What evidence is lacking, inconclusive, contradictory or too limited? Why study (further) the research problem?

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Assignment 1 – Interim Research Paper
Contents
This element of assessment comprises the submission of a Interim Research Paper that provides an introduction to the research methodology, the theoretical framework and the literature review for the study area.
What is an Interim Research Paper?
Full details of the contents of the Interim Research paper are shown in Appendix 5 of this document. The main constituents of the paper are an interim literature review and preliminary research methodology which reflects the extent of the work undertaken by you at this stage of the dissertation.
The Interim Research Paper should be seen as a complete submission and not as an introduction to the main Dissertation submission. The research question should be clearly identified, as well as the aims and objectives. The typical components of the Interim Research Paper, as shown in Appendix 5 are:
Abstract Keywords Introduction (background to the topic) Lit Review Research Methodology Findings and Discussion (from the analysis of the lit review) Conclusion and Further Research
Always remember that this is a “stand alone” exercise and, even though you should be able to transfer most of the contents to your final submission, no reference to this should be made on the paper.
The Interim Literature Review in the Interim Research Paper
The literature review should demonstrate that you have a comprehensive knowledge of the research, theoretical and empirical, that relates to your proposed area of research.
A literature review is NOT merely a summary of other people’s work. It is a critical look at the existing research in a particular area/topic. Of course this will mean that you do summarize some of the relevant research in your chosen topic. However, you must EVALUATE this research. This will include detailing how the research is related and its relevance to your dissertation. You must not simply provide a description of individual research. To maximize your grade you must select the important aspects of the research (e.g. the methodology) and clearly indicate how it relates to the other relevant studies (e.g. What other methodologies have been used? How are they similar? How are they different?). A good review must provide the theoretical context for your research.
How to write a good review
By undertaking a review of your chosen topic you will of course enlarge your knowledge. You should also improve and demonstrate your skills in information seeking and critically appraising the relevant research.

Dissertation 2019‐2020 – Gheorghe Multescu
The idea of the literature review is not to provide a summary of all the published work that relates to your research, but a survey of the most relevant and significant work. A good review must: x be organized to demonstrate how the research is related to your dissertation and the research question you are developing x synthesize results into a summary of what is and is not known x identify areas of controversy in the literature x formulate questions that need further research
In general, students should make sure that the following questions are answered:

What do we already know in the immediate area concerned? What are the characteristics of the key concepts or the main factors or variables? What are the relationships between these key concepts, factors or variables? What are the existing theories? Where are the inconsistencies or other shortcomings in our knowledge and understanding? What views need to be (further) tested?  What evidence is lacking, inconclusive, contradictory or too limited? Why study (further) the research problem?
In a theoretical framework you would include an outline of existing theories which are closely related to your research topic. You should make clear how your research relates to existing theories. How are ‘research questions’ in the field framed? How does your own research relate to such framings? You should make your own theoretical assumptions and allegiances as explicit as possible.
Preliminary Research Methodology in the Interim Research Paper
Start by explaining the paradigm and approach on which the paper is based, and then identify your research methodology.
Your discussion of methodology should be linked to this theoretical framework. At this stage you do not have to describe the methodology to be used in great detail, but you should justify its use over other methodologies. For example, you could explain the reasons for using:
• a certain paradigm or theory • an inductive or deductive approach • qualitative or quantitative research • a case study of a specific kind • surveys, correlational experiments, field studies, etc. • certain dependent or independent or moderating variables • a particular sampling frame and the size of a sample
You could also explain how you are proposing to: • have access to the data • analyze the data
Always be aware that for this exercise you are not required to obtain primary data.

Dissertation 2019‐2020 – Gheorghe Multescu                                                                   page   9
Submission
Please note. For both submissions the hard copy and the electronic copy via Turnitin should be submitted by the deadline to avoid penalties. The hard copy will be used to establish the penalty points.
The Interim Research Paper (Interim Submission) is a formal submission, which will be assessed in accordance with the criteria outlined in the Module Outline. The mark allocated for this submission will have a weighting of 25% of the overall module mark. Provided your Interim Research Paper is of adequate standard, it will be perfectly acceptable to include most of the content in your final submission.
The Interim Submission will be expected to be around 4,000 words in length (10% tolerance accepted) and should incorporate the following elements:
• A clear title for your research area • A rationale for the selection of the topic • Your research goals, expressed in terms of: ƒ Aim ƒ Objectives ƒ Either proposition(s) or key question(s) • A literature review (i.e. a first draft of the literature review which you expect to include in your final submission) • An introduction to the theoretical framework, research approach and proposed methodology for the study • A comprehensive list of references

The 3 compulsory tutorials to be held prior to the submission of the Interim Research Paper
will not be assessed but, as they are essential to ensure the smooth progression of the work, attendance will be recorded and non-attendance will be penalized.
Students’ interim submission will not be assessed if the tutorials have been missed, and you will lose all marks attributable to this element. Appendix 3 contains the attendance record sheet that should be signed by the Supervisor after each compulsory tutorial, and attached to the Interim Submission.
The compulsory tutorials are informal, and the arrangements should be initiated by the student.
Assignment 2 – PDP Submission
You are required to submit a portfolio not exceeding 1500 words (excluding illustrations, forms and diagrams) utilizing the structures to be provided during the PDP sessions, which addresses the following:
x Personal profile – CV ;
x SMART goals to be developed during the dissertation
x SWOT analysis applicable to your career progression

Dissertation 2019‐2020 – Gheorghe Multescu                                                                   page   49
Appendix 5

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Full paper template for interim research paper: Your paper title here Monty Sutisna1 and Lee Ruddock1 1School of the Built Environment, University of Salford, Salford, M5 4WT, United Kingdom

