Students:_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Course Study Guide

Part 1: Course Info

2011–12

Strategic ManagementBUSI1317

2

Contents

1. WELCOME ......................................................................................................................................... 3

2. INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE .................................................................................................. 3

2.1 AIMS ............................................................................................................................................ 3

2.2 LEARNING OUTCOMES ..................................................................................................................... 3

2.3 LEARNING AND TEACHING ACTIVITIES ................................................................................................... 3

3. CONTACT DETAILS .......................................................................................................................... 4

4. COURSE CONTENT .......................................................................................................................... 5

5. ASSESSMENT DETAILS ................................................................................................................... 9

5.1 SUMMARY OF ASSESSMENT ................................................................................................................ 9

5.2 ASSESSMENT ONE – GROUP PRESENTATION AND INDIVIDUAL REPORT ............................................................ 9

5.3 ASSESSMENT TWO – CASE ANALYSIS ................................................................................................. 10

5.4 RESIT ASSESSMENT ....................................................................................................................... 11

5.5 WRITING YOUR ASSIGNMENTS .......................................................................................................... 11

5.6 ANALYSING STRATEGY CASES – SOME TIPS ....................................................................................... 12

6. READING ......................................................................................................................................... 13

6.1 CORE TEXTBOOKS ........................................................................................................................ 13

6.2 SUPPLEMENTARY TEXTBOOKS ........................................................................................................... 14

6.3 ACADEMIC JOURNALS ..................................................................................................................... 14

6.4 NEWSPAPERS AND JOURNALS ......................................................................................................... 15

7. OTHER DETAILS ............................................................................................................................. 16

8. FEEDBACK SHEETS ...................................................................................................................... 16

1. Welcome

Dear students,

Welcome to the final-year course Strategic Management. We hope that you will enjoy the course.

This course gives an overview of both the context and practices of Strategic Management, and introduces you to the four major steps and levels of Strategic Management. The four main steps of strategic management are: strategic analysis, strategy formulation, strategy implementation, and strategy evaluation. This course will cover these topics in this order. While all four steps of strategic management are equally relevant, the second step is the most time-intensive one. Strategy formulation can take place at three levels: the business level (Business Strategy, i.e. strategy at the level of the business unit), the corporate level (Corporate strategy, i.e. strategy for the entire company), and the functional level (i.e. strategy for a business function, such as Strategic HRM).

This course handbook explains how the course is organised and what the assessments are. It also lists the lecture and tutorial topics. Tutorials accompany the weekly lectures, and are designed to deepen your understanding of the topic using real-life examples. We expect you to attend all lectures and tutorials, and to do all the prescribed reading (detailed in section six) – generally, you have to read at least one chapter per week from the course textbook.

Again, we hope that you will enjoy the course and find it useful! Good luck!

2. Introduction to the Course

2.1 Aims

Students will be introduced to strategic management in both a conceptual and practical way. This will involve critical discussion and use of a range of cases, thus putting strategy into practice in relation to the functional areas of marketing, operations, finance and human resources. The ultimate aim of the course is to develop students as future managers who will add value by ‘strategically managing’ the organisation’s resources and capabilities.

2.2 Learning Outcomes

The course will outline the strategy development process from the analysis of the external environment and internal capabilities, to formulation of strategic plans, their implementation and evaluation. In this course, you will learn to:

1. Understand the integrative nature of strategic management

2. Display a knowledge of principal models of strategic management

3. Appreciate the importance of environmental and industry analysis in formulating strategy

4. Analyse the role of marketing, accounting and finance, operations management and human resource management in developing strategy

5. Generate and evaluate strategic alternatives

6. Construct strategy-implementation plans

7. Identify and evaluate the role of leadership, organisational structure and change-management in strategy-implementation

2.3 Learning and Teaching Activities

Lectures will introduce you to the key strategic models, concepts, and analytical tools. Tutorials (after the lecture) will illustrate these concepts using case studies, which you will analyse. You are expected to read these case studies before the tutorial – and you are expected to do the reading in the core textbook before the lecture.

