5-Year Strategic Performance Review of Unilever Nigeria Plc MGT5301

Assessment guidelines

Produce a 3000-word Individual Coursework (+/- 10%) (excluding appendices and the list of references) which offers students the ability to demonstrate their developing knowledge and application of the teaching and learning material covered in weeks 1 to 7. It also encourages students to develop their thoughts and perspectives on contemporary business issues and be intellectually creative (underpinned by credible resources).

Your assignment should be MS Word processed (handwritten assignments are not accepted), using Times New Roman size 12 font, double spaced, with numbered pages. Note this is a report supported by academic research so you should adhere to the appropriate referencing guidance. The word limit stated for this assignment excludes the list of references at the end of the assignment but includes all text in the main body of the assignment (including direct quotations, in-text citations, footnotes, tables, diagrams and graphs). Please be aware that exceeding the word limit will affect the academic judgement of the piece of work and may result in the award of a lower mark. Appendices are not considered a supplement and will not be assessed as part of the content of the assignment. As such, they will not contribute to the grade awarded; however, it may be appropriate to use an Appendices section for any material which is a useful reference for the reader. Please note that appendices are not included in the word count. The majority of references should come from primary sources (e.g. journal articles, conference papers, reports, etc.) although you can also utilise area specific textbooks. You must ensure that you use the Harvard style of referencing. Please indicate the word count length at the end of your assignment.

Learning outcomes applied in this assessment

Knowledge

LO.1 explain the theory and practice of businesses (COI, CID, SID)

LO.2 describe a range of current problems and changes that organizations face in being successful (COI, CID, IC, SID).

Thinking skills

LO.3 critically evaluate research and theory to support decision-making and explain progress (COI, CID, SID).

LO.4 analyse complex issues, make reasoned judgments with incomplete data, and communicate conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences (COI).

Subject-based practical skills

LO.5 students will discuss good practice for organization success (COI, CID, SID).

LO.6 undertake a critical audit of skills and capabilities for a professional career and identify areas required for improvement (COI, CID, EID).

Skills for life and work (general skills)

LO.7 developing and communicating critical evaluations of organization progress (CID, EID, SID).

Task

You are required to prepare a 5-year strategy review to shareholders for evaluating the business simulation activity of a listed (registered) company of your choice. (Unilever Nigeria Plc)

In your report you should cover:

• Vision and Strategy (e.g., vision, values, mission, HR, Culture)

• Performance review of each years progress including:
  
  
  • Competition analysis: Porters Five Forces; market choice/ share; competitors; internal capabilities; industry trends/ attractiveness.
  
  
  • Simulation performance results
  
  
  • Performance analysis (evaluation of strategy, decisions Marketing/ HR/ Logistics / Finance / Product development / Event response
  
  
  

• Future Plans and Recommendations (Key decisions for next 5 years, identify any changes to current strategy, why and how to achieve, recommendations based on your performance and analysis, potential growth, internalisation/ diversification or acquisition)

• Appendix (include full Business Plan)

Further Details:

Performance review:

• Assess the success of the strategy or strategies compared to industry conditions and competitors

• Analyse company performance e.g., comparing actual performance with targets in Business Plan, financial data analysis, decision analysis, and justification of performance measures and strategy, application, or business scorecard etc.

Performance analysis further details:

• Explain why business plan achieves / missed, why performance better/ worse than competitors.

• Explain differences from competitors/ industry

• Explain any changes made to business plan and company, why, any impact.

The structure of a report

The main features of a report are described below to provide a general guide. These should be used in conjunction with the instructions or guidelines provided by your department.

Title Page

This should briefly but explicitly describe the purpose of the report (if this is not obvious from the title of the work); remember to add your name and student number/assessment number, and which assessment it pertains to.

Summary (Abstract)

The summary should briefly describe the content of the report. It should cover the aims of the report, what was found and a brief review of the conclusions. Aim for about 1/2 a page in length and avoid detail or discussion; just outline the main points. Remember that the summary is the first thing that is read. It should provide the reader with a clear, helpful overview of the content of the report.

Contents (Table of Contents)

The contents page should list the different chapters and/or headings together with the page numbers. Your contents page should be presented in such a way that the reader can quickly scan the list of headings and locate a particular part of the report. You may want to number chapter headings and subheadings in addition to providing page references. Whatever numbering system you use, be sure that it is clear and consistent throughout.

Introduction

The introduction sets the scene for the main body of the report. The aims and objectives of the report should be explained in detail. Any problems or limitations in the scope of the report should be identified, and a description of research methods, the parameters of the research and any necessary background history should be included.

Methods

Information under this heading may include: a list of research methods used (e.g. literature review using ProQuest resources and the filter criteria applied for each search) and other sources of information and details of selection/rejection; reference to any problems encountered and subsequent changes in procedure.

Discussion

The main body of the report is where you discuss your material. The literature and evidence you have gathered should be summarised, analysed and discussed with specific reference to the problem or issue. If your discussion section is lengthy you might divide it into section headings. Your points should be grouped and arranged in an order that is logical and easy to follow. Use headings and subheadings to create a clear structure for your material. Use bullet points to present a series of points in an easy-to-follow list. As with the whole report, all sources used should be acknowledged and correctly referenced (remember to use the most credible resources available).

Conclusion

In the conclusion you should show the overall significance of what has been covered. You may want to remind the reader of the most important points that have been made in the report or highlight what you consider to be the most central issues or findings. However, no new material should be introduced in the conclusion. Remember to specifically answer the initial questions posed.

Appendices

Under this heading you should include all the supporting information you have used that is not published. This might include tables, graphs, questionnaires, surveys or transcripts. Refer to the appendices in the body of your report.

List of References

A key feature of academic writing, the list of references should list - in alphabetical order by author - all published sources referred to in your report. There are different styles of using references so be sure to refer to the study guide and check your departmental handbook for guidelines.