Email: M.Sutrisna@xxxxxxxxxx; L.Ruddock@xxxxxxxxx
Abstract: The abstract of your paper should be written in a single paragraph within 300 words limit. A good abstract should give a brief overview of the paper including the background and/or rationale, the research methodology, and the findings from the research at its current stage. It is also a good practice to explain how the findings from the research can help or at least useful in solving problems or minimizing gaps in the specific area/field/communities/industry. Keywords: Up to 5 keywords should be provided in alphabetical order separated by commas (should be the same as your Topic Approval Form) Introduction The introduction section should provide an overview of the paper as well as its background and context. Starting from general to provide the ‘big picture’ moving down to specifics, this section should provide a rationale that justifies the research, i.e. why there is a necessity to conduct a research on this particular subject. This can be done by providing evidences of problems that needs solution and/or identified knowledge gap in a specific domain, level, geographical location, society, sector, industry, and so on supported by key references. As the response, a clear research agenda can be described specifying research aim and objectives in order to clarify the purpose of conducting the investigation. Following this, the author needs to describe in general how the research can be or had been done to satisfy the aim and objectives, i.e. a brief discussion on the research methodology. This should highlight the research design, data collection methods and data analysis conducted or to be conducted in the research. Research limitations, scopes and boundaries should be explained as well to manage the expectations of the readers/audience. The findings of the research at this stage have to be outlined here emphasizing on the originality and general contributions of the investigation and preferably specific contributions of this paper. It is also a good practice to clarify who exactly will or expected to benefit from such investigation. This should be closely linked to the research rationale, aim and objectives.
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Literature Review Similar to the background and context discussed in the introduction section, the literature review should flow from general to specific. There is no strict set of rules that prescribes the numbers of references that should be presented. However, as a rule of thumbs, every claims or important statement in the paper should be supported by at least one reference (can be academic or more industry related articles). References should be reasonably recent, key references and seminal works relevant to the field of study should be included. The referencing system used should be the Harvard system. There are several variances in styles that can be adopted, however for consistency, the following style should be applied in writing the interim research paper: (Sutrisna and Ruddock, 2009), (Ruddock et al., 2008; Sutrisna et al., 2008). Even though it is called the literature review section, the actual title of the section 2 does not have to be “Literature Review”. It can be other titles that might better represent the content of this section. Nesting Sub-sections Starting from section 2 onwards (except for section 6 References), nesting subsections can be added whenever necessary by selecting Heading 2 or heading 3 as appropriate. In order to format the numbering, right-click on the subsection title, choose Bullets and Numbering, select customize and choose the appropriate level and start at as appropriate. The Level of Sub-section Nesting Authors are not advised to use more than three levels of subsections’ nesting. The use of too many nesting levels will reduce clarity and may be confusing for the readers of the article. Research Methodology The research methodology should clearly discuss the framework, approach and/or the research design, data collection, and data analysis to be adopted in the research. One of the most important issues to be discussed here is the appropriateness of the selected methodology, i.e. the justification of why this particular methodology (consists of research approaches, tools, and so on), is the most appropriate choice compared to other alternatives. This is the opportunity for the authors to demonstrate their awareness and understanding (appropriate for the level of study) of the research tools commonly used in their field and how this knowledge is used to inform them in constructing a robust methodology to tackle the research problems/questions. Some papers present very early stages of the research. This should not prevent the author to discuss potential research methodology that can be adapted based on the nature of the research problems/questions identified or type of data expected at this stage. Research is iterative in nature and researchers continuously modify their research methodology in light of new information and changes in circumstances.
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Findings and Discussion In this section, authors should discuss all the findings emerging from conducting the investigation so far. Even for early stages of research (e.g. the paper may only aim to report an initial literature study), what have been synthesized from the literature should be discussed. This may be done by highlighting the similarities and/or differences from a variety of literature sources on the issues being investigated and the contextual nature of the similarities/differences (such as geographical locations, culture or many other factors that may influence the discussion in those different literature sources). Conclusion and Further Research In this section, the author should summarize the whole discussion presented in this paper. This can be done by briefly reminding the reader about the origin of the investigation and how the research has been designed and conducted, followed by the findings so far and who can benefit from the results. However, repetition (cut and paste) from previous sections of this paper should be avoided. Thus this section should provide a holistic view that summarizes those items rather than repetitively describing them as before. New materials should not be introduced in this section, except for the further research as explained below. The summary should then followed by flagging potential of further research emerging from the investigation. For ongoing research this may include the next stages of the research that will be conducted by the researcher to complete the research. Ideally, this section should demonstrate the contribution of the research and also this paper (as summarized) as well as inspiring other researchers to further develop the body of knowledge in the relevant field. Acknowledgement In some cases it is necessary for the author to acknowledge that this paper is a part of a larger research project. If no acknowledgement is necessary, this section should be deleted from the paper. References Author1, Initials., Author2, Initials. and Author3, Initials. (Year), ‘Article Title’, Journal Title, Volume (issue no.), pp 34-45. Author1, Initials., Author2, Initials. and Author3, Initials. (Year), Book title, Publisher, Place. Author1, Initials., Author2, Initials. and Author3, Initials. (Year), ‘Article Title’, In: Editor(s), Book Title, Publisher, Place, pp 34-45. Author1, Initials., Author2, Initials. and Author3, Initials. (Year), ‘Article Title’, In: Editor(s), Conference Proceeding, Publisher, Place, Dates of Conference, pp 3445 Author1, Initials., Author2, Initials. and Author3, Initials. (Year), ‘Article Title’, Publication/Publisher, http://www.url_address.co/a

Based on the report you compiled for your boss, describe the Bhopal Union Carbide plant malfunction you analyzed and which method you selected to complete your assessment.

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Based on the report you compiled for your boss, describe the Bhopal Union Carbide plant malfunction you analyzed and which method you selected to complete your assessment. Include why you decided this was the most applicable method for the malfunction and your primary recommendation for correcting the malfunction.

What incentives do interest groups offer to get individuals to join the group, and what strategies do interest groups use in their attempts to gain favorable policy.

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Analyze the impact of interest groups and lobbyist in by answering the following questions:

Whom do they benefit and how do they affect our society?
What incentives do interest groups offer to get individuals to join the group, and what strategies do interest groups use in their attempts to gain favorable policy. To answer this question please research two interest groups:
Go to the Web sites of two interest groups with related interests and identify the incentives they each offer individuals to join.

Compare and contrast the competing interests of the two groups.

Include the exact Web link and citation information for the page(s) where the incentive information is located in your reference list and parenthetical references.

Analyze the overall effect of interest groups on democracy. How do they further the pluralistic or the elite interest? Is this a benefit or an obstacle to democracy?
Your essay should be between 500 and 600 words, double-spaced and in APA format, with parenthetical citations and a Reference List. A cover page is not necessary.

Explain the effects of international diversification on firm returns and innovation.

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Write a short essay explaining the questions ,The essay should ,give real-life specific examples

1-Name and describe the five alternative modes for entering international markets.
2-Explain the effects of international diversification on firm returns and innovation.
3-Name and describe two major risks of international diversification.
4-Identify the four major benefits of an international strategy.

PART 2
Write a short essay explaining the questions ,The essay should ,give real-life specific examples.
1-Define cooperative strategies and explain why firms use them.
2-Define and discuss three types of strategic alliances.
3-Name the business-level cooperative strategies and describe their use.
4-Explain cooperative strategies’ risks.

Explain how those strategies support the current structure and contributes to organizational success.

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*Assignment Details:

Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum, read Chapters 11, 12 and 13 of your text. Review the How to Strategically Align Employee Compensation with Your Company’s Objectives (Links to an external site.) article.

According to Stevens-Huffman (2012), “While compensation alone won’t ensure the attainment of the business plan, customized, strategic alignment of total rewards increases the likelihood of success.” (para. 2). Consider your current organization or one that you are familiar with and recommend two compensation and benefits strategies. Explain how those strategies support the current structure and contributes to organizational success. Your original response to this discussion should be a minimum of 250 words.

http://www.sbnonline.com/article/how-to-strategically-align-employee-compensation-with-your-companys-objectives/

 

Experiment with various classification methods and propose a final model for identifying customers who will respond to the targeted marketing.

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Data Analysis Case Problem – Week 7

Review the attached Excel spreadsheet and answer all the Case Study respective questions.

