You are required to write a 3,000-word strategy plan as if you are a management consultant delivering the plan to the company’s Board of Directors. Your strategy plan must be clear, professional, and supported with analysis and evidence.

Module Title

International Business and Strategy

Assignment Number

2

Module Code

BMIB5001

Assignment Title

Individual Written Essay on ‘Strategy Management Plan’

Module Leader

Meera Borsara

Assignment Weighting

60%

Assignment Release Date:

Monday, 29^th September 2025

Submission Date/Time:

Friday, 14^th November 2025, 12:00 (noon)

Assessment Information – What you need to do

This assignment is an individual assignment.

You are required to write a 3,000-word strategy plan as if you are a management consultant delivering the plan to the company’s Board of Directors. Your strategy plan must be clear, professional, and supported with analysis and evidence.

For an organisation of your choice, you should formulate a strategic change plan either for the operations of an existing international business or for organisation intending to internationalise.The strategic change plan should be based on a detailed strategic audit and evaluation of strategic options. Strong rationale should be provided for the chosen strategic option. Critical evaluation of requirements for implementing the strategic option chosen should also be considered. For instance: issues such as strategic change management, and cross-cultural implications.

Your Task

You must choose one organisation and develop a strategy plan for one of the following options:

• A company that is already operating internationally, or
• A company that is planning to expand into an international market.

Your 3000 words essay should address the following areas:

Introduction

• Briefly introduce the company you have selected. Provide key background information such as the industry it operates in, its size, core business activities, and current market   position.
• Explain the company’s current business context. What key challenges or opportunities is  it currently facing—either in its home market or internationally?
• Clearly state the purpose of the strategy plan. What are you aiming to achieve in this  report? Are you advising the company on entering a new international market or on strengthening its current international operations?
• Justify the rationale for internationalisation (if applicable). Why would international expansion or continued international strategy be important for this company? You may refer to global market trends, industry competition, or the firm’s long-term                    strategic goals.
• Outline the structure of your essay. Briefly summarise the key sections you will cover,such as the strategic audit, macro-environmental and industry analysis, strategic  formulation, strategic implementation).

Strategic Audit (External and Internal Analysis)

You must analyse both the external and internal environment of the company.

Macro-Environmental Analysis (PEST or PESTLE)

Use PEST or PESTLE analysis to assess factors influencing the company in the relevant international market. These include:

• Political (e.g., stability, government policies)
• Economic (e.g., inflation, interest rates, GDP)
• Social (e.g., demographics, customer trends)
• Technological (e.g., innovations, automation)
• Legal (e.g., industry regulations, laws)
• Environmental (e.g., sustainability, climate change)

For each factor:

• Explain how it may affect the business.
• Identify whether it is an opportunity or a threat.
• Justify your analysis with examples or research.

• If your company is already international, apply this analysis to a current market.
• If your company wants to expand, apply this analysis to the new target country.

Industry Analysis (Porter’s Five Forces)

Use Porter’s Five Forces to examine the competitive environment:

• Threat of New Entrants
• Bargaining Power of Suppliers
• Bargaining Power of Buyers
• Threat of Substitutes
• Industry Rivalry

For each force:

• Assess the level of impact (high, medium, or low).
• Provide a clear explanation with examples.
• Explain how this affects your company’s position in the market.
• Apply this analysis to the industry in the country where your company operates or plans to expand.

Internal Analysis (VRIO Framework)

Use the VRIO model to assess if the company’s resources give it a competitive advantage.

Apply the VRIO test to at least 2–3 key resources or capabilities (e.g., brand strength, technology,skilled workforce):

• Valuable?
• Rare?
• Inimitable?
• Organised to capture value?

Summarise the competitive advantage:

• Meets all four = sustained competitive advantage
• Meets fewer = temporary advantage or competitive parity

SWOT Analysis

Combine findings from your strategic audit into a SWOT table:

• Strengths and Weaknesses – From VRIO analysis
• Opportunities and Threats – From PEST/PESTLE and Porter’s Five Forces

This helps create a clear summary of the company’s current strategic position.

Strategic Formulation

Based on your strategic audit, propose a set of strategic options (2 or 3) that the company could  pursue to either expand internationally or strengthen its existing global position.

