation of quality/quantity/productivity of resources.

6. 100 words maximum

Optional Tabulations: Resource & Capability evaluation (Note most Assignments have this Section). After explaining and describing the core activities, costs and resources in your operating model, a resource and capability audit is an optional application followed by a strength/weakness versus strategic importance evaluation. (R. Grant chapter 5 considers resource and capability analysis.) If you decide to have these optional tabulations include them straight after your description of your operating model in section 5 - before your 500 word improvement audit. (Note: in the Workshop Group 3 will apply this methodology twice to Unilever and Ice Cream).

7. 300 words maximum

Management Agenda - for the next 18-36 months

A Management Agenda is a blueprint for action, describing in detail how you intend to move from the current to the desired position (A to B). How the operating model will be strengthened to attain the desired position.

8. 200 words maximum.

Linkage internally to other areas of the company/organisation and to the external ecosystem.

The Assignment's focus is on your business or part of a business. This Section allows you to Reflect, and comment on how well key internal and external linkages are aligned, areas that can be strengthened or created. Focus on one internal linkage you would like to strengthen or create and one external linkage you would like to strengthen or create - outline how to strengthen or create here.

Attachment:- SM Assignment.rar