Case Problem: Grey Code Corporation

Grey Code Corporation (GCC) is a media and marketing company involved in magazine and book publishing and in television broadcasting. GCC’s portfolio of home and family magazines has been a long-running strength, but they have expanded to become a provider of a spectrum of services (market research, communications planning, web site advertising, etc.) that can enhance their clients’ brands.

GCC’s relational database contains over a terabyte of data encompassing 75 million customers. GCC uses the data in its database to develop campaigns for new customer acquisition, customer reactivation, and the identification of cross-selling opportunities for products. For example, GCC will generate separate versions of a monthly issue of a magazine that will differ only by the advertisements they contain. They will mail a subscribing customer the version with the print ads identified by their database as being of most interest to that customer.

One particular problem facing GCC is how to boost the customer response rate to renewal offers that it mails to its magazine subscribers. The industry response rate is about 2%, but GCC has historically performed better than that. However, GCC must update its model to correspond to recent changes. GCC’s director of database marketing, Chris Grey, wants to make sure GCC maintains its place as one of the top achievers in targeted marketing. The file GCC contains 99 variables (columns) and 50,000 rows (distinct customers).

Play the role of Chris Grey and construct a classification model to identify customers who are likely to respond to a mailing. Write a report that documents the following steps:

  1. Explore the data. This includes addressing any missing data as well as treatment of variables. Variables may need to be transformed. Also, because of the large number of variables, you must identify appropriate means to reduce the dimension of the data. In particular, it may be helpful to filter out unnecessary and redundant variables.
  2. Partition the data into training, validation, and test sets.
  3. Experiment with various classification methods and propose a final model for identifying customers who will respond to the targeted marketing.
    1. Your report should include a chart of the Class 1 and Class 0 error rates for various values of the cutoff probability.
    2. Recommend a cutoff probability value. For the test set, what is the overall error rate at this value? What are the Class 1 and Class 0 error rates at this value?
    3. If GCC sends the targeted marketing to the model’s top decile, what is the expected response rate? How does that compare to the average industry rate?

 

Explain and justify methods used to identify the target market for the proposed business.

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M1 Explain and justify methods used to identify the target market for the proposed business.

Within this assignment, I will be explaining the different methods I will apply in order to identify the target market for my proposed business.

To find out my target market I will use primary research as well as secondary research, as I feel both will provide me with accurate, detailed and reliable information as they both have their own individual benefits along with their own drawbacks. By using both, though, I will be able to eliminate both the drawbacks and have access to reliable information and data that can help me determine my target market properly. I chose to use 1 primary research tool, a questionnaire, together with 1 secondary internet research process.

I will first create a questionnaire and give it to people as it is an easy and efficient process as well as unique to my business needs. Therefore, the benefits of using a questionnaire are that people are familiar with the format, it is easy to understand and clearly laid out. The data I receive is going to be new and up-to-date, because I know where it comes from. It allows a vast amount of information to be obtained in a short amount of time from a large number of people. For comparison and evaluation, the results of the questionnaire can be easily converted into graphs and charts. None of my rivals, as I do myself, will be able to steal or clone this data and it will be unique to my company needs to ensure exclusivity.

Nonetheless, questionnaires also have drawbacks. We lack credibility as anyone with random answers can answer the questions just to complete the questionnaire meaning there is no way to tell how accurate their answers are. Others claim it’s ineffective because there are different response types including long answers, multiple choices, etc. It could become expensive to produce the questionnaires and waste a lot of money to produce the resources and equipment and materials as I want it to be accurate, which means I’ll have to start from scratch. Questionnaires are a good research tool for my company as I can apply the questions to my business needs as well as choose who will answer my questionnaire.

The second type of research I’m going to do is research on the internet that helps me identify my target market. This is because it helps me to receive at once a large sample of data that increases the amount of statistics I have. Therefore, data is automatically entered into the database, no data entry errors occur. This is a more inclusive sample-based study rather than a conventional old-based research that is great for my proposed company because all the rivals in the resturant industry will have already done research and this would have been published on the internet, so this is not going to be difficult to find and there should be no shortage of information on the internet. Internet research is a cheap way to gather information because you don’t need to supply any materials or facilities as the study has already been collected.

On the other hand, sometimes you might rush through this research that might mean you don’t read something properly, and this may result in collecting inaccurate research that is wrong and invalid to my research that won’t be useful. A huge percentage of internet information is also unreliable and can be very unpredictable because people with no experience can publish information on the internet that has no basis of validity, which is why I will be extremely careful when browsing through the internet and carefully looking for websites and sources that have a clear connection.

There are some kinds of research that I would not engage in, such as interviews. This is because the interview costs can be quite high, because people’s workers are expected to perform the interviews. Now a day’s interviews in a paper form are old-fashioned, and none of them are willing to answer because they are usually done on iPads or tablets that cost too much cash. Also, the quality of the data that I will receive will often depend on the interviewee’s ability as some people have natural ability to conduct an interview, but some people may be shy and other data may not be good. It’s normal for most people that they’re not naturally good at conducting interviews, which is why I’m not going to use interviews to define my company target market. The sample size in an interview is limited because for a long period of time some people may not be willing to answer questions. However, if the interview is recorded on paper, the collected data will need to be entered manually and scanned into a device, however data entry that cost a significant amount of money because iPads or tablets etc. may need to be needed.

Additionally, a focus group is a good research method however, it is not suitable for me to identify the target market for my proposed business. This is because they can be moderately bias because people may intentionally put their personal opinions into the other participant’s exchange of ideas. This may make the results inaccurate because the group participants may reach certain assumptions or conclusions about a certain idea or product. Also focus groups are not in such depth compared to an individual interview because they are not as efficient in covering a lot of detailed information.

Postal surveys are a widely used research tool, as they allow you to obtain a large sample of work using a very low-cost approach with limited resources. However, there is no way to find out who did respond to the questionnaire and who did not. They are straightforward and easy to fill out as they have a basic format that allows respondents to pick answers from a present response set. I don’t think postal surveys are the most appropriate research tool so I can’t get immediate answers that aren’t helpful if I need a lot of information in a short time. So I’m not going to use postal surveys as a research method because it’s not ideal for the study I need to find out.

To conclude, I think that my chosen research methods are the most suitable methods because questionnaires are in a format that people are familiar with, making people more likely to answer because they understand what they are doing and the meaning of them. These are easy to understand because they are clearly written allowing different question types to obtain a large range of answers that is really helpful for me to gather a huge amount of data that suits well with questionnaires. As well as questionnaires, internet research is the most appropriate research method for me to use because I will be able to obtain a large amount of information in one go because it’s all in one location, it’s a simple research method that makes it useful because no one really reads books or uses conventional research methods in modern times and era. Both of these forms of study are the most suitable approaches I want to find out which is my target audience. Overall, the two most appropriate tools for my research are the questionnaires and internet research out of all the research methods I think.

Evaluate the impact of ethical values and concepts to the different cultures and societies in which organisations may operate.