3. Contact Details

Name Room E-mail Phone Office Hours

Course Leader

Vu Chi Mai 4th floor, FSB 2

maivc@fsb.edu.vn 0912234206

Programme Administrator

Dang Thanh Nga 2nd floor, FSB 1

ngadt@fsb.edu.vn 0902257000 Mon-Fri,

09:00-17:30

(FSB 1: Block C, VAS-FSB building, FSB 2: Block F, VAS-FSB building)

Please see your programme handbook for more detail

4. Course Content

Lecturer: Vu Chi Mai

Topic/Reading

PART 1: Introduction, Strategic Analysis

Lecture 1 Introduction (NW)

• What is strategy?

• Schools of thought on strategy and strategic management

• The context of strategic management

Reading Core: Barney/Hesterly 2011, ch. 1

Additional: Johnson et al. 2010, ch. 1

Tutorial 1 Introduction to course (reading, assignments, handbook etc.)

Lecture 2 Analysing Strategic Management Cases (RJ)

• How to read a strategic management/business case?

• What steps are involved in analysing a case?

Reading Core: ‘Analyzing Strategic Management Cases’, available on Moodle

Tutorial 2 • How to analyse business cases?

Cases: Google, Electrolux

Lecture 3 Strategic Analysis I – The external context (opportunities and threats) (NW)

• The general environment

• The competitive environment

• Macro and industry dynamics

Reading Core: Barney/Hesterly 2011, ch. 2

Additional: Johnson et al. 2010, ch. 2

Tutorial 3 Case: European Brewing Industry

Lecture 4 Strategic Analysis II – Internal strategic capabilities (strengths and weaknesses) (NW)

• Value-creating activities

• The resource-based view of strategy – resources, capabilities,

activities

• Assessing organisational performance

Reading Core: Barney/Hesterly 2011, ch. 3

Additional: Johnson et al. 2010, ch. 3

Tutorial 4 Case: eBay

PART 2: Strategy Formulation I – Business Level Strategies

Lecture 5 Cost and quality leadership (NW)

Reading Core: Barney/Hesterly 2011, ch. 4

Additional: Johnson et al. 2010, ch. 6

Tutorial 5 • Case: Ryanair

Lecture 6 Product and service differentiation (NW)

Reading Core: Barney/Hesterly 2011, ch. 5

Additional: Johnson et al. 2010, ch. 6

Tutorial 6 • Case: Victoria’s Secret

PART 3: Strategy Formulation I I – Corporate Level Strategy

Lecture 7 Vertical integration (RJ)

Reading Core: Barney/Hesterly 2011, ch. 6

Additional: Johnson et al. 2010, ch. 7

Tutorial 7 • Case: SAS

• Group presentation #1 (SAS case, on vertical integration)

Lecture 8 Horizontal integration, corporate diversification (RJ)

Reading Core: Barney/Hesterly 2011, chs 7 and 8

Additional: Johnson et al. 2010, ch. 7

Tutorial 8 • Case: Grand Met

• Group presentation #2 (Grand Met case, on horizontal

integration)

Lecture 9 Mergers and Acquisitions, strategic alliances (RJ)

Reading Core: Barney/Hesterly 2011, chs. 9 and 10

Additional: Johnson et al. 2010, ch. 10

Tutorial 9 Case: EEIG

Group presentation #3 (EEIG case, on alliances)

PART 4: Strategy Formulation I II , Strategy Implementation and Evaluation

Lecture 10 International and global strategies (RJ)

• Internationalisation potential of different markets

• Sources of competitive advantage in international strategy

• Main types of international strategy

•

Reading Core: Barney/Hesterly 2011, ch. 11

Additional: Johnson et al. 2010, ch. 8

Tutorial 10 Case: Lenovo Computers

Group presentation #4 (Société Générale case, on restructuring)

No lecture Reading week: Strategy implementation, Strategy Evaluation

• Management and operations issues, considering new

implementation levers, considering new ventures and corporate renewal

• Strategy review, evaluation, and control

Reading Core: Johnson et al. 2010, chs. 11 and 12 (available in library), and also read the Texo case in this study guide (pp. 93-95)

Lecture 11 Review / Conclusion (RJ)

Reading Core: Johnson et al. 2010, ch. 15

Tutorial 11 Conclusion and revision

Case (if time): Strategic Leadership at Lufthansa

5. Assessment Details

Your mark for this course is made up from two components: a case analysis, and an individual report, based on a group presentation. For details, see below. The case analysis counts for 70 per cent of your mark, and the report (including the grade for the presentation) for 30 per cent. The pass mark is 40 per cent.

