ASSESSMENT BRIEF Subject Code and Title MGMT6011 Strategic Management Capstone Assessment One – Development of a Case Study Individual/Group Individual Length 3000 words Learning Outcomes PLO1, PLO2, PLO3 and PLO4 Submission By 11:55 PM, Melbourne time, Friday, end of Module 3Choose an item. Weighting 50% Total Marks 50 Objectives: ? Apply strategic management theory into practice; ? Development understanding of theories, concepts and models to support operations frm a strategic perspective; ? Identify and analyse strategic issues; ? Assess organisational strengths and limitations; ? Build awareness of ethical and social considerations for strategic issues; ? Evaluate information in support of the development of a case study report; and ? Gain global perspectives in the analysis of strategic issues. Instructions: Choose an organisation you are familiar with. Draw on several peer-reviewed academic journal articles using the library resources available to you. You are to use your chosen firm as the vehicle through which to validate the theory in this subject. This means your primary job in this assignment is to bridge theory and praxis. In preparing your report, ensure you cover the following points: 1. Introduce your organisation, its objectives and examine its ownership structure. Comment on the external and internal governance mechanisms and any forms of external control; 2. Identify and explain the basic sources of cost and differentiation advantage in the industry. Position the organisation and its major competitors in a strategic group diagram, using theory to explain it as well as any assumptions you make*; 3. use a value chain analysis of your organisation to identify sources of competitive advantage; 4. conduct a VIRO analysis of the sources of competitive advantage from question 3 to determine whether they are indeed sources of sustainable competitive advantage. Connect the development of these resources with the corporate governance mechanisms you identified in question 1; MGMT6011_Assessment_1.Docx Page 2 of 6 5. make recommendations for the development of strategic resources (including corporate governance processes) to increase the competitiveness of your organisation, while staying within the same strategic group (recommendations that create competitive advantage consistent with the organisation’s current competitive posture are expected). You are expected to produce an academic report that includes an executive summary, formal document sections such as a table of contents, introduction and conclusion. As this is the capstone (or equivalent) subject, it is expected you will be very used to and comfortable with using external sources to validate your thinking and to demonstrate substantial wider reading. Students should use the brief to inform what is required in the assignment and the following rubric to inform the standard of work required to earn your desired grade. * Some students may choose to analyse a government enterprise and later claim that there are no competitors. Governments, local councils and countries all compete for resources, to attract investment and other non-monetary capital. All entities compete! MGMT6011_Assessment_1.docx Page 3 of 6 Learning Rubrics Assessment Attributes Fail (Unacceptable) Pass (Functional) Credit (Proficient) Distinction (Advanced) High Distinction (Exceptional) Identification of strategic issues 5 marks Does not adequately demonstrate an awareness of strategic issues. Focuses on low-level ideas that are operational in nature or that do not affect the longterm viability of the enterprise. Adequately demonstrates an awareness of strategic issues. More work is needed to articulate an understanding of the case study and its emergence as a key competitor. Meets minimum requirements in demonstrating an awareness of strategic issues. May require some additional work in making some aspects of the case study clearer to the reader, or to provide more contextual detail. Exceeds minimum requirements, clearly articulating a penchant for awareness of strategic. The report, particularly the start, is focused on the strategic issues facing the case study organisation. Demonstrates an outstanding awareness of strategic issues in the presentation of the case study. This aspect of the report should be used to demonstrate to future students how to demonstrate strategic awareness! Assessment of organisational context 10 marks Does not demonstrate any formal techniques in assessing and analysing the external environment. Relies on narrative to describe context. Adequately applies one or more formal techniques in assessing and presenting the context for the case study organisation. Some greater attention to detail is needed. Meets minimum requirements in applying formal techniques. Could use an additional technique to fully present the context. Minor errors in the application may feature. Moves beyond minimum requirements by attempting a PESTEL, SWOT and five forces analysis to a good standard. Context is clear. Shows an outstanding application of formal techniques, including PESTEL, SWOT and the five forces model to an excellent standard. Analyses critically presented and shows no bias. MGMT6011_Assessment_1.docx Page 4 of 6 Assessment Attributes Fail (Unacceptable) Pass (Functional) Credit (Proficient) Distinction (Advanced) High Distinction (Exceptional) Analysis of strategic issues 10 marks Does not use the prescribed techniques—value chain and VIRO—to an adequate standard. Analysis is cursory or non-existent. Does not trace the source of competitive advantage. Demonstrates an adequate application of value chain- and/or VIRO analyses. Significantly more detail is required to demonstrate mastery of these. Analysis may need to be focused more. Meets minimum requirements in the preparation of value chain- and VIRO analyses. May need to trace competitive advantage back to its source in order to fully demonstrate proficient use of the prescribed techniques. Moves beyond minimum requirements in the application f the value chainand VIRO analyses. Demonstrates a firm grasp of the analytical tools and shows progress toward mastery of them. Demonstrates outstanding application of value chain and VIRO analysis to produce considered and critical analysis of sources of sustainable competitive advantage. Mastery of analytical techniques has been shown. Recommendations 5 marks Little or no recommendations are provided. Of those that are present they are pedestrian, lack imagination or do not relate to the development of the case study. Adequate volume of recommendations is provided. The individual recommendations can be seen to relate to the development of the case study but need development in order to generate blockbuster status. Meets minimum requirements in the development of an appropriate volume of recommendations that are related to the case study and demonstrate an appropriate degree of imagination, leading to a clear attainment of sustainable competitive advantage. Exceeds minimum requirements in the development of a number of strong recommendations that relate to the case study and demonstrate imagination. A clear path forward has been charted. Recommendations can be seen to integrate directly with theoretical concepts established earlier in the report. Recommendations consistently transcend practical considerations and represent the attainment of sustainable competitive advantage. MGMT6011_Assessment_1.docx Page 5 of 6 Assessment Attributes Fail (Unacceptable) Pass (Functional) Credit (Proficient) Distinction (Advanced) High Distinction (Exceptional) Report presentation 5 marks The presentation needs serious work. One or more critical elements— introduction, conclusion or executive summary—are missing, the paper is grossly over the word limit. The paper may lack headings and adequate division into paragraphs. The paper is adequately presented, although it is hard for a reader to navigate. One of the introduction, conclusion or executive summary is missing or needs work. There may be a breach of the word limit and expression needs significant work to get your message across to the reader. The presentation meets a minimum requirement and includes all formal document sections (introduction, conclusion and executive summary). Some additional headings or division into paragraphs would help reader comprehension. Some work on phrasing will also help readability. The paper moves beyond minimum requirements as it is presented professionally. The formal document sections (introduction, conclusion and executive summary) are present and meet expectations. An outstanding presentation. All sections flow logically, are linked and have been punctuated with a compelling executive summary, introduction and conclusion. All figures are labelled appropriately, introduced and form part of a cogent argument in the discussion. This is a model presentation for future students. Use of appropriate academic sources 5 marks Little or no academic references are used to reinforce certain points. An attempt to integrate academic sources has been demonstrated. But significant additional reading is required to be demonstrated. An attempt has been made to incorporate academic sources into the paper. There is a good volume of sources being used and the paper would benefit from some critical appraisal of that literature. The paper demonstrates a good volume of sources being cited throughout. The author has been critical of academic sources and all sources referred are in the references list (and vice versa). A substantial amount of credible and strong academic sources have been cited throughout the report. The correct referencing style has been adhered to. MGMT6011_Assessment_1.docx Page 6 of 6 Assessment Attributes Fail (Unacceptable) Pass (Functional) Credit (Proficient) Distinction (Advanced) High Distinction (Exceptional) Integration of subject theory 10 marks Makes little or no attempt to validate theory from the subject into the presentation of the material. Makes an attempt to incorporate theoretical concepts from the course into the report. Attempts to show theory as a feature of the report. May need some additional critical thought to develop mastery of those theoretical components. Has clearly made theoretical concepts the feature of the report. Is critical of theoretical components, tracing the original source of the concept and showing a theorypractice bridge. Demonstrates mastery of theoretical concepts from the subject by critically reflecting on and, at times introducing counterarguments to those ideas. The paper should be reserved as a model answer for theoretical integration.