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CMI Level 6 Management and Leadership

 

Name of the Unit: Ethical organisational management

Number of Word count: 2095

Table of Contents

Introduction.. 3

TASK 1. 3

A.C. 1.1 – Discuss the concept of ethics in an organisational context 3

A.C. 1.2 – Evaluate those factors which could influence organisational ethics. 3

A.C. 2.1 – Evaluate an organisational code of ethics. 4

TASK 2. 4

A.C. 1.3 – Outline the effect of organisational ethics on corporate social responsibilities  4

A.C. 2.3 – Evaluate the impact of ethical values and concepts to the different cultures and societies in which organisations may operate. 5

TASK 3. 6

A.C. 2.2 – Interpret ethically related legislation impacting upon organisational accountability  6

TASK 4. 6

A.C. 3.1 – Describe values and beliefs on which ethical decisions can be made by individuals, groups and senior managers in an organisation.. 6

A.C. 3.2 – Discuss how a values and beliefs strategy in different cultures and societies could influence their attitude to the organisation.. 7

TASK 5. 7

A.C. 3.3 – Discuss an ethical organisational approach that could recognise and/or respect other cultural value systems or ideologies. 7

Conclusion.. 7

References. 9

Introduction

Ethics in the organization are the standards that govern workplace relationships and business operations (Chun, et al., 2013). Ethics are exhibited in the form of integrity, transparency, accountability, compassion, respect and fairness. Furthermore, ethics plays a significant role in an organization’s corporate social responsibility. It assists organizations to manage different cross-cultural subjects.

TASK 1

A.C. 1.1 – Discuss the concept of ethics in an organisational context

Organizational ethics are the principals by which companies’ functions and are established through integrity. It is imperative organizations ensures employees understand organization ethics and can conform. An organization is shaped through amalgamation working towards predefined objectives. Employees must ensure the company ethics are adhered to in order to establish a positive working environment.

Organizational ethics are the guidelines and procedures enacted in the company to help the organization manage various challenges. A positive organizational culture plays a significant role in the company. When a company invests its resources in formulating strategies and guidelines, the outcome is a positive organizational culture. Examples of such policies are equality for growth and anti-discriminatory policies. Additionally, for an organization to maintain its customer relationship to inspire its corporate brand, the organization should enforce ethical practices (Ferrell, 2016). In Unilever, the company opts for upholding honesty and fairness in its marketing initiatives. If an organization deal with complaints in an adverse method, the company is subjected to the possibility of misplacing its customer confidence. Additionally, if the organization fails to develop policies and guidelines to enforce ethical practice, the company is at risk of financial liabilities. Therefore, it is essential ethical practices are defined and incorporated in the organization structure and strategies.

A.C. 1.2 – Evaluate those factors which could influence organisational ethics

Various factors affect organizational ethics, such as values and individual goals. Ethical factors involve methods and actions which influence behaviour in amenability with the environment. Ethical concerns in management involve integrity and the overall impact the organization has internally and externally.

In contemporary society, companies are cognisant of innumerable ethical issues, and as a result, several strategies are put in place to improve the ethical standards of the organization (Mihai & Alina, 2013). However, there are some factors that influences the role managers partake in making ethical decisions. A personal code of ethics is a component that influences organizational ethics. It refers to an individual’s code of ethics that they consider when they intend to make a decision. Government legislation can also influence organizational ethics (Mihai & Alina, 2013). Government involvement in business is to regulate and oversee unethical and various unwanted business practices. The ethical code of an organization can also influences how managers make ethical decisions. As a company develops, the ethical standards also develop in order to prevent any instance of unethical practices that can harm the company’s brand and public image. Societal pressure also influences ethical decisions (Ferrell, 2016). For example, if company supplies average products and become involved in unethical endeavours, the clients will become indifferent with the company. Thus, it is important for organization to display ethical standards.

A.C. 2.1 – Evaluate an organisational code of ethics

A code of ethics elucidates a company’s values, mission and policies connecting them with the principles of professional conduct. Unilever’s code of business principles is an example of expectation in a code of ethics. Unilever’s standard of conduct clarifies how the company operates with openness, integrity and transparency (Sekerka, et al., 2014). The company concentrates on issues such as human rights and the wellbeing of staff members. Furthermore, the company requires the staff members to observe the law of its country of operation.  The company’s code of ethics also regards the employee and promotes a working environment that facilitates diversity and equal chances. The code of ethics also permits Unilever to provide the customers with branded products that are made in conformance with quality standards, acceptable practices and affordability. It also operates by its corporate governance where the shareholders are provided with timely and reliable financial, structural and performance-based information. The code of ethics permits the company to establish mutual relationships with the customers, suppliers, and business partners (Sert, et al., 2014). The code of ethics also facilitates community involvement, where Unilever fulfils its responsibilities as it gives back to the community. Ensuring the organization has an overall positive impact on the community it operates within.

TASK 2

A.C. 1.3 – Outline the effect of organisational ethics on corporate social responsibilities

In the case of CSR, ethics refers to the apparent duties of the organization to observe centralised laws in order to avoid situations that enervate the wellbeing of the customers, staff members, and the stakeholders. An organization’s corporate theory of ethics can influence its workforce by developing trust. Pertaining to the social contract theory of ethics, an organization has an ethical responsibility of improving the welfares of staff members and the clients within the law (Shafer, 2015). Based on fairness and competition, a business’s concept of ethics enables it to inspire fairness among the staff members. The business permits the staff members to participate exhausting fair business strategies without destructively effecting each other’s performance. As such, the organization will be able to reach a higher level of accomplishment.

Based on the transparency of organizational practices, social obligation needs an aspect of transparency in order to ensure the clients the company has nothing to obscure. An organization that does not permit the public to view its environmental endeavours can be faced with indifferent customers. When a business gives the customers a chance to observe their business and environmental initiatives, the employees are more likely to observe the rules and regulations of the organization (Thiel, et al., 2012). Since CSR is also environmentally conscious, minimizing waste inspires the staff members to safeguard office equipment and supplies to minimize the number of disposable goods. Rationalizing an organization’s waste management program can bring about increase productivity and workforce engagement.

A.C. 2.3 – Evaluate the impact of ethical values and concepts to the different cultures and societies in which organisations may operate

Organizational ethical values and concepts could influence various cultures as well as the society the companies operates. Ethical values and concepts may bring about several impacts on different cultures. For example, ethical values and concepts promotes equality and justice where people can freely coincide. Intrinsically, ethics acts as a regulator that helps in pointing various issues that may bring about conflicts within different cultures (Mihai & Alina, 2013). As such, it assists to reinstate congruence between cultures that were forced to disagree. In organizations, ethical values and concepts instils a positive corporate culture. For instance, in Unilever company, the company has various policies and procedures that enforce a business integrity culture. It also helps to boost consumer confidence when an organization adheres and upholds ethical values and concepts. In the society, ethical values and concepts also play a significant role (Sekerka, et al., 2014). Various cultures have been able to overcome language barrier, establish a peaceful coexistence and outline issues that may lead to various disagreements. Cultures affect interpretation of organization strategies and plays a factor on what ethical values are emphasize and communicated.