You must follow the instructions given for each assessment; otherwise your assignment will be marked down.

It is important that you hand in both pieces of coursework on time (before 3pm on the due date). Late submissions will be marked zero (unless you are granted “extenuating circumstances”, e.g. for being ill; see Programme Handbook for details).

Please see the programme handbook for general marking criteria. For more specific marking criteria, and to understand what is required from you, refer to the feedback forms in section eight of this handbook.

5.1 Summary of assessment

Assignment Weight Pass Mark Due Date

Presentation and individual report 30% 40% 04/23/2012, 3pm

Case analysis 70% 40% 05/08/2012, 3pm

total100% 40%

5.2 Assessment one – Group presentation and individual report

Task: This first assessment consists of two parts, a group presentation and an individual report. Both elements are compulsory, and both elements are graded. If you do not complete both parts of the assignment, you will automatically be marked zero.

Part one: Prepare a 15-minute group presentation on the week’s case study (see section two of this handbook, pages 31-89) with your group. The presentation should illustrate the concept introduced in that week’s lecture (i.e. horizontal integration, vertical integration, restructuring, or strategic alliances). You should do that by analysing how the company in the case has applied this strategy (e.g.: How did Grand Metropolitan integrate horizontally?). We do not want some generic description of what horizontal integration etc. means. If you do that, we will stop your presentation, and you will be marked zero. What you do have to do is to analyse the case critically, and to present your analysis of the chosen strategy in a coherent form, with visual aids (slides).

The presentation mark counts for one sixth of your overall mark for assignment one. (It will be recorded on the feedback sheet for your individual report.)

NB: If you do not participate in preparing and delivering the presentation, the entire assignment one will automatically be marked zero (unless you have extenuating circumstances).

Part two: Prepare an individual report summarising the findings of the presentation. The report should follow the instructions in sections 5.5 and 5.6. It should develop your points from the presentation further, rather than just repeating them in written form.

Your report should be based on extensive individual research on your topic and your case, and should be referenced throughout.

It is important that you critically analyse the strategies used by the companies in your case, and develop an argument, rather than providing a mere description of the case.

This is an individual piece of work (that is, you are not to write it collectively with fellow students); and that you should develop your points from the presentation further, rather than just repeating it in written form.

NB: You have to attach the feedback sheet from your presentation, otherwise your entire assignment will be marked zero.

Have a look at the feedback sheets in section 8 to see what is required!

Sources to be used:

• Strategic management textbooks (658.4012 in library catalogue; also see section 7.2)

• Academic journals (see section 7.3)

Word Limit: 1,500 words

Due Date: 23 April 2012, 3pm

Weighting: This assessment is worth 30% of the overall mark for the course.

Format: Word-processed, eleven point font, 1.5 spacing, wide margins (2.5 cm top, left and bottom; 5cm right); attach a header sheet

Feedback You will receive written feedback. It is important that you read it.

Nota Bene: If you do not follow the prescribed format, you will be marked down.

The individual report must be your own and not copied by or from another student or from books etc. If you use ideas, quotes or data (such as diagrams) from books, journals or other sources, you must reference your sources, using the Harvard style. Make sure that you know how to reference properly, and that understand the guidelines on plagiarism! If you do not, you might fail!

5.3 Assessment two – Case analysis

Task: Carry out a strategic case analysis of one of the four cases we discussed in lectures 7-10, following the instructions in sections 5.5 and 5.6. To remind you, the cases are:

• Corporate Strategy at Grand Metropolitan (on horizontal integration)

• Scandinavian Airline Systems in 1988 (on vertical integration)

• Société Générale de Belgique (on restructuring)

• Chemical Labour Grouping, EEIG (on strategic alliances)

(see handbook pp. 31-89 for the cases)

NB: You have to choose a different case than the one you analysed in your first assignment. If you chose the same case, you will automatically be marked zero.

