Part -1:

This assignment will assess learning outcomes

1. Demonstrate a systematic understanding and critical evaluation of the key aspects of the strategic management process;

2. Demonstrate the ability to compare different theories and perspectives of strategic management and use and appraise them appropriately;

3. Critically evaluate theories and concepts of strategic management. Analyse and apply appropriate problem solving techniques plus knowledge learned to solving complex business problems;

4. Demonstrate the ability to communicate complex issues.

The Case Study

The Competitive Strategies of Lenovo in the Corporate Market

Executive Summary

In recent years, the personal computer manufacturing company Lenovo has utilized unique competitive strategies to achieve a rapidly increasing share of the computer and notebook market. After acquiring the IBM brand name and laptop division, Lenovo soon became a major player in the corporate market, inheriting along with IBM's notebook division technology and executive staff a reputation and branding that allow Lenovo a 19% market share in the international corporate notebook computer market. However, Lenovo is continuing to optimize their strategies for competing in a market dominated by major players Hewlett-Packard and Dell who account for 21% and 54% of the international corporate market, respectively. In the next year, Lenovo will be losing the rights to use of the IBM branding on their Thinkpad notebook series. This poses an interesting strategic problem: how can Lenovo continue to improve their share of the corporate notebook computer market once it has lost the IBM brand name? This case situation attempts to address issues and analyse Lenovo's outlook critically,

Background
Lenovo Group is a Chinese person computer manufacturer that has grown to be the third largest personal computing company in the world. Since its acquisition of the IBM Personal Computing Division in 2005, Lenovo has been a player on the international stage, expanding operations rapidly and seeking to develop an international reputation for the Lenovo brand name. By 2006, Lenovo had acquired and set up significant investments and centers in the United States, and had begun marketing Lenovo branded products outside China for the first time. An internal analysis of markets for both notebook and desktop sales shows that Lenovo continues to manufacture and sell about an equal number of laptops and desktops each year. Roughly half the sales of Lenovo products (including IBM branded products) continue to be sold in Asia, while the rest are relatively evenly split between sales in the Americas and in Europe.

In recent years, it has been the stated goal of Lenovo Group Chairman to "challenge perceptions of Chinese companies as mainly producers of cheap, low-end products." Lenovo has begun marketing high-end models of notebooks under the IBM brand, like the ultra-thin ThinkPad X300. As a result, Lenovo has not rolled out a range of low-end products outside of China. However, Lenovo has plans to release a wide range of products, at both low and high-end levels.

International PC Market Viability
Despite the slowly growing PC market in the US, the corporate market continues to demonstrate a healthy growth rate. The total corporate market size in the US grew from $664 billion in 2004 to $778 billion in 2007. Dell, HP, and Lenovo have dominated the corporate desktop and laptop market with 87% of enterprises purchased their desktops and 84% of enterprises purchasing their laptops from these three manufacturers in 2006, and the trend is expected to be the same in the next two years.

Customers

Customers in the corporate PC span the range from small and medium-sized businesses to large enterprises. Desktops have dominated the enterprise computing arena for decades because they are cheaper, more powerful and easily upgraded and repaired. However, increased needs for mobility and rapid increase in laptop performance-to-price ratios have resulted in a recent upswing in the share laptops have in the corporate market. Even as performance and price remain priority, additional factors like energy-efficiency, size, weight, and noise have become increasingly important. The ratio of desktops to laptops evolved from 75/25 in 2004 to 70/30 in 2006 and desktop managers reported in 2006 that their laptop usage plans over the next two years were 1.5 times greater than their desktop usage plans.

Brief Competitor Profiles
Dell is currently the top enterprise desktop and laptop supplier in the world. Dell supplies both desktops and laptops to more than half of North American and European enterprises, doubling its closest competitor in both notebook and desktop PC sales. In North America, Dell is winning 60% of the desktop and 58% of the laptop market. Dell's strengths lie in its low prices and product support. However, low R&D budget prevents Dell from producing new innovative products.

HP maintained its solid No. 2 desktop supplier status and recently overtook Lenovo for laptops, supplying desktops to 27% and laptops to 21% of North American and European enterprises. HP has also improved significantly year-over-year, especially across laptops. It gained 6% in the North American enterprise laptop market and 5% in the European enterprise laptop market in the last year. These gains will continue, since HP recently refreshed its entire lineup of Intel-based laptops in 2007 with Intel's Santa Rosa release. However, HP is behind in product quality and product support, according to surveys of customer satisfaction.