TASK 3

A.C. 2.2 – Interpret ethically related legislation impacting upon organisational accountability

Examples of two laws in the United Kingdom governing organizational ethics are the Bribery Act of 2010 and the Equality Act of 2010. The Bribery Act of 2010 forbids any act of bribery from public officials and organization-to-organization bribery (Sekerka, et al., 2014). Organizational accountability refers to a clear definition of a corporation’s core values, mission and objectives. It also means that the staff members are held responsible for achieving these goals. As such, the laws influence organizational accountability in several ways. The Bribery Act 2010 influences organizational accountability by establishing a new corporate offence (Sert, et al., 2014). The organizational offence is regarded as a stringent liability offence which means that a company may commit transgression without its knowledge. As such, it is upon the company to take the necessary procedures to prove that it had sufficient measures in place developed to prevent individuals connected with the misconduct from undertaking such transgression. On the other hand, the Equality Act 2010 also influences organizational accountability in several ways. The Act elaborates a collection of characteristics (Mihai & Alina, 2013). As such, it states that if any individual or other parties disregards the other based on these characteristics, then it is unlawful. Examples of such factors are age, disability, race, religion, and many others.

TASK 4

A.C. 3.1 – Describe values and beliefs on which ethical decisions can be made by individuals, groups and senior managers in an organisation

Values and beliefs contribute to an integral role in making ethical decisions. Organization leaders have a direct role in inducing organizational ethics and establishing an environment that foster ethical values and refrain from unethical environmental practices. Ethically taking into consideration finances, expansion of the organization and reducing negative impact on the environment. For example, refraining from malicious actions towards competitors.

Individual values have usually been a factor associated to individual decision behaviour. Examples of values are Integrity, commitment, innovation, motivation, perseverance, and respect.

Examples of beliefs are leading by illustration, showing respect, recognising accountability. Individuals, groups, and senior managers can make ethical decisions based on integrity. Integrity incorporates responsibility, honesty, consistency, decency, commitment, and sincerity.

A.C. 3.2 – Discuss how a values and beliefs strategy in different cultures and societies could influence their attitude to the organisation

Culture is an integral part of any organization because it shapes individual’s behaviour, customer service and innovation. As a result, values and beliefs in different cultures can influence the attitude of employees in several ways. Initially, values and beliefs of different cultures act as a firm’s internal and external identity (Ferrell, 2016). Second, these values and beliefs can shape the company’s core values. It is important that managers and human resources understand the cultural values in the environment that the company functions. When implementing comprehensive business initiatives, cultural differences should be considered to reduce miscommunication and confrontation. organizational culture replicates the values, beliefs and behavioural standards that are used by employees to interpret their surroundings. Thus, these aspects are essential and should be taken into consideration when establishing organization standards and values. Culture can either influence staff members to be advocates of the company or critics. Values and beliefs of a culture can inspire the employees to reach their full potential which in turn boosts organizational performance. Lastly, culture can inspire teamwork in an organization.

The culture within an organization is significant factor in establishing a positive working environment to maximise productivity. Understanding the organization’s core values can prevent internal conflict

The response to organizational procedures communicated to employees, can affect work behaviour, morale and attaining organization objectives.

TASK 5

A.C. 3.3 – Discuss an ethical organisational approach that could recognise and/or respect other cultural value systems or ideologies

In diverse organizations, the ability to work with various people with diverse values and cultures is significant. When an organization’s culture is implemented it should ensure employees are recognized and valued which creates job satisfaction and positive outcomes (Custominsight.com, 2019).

There are several ethical organizational approaches that recognizes and respects other cultures and their value systems and principles. For example, corporate social responsibility is an ethical organizational approach whose aim is to protect the community.

As technology advances and organizations become global, ethical issues become precedence in order to strengthen business connections.

Another example of such an ethical approach by organizations is uniform treatment of all staff members (Sert, et al., 2014).  Organizations promote sensitivity training in the form of seminars to discuss various discrimination issues. As such, organizations value other cultures by such approaches.

Conclusion

Ethical practices are an integral part and process of organizational management. In various situations, organizational leaders will encounter circumstances that will test their ethical principles. Occasionally organizations are challenged with ethical dilemmas. However, individuals’ values and beliefs can assist organizational leaders to make ethical decisions and take into consideration long term impact across the chain.

An organization’s culture is driven by the values sustained throughout that organization. The established culture should be based on a strongly shared set of beliefs that are supported by strategy and structure.

Organizational culture reflects the values, beliefs and purpose that influence employee’s reaction to the environment and situation encountered. It is important understand cultural differences and procedures in order to reduce conflict and enhance the ability to work cohesively.

leadership and ethics influence the team communication and act as a catalyst to achieve ethically the organization objectives, improve job satisfaction and ethical functions.

References

Chun, J.S., Shin, Y., Choi, J.N., and Kim, M.S., 2013. How do corporate ethics contribute to firm financial performance? The mediating role of collective organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behavior. Journal of Management, 39(4), pp.853-877.

Farooq, O., Payaud, M., Merunka, D., and Valette-Florence, P., 2014. The impact of corporate social responsibility on organizational commitment: Exploring multiple mediation mechanisms. Journal of Business Ethics, 125(4), pp.563-580.

Ferrell, O.C., 2016. A framework for understanding organizational ethics. In Business ethics: New challenges for business schools and corporate leaders (pp. 15-29). Routledge.

Mihai, B., and Alina, A.N., 2013. Business ethics implementation in the organizational culture of companies. Annals of the University of Oradea, Economic Science Series, 22(1), pp.44-53.

Sekerka, L.E., Comer, D.R., and Godwin, L.N., 2014. Positive organizational ethics: Cultivating and sustaining decent performance. Journal of Business Ethics, 119(4), pp.435-444.

Sert, A., Elçi, M., Uslu, T., and Şener, İ., 2014. The effects of organizational justice and ethical climate on perceived work-related stress. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 150, pp.1187-1198.

Shafer, W.E., 2015. Ethical climate, social responsibility, and earnings management. Journal of Business Ethics, 126(1), pp.43-60.

Thiel, C.E., Bagdasarov, Z., Harkrider, L., Johnson, J.F., and Mumford, M.D., 2012. Leader ethical decision-making in organizations: Strategies for sensemaking. Journal of Business Ethics, 107(1), pp.49-64.

Wu, L.Z., Kwan, H.K., Yim, F.H.K., Chiu, R.K., and He, X., 2015. CEO ethical leadership and corporate social responsibility: A moderated mediation model. Journal of Business Ethics, 130(4), pp.819-831. (Chun, et al., 2013) (Farooq, et al., 2014) (Ferrell, 2016) (Mihai & Alina, 2013) (Sekerka, et al., 2014) (Sert, et al., 2014) (Shafer, 2015) (Thiel, et al., 2012) (Wu, 2015)

Custominsight.com. (2019). What is Employee Satisfaction? Employee Engagement vs. Employee Satisfaction, the Importance of Engagement. [online] Available at: https://www.custominsight.com/employee-engagement-survey/what-is-employee-satisfaction.asp [Accessed 15 Dec. 2019].

How impact has organizational changes made in the company as a strategy implication had on the performance of the company?

