Strategic Analysis; Tools & Techniques – Coursework 2
This assessment is 50% of the overall grade
Task
Present a current critical strategic analysis of ONE Business Unit
within General Electric
You are required to cover the following topics covered in the module:
 Resource Audit
 Value Systems
 Product/Service portfolio (BCG Matrix)
 Potential future strategic growth
o Identification of options
o Evaluation of options
You may want to focus the analysis on a specific product. This is fine but you will need to
make the focus of the analysis clear to the reader.
News & Web Links
The links below provide some starting points but students MUST add their own detailed
research to develop the analysis:
https://www.gepower.com/
http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/ge/news
https://www.theguardian.com/business/generalelectric
https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/GE:US
The following structure is required for the submitted report:
1 Introduction to the report
2 Brief strategic position of the company
3 A critical evaluation of the resources and value systems of the company
4 A critical evaluation of the product/portfolio mix within the SBU
5 A critical analysis and evaluation of KEY future directions for strategic growth
6 Recommendations
The coursework is an individual piece of work. It will be 3,000 words, inclusive of
appendices (+/- 10%). Please note that text in diagrams or tables will count towards the
word count.
Hand in date: tbc
University of South Wales (USW)
It is important that attention be focused on a strategic appraisal of the company as opposed
to providing lots of interesting facts over what interests you or what you find on the
internet. Assessment will focus on students’ abilities in applying strategic models and
frameworks in a coherent manner that enables them to develop a clear strategic view of the
strategic position being studied. You do not need to reference many academic sources in
this element of the assessment, but you must reference sources of company or market
information. Furthermore, you must reference sources for any theoretical background
that you decide to include.
Marking Criteria
(The marks for each criterion are to illustrate where the main effort should be spent and are
not meant to be a strict marking scheme)
Indicative
Percentage
Criteria
30% Application of Frameworks and models
The required frameworks and models introduced in the assignment task
should be applied correctly to identify the key issues emerging relevant
to the business example selected.
60% Depth of Strategic Evaluation.
Key strategic factors should be critically evaluated to develop the
required depth of analysis of the business example selected. A strong
analysis needs to be evidence based rather than appear to be personal
opinion so must draw on relevant sources e.g. news & media, industry
publications, company web pages and documentation
10% Clarity of Structure and Presentation
The report is well organised and logically constructed, following the
layout indicated in the assignment task. The quality of writing, spell
checking, grammar and referencing need to demonstrate accuracy to
ensure the reader can focus on the analysis provided
(The marks for each criterion are to illustrate where the main effort should be spent)
Please remember that an assignment is not meant to DESCRIBE what you have found.
Analysis means commenting on your findings and EXPLAINING what the evidence suggests
about the company.
Marking Criteria
(The marks for each criterion are to illustrate where the main effort should be spent and are
not meant to be a strict marking scheme)
Presentation
 Use of front page to set out important details i.e. title of work, student number, etc.
University of South Wales (USW)
 Well laid out text that is easy to follow
Analysis
 Strategic Position
o Sets out the Differentiation position of GE
o Provide some clear examples to illustrate the strategic position
o Identify the SBU being examined in relation to others within the company
 Resource/Competences
o Identify the main resources and skills within the company
o The section should act as an introduction to the Value Systems
o Use of Resource/Competence model helps to identify the balance related to
the strategic position so that you can discuss the way the balance is relevant
to the aims of the SBU
o Avoid just describing the resources that have been identified
 Value System
o Identify the activities that enable the strategic position of the company
o Use the Value Chain model to critically examine key activities and the links
between them
o Look to evaluate relevant external links that create value for the company
o Develop an analysis of the activities rather than just a list of examples of
company activity
 BCG
o Use the model to identify the portfolio of SBUs or product ranges
o Develop a critical explanation of positions that have been identified
 Future Directions
o Use the Product/Matrix model to identify potential areas of future
development
o Critically explore the relevant differences of each section of the model e.g.
Market development and product offer different challenges
 Conclusions & Recommendations
o Draw the main aspects of the analysis together
o Set out key points that can be considered for strategic development
Structure
 Clear balance of the report
 Effective use of headings, sub-headings
Use of supporting evidence
 Clear use of relevant sources to support the analysis, particularly current news and
media material
 Awareness of the balance of sources
 The evidence is developed into the analysis to provide the depth of explanation
Style of writing
 Clear writing style
 Avoid a personal, descriptive style in the analysis
University of South Wales (USW)
General Guidance to students
Structure
 The introduction should be brief. It is not meant to provide a history of Sainsbury’s
 The Conclusion needs to draw the analysis to a close and comment on the
sustainability of Sainsbury’s strategic position. Remember you do not introduce new
findings into the Conclusion
 If you include Appendices you must refer to them in the relevant section of the
report findings
 References should clearly list all the material that has been referred to in the report
and set out using Harvard style:
Models/Content
 Remember to use the models in a ‘dynamic’ way i.e. place relevant examples onto
the models. Do not simply copy and paste ‘generic’ examples from the lecture slides
 Words in the models are included in the word limit. The models lose their value if
they are full of text. They should aid understanding not confuse the reader because
too much has been stuffed into them
 Models should be included in the main body of the report. Only place them in the
appendices if they are close to a full page
 You may well refer to points made in earlier parts of the report to show the
connections in the analysis. This shows an awareness of the links between themes
 You will struggle to stay within the word limit so focus on the KEY DRIVERS in your
analysis
 You will not be able to use all of the examples if you have done the level of reading
required so ‘cherry pick’ those that best illustrate the key drivers
 Facts and figures need to be supported with sources clearly referenced.
Presentation
 Be your own independent work and free from plagiarism by ensuring that work that
is not your own is clearly referenced
 Use Harvard style citation and referencing using the Drop-in centre published
guidelines
 Be written in appropriate academic style
 Be professionally presented
 Be word processed using font size 12 for the main text and 1.5 line spacing
 Have numbered pages
 Have been spell checked and proof-read
 Be anonymous and have your Student Enrolment number on every page
 Have a clearly labelled front page detailing the module code and title, title of the
assignment, tutors name, your enrolment number and the date of submission
 Be submitted via the Turnitin link on the module VLE