You must then:

• Critically evaluate each strategic option using the SAF criteria:
  • Suitability – Does the strategy align with the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats?
  • Acceptability – Will the strategy be acceptable to key stakeholders (e.g., shareholders, employees, customers)? What are the expected benefits, risks, and returns?
  • Feasibility – Can the company realistically implement this strategy with the resources, capabilities, and time it has?

In your evaluation:

• Clearly identify and discuss any potential risks, constraints, or resource implications  associated with each option.
• Use relevant data or analysis to support your judgment.
• Recommend the most appropriate strategic option(s) and provide a strong justification for your choice(s) based on your SAF evaluation.

Strategic Implementation

Once you have recommended the most appropriate strategic option(s), you must develop a realistic and detailed action plan for implementing it.

Your implementation plan should include:

• Key steps or phases in rolling out the strategy (e.g., timelines, responsibilities, milestones)
• Resources required (e.g., staffing, funding, partnerships, infrastructure)
• Key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure progress and success

You must also:

• Identify potential barriers or challenges that may arise during implementation(e.g., resistance to change, cross-cultural misunderstandings, regulatory hurdles)
• Suggest strategies to manage or mitigate these barriers (e.g., change management techniques, communication plans, stakeholder engagement)

Discuss possible implementation issues such as:

• Strategic change management (e.g., leadership, communication, training)
• Cross-cultural challenges in international business (e.g., adapting business practices, managing diverse teams)

Conclusion

• Summarise key points and final recommendations

Reference list

• At the end of your assignment, include a full reference list according to Harvard "Cite Them Right" style. Make sure the references are listed in alphabetical order according to the last name of the first author of each source.

Additional Guidance

• Apply relevant strategic models and frameworks (PEST/PESTLE Analysis, Porters Five Forces, VRIO Analysis and SWOT analysis) consistently to support your analysis.
• Support your arguments with appropriate academic literature, as well as credible data from industry sources such as Mintel, WARC, Kantar, ONS, and news/media reports.
• You must ensure that this assessment is written entirely in your own words.
• You must not directly copy content from other sources and ensure all references to theories, models, or published work are properly cited using the Harvard "Cite Them Right" style (both in-text citations and your reference list). See link: https://www.citethemrightonline.com/category-list?docid=CTRHarvard 
• Plagiarism or academic misconduct will not be tolerated.
• Present your work in a clear, professional, and well-structured manner.
• You must write this essay in the third person. This means you should not use personal words like `I`, `we`, or `my`. Instead, write in a formal and objective tone.

Note: This task simulates real-world consulting work. You may not have perfect information – make logical assumptions and show clear reasoning in your analysis.

Please use the structure below to articulate your company’s Strategy Plan:

1.0. Introduction

2.0. Strategic Audit

2.1. Macro-Environmental Analysis

2.1.1. Political Factors

2.1.2. Economic Factors

2.1.3. Socio-Cultural Factors

2.1.4. Technological Factors

2.2. Industrial Analysis (i.e Porter’s five forces).

2.2.1. Bargaining power of customers/ threat of substitute products/ competitive rivalry

2.2.2. Bargaining power of suppliers/ Threat of new entrants.

2.3. Internal Analysis

2.3.1. VRIO Analysis

2.3.2. SWOT Analysis

3.0. Strategic Formulation

3.1. How to Compete

3.2. Strategic Change Options

3.3. Method of Growth

3.4. Evaluation of the Strategic Options

4.0. Strategic Implementation

5.0. Conclusion

6.0. Reference List

Details regarding each of the elements above will be discussed in the weekly seminar and lecture

sessions.

Criteria for Assessment – How you will be marked

The individual written essay will be marked according to specific criteria (see table below). A marking rubric, detailing how each of the assessment criteria will be assessed is provided on Learning Zone, under the Assessment 2 tab. Note that there will be time in seminars to discuss the assessment task, including marking criteria, in more depth.

Please, have a look at the marking rubric for more detailed information (separate document).

Further information on University mark descriptors can be found here. 

