BUMGT5976 Strategic Management Assessment 2: Strategic Industry and Firm Analysis

Assessment Overview

In the contemporary business landscape, maintaining a competitive edge requires more than just operational efficiency; it demands a rigorous evaluation of both environmental constraints and internal strengths. This assessment task requires you to transition from theoretical understanding to practical application by acting as a strategic consultant. You will analyze a high-performing organization to uncover the specific strategic drivers that have led to its market dominance and provide forward-looking advice to sustain that performance.

Assessment Task Description: Group Report

Working in groups of no more than three students, you are required to select a superior-performing firm (defined as achieving industry above-average performance) that is currently listed on a major stock exchange. Note: You may not choose Flight Centre for this assessment.

Your group will produce a 3,000 to 3,500-word professional report (excluding executive summary and references) and deliver a presentation of your findings during the Week 12 workshop. Your analysis must integrate established strategic frameworks to evaluate the firm’s historical success and future viability.

Required Report Structure

1. 1. Firm and Industry Background: Provide a concise history of the chosen organization and an overview of the primary industry in which it operates.
   2. External Environmental Analysis: Apply Porter’s Five Forces Framework to examine the competitiveness of the industry. Identify the specific threats and opportunities currently facing the sector.

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1. Strategic Evaluation: Analyze the distinctive features of the firm’s business-level and corporate-level strategies. Detail how these choices have contributed to superior performance throughout the company’s history.
2. Strategic Improvement: Drawing on the theories of “Strategy Gurus” such as Michael Porter and Henry Mintzberg, propose how the firm’s strategy-making process could be refined or improved for future challenges.
3. Consultancy Advice: As a consultant, what specific new capabilities should the firm develop to adapt to the changing industry environment? Provide actionable recommendations.

Submission Details and Requirements

• Word Count: 3,000 – 3,500 words.
• Due Date: Monday of Week 12 by 11:55 pm.
• Format: Written Report (submitted via Moodle/Turnitin) and Workshop Presentation.
• Referencing Style: APA Reference Style.
• Weighting: 45% of total course grade.

Marking Criteria and Rubric

Reports will be assessed based on the depth of research, the accuracy of framework application (specifically Five Forces and Strategy-Making processes), the quality of critical synthesis, and the professional standard of the written document.

 Strategic Analysis

The successful execution of a corporate strategy often hinges on the alignment between a firm’s internal resource base and the external pressures identified through a Five Forces analysis. High-performing organizations distinguish themselves by creating a “fit” between their functional activities and their overall strategic positioning, which effectively raises barriers to entry for potential competitors. Scholars emphasize that “strategy is the creation of a unique and valuable position, involving a different set of activities” (Porter 1996). When evaluating a firm’s business-level strategy, it is vital to look beyond simple cost-leadership or differentiation to see how integrated these choices are across the value chain. Mintzberg’s view of strategy as an emergent process suggests that superior performance often results from a firm’s ability to learn and adapt rather than solely following a rigid top-down plan. Our analysis of the chosen organization reveals that their capability to pivot during digital disruptions was the primary catalyst for maintaining their market share. Future sustainability for this firm will likely depend on augmenting their data analytics capabilities to better predict shifting consumer preferences in a volatile global market.

Resources and References

• Barney, J.B. and Harrison, J.S. (2020) Strategic Management: Concepts and Cases. 13th edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Hill, C.W.L., Jones, G.R. and Schilling, M.A. (2020) Strategic Management: Theory & Cases: An Integrated Approach. 13th edn. Boston: Cengage Learning.
• Porter, M.E. and Heppelmann, J.E. (2014) ‘How Smart, Connected Products Are Transforming Competition’, Harvard Business Review, 92(11), pp. 64–88. Available at: https://hbr.org/2014/11/how-smart-connected-products-are-transforming-competition
• Teece, D.J. (2018) ‘Dynamic capabilities as (workable) management systems theory’, Journal of Management & Organization, 24(3), pp. 359–368. doi: 10.1017/jmo.2017.75
• Whittington, R. et al. (2020) Exploring Strategy: Text and Cases. 12th edn. Harlow: Pearson.