UGB202 Assignment Checklist

Here is a selection of questions that you need to consider. You may not need to write
about all of them but you do need to think about the relevance of many of them when
advising an organisation of a strategic management process.
Questions relating to your introduction and to the strategic analysis stage
These are some topical questions that you should be discussing in the first part(s) of
your assignment. In each case you need to give a brief outline explanation. You
should not just quote or paraphrase from textbooks. You should give some
examples (in relation to your chosen organisation) to illustrate the academic
perspective of a strategic management process and to show that you really
understand what you have written.
Your examples and illustrations must relate to your chosen organization.

1. What is meant by the strategic management process?

2. What are the three stages of the strategic management process and how do
they fit together and contribute to the strategic management process?
3. What is meant by strategic analysis? What are its component parts and how
do they fit together and contribute?
4. What techniques are appropriate for analysing the external environment: both
the general environment and the competitive environment?
5. What techniques are appropriate for analysing the internal environment?
6. What role does SWOT analysis play in the strategic analysis stage?
Questions relating to strategy formulation (and choice) stage
These are some questions that you should consider in relation to the strategy
formulation stage of the strategic management process. Again, in each case you
need to give a brief outline explanation. You should not just quote or paraphrase
from textbooks. You should give some examples to illustrate the ideas and to show
that you really understand what you have written. Your examples and illustrations
must relate to your chosen or invented organization in one of the designated
industries although you consideration of corporate strategy may necessarily go
beyond the designated industries.
1. What is meant by the strategy formulation stage? How does in fit into and
contribute to the three-stage strategic management process?

2. What are the key differences between business strategy and corporate
strategy and what do these differences mean for strategy formulation?
3. What are the key differences between the two main approaches to formulating
business strategy: market positioning and resource-based strategy?
4. What are some of the strengths and weaknesses of Porters generic
strategies?
5. What are some of the implications for business strategy of the resource-based
approach?
6. In relation to corporate strategy, what are some of the main decisions that
need to be made?
7. In relation to your chosen organization what might be relevant growth
strategies?
8. What are the advantages and disadvantages of related and unrelated
diversification?
9. In relation to your chosen organization which if any of the following are
appropriate: internal growth, mergers, acquisitions, joint-ventures and/or
strategic alliances?
10. What is meant by portfolio analysis and how is it relevant? In relation to both
business strategy and corporate strategy what aspects of international
strategy are relevant to your organization?
11. What international strategies might be appropriate?
12. What market penetration strategies might be appropriate?
13. When deciding on the best strategy to adopt; what strategy evaluation
technique could you apply?
Some consideration should also be given to strategy choice. How might a
organization choose between competing strategies?
Questions relating to the strategy implementation stage
These are some of the questions that are relevant to the implementation stage of the
strategic management process (strategy implementation). You may not need to write
about all of them but you do need to think about all of them. The general points
above also apply to this stage.
1. How will the strategy be resourced? Having carried out a systematic
assessment of any or all resource inputs e.g. HR, financial, physical,
intellectual, are they sufficient (Are there enough?), are they adequate (Is
their condition, location or quality adequate for the purpose?), and are they
available. (Are the required resources available at the time and in the
quantities required?)?

2. Is the current organizational culture suitable?

3. What is the existing organizational structure and is it adequate? What other
organizational structure might be more suitable? (Entrepreneurial, Functional
Divisional, Matrix or Network?)
4. What are the organizational processes and do they need to be changed,
improved or developed?
5. What strategic control systems are needed to implement any new strategy?
6. What sort of changes is involved in implementing any new strategy
(evolutionary or revolutionary)? Is Greiners schema of five stages relevant?
7. What changes are necessary and how will they be managed?
8. How might the following concepts be relevant?: visionary organization,
strategic leadership, the learning organization, emotional intelligence,
vision, values and culture
9. How might Hofstedes categories of national culture be relevant?
10. How might Beer and Nohrias (2000) Theory E and Theory O be relevant?
11. What issues of corporate ethics and corporate governance are relevant?
12. Who are the important stakeholders and how can they be satisfied?
Some overall points of guidance
Your introduction should include a general introduction to the paper as a whole and a
guide to its structure. It should also include a brief introduction/summary of your
chosen or invented organization but it would be good to supplement this with a fuller
company profile in an appendix.
There should also be a brief conclusion to the paper as a whole.
You must use the Harvard system of referencing (abbreviated in-text references with
a full alphabetical reference list at the end) a guide to the Harvard system of
referencing such as Cite them right.
You should comply with the overall word limit but the balance between the various
sections is a matter for your judgement. Note that the Title Page, Executive
Summary, Contents page, Reference List, Appendices, diagrams, tables and direct
quotations do not count in your word limit.
Do not forget that you are not expected to actually carry out the various part of the
strategic management process, except perhaps to generate examples and
illustrations. You are expected to give an overview explanation of how the various
parts fit together and contribute to the three-stage strategic management process.
Read the assessment grid/marking scheme to be sure that you do what is required
to gain your desired mark.

Suggested Report Structure:

This assignment is a report so it should be formal in structure with the use of heading
and sub-headings.
Title page
Executive Summary
Contents page
Title
o Introduction
o Strategic Analysis
o Strategy Formulation, Evaluation and Choice
o Strategy implementation
o Conclusion
Reference list
Appendix 1 Company Profile
Any other appendices
Further guidance is available in the form of a Simple Guide to Report Writing