Again, it is important that you critically analyse the strategies used by the companies in your case, and develop an argument, rather than a merely providing a description of the case.

Word Limit: 2,000 word (excluding list of references and appendices)

Due Date: 08 May 2012, 3pm

Weighting: This assessment is worth 70% of the overall mark for the course.

Format: Word-processed, eleven point font, 1.5 spacing, wide margins (2.5 cm top, left and bottom; 5cm right); attach a header sheet.

Feedback You will receive written feedback. It is important that you read it as it will help you with your next assignment.

Nota Bene: If you do not follow the prescribed format, you will be marked down.

The work must be your own and not copied by or from another student or from books etc. If you use ideas, quotes or data (such as diagrams) from books, journals or other sources, you must reference your sources, using the Harvard style. Make sure that you know how to reference properly, and that understand the guidelines on plagiarism! If you do not, you might fail!

5.4 Resit Assessment

Your coursework and exam results will be reviewed by a Subject Assessment Panel (which looks at the course) and a Progression and Award Board (which reviews your progress). The discussions in these two committees will determine whether you have failed any coursework or exams, and whether you will be offered the chance to do resits. Please note that there is no automatic right to do resits; whether these are offered depends on your overall progress.

Resits will usually take place in August and will usually involve a new coursework topic or exam. Where you have been deemed to have failed an assignment, any resit will normally involve a similar piece of individual coursework.

If you have been notified that you have to complete coursework resits, we will tell you the details of the assessment as well as submission dates.

5.5 Writing Your Assignments

When writing your assignments, you should do the following:

You should analyse the cases, and the strategies chosen, which means that we do NOT want you to just describe (or re-tell) what has happened that is not very interesting (the case is just a tool). What we want you to do is to analyse the strategies. That is: why have certain decisions (for example, to integrate horizontally or vertically) been taken, and why have that decisions been taken at that point in time (i.e. analyse both the external context and internal capabilities)? Here, you will have to refer to certain theories you encountered in the course. Essentially, you should complete the following four steps:

1. Briefly analyse external environment and internal strategic capabilities (you could do this using, for example, SWOT analysis – but don’t just provide bullet points, write in whole sentences) of the company your presentation was on.

2. Explain the strategic choices made (WHAT strategies were chosen, and WHY?). Here, you should focus introduce some concepts and theories (i.e. vertical integration, horizontal integration, alliances, or restructuring).

3. Explain how the strategy/strategies was/were implemented. How did this impact on the company and its resources? Was it successful?

4. Briefly evaluate the strategies that were implemented. (How feasible have those strategies been, and why?)

The focus should be on section 2.

If you need some more ideas on how to analyse your case, have a look at the following section.

5.6 Analysing Strategy Cases – Some Tips

Give yourself time to assimilate a case

The longer that a case study is given to “sink in” to your subconscious, the deeper the understanding you will get and the better your answers will be. Read the case material for the first time as soon as you have been allocated it as an assignment or seminar example. Get a general impression:

• Which organisations and industries does it relate to?

• Is the organisation doing well or badly now, and how has it performed in the past? Is it a company that has an unbroken record of success? Or a successful company that has fallen on hard times?

• What are the main issues and choices confronting the company? Is it in an expanding industry, or a maturing one? Are customer needs changing? Does the firm confront a variety of opportunities? Or is there a particular business decision which the case is oriented towards?

• What information is there in the case, as tables and annexes?

Analyse thoroughly, and use what you have been learning

Put the case aside for a few days before reading it a second time. Then, start to analyse it seriously:

• Look at the development of the organisation over time. What strategies has it pursued? Which have succeeded and which have failed? Which are the types of environment where it has been able to succeed, and in which types has it had problems?

• Use the tools and techniques of strategic management theory, to see what insights they give you. What is the nature of the competitive environment? What kind of strategic resources does the organisation have – and which does it lack? How successful has the organisation been – and how do you know?

