Assignment task- You are a strategist working for an organisation to be revealed in the Unit 7 lecture (10th March 2025). Given the current cost of living crisis, the environment in which your organisation operates has changed dramatically

Module Title:

Strategic Management

Module Code:

6BUS1264-0105

Assignment Format & Maximum Word count

Group Presentation – CW2 Part A

Individual Reflection – CW2 Part B

Assignment weighting

      CW2: 70%

(Part A: 45%

Part B: 25%)

Coursework Submission:

Part A:

Time/ Date: Various   
Method: Canvas and live

Coursework return Date returned to students:

Spoken feedback throughout, written within 4-weeks.

Module Leader 

First marker  

Internal Moderator

Approved ☐
Date:

Module Board name

Strategy

External Examiner

Approved ☐
Date:

Module Board date

May 2025

Assessment eligible for an extension on submission date (subject to UPRs)

Templates – Yes but only once and up to 12 hours. Presentation – No.

Retrievable Assessment

YES

Assessment Criteria

Learning Outcomes: Knowledge and Understanding assessed in this assignment:

• Analyse the factors that affect strategic decision making, including those impacting economic, social, and environmental objectives.  
• Critically examine a range of theoretical approaches to the evaluation of an organisation’s strategic situation, choices and implementation of options for change.   

Learning Outcomes: Skills and Attributes assessed in this assignment:

• Research, diagnose and analyse a complex range of strategic problems. 

Transformational Opportunities:
E.g. Use LinkedIn Learning to improve skills

• Develop your research skills in regard to applying module theory to a real-world case study supported by academic sources.  
• Working as a group under pressure to achieve an outcome

Feedback /Marking criteria for this Assignment

• Performance will be assessed using HBS Grading Criteria (Rubric)
• Feedback for improvement will be given in writing via your Canvas module site within 4 weeks of submission
• Lateness Penalty: For each day or part day up to five days after the published deadline, coursework relating to modules submitted late will have the numeric grade reduced by 10 grade points until or unless the numeric grade reaches the minimum pass mark (UG 40/PG 50).  Where the numeric grade awarded for the assessment is less than the minimum pass mark no lateness penalty will be applied.  If the coursework is submitted more than 5 days after the published deadline, it will not be marked and a grade of zero will be awarded. Please note: Referred coursework submitted after the published deadline will be awarded a grade of zero (0).
• Extensions: No individual extensions can be provided. A group extension would only be provided in exceptional circumstances – poor time/ group management or technical difficulties are not valid reasons. If the group requires an extension, this must be requested must be before the submission deadline. 
• Retrievable Assessment: Students who fail a retrievable assignment have the opportunity to act on the feedback in a timely manner and to resubmit the same assignment within a specified deadline set by the Module Leader. Marks for resubmitted work will be capped at 40% for UG and 50% for PG. Students who resubmit work and go on to Fail the module will still be able to do the referred coursework (capped at 40% UG or 50% PG).

Detailed Brief for CW 2 Part A – Group Presentation

Part A Group Presentation (45% = 30% individual participation, 15% group presentation)

Description of the assignment, task, content and structure:

You are a strategist working for an organisation to be revealed in the Unit 7 lecture (10^th March 2025). Given the current cost of living crisis, the environment in which your organisation operates has changed dramatically. A representative of the organisation will ask your team to analyse the current external and internal environments that influence their organisation and then prepare a presentation of recommended strategic options for the organisation.

The assessment will run over 4 tutorials, and you are expected to research and prepare for a 5-minute group presentation on the 4^th tutorial providing strategic options with justifications. A selection of presentations from every grade band will be watched by the representative who will provide non-graded feedback.

This assignment is providing strategic options to a real organisation with a real representative watching your presentations with a real time constraint. They need these strategic options within a fixed timeframe, so no extensions can be provided.

Mark Breakdown:

Individual active participation: 30% (10% per tutorial).

