Individual Assignment This assignment is based on a real life applied case and relates to the...

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Individual Assignment This assignment is based on a real life applied case and relates to the academic literature in the textbook “Exploring Strategy – Text and cases”, 11th or 12th edition, by Whittington, R., et al., published by Pearson, chapters 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16. The textbook is accessible via www.perlego.com.Introduction Case study Oak Tree Inn: Growth challenges facing a family-run tourism business This case study is about the development of the Oak Tree Inn business in Balmaha, Loch Lomond, Scotland www.theoaktreeinn.co.uk. The business is a family run SME and is in the tourism sector. It has been successful as a bar, restaurant and holiday accommodation with an annual turnover in 2018 of £3m ($3.8m and €3.4m). The owner-directors have aspirations to grow to a turnover of £10m ($12.8m and €11.3m) by 2025. The business is considering options for expanding. These include replicating the Oak Tree Inn in other locations within the Loch Lomond National Park (and using a centralised kitchen), developing a water boat and floating restaurant to provide access to people from other parts of the loch and expand into options to support online trade (e.g. selling artefacts from Loch Lomond with an associated brand). This case provides students with opportunities to generate and explore business options and factor in current issues such as strategic decision making in a family business, raising finance, tourism policy and how to attract and retain employees within the tourism/hospitality sector, i.e. addressing the human factor. The latter being probably the most important resource within corporate strategy.Finally: We wish you success with developing your thoughts and ideas based on your understanding and application of theories in real practice.

Important considerations regarding the assignment • Your paper should be a minimum of 2,000 words no less. • The paper should demonstrate your academic ability to perform complex case study analysis and understand thoroughly topics regarding corporate strategy as covered in the module Advanced Corporate Strategy SM31. • Consult “Type 2 Examinations Instructions” on www.wittenborg-online.com. • Develop a practical, applied and academically correct assignment, taking “Exploring Strategy – Text and cases”, 11th or 12th edition, chapters 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 into account. • Therefore, use Academic English, and start each of the answers to the tasks with a concise introduction of the task. • Use correct academic referencing and do not plagiarize. Plagiarism is a serious offence and will be reported to the Graduation & Examination Board. Use the EEG for information on type 2 assignments, as well as how to prevent plagiarism. Similarity check is part of the marking procedure.

Tasks on the theme ‘Case study Oak Tree Inn: Growth challenges facing a family-run tourism business’.1. Analyse the business’s current strategic position;2. Assess their Suitability(S); evaluate the Acceptability(A) of the range of strategic options; evaluate the Feasibility(F) of the strategic options, particularly with reference to ‘how to attract and retain employees’ and produce a final recommendation after Evaluation and synthesis of each of S, A and F;3. There is an interesting dimension to explore how the business has grown and may continue to change and grow over time. The central roles played by Sandy Fraser (the father) and Lucy (the mother) is inspirational and thoroughly engaging. How two of their sons and one of their daughters are now taking on key responsibilities is also an interesting insight into leadership, succession and managing change. Features of organisational structure, internal communication and resilience are the key identified challenges going forward for this ambitious business. Elaborate on the subject of leadership, succession and managing change.
The tasks and content are related to Whittington, R., et al. (2017 or 2019). Exploring Strategy. Harlow: Pearson. Text of the case, see next pages too, is digitally available: ereader.perlego.com/1/book/1323532/58. Support your elaborations with examples, arguments, and references! To get a better understanding of the context within which the business is operating you can look at the National Park website: www.lochlomond-trossachs.org and sources for Scottish tourism facts and trends, such as: www.visitscotland.org (click: Corporate and then Research and Insights). Information sources on family business in the United Kingdom can be found at: www.ifb.org.uk

sm31advanced-corporate-strategy-exa2mmxd-n3ylm4cn.pdf

Dr. Vidhya · Accepted Answer

ADVANCED CORPORATE STRATEGY: OAK TREE INN BUSINESS
Table of Contents
Brief Overview	3
Background: Suitability of New Corporate Strategy	3
The Acceptability of New Business Venture	4
Feasibility of Tourism and Oak Tree	5
Strategic Implications	5
Recommendations	7
References	8
Brief Overview 
In the context of modern business world, organisations thrive to testify their potentials in terms of expanding their business. In fact, this expansion is closely linked to the internal strategic decisions that are carefully planned and executed. The organisations should hold up to their mission and vision, clearly putting the strengths and weaknesses into process. At the same time, strategic decisions are the exemplary notions that help in stabilising the business as well as they project how the company should be viewed in a given span of time (Hiippala, 2017). The following is the analysis of the corporate business strategy of Oak Tree Inn, one of the unconventional businesses but still, an attractive and successful business venture in tourism and hospitality. It is governed by a single family and there is a great need of having governing body for ensuring that the expansion of business is well carried out. 
Background: Suitability of New Corporate Strategy 
At first, it is significant to note here that Oak Tree Inn is a family owned business, a kind of SME that has performed excellently in the course of time. The entire family of Lucy and Sandy is positively engaged in making the finest Scottish experience in terms of developing bar, coffee and ice cream parlour across the National Park. There are evidences in the case study, which are considerable in terms of depicting integrated strategic decision-making model so far applied to the family business.
For example, reckoning that the business venture is successful, the family has decided to expand over other possibilities in tourism. Currently, there are various retail outlets, which Oak Tree has opened and they all are governed and processed smoothly. Thus, there is ongoing ‘success in everything’ kind of venture for the family. The expectations now are focused over entering tourism officially, perceiving several opportunities existing in the Scottish tourism. 
Further, in the context of opportunities existing, the branding of National Park itself is sufficient to foresee the market trend for tourism. There are international tourists who have been tempted to see the scenic beauties and landscapes that are naturally developed in and around National Park region (Ironside and Massie, 2020). Particularly, there are visitors who prefer seeing authentic places in terms of linking their experience with raw nature. They are expected to bring in a large number of possibilities in tourism and hospitality.
These two major segments are encouraging enough to have futuristic plans and their executions for Oak Tree and they are rightfully placed in the centre of opening this new venture. The support appearing on behalf of the Scottish government is also noteworthy here; liberal tourism policies, leverage in the tax system as well as granting subsidies to the new business ideas are some of the major standpoints on behalf of the government (Wilson, 2020). These are more like promotional factors coming at the perfect time when Oak Tree business is determined to expand its business ventures.
This is implied here that the efforts are made to develop the entire National Park region as a place that can hold up to tourism business throughout the year. Mostly, it is summer season that is primarily seen as the season for tourists of both types, national and international (Hiippala, 2017). However, the industrial interventions are already in motion, affirming the idea that new business ventures will be successful in future. 
The Acceptability of New Business Venture 
As per the observation of the Oak Tree business so far, they have shown immense possibilities of growth in tourism; therefore; the degree of acceptance for them is highly recommendable. What makes Oak Tree business as an acceptable business norm for expansion is the knowledge of the local area that Fraser family carries out. They are locals and they know precisely the business trend, in which they can be fully functional.

Individual Assignment This assignment is based on a real life applied case and relates to the academic literature in the textbook “Exploring Strategy – Text and cases”, 11th or 12th edition, by...

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