Identify strategic issues, priorities that need to be addressed for the organization

Learning Outcomes (LO)

1. Demonstrate advanced understanding of contemporary strategic management theory, concepts, and principles (LO#1).
2. Demonstrate advanced knowledge of how strategy formulation & strategy implementation processes work in contemporary organisations (LO#2).
3. Conduct an in-depth analysis of the internal and external environment using appropriate strategic management concepts and tools (LO#3).
4. Evaluate different strategic alternatives and suggest an appropriate and ethical pathway for a business to build and sustain competitive advantage (LO#4)
5. Demonstrate ability to synthesise a range of business and management concepts when undertaking strategic analysis (LO#5)

Task

Building on your analysis in the first assessment, recommend competitive strategies (e.g., broad low-cost strategy, focused low-cost strategy, broad differentiation strategy, focused differentiation strategy, best cost strategy) for the current competitive conditions.  Then, identify complementary strategic actions to maximise the overall strategy.  Finally, examine the role of ethics, organisational culture and leadership in relation to your recommended competitive strategy and strategic actions.  

Procedures

Your report needs to address the following requirements:

1. Introduce the report (~100 words)
2. Recap the organisational and industry context (~100 words)
3. Briefly explain the strategic issues from your analysis in the first assessment and why (~300 words)
4. Recommend and justify one of the five generic competitive strategies to address the prioritised strategic issues for the organisation in the current competitive conditions (~600 words).
5. Identify and evaluate three complementary strategic actions that could be taken to strengthen the organisation’s competitive position and overall strategy (e.g., offensive, defensive, first mover strategy, blue-ocean strategy, merger, acquisition or strategic (~900 words)
6. Discuss the following three areas the organisation should consider in the implementation of the recommended generic strategy and complementary strategic actions (~900 words):
   • Ethics
   • Organisational culture
   • Leadership
7. Conclude the report (~100 words).

Requirements

Note: All written assessments should be submitted as Word files (.docx) (Word is available from your AIB Office 365 account).

Assessment example

The purpose of the example is to stimulate your critical thinking. Comments indicate areas of strength and opportunities for improvement for you to consider. However, the example does not provide a model answer. You must follow the assessment instructions with regard to content. 

• The required word length for this assessment is 3000 words (+10% tolerance)
• In terms of structure, presentation and style you are required to use: 
  • AIB standard report format - 9001SMGT Assessment 2 template
  • AIB preferred Microsoft Word settings - see the AIB Style Guide
• This assessment requires you to use a minimum of four (4) credible academic sources in addition to your textbook. You may also use current company, industry, government and media sources to support your statements, but these will NOT count toward the minimum required credible academic sources for your assessment. Most web-based sources are not sufficiently rigorous and credible for use in academic assessments and will NOT count toward the minimum required credible academic sources for your assessment. For further guidance, refer to Scholarly, academic & peer-reviewed journals. 
• You must appropriately acknowledge all sources of information in your assessment with the AIB Harvard author-date style of referencing – see the AIB Style Guide?and Assessment Policy.
• The title page, executive summary, table of contents, reference list and appendix are not included in the word count.