Group Presentation: 15%. 

Any specific instructions:

Lecture on the 10^{th of} March:

In the lecture a representative of the organisation will reveal the case study organisation and present a background highlighting some of the possible external and internal influences that can be explored.  

Tutorial on the week of the 24th February:

Groups of 5 (minimum of 4) are created within the tutorial classes only.

Tutorial on the week of the 10th March:

You will be provided some starting resources on the external environment.

Within the tutorial you need to research and prepare the external analysis.

The PESTEL and Porters 5-Forces templates needs to be filled in and submitted by the group on Canvas before 11:59pm 14^th April.

10% for individual attendance and participation for this tutorial is only given if your attendance is observed by the tutor and participation is confirmed by your peers.

Tutorial on the week of the 17^th March:

You will be provided some starting resources on the internal environment.

Within the tutorial you need to research and prepare the internal analysis.

The Porters Value Chain and VRIO templates needs to be filled in and submitted by the group on Canvas before 11:59pm 14^th April.

10% for individual attendance and participation for this tutorial is only given if your attendance is observed by the tutor and participation is confirmed by your peers.

Tutorial on the week of the 24th March:

Within the tutorial you need to conduct a TOWS analysis and decide on a strategic option using the SAFE criteria.

The TOWS and SAFE criteria templates needs to be filled in and submitted by the group on Canvas before 11:59pm 14^th April.  

10% for individual attendance and participation for this tutorial is only given if your attendance is observed by the tutor and participation is confirmed by your peers.

Tutorial on the week of the 31st of March:

-        Within the tutorial each group presents a 5- minute strategic analysis presentation. 

• Suggested structure: 1 minute each on: 1) background, 2) external environment, 3) internal environment, 4) TOWS & SAFE criteria, and 5) recommended strategic option and justification.
• Each student must present part of the presentation

-        Your group is free to choose the best way of displaying this information, for example using PowerPoint, Poster, Flip charts etc.

-        This presentation will be recorded for moderation purposes. The representative of the organisation will review a selection of the recordings. Whilst their feedback will NOT impact grades, I will pass on the comments made.

The HBS Grading Criteria (rubric) will evidence how marks are awarded for individual parts of 

the assignment – see below.  

Any specific instructions:
The HBS Grading Criteria (rubric) will evidence how marks are awarded for individual parts of

the assignment i.e. Presentation and Structure, Intellectual Curiosity and Referencing, Content, Analysis, Discussion 

Academic Integrity, Plagiarism, Essay Mills and other Academic Misconduct Offences

• You are NOT allowed to copy any information into your assignment without using quotation marks and a reference – this is ‘plagiarism’ (a type of academic misconduct). 
• You are NOT allowed to copy from other students (or allow other students to copy from you) – this is ‘collusion’. 
• You are NOT allowed to copy from your own assignments on other modules – this is ‘self-plagiarism’. 
• You must NEVER buy assignments from websites (essay mills) – this is called ‘contract cheating’ and it is now illegal in the UK. 
• Contract cheating is a serious academic misconduct offence and also includes arranging for help with an assessment such that there is also reasonable doubt as to whose work the assessment represents.  It extends to input from a fellow student, friend, relative, or any other person, artificial intelligence with or without payment of any kind. 
• For all references use Cite it Right Harvard style.- Harvard Referencing (see video for support)
• Unauthorised use of artificially generated material (AI) in researching or presenting material for an assessment is an academic misconduct offence if you use AI tools in producing your assessment unless the use of AI tools is expressly permitted. However, even if expressly permitted, where you do not declare that you have used an artificial intelligence tool(s) in the production of your assessment, or you are dishonest about the extent to which such tools have been used, you will have committed academic misconduct.
• If you commit academic misconduct, your mark will be reduced, or, depending on the severity of the offence you may get 1% for the assignment in question or 1% for the module, and get a disciplinary warning. Repeat offenders normally face disciplinary action.