Unit Title :- Current Business Issues And Their Resolution
Assessment Type :- Assignment Case Study:
Overview :- For your assignment you will submit a 2,500-word case study on an organisation of your choosing. Your submission is comprised of two parts: the mini-case, and the analysis and synthesis note.
Remember : you must focus your case study on a real organisational situation
Current Business Issues And Their Resolution Assignment – UK
Part 1 : The mini case
The mini-case should be between 1,000 max 1200 words in length. The mini-case should present and explain a particular strategic problem or issue facing a real organisation within an industry of your choosing.
Strategic issues can come in many shapes and forms and a fundamental part of solving any such issue is defining it in the first place. This assignment therefore starts with this challenge. Generally speaking, strategic issues can be characterised as developments inside and/or outside your chosen organisation that are likely to impact on its long-term success or survival. These issues can include but are not limited to the emergence of new competition eroding market segments new regulation new technological synergies and possibilities major shifts in consumer behaviour and attitudes and so on. A good way to get you started will be for you read widely in the business press pick out headlines of ideas that signalled a strategic issue for a particular company or industry in the near future and start thinking of your story before you dive into your strategic analysis. Examples of such mini-cases can be found in your core text book: R.M. Grant Contemporary Strategy Analysis.
Make it interesting! Your case may focus on one or two strategic problem or issue make sure that the issue(s) you choose are clearly defined and explained and that you do not exceed the word count. Ideally the title of the mini-case will be a provocative question that you intend to evaluate or critique. At the end of the case I will advise that you end with one or two questions or a clear summary statement that would prepare readers of the case for the second part of your assignment.
In summary when developing your mini-case you must (a) think critically about what strategic issue (s) you want to address (b) consider which strategy framework(s) might be appropriate for analysing the issue, and (c) recognise that strategy problems rarely fit neatly into one framework.
In choosing your organisation:
1.You can choose which organisation you wish to focus on, but make sure you choose an organisation that you are familiar with, or where you can find freely available information relating to the organisation.
2. We recommend that you focus on one organisation but you may choose an issue that involves several firms an industry level problem or a sub unit within the firm. And if it is a big, multinational company it is ok to focus in one brand or division of that company.
3.The organisation you focus on may be a commercial not-for-profit private or public firm.
4. The case should be a real organisational situation (rather than fictitious).Good sources for ideas are the business press Financial Times The Economist, Business Week, Forbes, etc.).
5. It may be a good idea to choose the organisation you work for as this will facilitate the data collection process.
Part 2: The Briefing Note: Analysis and Synthesis
The purpose of this part of your essay is to critically analyse and ‘resolve’ the issue which you have set out in your mini-case study using the strategy frame works and concepts discussed in this module.
Use the briefing note to explain how the case material relates to one or two core strategic management concepts or frameworks and present your strategic thinking through them.
Important: the briefing note should include an in-depth analysis of one or two core concepts or frame works rather than a brief analysis of many different concepts. We recommend that you do not use a SWOT analysis as your core concept but if necessary you can include one in an appendix.
We suggest that you begin the briefing note by introducing and diagnosing the problem(s) set out in your mini-case before moving into your in-depth analysis. Remember to keep your writing focused and succinct: don’t include case material that is not analysed in your briefing note and make sure your briefing note is focused on the material presented in your case. The briefing not should be analytical rather than descriptive: do not repeat the material from your case, instead use the briefing note to draw conclusions, interpret the data and provide a critical analytical synthesis of the case.