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STRATEGY IMPLICATIONS OF VALUE INVESTING, ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE AND OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENT IN THE SME FINANCE SECTOR

Strategy implications of value investing, organizational change and operational improvement in the SME finance sector
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the factors that determine the growth and development of various countries across the world. By promoting the SME sector of a country, the level of employment and generation of income is increased through which sustainable growth is achieved (Cameron and Green, 2019). The process of globalization and technological advancement has resulted in changing the business environment in the world hence the need for a change in which businesses are structured to increase their output and performance (Slack and Brandon-Jones, 2018). The changes have resulted in increasing the number of opportunities that exists but o the other hand introduced new challenges that require new measures and techniques in addressing them. One country whose economy has greatly benefited from the SME sector in Kazakhstan. This paper aims at providing a dissertation on the strategic implications of value investing, organizational change and operational improvement in the SME finance sector in Kazakhstan by using JSC Leasing Group JSC as the case company.
Value investing trends and market activity in Kazakhstan
One value investing trend that is currently experienced in Kazakhstan is the increased movement to cloud by SMEs operators in the country. The main reason for this is because of the wide range of benefits that the practice offers to the business owners including saving time, affordability and advancement of the companies’ operations. The cloud technology is still new to most companies in the country but the number of users has been increasing in the past three years, a trend that is expected to be witnessed in the future (Satti et al., 2015). Similarly, most SMEs are relying on social media to market their products. Additionally, the practice improves the competitiveness of the SMEs by making them more efficient in their operations thereby being more attractive to the customers. Increased globalization and technological advancement have resulted in increasing the number of individuals using technology both in communicating as well as engaging in commercial activities thus making it a requirement for the traders to find ways that they can use to easily access both local and global markets. The most commonly used social media platforms include Facebook and YouTube due to a large number of users that the companies have.
SMEs are also changing to forms that meet the need of the millennials. The millennial market has been increasing since 2015 and it is expected that by 202 it will dominate most countries across the world (Tidd and Bessant, 2018). For this reason, the focus of SME is now changing to provide services that are most needed by the generations thereby targeting active consumers of digital content. Additionally, many businesses have been going online in terms of their operations. Placing orders and purchase of the required inputs and commodities are now done online. Similarly, customers can place their orders online with some SMEs accepting online payments from their customers. The move to sell products online allows businesses to have a wider customer base through which they are able to increase the number of sales that they make (Adilova et al., 2015). The SMEs are also able to market their products by displaying the different quantities and brands that they sell to their customers. Due to the wide range of advantages that the SMEs gain from this practice, they are expected to keep on increasing their use of online means to run their operations.
Structure of the Dissertation
To analyse the SMEs sector in Kazakhstan, the dissertation will have a literature review section that will provide information from various authors on the topic of strategy implications of value investing, organizational change and operational improvement in the SME finance sector in Kazakhstan. In this section, the main areas of concern will be the importance of strategic change in practice, elements of the cooperation between private and the public sectors, optimal strategies that can be adopted by SME finance companies and corporate divestments. The dissertation will then provide a methodology to be used in the study in which case the research design and the paradigmatic considerations will be made. Additionally, the process of sampling and data collection will be addressed as well as the justification of the chosen method.
The fourth part of the dissertation will be focused on the results based on the collected data. In this case, data on evaluation and strategic options, environment, competitive positioning, portfolio, target markets and the impacts that strategic changes have on companies will be analysed. The discussion section will provide implications of the study. The interpretation of the results will be done to determine the foundations for corporate strategy and strategic plan, effects of change initiatives on developing strategic plans and asset-backed finance as one of the main instruments for the growth of SMEs. Additionally, the section will provide the contributions that the study will have on the research perspective as well as on the management perspective of SMEs. The conclusion section will provide the concluding remarks which will provide recommendations and implications of the study as well as the limitations and areas that future research studies should focus on. Additionally, the reflections of the researcher on the whole research study will be provided, information that can be used in determining the success of the research study.
Problem and Context
Finance Sector of Kazakhstan
Domestic commercial banks have dominated the financial sector of Kazakhstan for the past three decades. The banking sector in the country has most of the players being private institutions and individuals, with the top five banks constituting about 78% of all banking assets in the country (Cameron and Green, 2019). However, foreign banks also play a significant role in the economy since they have also increased their total share to 15% of the banking assets following increased acquisitions. The banking system in the country is two-tiered. In one case, the system has the National Bank of Kazakhstan (NBK) which reports to no other institution except the president. On the other hand, the second tier is made up of 28 commercial banks, including both state-owned and non-state-owned banks. Additionally, there are 12 banks in the country that are considered to be subsidiaries of foreigner banks. Even though the number of commercial banks is increasing every year, NBK plays a significant role in controlling their operations in the country.
The main functions of the NBK include the implementation of the country’s monetary policies and financial regulation. For this reason, all activities undertaken within the financial system are supervised by the NBK including operations involving pension system, debt collection agencies, insurance, the banking sector, credit bureaus, debt collection agencies and microcredit organizations. The NBK presented a proposal in May 2019 to change the legislation that will result in establishing a new regulatory body that will be independent in the control and development of the financial markets in the country (Shahbaz, Bhattacharya and Mihalik, 2017). The main function of the body is to ensure that consumer rights are protected as the NBK concentrate on controlling monetary policies and inflation.
Foreign banks are prohibited from establishing retail branches of their banks in the country. The reason for this is to ensure that the giant foreign banks do not dominate the market to an extent that they will result in manipulating the activities of the citizens. Additionally, the restriction also allows low and middle-income citizens to come up with initiatives that will help them develop SMEs that will provide financial services in the country. However, the banks are still allowed to establish representative offices, retail banking, subsidiaries and joint ventures within the country, most of which work with the citizens as their partners. For instance, there are a total of 20 foreign banks that have established representative offices in the country. From the year 2005, the legislation requires that there should be equal treatment of both Kazakhstan as well as foreign investors thus having no restriction of any individual in the financial market (Côrte-Real, Oliveira and Ruivo, 2017). However, no one is allowed to have bank shares of more than 10% without seeking approval from the National Bank.
A report titled Regional Economic Outlook for Central Asia and September 2018 Staff Report on April 2019 indicated that the financial system is still affected by poor payment culture, the opacity of ownership, reliance on state support and weak reporting standards that affect its productivity (Sagiyeva, 2019). As a result, it is important to restructure the whole system by coming up with measures and policies that will promote the accountability and efficiency of all players in the financial system through which both the citizens and the Kazakhstan government will benefit. The main factor that has been affecting the performance of the financial system over the past is changes in oil prices. Drop-in oil prices result in depreciating the country’s currency, leading to an economic slowdown which has a direct impact on the banking sector, an important pillar of the financial system.
Despite the various challenges that have affected the financial system in the past, the banking sector is still among the top priorities of the government. As a result, the NBK has adopted several policies all of which are aimed at ensuring that both the current and future threats to the system are either reduced or eliminated. Through these policies, the NBK resolves bad assets, strengthens capital and oversight requirements, achieves de-dollarization and encourages consolidation of their policies (Aitbenbetova, 2018). There has also been the introduction of risk-based supervision technique which is currently being used in assessing the capital adequacy of banks and the establishment of follow-up measures regarding malpractice in the financial sector.
Case Company
The case company to be used in this research study will be the Leasing Group JSC. The company was founded in the year 2005 Almaty City and has been operational since then in Kazakhstan. The main operation of Leasing Group JSC is investments through financial leasing instruments where it leases transportation vehicles, mining and construction equipment as well as manufacturing equipment needed by businesses in the country. The company has a single shareholder which is “Aureos Central Asia Fund LLP” a direct investment fund. The reason for choosing this company is because of its large market size and financial operations that it undertakes thus having the required information on ways that can be used in improving the country finance sector. By the end of the year 2009, the company had financed projects worth over KZT 2.5 billion, through which it was able to increase the number of its leases thereby increasing its profits (Fink, Yogev and Even, 2017). Currently, Leasing Group JSC has an authorized capital of KZT 1.5 billion.
Since the company was founded, it has been able to achieve high levels of efficiency in its operations due to two main factors namely the practical experience and professionalism of its staff. The process of selecting suppliers is done carefully to ensure that the chosen companies are capable of providing the required services under the provided conditions. Additionally, the company hires highly qualified individuals to manage the processes of insurance and customs services through which they can put in place adaptive schemes that are relied upon in factoring transactions and optimizing leasing. Leasing Group JSC has also an improved operational structure characterized by the presence of project monitoring in all stages that their projects go through, individual customer approach and an efficient application procedure for the customers, suppliers and the company’s employees.
Key Research Objectives and Key Research Questions
In order to fully analyse the topic of the research, the study will be aimed at addressing the following research objectives.
1. To determine the strategic implications of value investing that have been experienced in Leasing Group JSC.
2. To find out organizational changes that have been made in the company and the impact that this has had on the strategy of the company in the SME finance sector.
3. To explore strategy implications of operational improvement in the Leasing Group JSC.
The key research questions that will be used during the study include the following.
1. What strategy implications has the company experienced due to the process of value investing?
2. How impact has organizational changes made in the company as a strategy implication had on the performance of the company?
3. What strategy implications of operational improvement have affected the company’s performance in the financial system?
4. Which strategy implication has the company greatly impact on the company’s productivity?