 

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Module Title:	Business and Company Law
Module Code:	B7LW100
Module Leader:
Stage (if relevant):	Year 2 – Level 7
Assessment Title:	Archie, Bannon and Professional Accountancy Solutions
Assessment Type:	Case Study Analysis
Restrictions on Time/Length : +/- 10%	Case Study Word Count – 1600-1800 words
Individual/Group:	Individual
Assessment Weighting:	30%
Issue Date:	w/c 25th June 2018
Hand In Date:	17th August 2018
Planned Feedback Date:	After Autumn Exam Results Issue
Mode of Submission:	Electronically – through Moodle

Groups / Student must submit:
 
Submission of the case study must be made through Moodle by the submission deadline.  Submissions made by email will NOT be accepted.  In accordance with the student handbook, assignments submitted after the latest deadline (date and time) specified, including any extension, are deemed to be “late” and are penalised as follows:
 

• Where an assessment is submitted between 1 and 14 days late 2 marks per day are deducted
• An assessment submitted after the deadline but within 24 hours of the original deadline will attract the first day penalty, i.e. deduction of 2 marks Dublin Business School
• Where an assessment is more than 14 days late it is annotated at the discretion of the lecturer but no marks can be awarded.
• Where an assessment is undertaken in a group, the piece of work should be submitted in its entirety, and any penalty for late submission incurred applies to all group members.

 

ASSIGNMENT OBJECTIVES:

 
Case Study: this coursework will consist of a practical case study based problem solving exercise.  Legal research and application of the law to the facts will be tested in this component of the module in order to evaluate the learner’s ability to apply legal theory to a basic practical problem, support that theoretical application through the use of case law, and draw a reasonable conclusion.
 

Requirement

 

• Archie has operated a successful accountancy practice in Galway City Centre for the past thirty years. As Archie is nearing retirement age he has decided to sell his practice.  He placed the following advertisement in the Galway Business Times newspaper:

 
“Strong Business With Loyal Clients For Sale for €300,000: well established accountancy practice located in modern fully equipped offices based in Galway city centre. Approx. 3,000 active clients on database, good mix of individual clients, partnerships, sole traders and companies. Turnover in the region of €400k per annum. Two long term staff in place. First time offered for sale. Vendor will assist for smooth transition and handover. Tel. 086 6499795”
 
Bannon telephoned Archie and told him that he was very interested in the practice. Archie invited Bannon to visit the practice on Monday the 6^th March to inspect the books of account. After inspecting them and talking the matter over with his solicitor, Bannon offered Archie €270,000 for the practice. Archie replied that he felt unable to take less than €285,000. Bannon asked for time to think the matter over and Archie agreed not to sell the practice before Monday the 20^th March, in order to give Bannon time to consider the matter and review his finances.
 
A few days later Bannon met with his solicitor to discuss Archie’s offer. After they reviewed Archie’s accounts again Bannon decided that €285,000 was a fair price and he wrote a letter to Archie on the 14^th March saying:
 
“I am prepared to pay you €285,000 for the practice – I assume that all of the office equipment, furniture and fixtures are included.”
 
Bannon posted this letter on the morning of Wednesday the 15^th March. Meanwhile, on Thursday the 16^th March in the evening Bannon happened to be in Galway city centre and as he was passing by Archie’s office he saw a sale agreed sign on the door – indicating that the office was now under new management.  Bannon immediately telephoned Archie and left him a message on his answering machine saying that he accepted Archie’s offer to buy the practice for €285,000. Archie did not hear the message until the following day, at which point he emailed Bannon informing him that the practice was already sold.  Later that same day Archie received Bannon’s letter of the 14^th March in the post.
 
Bannon is now threatening to sue Archie for breach of contract.  Archie has contacted you for advice.
 
Required:
 
Review the law in relation to contract formation and based on this review assess whether a valid and binding contract has been created between Bannon and Archie.  Your answer should pay particular attention to the law relating to offer, methods of termination of an offer and acceptance, and should be supported by relevant case law.
(45 marks)
 

• In September 2016 Archie entered into a contract with Professional Accountancy Solutions to write a study manual for ACCA Paper F9 – Performance Management. The manual was to cover the exam period June 2017 to December 2017, and it was a term of the contract that Archie provide the text by 1 December 2016, so that it could be proofed, typeset and printed in time for the commencement of ACCA classes in February 2017.  In early November 2016 Archie had not yet commenced work on the text, and he was so busy in his practice that it became clear to him that he would not be in a position to write this text.  He immediately contacted Professional Accountancy Solutions and told them that he was sorry, but that he was no longer able to write this text as he had agreed.

 
Professional Accountancy Solutions are extremely annoyed by this news, especially as it has an on-going contract to provide ACCA manuals to 18 different tuition centres in Ireland.  In addition, they had recently secured a contract to sell this manual to a UK-based tuition provider, with 30 different delivery sites in the UK.  Professional Accountancy Solutions has also paid preliminary expenses to the publisher, who had already designed the cover for this manual.
 
Professional Accountancy Solutions has contacted you for advice regarding this matter.
 
Required:
 
From the perspective of contract law examine the nature of the breach that has been committed by Archie, any remedies that may be available to Professional Accountancy Solutions and any obligations imposed upon them in this situation.
(45 marks)
 
Note:    An additional 10 marks will be allocated to the presentation of Part A.
(Total 100 marks)
 
The total maximum word count for Part A of 1800 words excludes references and the bibliography. All work is to be clearly referenced in the bibliography section of the assignment. The referencing style for this assignment is Harvard.
 
Important Points to Note
 

• Please ensure that the assignment is submitted as a word document.
• Please ensure that your name or DBS identification number is included in the assignment, and if possible, ensure that these details appear either as a header or footer on each page.
• It is the learner’s responsibility to ensure their file is uploaded correctly.
• When an assignment is submitted, it is the learner’s responsibility to ensure that the file is in the correct format and opens correctly.
• When you submit your assignment you will be asked to click on a button which will declare the following:
  • By submitting this assignment I confirm that I am aware of DBS’s policy regarding cheating, plagiarism and all other forms of academic impropriety. The coursework submitted is my own or my group’s work, and all other sources consulted have been appropriately acknowledged.   I am aware that in the case of doubt an investigation will be held.

 

Assessment Criteria

 

Heading	Required
Case Study Analysis – Content and structure       90%	Accurate and comprehensive review of the law regarding contract formation, breach of contract and contractual remedies encompassing relevant academic theory and case law Correct application of the law to the facts presented Drawing a reasoned and logical conclusion and advising on an outcome in the scenarios presented
Language and style         10%	Appropriate vocabulary, formal academic tone Correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, formatting (including the appropriate use of capitals) Fluent sentences, clear transitions, and effective paragraph structure The correct citation of case law Correct referencing
Total 100%

 
The following specific criteria will also be used to assess your performance for this assignment:
 
Knowledge and Understanding:

• Does the student clearly present the legal issue(s) to be resolved?
• Does the student present the relevant legal principles/rules to be applied?

 
Evaluation, Analysis and Application:

• Does the student clearly explain the relevant legal principles/rules?
• Does the student explain how these principles/rules relate to the facts in the problem and thereby support the student’s conclusion?

 
Language and structure

• Does the student use appropriate grammar and spelling?
• Is the coursework typed and well presented?
• Does the discussion follow a clear structure?

 

 

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