• Look carefully at all the tables, annexes and appendices. Why are they there? What information is the case writer trying to get you to get out of them?

• If there are numerical data in the case – analyse them. What trends over time do they show? What ratios can you use to analyse performance in areas that are important to the organisation?

Then, if you have time, put the case aside again for a day or two, and let all this sink in. You may at this stage like to use SWOT analysis as a framework for a preliminary analysis of your thinking.

Relate your analysis to the question

Now start to relate the analysis to the task or question you have been set.

• What elements of the strategic analysis do you require to carry out the task, and how do they relate to it?

• Is there further information or analysis that you need?

Be logical and critical

Think hard about your conclusions and recommendations.

• Have you really demonstrated them, backing up your reasoning with hard evidence (events and results) from the case study?

• Have you allowed yourself to be swayed by the opinions of the organisation’s own managers? They have a vested interest in showing their actions in the best possible light. You do not have to agree. Do the facts support their claims of success, or their excuses for failure?

• Beware of being taken in by the rhetoric of the case writer. Sometimes they may genuinely believe that this is a wonderful company, sometimes they may just be trying to mislead you.

• We can read what they think – we want to know what you think! Dare to be different – if you can marshal the evidence to support what you say.

Make sure it is clear what you are recommending...

If you are asked for a particular decision or recommendation, make sure that it is clearly stated (i.e. not just implied) in the report. You may have come up with fifteen good reasons why the company should enter the market in Utopia, but unless you clearly state that that is what you recommend, you will lose marks.

...and why you are recommending it

Make sure that, in developing recommendations:

• You have considered the alternatives. There is hardly ever just one, single “obvious” response to a strategic problem. And bear in mind that, if there is, all the company’s competitors will have thought of it, too!

• You have made it clear why the recommendation you have chosen is the best of the available alternatives. That means showing what is wrong with the others!

• You have looked at the downside of your proposals. Try to avoid proposals that would bankrupt the company if they failed, or which can be easily copied by the competition.

Copyright © Adrian Haberberg / University of Westminster, 1998

6. Reading

6.1 Core Textbooks

Barney, Jay B. and Hesterly, William S. (2011): Strategic Management and Competitive Advantage (4th ed). ISBN: 0132560453. Regular price: £47.99, or 43.20 at the campus bookshop (tbc), or £35.99 at Amazon (see www.amazon.co.uk/Strategic-Management-Competitive-Advantage-Barney/dp/0132560453). NB: The Book will be available from 28 September, but you can pre-order it at the campus bookshop or on Amazon.

This textbook, which you are required to purchase, is essential to prepare you for, and help you with, lectures, tutorials, and assignments.

The book is available in the university bookshop, which is located in the Mews building at the Greenwich Maritime campus (the first building on the left when entering the campus through the West Gate, opposite the library).

An alternative textbook, which is available in the library, is the following one by Johnson et al. The core reading for lecture eleven is from this book. You are not, however, required to purchase this book. Just make sure that you copy the relevant sections well in advance.

Johnson, Gerry; Whittington, Richard; Scholes, Kevan 2010: Exploring Strategy, Text & Cases (9th ed). Harlow: FT Prentice Hall.

6.2 Supplementary textbooks

Asch, David and Bowman, Cliff (eds.) 1989: Readings in Strategic Management. Basingstoke: Macmillan / Open University.

Barney, Jay and Hesterly, William S 2008: Strategic Management and Competitive Advantage: Concepts and Cases (2nd ed). Harlow: Pearson.

Capon, Claire 2008: Understanding Strategic Management. Harlow: FT Prentice Hall.

Coulter, Mary 2008: Strategic Management in Action (4th ed). Harlow: Pearson

David, Fred 2007: Strategic Management: Concepts (11th ed). Harlow: Pearson.

Dess, Gregory; Eisner, Alan and Lumpkin, G. Tom 2009: Strategic Management: Text and Cases. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

De Wit, Bob and Meyer, Ron 1994: Strategy – Process, Content, Context – An International Perspective. Minneapolis et al.: West Publishing.

Heracleous, Loizos 2003: Strategy and Organization – Realizing Strategic Management. Cambridge: CUP.

