Strategy assignment One Group report Report of a company, including strategic analysis and recommendations This is a 4000 word

paper. You will be asked to carry out a strategic analysis of a firm of your choice. You should specify which company you are focusing on and which sector it operates in (or choose a company that spans several sectors but focus on its only one sector in which it operates). The report will contain 3 sections. They are as follows: 1. An analysis of the business environment of the firm. You should consider the main competitors and their competitive position; market details (value; share etc.); current trends in the market; future trends in the market. Evidence should be provided to support claims and information contained in the report. 2. You should provide an internal analysis of the firm giving details of its current strategic position and tactics. You should also consider the resources and capabilities of the firm and how they impact upon the success or otherwise of the firm. 3. You should consider the various strategic options open to the firm and these must be developed from your previous analysis. You should make recommendations about the future strategic direction of the firm, based upon your analysis and the option choice should be generated from your range of options. You must make a decision about which option. The firm should choose and why. The three sections describe above other main body of the assignment. You should also attach at the beginning and executive summary that summarises the main findings of your report.

Below you will find some guidance notes for each of the sections of your report Guidance Notes Executive Summary This should be a summary of the findings of the report not telling me what you did! The summary contains all the information necessary for a senior manager to understand the key issues including any recommendations for future action. No more than one page. Not page numbered Table of contents Introduction/ Background This clearly sets out the broad industry trends and the background to the case. It describes how the data is to be analysed. It should contain a definition of the market; market data; brief details of main competitors etc. External Analysis This section sets out the strategic dynamics of the industry at both micro and macro level including likely future trends. This should consider the current state of the industry and the future state of the industry (no more than 5 years). It should make use of expert opinion; referenced research from academic sources. Frameworks and models may be used (it is not compulsory). Where they are used they should be used in the correct way for the correct purpose. Internal analysis this should analyse the current strategic position of the organization and analyse its current resources and capabilities. It should not just repeat the strategy of the company as outlined in any company documents but take a critical look at the appropriateness of the current strategy. Strategic options. This section should consider the various options open to the organisation. This should not take the form of 'a wish list', but the options should be generated from a clear analysis of the external and internal position of the company and the opportunities and constraints that surround it.

Recommendations (option choice). This section must choose from one of the above options and recommended to the firm as the future strategic direction. The reasons for choosing this option must be fully justified in the light of the previous analysis and the discussion of options outlined in the previous section.

Marking Criteria A full marking assessment group will be pain posted on BREO shortly and the following summarises the broad criteria against which you will be assessed. Appropriate, professional presentation and referencing Application of appropriate tools to the analysis of company and industry Well Researched information on the industry Well Researched information on the company Ability to gain insight into the company's situation, draw appropriate conclusions and make appropriate recommendations.

Research Your assignment will be judged against the quality of research that informs your analysis and your recommendations. Therefore, you should make use of objectives, established and trustworthy sources of information. The University digital library has many such sources, and you should make primary use of these.