How much for this assignment
TBUS 620: Business Strategy Project Master of Business Administration; Master of International Business; Master of Marketing; Lecturer: Dr Barbara Gligorijevic Semester 2, 2020 Page 1 of 4 Case Study Analysis (30%) - INSTRUCTIONS Topic: This assessment should deliver an in-depth case study analysis – from a business strategy perspective. Students may examine a business or an organisation of their choice, by selecting one of the following business enterprises: Virgin Australia Scentre Group (Westfield) A2 TikTok Smiggle Purpose: The purpose of this report is to allow students to analyse a company by using the theoretical knowledge, business concepts and models that are delivered in class in weeks 1-5. The company must be selected from the list above. Students should analyse organisation’s business strategy or aspects of it. Here is the list of theoretical themes that may assist in completing the analysis: 1. Business Strategy (Concepts and Techniques) 2. Company’s Direction and Capabilities (Vision, Mission, Objectives and Strategy; SWOT) 3. External Environment (PESTLE, Five Competitive Forces, Industry Dynamics, Competitor Analysis, Success Factors, Industry Outlook for Profitability) 4. Resources and Competitiveness (Competitive Advantage, Value Chain, Value Proposition) 5. Five Generic Competitive Strategies (Low Cost Provider, Broad Differentiation Strategy, Focused Strategy, Focused Differentiation Strategy, Best-Cost Provider) The students will have to describe it as a business case study - that reflects a company’s business strategy decisions (e.g. layoffs, diminishing profits, takeovers, retail closures, change of industry, entry to new markets, new product development, international expansion, sales and acquisitions, disruptive or obsolete technologies, industry leadership, or any other similar issues). Format and referencing: Written report The word limit for this assignment is 1500 words, excluding executive summary, references, figures, tables, and charts. It should be submitted via Turnitin as a Word or PDF file. The cover page should include student’s name, student number, study program (MBA, MBI, MM), unit name and code, and company’s or organisation’s name. Each student will individually analyse a selected case (from 5 listed companies) and submit a written report (via Turnitin) by due date: Sunday 20th September 2020, 11:59 pm (23:59). There will be no alternative method of submission. Late assignments will receive no marks. General feedback and number of marks per marking criteria will be provided within each electronic copy. Assignments with a high similarity rate should be edited and resubmitted by the due date. This assignment must be students’ genuine work - a draft version, or extensive research notes may be requested as a proof. Language assistance is available at Top and students may book an appointment with the English Language and Academic Skills Coordinator Ms Martha Hendra (
[email protected]). Please book proofreading assistance at least three working days in advance. mailto:
[email protected] TBUS 620: Business Strategy Project Master of Business Administration; Master of International Business; Master of Marketing; Lecturer: Dr Barbara Gligorijevic Semester 2, 2020 Page 2 of 4 When conducting research for this assignment, students need to correctly reference or cite the original sources (Harvard referencing style). The assignment must have a proper reference list, any omissions will be penalised. For a pass mark - students need to have at least 5 references. For a higher mark a bare minimum is 10, but it is expected that a HD assignment would have 15 or more good quality and discipline relevant references. If students are using any additional readings that are not necessarily cited or referenced in the body of the assignment – a bibliography list can be added. This paper may include up to three appendices, each appendix should not exceed a full A4 page. Presentation In addition to the written report, students will be required to prepare a short PPT presentation (3 slides only focusing on the content of the written report, maximum 5 minutes long - excluding cover slide and list of references) about the selected company/topic. The purpose of this exercise is to allow students to practice how to present a compact presentation format and speaking in front of an ‘expert’ audience and their peers. Q&A may follow each presentation. Students will receive a verbal feedback from their lecturer and members of the audience about their presenting skills, good public speaking characteristics or aspects that may require improvements. Students are obliged to deliver this short presentation as an overview of their previously submitted paper in Week 5. Students should submit their PPT slides via the Turitin link by Wednesday 23rd September 2020, 11:59 pm (23:59). Students that do not present the highlights from their reports (as a short presentation) will receive a mark reduction (-20%) for their written assignments. Submitting PPT slides, which were not presented in class by a student (as explained above), will not in any way affect the mark reduction procedure. Description: Written report and presentation