Assignment: Strategic Business Management and Planning

Introduction This assignment accounts for 100% of your overall module grade. It is an individually written assignment of about 3,000 words (10% -/+) excluding appendices, to be submitted to LSS Business School on the deadline shown in the student portal with the appropriate cover note according to the guidelines given in the student handbook. Your work is expected to be analytical and evaluative, consolidate on relevant theory and indicate a good level of application abilities. In order to complete this assignment you are required choose a company of your choice and to provide a presentation identifying the external factors impacting upon the organisation, identify the key forces acting upon the company and highlight how the organisation can gain a competitive advantage in respect of the external factors and forces and identify potential and future challenges for the organisation.

Any material that you will decide to use as a result of your research would need to be submitted at the back of your assignment in the form of an appendix to ensure that the tutor is also briefed to the same level as you, when assessing your work. Take great care and follow the wording below carefully, to ensure that you have covered all the requirements sufficiently, according to the given tasks below.

Task One This task is theoretical and it is based on a 15 minute presentation which carries 30% of the marks. Your presentation should be based on a company of your choice. In your presentation you should; Identify the external factors impacting upon the organisation Identify the key forces acting upon the company Highlight how the organisation can gain a competitive advantage in respect of the external factors and forces Identify potential and future challenges for the organisation

75% of the presentation marks will be awarded for the presentation content and 25% for the presentation skills/styles.

Task Two This task is based on critical evaluaton of the business planning and strategy of an organisation with which you are familiar. In particular, you are required to write a formal report of about 3,000 words (10% -/+) excluding appendices. 70% of the total mark is allocated for the report. In the process of doing so, you are expected to discuss all of the following aspects in the main body of the report: Identify the business planning and strategy used in the organisation (vision, mission statement). Identify their goals and values processes (ethical, cultural, environmental, social and business objectives). Identify how the organisation monitors and evaluates its objectives, strategies and goals.

Cross referencing of the module learning against the tasks Task Learning Outcome One 4. Critically analyse the impact of political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal factors on an organisation. 5. Identify the key forces that represent both opportunities and threats to organisations whether for profit or not-for-profit. 7. Critically analyse future challenges affecting strategic business management and planning Two 1. Critically assess the nature, scope and need for strategic business management and planning in international profit and not-for-profit organisations. 2. Critically evaluate classic and contemporary models, concepts and tools in business strategy and planning. 3. Appraise processes by which organisations identify their goals and values. 4. Critically analyse the impact of political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal factors on an organisation. 5. Identify the key forces that represent both opportunities and threats to organisations whether for profit or not-for-profit. 6. Critically evaluate the strategy process for an organisation to achieve competitive advantage 7. Critically analyse future challenges affecting strategic business management and planning