Key Concluding Insights
SMEs play a significant role in Kazakhstan’s financial sector. This research aims to determine the strategic implications of value investing, organizational change and operational improvement in the SME finance sector in Kazakhstan as experienced in JSC Leasing Group JSC. Value investing trends and market activities in Kazakhstan include increased movement to using cloud technology, the use of social media in marketing, targeting the Millenials market and online selling of products. Although the financial sector in Kazakhstan has both domestic and foreign investors, the domestic investors. The activities of these investors are controlled by the National Bank of
Kazakhstan (NBK), which ensures that no malpractice exists. The main factors that are attributed to the success of the JSC Leasing Group include the practical experience and professionalism of its staff through which its operations have become more efficient.

References
Adilova, K.A., Akayev, A.M., Zhatkanbayeva, A.E. and Zhumanova, M.H., 2015. Problems of Financial Security and Financial Stability of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 6(6 S2), p.426.
Aitbenbetova, Т.S., 2018. Innovations in the financial sector within the global digital trends: introduction prospects in Kazakhstan.
Cameron, E. and Green, M., 2019. Making sense of change management: A complete guide to the models, tools, and techniques of organizational change. Kogan Page Publishers.
Côrte-Real, N., Oliveira, T. and Ruivo, P., 2017. Assessing the business value of Big Data Analytics in European firms. Journal of Business Research, 70, pp. 379-390.
Fink, L., Yogev, N. and Even, A., 2017. Business intelligence and organizational learning: An empirical investigation of value creation processes. Information & Management, 54(1), pp. 38-56.
Sagiyeva, R., 2019. Islamic finance in Kazakhstan: adaptation of foreign experience. The Journal of Economic Research & Business Administration, 127(1), pp. 56-65.
Satti, S.L., Mahalik, M.K., Bhattacharya, M. and Shahbaz, M., 2015. Dynamics of income inequality, finance, and trade in Kazakhstan: Empirical evidence from a new transition economy with policy prescriptions. Monash Univ., Department of Economics.
Shahbaz, M., Bhattacharya, M., and Mahalik, M.K., 2017. Finance and income inequality in Kazakhstan: evidence since transitioning with policy suggestions. Applied Economics, 49(52), pp. 5337-5351.
Slack, N. and Brandon-Jones, A., 2018. Operations and process management: principles and practice for strategic impact. Pearson UK.
Tidd, J. and Bessant, J.R., 2018. Managing innovation: integrating technological, market and organizational change. John Wiley & Sons.

What strategic recommendations can you propose for the organisation (s) given in the case study to strengthen its current position in the given Market?