The students need to select a case study (company) from the list above. This organisation should be briefly introduced, analysed, issues identified, and linked to the theory. The identified issues should be clearly outlined and justified (with supporting arguments from academic or industry sources) within the context of the company’s business strategy and business environment in which the selected company operates. This report should explain the company’s business strategy case, what were the outcomes of the introduced strategic changes, what were the consequences for the organisation or perhaps for the industry in which the company operates. This paper should provide a set of clearly outlined business strategy issues that should be justified by using the academic literature, industry reports or research findings. Structure and content: Written report This paper should have the following structure: - Cover page – student name, ID, unit code and name, type of assessment (Case Study Analysis); - Table of content; - Executive summary – a detailed overview of the full paper; - Introduction – a brief outline of issues that will be discussed in this paper; - Analysis – about a company, analysis of a company’s background (industry, size, history, organisation’s structure, available resources, product portfolio, market share, etc.); TBUS 620: Business Strategy Project Master of Business Administration; Master of International Business; Master of Marketing; Lecturer: Dr Barbara Gligorijevic Semester 2, 2020 Page 3 of 4 - A detailed description of two (2) business issues - highlighting reasons why the company decided to implement changes, or completely change its strategy; - Outcomes – what consequences may arise from this strategic change, for the organisation or industry in which the company operates; - Recommendations – a set of commendations how to encourage positive outcomes and boost growth, or how to diminish negative consequences and prevent reoccurrence of similar issues in the future; - Conclusion – a brief overview of the key points presented in the paper; - References and bibliography; - Appendices - up to three, but not longer than 3 pages. The paper should use only valid (academic journals, industry reports, financial reports, government publications, etc.) sources of information that are based on primary research or experts’ analysis, as arguments. Recommendations should be well structured and should correspond to the analysis, and the identified issue(s). The writing style should be clear and precise. It is a prerogative to link the identified issues to the theory, and to provide suitable strategic solutions / recommendations to the identified issues. Students will need to show their understanding of the business strategy theoretical models, and use the business concepts that are relevant and appropriate for this type of analysis. The accurate business terminology should be used throughout the paper. If students need any type of language assistance, they may contact the Language and Academic Skills Coordinator - Ms Martha Hendra (her email is listed above). Presentation The structure of the presentation should be as follows: 1. Cover slide: student name, ID, unit code and name, assignment type, selected topic (company name); 2. Slide 1: short introduction and background of the selected company; 3. Slide 2: identified business issues (listed in bullet points); 4. Slide 3: proposed solutions for each listed issue / recommendations and conclusions; 5. Closing slide: list of references or bibliography. This presentation should highlight the main points from a submitted paper such as: - Identified business strategy issues and consequences, - Key readings (as listed within the written assignment), - Any other relevant facts/materials. Marking: The mark for this assignment is weighted 30% of the total mark for this unit. For more details, please check the Case Study Marking Rubric. TBUS 620: Business Strategy Project Master of Business Administration; Master of International Business; Master of Marketing; Lecturer: Dr Barbara Gligorijevic Semester 2, 2020 Page 4 of 4 CASE STUDIES RUBRIC Assessment Criteria and Performance Standards for Case Studies Mark: Max 30 points Performance Standard Unacceptable level of achievement – minimal or no evidence of understanding of theory Acceptable level of achievement – some minimal evidence of understanding of theory Acceptable level of achievement – meets minimal requirements High level of achievement--- displays the application of professional & industry standards Exceptional – displays the application of professional and industry standards to a very high level Case study context and problem identification /10 0 --- 1 2 3 4 5 No real evidence of understanding the case study within the context of a body of knowledge or the principal issues requiring solutions Some minimal evidence of understanding the case study within the context of a body of knowledge or the principal issues requiring solutions Adequate evidence of understanding the case study within the context of a body of knowledge or the principal issues requiring solutions High level of ability of understanding the within the context of a body of knowledge