Strategic Management
The report must answer the following by applying the tools, techniques and models of strategic management in two parts:
1. An external environmental analysis of the industry the organisation operates within: How is the organisation and overall sector/industry being affected by the current downturn? What competitive pressures exist within the sector/ industry? How does this impact on their positioning for competitive advantage? What changes are likely to affect the organisation in the future? This will require you to make reference to appropriate analytical tools or techniques e.g. Porter’s ‘Five Forces?� analysis, amongst others. The important point is that analytical tools are properly used and appropriate interpretation given to your findings; i.e. what are the implications of this analysis for the organisation? What are the opportunities and threats they face?
2. An analysis of the internal environment and the organisation’s strategic capability.
You will be asked to critically evaluate the strategic resources and competencies of the organisation, appropriate reference should be made to analytical tools or techniques e.g. value chain analysis, core competencies etc…This question will focus attention on the internal resources/ competencies and capabilities of the company, identify the basis on which the company attempts to compete, e.g. Differentiation/ Cost/ Focus. What are their strengths and weaknesses and how significant are they given the external analysis?
This question requires you to demonstrate your analytical skills and justify your answers.