Topic: Strategic Management
1. Show the strategic position of the company (carry out an external followed by an internal analysis) in 2013 emphasising the opportunities and threats for the industry and strengths and weaknesses for the organisation in a form of an improved SWOT matrix. Provide discussion/explanations as appropriate.
Opportunities and Threats
Strengths and Weaknesses
2. Use TOWS matrix to recommend a set of new strategies for the
company justifying the recommendations made (suggest several
strategies then choose two of these to evaluate using S, F, A criteria).
TOWS and Strategies
Suitability
Feasibility
Acceptability
1)
You should provide a SWOT matrix. Starting point should be the conclusion of your first assignment, however you need to address the issues raised in your feedback for the first assignment (if applicable). Please have a look at the feedback provided on the blackboard (see your assignment on Turnitin).

Your original SWOT may be improved by using appropriate tools of analysis to support your SWOT.
Use PESTEL analysis to identify Opportunities and Threats for the industry.

Note that Opportunities are NOT strategic recommendations ?they are the EXTERNAL changes that create the opportunities.
Threats are also EXTERNAL changes ? not your chosen company?s own weaknesses.

When it comes to Strengths and Weaknesses of the company, in addition to descriptive approach, you should also check their financial accounts. Use Value Chain in order to identify core competences. Discuss company?s resources.

Don?t make assertions without an attempt to justify the point ? USE THE DATA and financial information.
2. The main focus of this question is on RECOMMENDATIONS for the FUTURE ? don?t just say what the company has done in the past or is doing now ? try to think of NEW strategies but remember they must be realistic. In case you are covering one of the companies that went into administration (e.g. Jessop?s, HMV, Comet etc) state what they should have done (these are new strategies in your case). If you are using a case, don?t just summarise it ? you need to look forward and use your own ideas.

Q2 builds on Q1 (link them – USE a TOWS matrix)
You should identify several strategies using TOWS, then you should identify two and evaluate these. Each strategy should be specific ? specify a direction (what should be done ? you could use Ansoff matrix for that purpose) and a method (how it should be done ? organically or otherwise).
Justify your points – EVALUATE your strategies using the SFA criteria. You should suggest new directions of development (using Ansoff?s model) and methods, but you must be specific in your recommendations. Specify exactly what you think the company should do and why (not just broad direction e.g. ?Market Development? or methods ?Joint Ventures?).
5 years is the appropriate horizon. But be realistic in what can be achieved in this timeframe.

Make sure that you address the following aspects:
? Suitability ? make explicit links to SWOT
? Feasibility ? check if a strategy is feasible (can it be implemented) by addressing financial and human (skills) aspects.
? Acceptability ? check if the strategy is acceptable to 3 groups of stakeholders. Identify 3 groups and for each discuss acceptability (stakeholder reactions and how will they be affected by the proposed strategy and hence is it acceptable to them or not).

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