The Problem

Lenovo faces major obstacles to dominance both in the strength of its current competitors as well as in its impending loss of the IBM brand name for ThinkPad products. Lenovo to optimize the utilization of current borrowed brand image and to offer plans for the business future to achieve an improved share of the corporate market for notebook computers over the next several years.

Assignment Tasks

In this case study you need to do the following tasks:

1. Critically analyse the current state of international corporate PC market to get a better sense for the environment to address the problem of Lenovo. Use the concept of Porter's Six Forces.

2. Write a critical SWOT analysis on Lenovo's outlook in order to get a better sense of the corporate market and the impending loss of the IBM branding.

3. Explain the implications of competitive strengths gained by Lenovo applying the appropriate theory of strategic choices. Focus on the
organisation's perspectives in expanding product differentiation strategies.

4. Design a strategic plan that can structure Lenovo's challenges for market sustainability in the Sultanate of Oman.

Part -2:

Portfolio Tasks

1. Use an essay format to answer the assigned tasks. The prescribed structure is given below.

2. Write an introductory paragraph that provides a brief overview of the company featured in the video. Briefly describe the possessions of the organisation on the bases of its core values, technological intervention and innovation. End the introductory paragraph with the objectives of the portfolio.

3. The main body of the essay is the Content and Analysis. It should be supported with applicable theories and concepts to meet the following sub-tasks:

a) Analyse SABIC's successful organizational strategies applying the conceptual parameters of: (a) HR Management ; (b) Information Management, (c) Financial Management, and (d) Technological Management.

b) Evaluate critically the strategic formulation and execution built in SABIC in terms of: (a) vision development and (b) leadership process involvement

c) Formulate a tabular strategic option that can supplement the organisation on the aspect of its business ethics and social responsibilities. Support it with relevant theoretical citations.

4. Construct a concluding statement to end the essay.

5. Acknowledge the contributors to your work according to Harvard Referencing system. In-text reference is a must aside from the list of references provided at the end of the manuscript to assure consistency.

Structure of this Portfolio:

I. Introduction: (100 words) Should include the following:
- Brief overview of the company featured in the video links.
- Objectives of the portfolio (refer to the tasks)

II. Content and Analysis: (570 words) Should include the following:

1. Analyses of SABIC's successful organisational strategies applying the conceptual parameters of: (a) HR Management; (b) Information Management, (c) Financial Management, and (d) Technological Management.

2. Critical evaluation of the strategic formulation and execution built at SABIC in terms of: (a) vision development and (b) leadership process involvement

3. Tabular strategic option that can supplement the organisation on the aspect of its business ethics and social responsibilities in Oman.

Conclusion:

Provide a summary of the important points of discussion. It should be drawn according to the objectives of the portfolio mentioned in the introduction.

IV. References:

The required appropriate and varied range of references must be 10-20 sources with accurate application of Harvard Referencing SystemThis assignment will assess the following learning outcomes:
1. Demonstrate a systematic understanding and critical evaluation of the key aspects of the strategic management process;
2. Demonstrate the ability to compare different theories and perspectives of strategic management and use and appraise them appropriately;
3. Critically evaluate theories and concepts of strategic management. Analyses and apply appropriate problem solving techniques plus knowledge learned to solving complex business problems;
4. Demonstrate the ability to communicate complex issues.
Video Title: Main Link: Related Links: SABIC Corporate Firm - "Chemistry that Matters" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMicisnGE_Y

1. https://www.sabic.com/corporate/en/ourcompany/
2. http://www.accurateessays.com/samples/sabic-company-case-analysis/
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf30oQfq97A
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ijau3kS9Dw
5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpxvfk6OTP4
6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ijau3kS9Dw

This is web- link based courseware. From the given web links above you are required to view the video as often as you want to create an academic essay in response to the scenario presented in the video.

Part -3:

a. Design and implement an effective questionnaire (no more than five questions) to research the objective that you specified in Task 1.

Your questionnaire should contain one or two (and no more) open-ended questions capable of generating qualitative data. Then explain and evaluate the purpose and design of at least two non-trivial questions. (Your maximum pilot sample size should be 10 respondents.) Attach a blank copy of your questionnaire as an Appendix.

b. Design and implement an effective schedule for a semi-structured interview (with five potential questions) to research the objective that you specified in Task 1. Your schedule should contain one or two (and no more) closed question capable of generating quantitative data. Then explain and evaluate the purpose of at least two non-trivial questions. Comment briefly on what you expect to discover from a semi-structured interview that you could not discover from a questionnaire. (Your maximum pilot sample size should be 10 respondents.) Attach a blank copy of your semi structured interview schedule as an Appendix.

