TASK DESCRIPTION

Assessment Component 1A:

Assessment Component 1A: Accompanying Professional Presentation Paper Executive Summary and PP + notes

As a strategy consultant, you have been approached by the Board of Directors of an existing company of your choice to advise them on their future strategic direction. You are required to present your opinion, based upon researched evidence, in the form of a report to cover the following five tasks:

Task 1

The strategic direction that the company has followed in the past and the way in which strategic thinking has developed within the past 5 years.

Task 2

A detailed analysis of the industry in which the company is operating to include:

- The choice and use of appropriate frameworks for strategic analysis.
- A critical discussion of the company's competitive advantage among its direct competitors.
- The probable industry scenarios facing the company within its existing market domains.

Task 3

Further analysis with regard to:

- Whether their mission and vision statements are aligned to the demands of the marketplace.
- The company's strategic capabilities.

Task 4

Discuss possible strategies that the company could follow to defend its core business.

Task 5

In the light of your discussion in tasks 1-4, analyse and evaluate the resource implications of your recommendations that the company has to address.

Assessment Component 1B: - Written Assignment

Individual Supporting Contributions to the previous Presentation

Each student is required to provide supporting documentation for the group presentation outlined below. The maximum word limit for this documentation is 3000 words.

The required content of the supporting documentation produced by each student should cover the specific categories listed below:

o Provide an executive summary for their personal and individual research and work undertaken for the topic set-required in Executive Report standard format:

Indicate and identify the key areas of research and sources which the student has had to identify and undertake to contribute to the group report and their key sources of research/references/literature search sources related to the topic selected.

o A critical discussion of strategic models from the evidence identified by the individual student and other group members related to the topic set.

o An indication of the way in which their individual contribution impacted on Group Discussion by listing the action points included in the report.

Each student will receive an individual mark for their submission of their individual supporting contributions and documentation. It is emphasised that this aspect of the assessment is to be the work of the individual student and should reflect individual research; comprehension of the tasks involved; views; critical awareness; use of theory; interpretation and judgements; use of evidence; evaluation and a systematic approach to the use of research.

You may use appendices. These do not affect the word count.