Hunger, David J and Wheelen, Thomas L 2007: Essentials of Strategic Management (4th

ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Johnson, Gerry; Scholes, Kevan and Whittington, Richard 2009: Fundamentals of Strategy. Harlow: FT Prentice Hall.

Lynch, Richard 2009: Strategic Management (5th ed.). Harlow: FT Prentice Hall.

Macmillan, Hugh and Tampoe, Mahen 2000: Strategic Management – Process, Content and Implementations. Oxford: OUP.

Sutherland, Jonathan and Canwell, Diane 2004: Key Concepts in Strategic Management. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Further Strategic Management books are available in section 658.4012 in the library.

The library catalogue is available on-line at http://libcat2.gre.ac.uk/TalisPrism and in the library. You can search with keywords (such as ‘horizontal integration’) and author names.

6.3 Academic Journals

The following academic journals are the best and most relevant ones in the field of Strategic Management. Most of them are available in the library (some as electronic resources only – you can ask the librarians to help you).

• Strategic Management Journal (available in the library)

• Journal of Economics and Management Strategy (available in the library)

• Long Range Planning (available in the library)

• Technology Analysis & Strategic Management (available in the library)

• Journal of Business Strategy (available in the library)

• Business Strategy and the Environment (available in the library)

• Business Strategy Review (available in the library)

• Strategy & Leadership (available in the library)

• Advances in Strategic Management

• Strategic Change

• Strategic Organisation

The following journals gerneral Management journals, which are useful background reading.

• Harvard Business Review (available in the library)

• Academy of Management Journal

• MIT Sloan Management Review

• McKinsey Quarterly

6.4 Newspapers and Journals

You should read at least one of these newspapers and journals on a regular basis. All of them have on-line editions.

• Financial Times (UK, daily; www.ft.com)

• The Economist (UK, weekly; www.economist.com)

• Wall Street Journal (US, daily; www.wsj.com)

• Business Week (US, weekly; www.businessweek.com)

• Fortune (US, weekly; www.fortune.com)

• Handelsblatt (Germany, daily; www.handelsblatt.com)

• Les Échos (France, daily; www.lesechos.fr)

• Il Sole 24 Ore (Italy, daily; www.ilsole24ore.com)

• Nikkei (Japan, daily; in Japanese and English; www.nni.nikkei.co.jp)

• Economic Observer (China, weekly; in English and Mandarin; www.eeo.com.cn/ens)

• The Economic Times (India, daily; in English, Hindi, and Gujarati; http://economictimes.indiatimes.com)

7. Other Details

Please refer to your programme handbook for any further information you might require including methods of submitting assignments, advice and administrative procedures.

8. Feedback sheets

The following three pages show the feedback sheets that your tutors will use to mark your assignments. Have a look at them to see what is required!

the UNIVERSITY of GREENWICH

BUSINESS SCHOOL

ASSIGNMENT FEEDBACK

BUSI1317 – Strategic Management

Assignment 1 – Group Presentation

Marker: □NW □PR □RJ

A

70+

B

60-69

C

50-59

D

40-49

E

0-39 Comment

ContentOverall, how relevant was the content of your talk?

ConceptualHow well did you illustrate the concept (e.g. horizontal integration)?

EnvironmentHow well did you analyse the external environment?

CapabilitiesHow well did you analyse the internal strategic capabilities?

Strategic ChoicesHow well did you analyse the strategic choices?

Strategy ImplementationHow well did you analyse the strategy implementation?

StructureHow logical was the order you put your ideas into?

Visual SupportHow well did you use slides etc to support your talk?

SourcesDid you use appropriate academic soures (not just internet sources)?

the UNIVERSITY of GREENWICH

BUSINESS SCHOOL

LengthHow well did you keep to the given time? (15 minutes)

NB: Each sections carries roughly equal weight.