This assignment is designed to assess the following learning outcomes: 

1. Conceptualise and critically evaluate why and how firms go international.

2. Critically appraise what is strategy and use academic scholarship to assess how firms make and implement strategy.

3. Critically evaluate the underlying drivers of value creation to inform in international business strategy.

4. Critically appraise the host and home country factors that affect the development and implementation of international business strategies to inform proposed solutions.

5. Develop a conceptual framework for tackling the opportunities and challenges in international business.

Assessment Details:

• The word count is: 3000 words
• There will be a penalty of a deduction of 10% of the mark for work exceeding the word limit by 10% or more.
• The word limit includes tables, figures, quotations and citations, but excludes the cover page, contents page and references list.

How to Submit Your Assessment

The assessment must be submitted by 12:00 noon (GMT) on 14/11/2025. No paper copies are required. You can access the submission link through the module shell.

• Your coursework will be given a zero mark if you do not submit a copy through Turnitin. Please take care to ensure that you have fully submitted your work.
• Please ensure that you have submitted your work using the correct file format, unreadable files will receive a mark of zero. The faculty accepts Microsoft Office and PDF documents, unless otherwise advised by the module leader.
• All work submitted after the submission deadline without a valid and approved reason will be subject to the University regulations on late submissions.
  • If an assessment is submitted up to 24 hours late the mark for the work will be capped at the pass mark of 40 per cent for undergraduate modules or 50 per cent for postgraduate modules
  • If an assessment is submitted beyond 24 hours late the work will receive a mark of zero per cent
  • The above applies to a student’s first attempt at the assessment. If work submitted as a reassessment of a previously failed assessment task is submitted later than the deadline the work will immediately be given a mark of zero per cent
  • If an assessment which is marked as pass/fail rather than given a percentage mark is submitted later than the deadline, the work will immediately be marked as a fail
• The University wants you to do your best. However, we know that sometimes events happen which mean that you can’t submit your coursework by the deadline – these events should be beyond your control and not easy to predict.  If this happens, you can apply for an extension to your deadline for up to ten working days, or if you need longer, you can apply for a deferral, which takes you to the next assessment period (for example, to the re-sit period following the main Assessment Boards). You must apply before the deadline for your assessment. You will find information about applying for extensions and deferrals here.
• Students MUST keep a copy and/or an electronic file of their assignment.

Checks will be made on your work using anti-plagiarism software and approved plagiarism checking websites.

Return of Marked Work

You can expect to have feedback returned to you on 05/12/2025. If for any reason, there is a delay you will be kept informed. Marks and feedback will be provided online. It is important that you access the feedback you receive as this will help to make improvements to your later work, you can request a meeting with your Module Leader or Personal Tutor to discuss your feedback in more detail.

Marks will have been internally moderated only and will therefore be provisional; your mark will be formally agreed later in the year once the external examiner has completed their review. More information on assessment and feedback can be found here.

Academic Integrity and Generative AI Use

In submitting a piece of work for assessment it is essential that you understand the University`s requirements for maintaining academic integrity and ensure that the work does not contravene University regulations. Some examples of behaviour that would not be considered acceptable include plagiarism, re-use of previously assessed work, collusion with others and purchasing your assignment from a third party. For more information on academic offences, bad academic practice, and academic penalties, please read the University’s Academic Integrity and Misconduct Policy.

Generative AI tools cannot be used for this assessment. You must not use generative artificial intelligence (AI) to generate any materials or content in relation to your assessment.

Academic Support and Your Well-being

Referencing is the process of acknowledging other people’s work when you have used it in your assignment or research. It allows the reader to locate your source material as quickly and easily as possible so that they can read these sources themselves and verify the validity of your arguments. Referencing provides the link between what you write and the evidence on which it is based.

You identify the sources that you have used by citing them in the text of your assignment (called citations or in-text citations) and referencing them at the end of your assignment (called the reference list or end-text citations). The reference list only includes the sources cited in your text. The main referencing guide can be found here and includes information on the basics of referencing and achieving good academic practice. It also has tabs for the specific referencing styles depending on whether you require Harvard style used in business or OSCOLA style used by the Law school.

The University has a wealth of support services available to students; further information can be obtain