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Strategic Management
Assignment Brief (September,2019)
1
Assessment General Information:
Individual Strategic Management Report (100%)
Word limit: 3,500 (10% +/-)
Submission Deadline: 20th December 2019, Friday, 11.59PM
Details of Assessment
You are the newly appointed strategic consultant at Grocer Lidl. The board of directors in UK have
decided to expand the business to the ‘Asian Market’ and they have asked you to prepare a report
suggesting the best strategic direction for the firm to grow internationally particularly, and strategies
that will help them to create a competitive advantage and achieve their strategic objectives.
You need to consider effectively scanning both the internal and external environment of Lidl in order
to help them explore new opportunities in the Asian market.
To narrow down your report you can choose any Asian country of your choice.
Background
Dating back to 1930’s, a small, independent grocery wholesaler was born in Germany (Lidl,2017). Fast
track to today Lidl is one of the largest grocery retailers in Europe. The first Lidl stores were opened in
1973, and by the 1980s Lidl was a household name in Germany. During the 1990s Lidl started
branching outside of Germany and today the grocer can be found across Europe.
In 1994, Lidl opened its first retail shop in the UK, just two decades later, they now have over 600
stores with a simple vision of providing ‘high quality at low prices’.
However, for better understanding of the organisation you are required to research the given
organisation including its challenges and strategic management approach to expand in the Asian
Market.
• Applying the knowledge of relevant strategic management frameworks, you need to
• Carry out the external analysis
• Address the internal analysis
• Identify key issues, evaluate alternatives and make conclusions based on thorough analysis
Make appropriate strategy recommendations for the organisation(s) given in the case study, in today’s
business environment.
All these must be completed by accessing, selecting and utilising a variety of business information
sources
2
Assessment Details
Your individual strategic management report will need to identify the internal and external
opportunities and threats facing the organisation (s) given in the case study, and present appropriate
frameworks that inform the development of strategic options and recommendations for the
organisation(s) in terms of future strategic directions and methods of expansion in Asian markets.
The report should therefore be comprised of areas for consideration that address the following
questions:
1. Appraise the current strategic positioning of the given organisation. (LO1, LO2, LO3 and LO5)
The following will need to be carried out to address this question:
Undertake a critically evaluated strategic audit, using appropriate models & frameworks, of the firm’s
existing strategy in relation to its ability to exploit new global opportunities to create a more
competitive advantage
In order to prepare report for the board of directors you are required to scan Micro and Macro
environment of the company where it operates.
This will need to include an critical assessment of the external MACRO environment (using the PEST
or PESTEL framework); external MICRO environment (using Porter’s 5 Force framework) and internal
analysis of the organisation (applying Jay Barney’s VRIO or Michael Porter’s Value Chain Analysis) to
identify opportunities and threats in both these external and internal environmental layers.
2. What strategic recommendations can you propose for the organisation (s) given in the case
study to strengthen its current position in the given Market? (LO4, LO6)
The following will need to be carried out to address this question:
This will need to include an analysis and evaluation of organisation competitive strategies in a critical
and informed way. Evaluating best alternatives and make possible recommendation and conclusions
based on thorough analysis and consideration of their future competitive strategies, applying either
Porter’s Generic Strategies of Competition framework or Bowman and Faulkner’s Strategy Clock.
Your final strategic management report should contain:
• Executive Summary
• Introduction (Company & industry background, key challenges faced by the selected
company)
• External environmental analysis for identifying opportunities and threats: Macro (PEST or
PESTEL) & Micro (5 Forces Framework for analysing industry structure and the nature of
competition)
• Internal environmental analysis for identifying strengths and weaknesses: VRIO or value chain
analysis
• Identification of Competitive Strategies (Bowman’s Clock or Porter’s Generic Strategies)
• Strategic directions (Markets, Products, Services) & methods of expansion
• In-text citations and list of references using Harvard Referencing
Marking allocations:
Sections
Maximum Marks Awarded
3
Executive Summary (not part of word
count)
Introduction (Company & industry
background, key challenges faced by
the selected company)
10
External analysis
Macro (PESTEL or STEEPLE) &
Micro (5 Forces Framework)
25
Internal analysis (VRIO or value chain analysis) 15
Identification of Competitive
Strategies (Bowman’s Clock or Porter’s
Generic Strategies)
20
Strategic directions (Markets,
Products, Services) & methods of
expansion
20
Writing and Harvard Referencing 10
4
Elements (100%) (≥ 70%%) Distinction 60% – 69% Merit 50% – 59% Good 40% – 49% Fair <40% Poor
This range is reserved for work of
high quality which shows evidence of
a deep understanding of and insight
into the full range of ideas, principles,
themes and/or techniques in question
and independence of thought.
It demonstrates a full and systematic
understanding of knowledge, and a
critical awareness of current problems
and/or new insights, at or informed by
the forefront of the discipline, field of
study, or area of professional practice
This range is for work which shows
evidence of a very good
understanding of the main ideas,
principles, themes and/or techniques
in question coupled with some
insight and the expression of some
independent thought.
It demonstrates a systematic
understanding of knowledge, and a
critical awareness of current
problems and/or new insights, much
of which is at, or informed by, the
forefront of the discipline, field of
study, or area of professional
practice.
This range is for work which shows
evidence of appropriate study,
presented clearly and adequately
marshalled to illustrate the most
significant of the main ideas,
principles, themes and/or techniques
in question and to demonstrate a
sound grasp of them.
It demonstrates a good
understanding of knowledge, and a
critical awareness of current
problems and/or new insights, some
of which is at, or informed by, the
forefront of the discipline, field of
study, or area of professional
practice.
The range is reserved for work
that is lacking in some respects or
contains flaws which are
noticeable and serious enough to
warrant the award of a failing
grade, but nonetheless essentially
approaches the criteria necessary
for the good category sufficiently
for it of itself not to prevent the
award of an overall pass.
This is a failed category. It
is for work which fails to
meet or in significant ways
does not approach the
criteria described for a good
grade.
Introduction (10%)
(Company & industry background, key challenges
faced by the selected company)
Understand the role of strategic management within an
organisation
(≥ 7.0) (6.0 – 6.9) (5.0 – 5.9) (4.0 – 4.9) (<4.0)
Demonstrate highly comprehensive
level of understanding
Demonstrate robust level of
understanding
Demonstrate adequate level of
understanding
Demonstrate a fair level of
understanding
Demonstrate a very limited
level of understanding
External analysis (25%)
Macro (PESTEL or STEEPLE) & Micro (5 Forces
Framework)
Critically analyse an organisation’s competitive
environment
(≥ 18.0) (15.0 – 17.9) (13.0 – 14.9) (10.0 – 12.9) (<10.0)
Demonstrate ability to provide
comprehensive, lucid analysis;
Demonstrate highly developed critical
skills
Demonstrate ability to provide
detailed and coherent analysis and
demonstrate consistently sound
critical skills
Demonstrate adequate ability to
analyse and some sound critical
skills demonstrated
Demonstrate some ability to
analyse and some sound critical
skills demonstrated
Demonstrate little ability to
analyse and some sound
critical skills demonstrated
5
Internal analysis (15%)
(VRIO or value chain analysis)
Evaluate the resources, capabilities and core
competences of an organisation
(≥ 11.0) (9.0 – 10.9) (8.0 – 9.9) (6.0 – 7.9) (<6.0)
Provide a consistently strong
assessment with well-reasoned and
original assumptions; All ideas are
highly coherent
Provide a generally strong
assessment with some
wellreasoned assumptions;
Ideas are consistently coherent
Provide a reasonable assessment of
the subject; Ideas are generally
coherent
Provide some assessment of the
subject; Ideas are generally
coherent
Provide little assessment of
the subject; Ideas are
generally coherent
Identification of Competitive Strategies (20%)
(Bowman’s Clock or Porter’s Generic Strategies)
Understand the impact of competition on the strategy of
an organisation
(≥ 14.0) (12.0 – 13.9) (10.0 – 11.9) (8.0 – 9.9) (<8.0)
Demonstrate highly comprehensive
level of understanding
Demonstrate robust level of
understanding
Demonstrate adequate level of
understanding
Demonstrate a fair level of
understanding
Demonstrate a poor level of
understanding
Strategic directions (20%)
(Markets, Products, Services) & methods of expansion
Understand the formulation and implementation of
organisational strategy based on Markets, Products,
Services
Understand the effect of business ethics and social
responsibility on strategy of methods of expansion
(≥ 14.0) (12.0 – 13.9) (10.0 – 11.9) (8.0 – 9.9) (<8.0)
Demonstrate highly comprehensive
level of understanding
Demonstrate robust level of
understanding
Demonstrate adequate level of
understanding
Demonstrate a fair level of
understanding
Demonstrate a poor level of
understanding
Writing and Harvard Referencing (10%) (≥ 7.0) (6.0 – 6.9) (5.0 – 5.9) (4.0 – 4.9) (<4.0)
6
Understand the use of referencing.
Various credible and up-to-date sources are used
Demonstrate highly comprehensive
level of understanding
Demonstrate robust level of
understanding
Demonstrate adequate level of
understanding
Demonstrate a fair level of
understanding
Demonstrate a poor level of
understanding