Key to Grades: A: Excellent, B: Good, C: Satisfactory, D: Some inadequacies, E: Poor

General comments (if needed):

Grade:

the UNIVERSITY of GREENWICH

BUSINESS SCHOOL

ASSIGNMENT FEEDBACK

BUSI1317 – Strategic Management Assignment 1 – Individual Report

Student: _________________________ Marker: □NW □PR □RJ

A

70+

B

60-69

C

50-59

D

40-49

E

0-39

1) Content & Argument

General points:

Content relevant

Logically developed argument

Accurate presentation of evidence

Content has little relevance / superficial

No coherent argument

Evidence questionable / no evidence

a) Environment / Capabilities

Good analysis of external environment

Good analysis of internal capabilities

Poor analysis of external environment

Poor analysis of internal capabilities

b) Strategic Choices

Good analysis and evaluation of strategic choices (which strategies were chosen, and why?), focusing on the concept presented (e.g. horizontal integration)

Poor analysis and evaluation of strategic choices

Main concept not related to case well

c) Strategy Implementation

Good analysis and evaluation of strategy implementation

Poor analysis and evaluation of strategy implementation

2) Structure

Good introduction (appropriate length, defines topic, gives overview of report)

Good main section (appropriate length, divided well into subsections using subheadings)

Good conclusion (appropriate length, summarises case analysis well)

Introductions not good or missing

Main section not structured well

Conclusions not good or missing

the UNIVERSITY of GREENWICH

BUSINESS SCHOOL

3) Format & Sources

Style: fluently written, in academic writing style

Presentation: well set out, correct overall length

Referencing: correct referencing in Harvard style

Syntax: correct spelling and grammar

Sources: good range of appropriate ac. sources

Inelegantly written, informal writing style

Untidy and difficult to read, under / over length

Incorrect or missing referencing

Incorrect spelling and grammar

Too few or inappropriate sources used

4) Mark for Group Presentation

NB: Each of the six sections above (1a, 1b, 1c, 2, 3, 4) carries roughly equal weight towards the final mark; but marks are not derived mechanically from above feedback.

Key to Grades: A: Excellent, B: Good, C: Satisfactory, D: Some inadequacies, E: Poor

General comments:

First marker

Grade awarded:

Second marker

Grade awarded:Final grade:

the UNIVERSITY of GREENWICH

BUSINESS SCHOOL

ASSIGNMENT FEEDBACK

BUSI1317 – Strategic Management Assignment 2 – Case Analysis

Student: _________________________ Marker: □NW □PR □RJ

A

70+

B

60-69

C

50-59

D

40-49

E

0-39

1) Content & Argument

General points:

Content relevant

Logically developed argument

Accurate presentation of evidence

Content has little relevance / superficial

No coherent argument

Evidence questionable / no evidence

Environment / Capabilities

Good analysis of external environment

Good analysis of internal capabilities

Poor analysis of external environment

Poor analysis of internal capabilities

Strategic Choices

Good analysis and evaluation of strategic choices (which strategies were chosen, and why?), focusing on the concept presented (e.g. horizontal integration)

Poor analysis and evaluation of strategic choices

Main concept not related to case well

Strategy Implementation

Good analysis and evaluation of strategy implementation

Poor analysis and evaluation of strategy implementation

2) Structure

Good introduction (appropriate length, defines topic, gives overview of report)

Good main section (appropriate length, divided well into subsections using subheadings)

Good conclusion (appropriate length, summarises case analysis well)

Introductions not good or missing

Main section not structured well

Conclusions not good or missing

the UNIVERSITY of GREENWICH

BUSINESS SCHOOL

3) Format

Style: fluently written, in academic writing style

Presentation: well set out, correct overall length

Referencing: correct referencing in Harvard style

Syntax: correct spelling and grammar

Inelegantly written, informal writing style

Untidy and difficult to read, under / over length

Incorrect or missing referencing

Incorrect spelling and grammar

4) Sources

Good range of appropriate academic sources used

Too few or inappropriate sources used (e.g. internet sources)

NB: Each of the six sections above (1a, 1b, 1c, 2, 3, 4) carries roughly equal weight towards the final mark; but marks are not derived mechanically from above feedback.

Key to Grades: A: Excellent, B: Good, C: Satisfactory, D: Some inadequacies, E: Poor

General comments:

First marker

Grade awarded:

Second marker

Grade awarded:Final grade: