London School of Business & Finance (LSBF)

Module

MBA / MSc Marketing

Strategic Planning

Assignment Title Assignment Type Word Limit Weighting Student Intake Issue Date Submission Date Feedback Date Issued by (Assessor) Internal Verifier Plagiarism

Longitudinal Strategic Development Study Course Work 3500 +/- 10% 50% Intake 5 10th March.2011 18th April 2011 Cliff Glover Kulbir Basra When submitting work for assessment, students should be aware of the LSBF guidance and regulations in concerning plagiarism. All submissions should be your own, original work. You must submit an electronic copy of your work. Your submission will be electronically checked.

Harvard Referencing
Scenario

The Harvard Referencing System must be used. The Wikipedia website must not be referenced in your work.

Your Task

Selecting one company from the list at the end of this section, undertake the following: 1. RECENT PAST: Strategies deployed and resulting outcomes- recent strategic development history. Research, describe and give a succinct account of the strategic development history of the company you choose set within the context or the industry to which it belongs over the past 5 to 25 years, choosing the duration of time for the study most appropriate for understanding the recent strategic development of the company. Avoid making just chronological lists of events from websites and in particular identify the strategy(ies) that the company has been pursuing and any changes in strategy that the company has made during the period under consideration and their outcomes and consequences for the strategic situation which is the subject of the following section(1000 to 1500 words) 2. CURRENT: Current Strategic Situation. Undertake an evaluation and appraisal of the companys current strategic situation at the time of writing which relates to the previous section, using any research sources appropriate to support your analysis. Pay particular attention to the companys strategic macro, industry and competitive environment, changes

and trends in that environment and the companys endowment of internal and external resources, capabilities and organisational structure emanating from decisions made in the recent past. Give a synopsis of the companys strategic situation in a way which is meaningful for the strategic choices it is able to make for the future which are the subject of section 3 below (1000 to 1500 words) 3. FUTURE: Strategic Direction for the future. Based on your research and analysis undertaken for sections 1 and 2 above, explore a limited range of distinctively different choices of your own creation available to the company for the future. Evaluate and assess the choices available leading to recommendations for the company of your choices strategic route forward. Make clear the assumptions you have made and present your recommendations in a way that accommodate uncertainties and changes that might occur to the recommendations in the event of the occurrence of specified contingencies or changes in assumptions (1000 to 1500 words)

The Companies you may choose from and for which case studies are available and will be issued to provide a starting point (NOT the finish point) for the study as enumerated under 1 to 3 above are:
Sony Corporation (consumer electronics and media) Groupe Danone/Royal NUMICO NV (baby foods and nutritional supplements) IKEA (Home products retailer) Caterpillar (construction equipment and contractors plant) You may also choose another company of your own choice from UK stock exchange listed companies (good sources Financial Times or CityAM (free newspaper available every morning at many London underground station exits), BUT IF YOU DO be sure you are a) able to research this company in sufficient depth b) choose a company which is amenable to strategic analysis of the nature delivered over the duration of the course. DO NOT choose a company which is a pure investment vehicle, such as 3i, or other private equity group whose interests may span a range of minority or majority holdings in a number of related or unrelated businesses mainly for the equity fund performance purposes, or a company which is more in the nature of a vehicle for trading in or capturing returns from financial instruments or securities such as hedge investment or unit trust funds.

Guidelines

London School of Business & Finance (LSBF)

Module Assignment Title Grade 70%+

MBA/MSc Marketing Strategic Planning Longitudinal Strategic Development Study Description of Achievement The Harvard Referencing System has been both used and applied correctly.

1.Excellent Research and factual information 2. Excellent Analysis and Evaluation 3. Excellent Logic and Reasoning 4. Excellent Synthesis and Creativity 5. Excellent Coherence and Integration 6. Excellent Sources and Referencing
60%-69%

The Harvard Referencing System has been used and applied, but with minor errors.

1.V. Good Research and factual information

2. V. Good Analysis and Evaluation 3. V. Good Logic and Reasoning 4. V. Good Synthesis and Creativity 5. V. Good Coherence and Integration 6. V. Good Sources and Referencing
50%-59%

The Harvard Referencing System has been used and applied but some mistakes have been made.

1. Good Research and factual information 2. Good Analysis and Evaluation 3. Good Logic and Reasoning 4. Good Synthesis and Creativity 5. Good Coherence and Integration 6. Good Sources and Referencing

40%-49%

The Harvard Referencing System has been used and applied but major mistakes have been made.

1. Moderate Research and factual information 2. Moderate Analysis and Evaluation 3. Moderate Logic and Reasoning 4. Moderate Synthesis and Creativity 5. Moderate Coherence and Integration 6. Moderate Sources and Referencing
30%-39% The Harvard Referencing System has been used and applied sporadically but major mistakes have been made.

1.Poor Research and factual information 2. Poor Analysis and Evaluation 3. Poor Logic and Reasoning 4. Poor Synthesis and Creativity 5. Poor Coherence and Integration 6. Poor Sources and Referencing
Below 0-29% The Harvard Referencing System has not been used.

1. V. Poor Research and factual information 2. V. Poor Analysis and Evaluation 3. V. Poor Logic and Reasoning 4. V. Poor Synthesis and Creativity 5. V. Poor Coherence and Integration 6. Sources and Referencing