Analyse your results in relation to your research objective and attach the raw data collected in an appendix (500 words).

a. Analyse the qualitative data from your pilot research. Briefly summarise and analyse the key themes and issues arising from your responses.

b. Analyse the quantitative data from your pilot research. Give a summary and brief analysis of the results for each question.

Evaluate your research in terms of the lessons learnt from the pilot, appropriateness of the research instrument in relation to the research strategy outlined in Task 3, the reliability and validity of your results, etc. (200 words).

Comments on each task:

Tasks 1, 2 and 3 will test student's ability to design a research project.

Task 1 Distinguish between the broad aim of your research and specific research questions/objectives. One objective/question is sufficient to show that you understand this distinction and to inform the rest of the assignment.

Task 2 Gather and process a more relevant critical review of literature (i.e., that you know how to use different sources, relate your project to debates and disagreements and identify knowledge gaps that provide a rationale for your research objective). For this task, you are required to do enough additional readings to identify four or five relevant non-trivial references for use in the literature review (try to include a mix of newspaper articles, web sites, and academic journals).

Task 3 Explain your research strategy and methodology in terms of an appropriate selection from the range of concepts introduced in the lecture course: e.g.,

Level 6 Block 1: Research Methods Assignment

Please read the attached assignment and guidelines carefully.

AIM: This assignment assesses the learning outcomes of the Research Methods module. To this end, you are asked to devise a research project, to conduct pilot research, and to analyse your results on one of the following topics:
- Issues related to the development of the society such as tourism development in Oman, Women Entrepreneurs etc.
- A Study on job satisfaction with special reference to any organization in Oman
- Any appropriate topic agreed with your module tutor

Please note that the total word count excludes appendices. Appendices contain supporting information and for this assignment little supporting information should be needed beyond that identified in the tasks or guidelines. The recommended (approximate) number of words for each part of the assignment gives guidance on the required extent of analysis (i.e. approximates to the marks allocated to a task).

The assignment should be appropriately presented in numbered sections and sources of information must be Harvard Referenced.
The assignment is to be completed individually.

COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING SEVEN TASKS:

1. Give your research a title and develop one research objective. (100 words)

2. Undertake a short literature review. Summarise any theory and evidence relevant to your research objective. (500 words)

3. Briefly explain your research philosophy, approach and strategy. In particular, comment on what makes your research positivist, phenomenological or a hybrid of both. (300 words). In approach whether you have used an inductive or deductivebai6ach. In strategy, whether you have used ethnography, grounded theory or survey strategy in inductive approach. State the reason for your choice of philosophy, approach and strategy.

4. Complete the Faculty ethical approval process for your proposed research using the fast track ethical approval form. The research must be approved by one of the module tutors before undertaking any primary research. Attach the approved form (and mandatory additional documents) to the assignment as an appendix. Briefly reflect on the ethical implications of your research. (100 words).

5. Answer either part (a) or part (b). (300 words plus questionnaire/interview schedule)) positivist/phenomenological research; deductive/inductive approaches; theory- testing/theory-building; quantitative/qualitative data; research sample frame / sample size and so forth.

You will need to think carefully about both your research question/objective and your research philosophy/strategy/approach, as these will influence your choice of research technique in Task 5.

Task 4 You need to ensure that you understand and have learned how to comply with Staffordshire University's procedures for ensuring that proposed research complies with prevailing ethical standards.

Task 5 Design a research instrument to implement your chosen research methodology and so answer your question/meet your objective. Five questions are sufficient to demonstrate that you understand how to design a survey questionnaire or a schedule for a semi-structured interview. However, it is not feasible for you to implement the full-scale project. Accordingly, you are required to implement only the pilot research with a small pilot sample size of 10 (for a questionnaire) or 10 (for an interview). The purpose of a pilot is to ensure that your research instrument is capable of generating valid data, and that the collection and analysis systems are appropriate, before embarking on the full research.

In Research Methodology the researcher has to state clearly what research design, sampling technique, tool used for analysis and sample size they have adopted in their research study.

Task 6 Present and then analyse both quantitative and qualitative results. The balance between quantitative and qualitative analysis will depend on whether your research instrument was a survey questionnaire or an interview schedule: for the former, the main emphasis will be quantitative; for the latter, qualitative. However, all answers must contain at least some analyses of both types with emphasis of its data implications. The data analysis and interpretation has to be supported with proper diagrammatic representation like pie chart or bar chart.

Task 7 Demonstrates the ability to reflect critically upon the strengths and weaknesses of your research strategy, methodology and research instrument in terms of theory and in light of lessons learned during the pilot data collection and analysis phases of the research.