Department of Strategy,

Enterprise & Sustainability

ORGANISATIONAL STRATEGY 5S7V0025

ASSESSMENT NAME: STRATEGIC ANALYSIS OF AN
INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION
MODULE LEADER: Mark Crowder ([Link]@[Link])
2024-2025

Dear students,

This document contains important information about the assessment in this module,
from task and submission information, to marking criteria, feedback, and including
guidance and support. Please read carefully.

WHAT IS THE ASSESSMENT?

This section contains a brief description of the task for the assessment, assessment weighting, word count and
associated penalties.

You are required to undertake a critical strategic analysis of

an organisation and produce a written report outlining your
findings and an assessment of their implications. Details of
the organisation will be provided during the course.
It is important that you relate relevant theoretical
ASSESSMENT frameworks to the empirical information (data) you have
TASK gathered to analyse, and not merely describe the
organisation’s strategy. You should aim to evaluate the
viability of the organisation’s current strategy and make any
recommendations for changes to the strategy that you
consider to be appropriate.
Please see assessment details further below.

ASSESSMENT 100% of module mark

WEIGHTING:

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WORD/PAGE COUNT: 5,000 words +/- 10% (references and abstract not included
in word count)

Markers will not include any work after the maximum word
limit has been reached within the allocation of marks.
Students may therefore be penalised for a failure to be
WORD/PAGE COUNT concise and for failing to conclude their work within the
PENALTIES word limit specified. Similarly, a failure to meet a minimum
word limit may result in lower marks based on the quality of
the work (e.g. not including the necessary information
required for the assessment, not meeting the learning
outcomes).

WHEN IS THE ASSESSMENT?

This section includes key submission instructions. Further detailed instructions are included in the next section.

SUBMISSION
ASSESSMENT WEEK (details on Moodle)
DEADLINE
RETURN OF MARKS &
4 WEEKS AFTER DEADLINE.
FEEDBACK

MODULE-SPECIFIC
N/A
SUBMISSION GUIDANCE

The use of generative AI is permitted in this assessment, so long

as it is used in accordance with the instructions provided in the
GENERATIVE AI ‘Are you allowed to use AI in assessments?’ section of the AI
GUIDANCE Literacy Rise Study Pack. All submitted work must be your own
original content.

MOODLE SUBMISSION Please submit your assignment by the submission deadline date.
GUIDANCE If you are having technical problems submitting your work, please

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reach out to IT. Alternatively, you can email your tutor and send
your assignment to the Contingency Submission Form.

You can replace/amend your submission multiple times up until

the deadline time to check your similarity score. The score will be
displayed immediately. After 3 submissions, similarity scores will
take 24 hours to display.

ANONYMOUS MARKING N/A

SUBMISSION FEEDBACK Depending on your level of study, you will be offered feedback on
POLICY your submission based on the marking criteria (below).

ETHICAL APPROVAL Not applicable, apart from the need to adhere to university
(ETHOS) guidelines in respect of plagiarism etc.

ASSESSMENT If you cannot submit your assessment by the deadline, please

follow the information HERE on how to apply for assessment
MITIGATIONS
mitigations.
If you have a Personal Learning Plan in place, please contact your
PERSONAL LEARNING
department’s Disability Coordinator to arrange a discussion and
PLANS
agree on a possible deadline extension.
Information about the reassessment brief, submission
REASSESSMENT arrangements and reassessment support will be provided on
Moodle.

HOW TO PREPARE AND STRUCTURE YOUR SUBMISSION

This section includes the necessary information on how to approach the assessment.

You are required to undertake a critical strategic analysis of an

ASSESSMENT
organisation and produce a written report outlining your findings and an
DETAILS
assessment of their implications.

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Enterprise & Sustainability

Your submission MUST be focused on one of the organisations

specified in the list below – especially a key SBU (Strategic Business
Unit):
1) PEPSICO. Choose any SBU, for example:
a) Quaker
b) Pepsi
c) Fritto-Lay
d) Starbucks Ready to Drink
2) VOLKSWAGEN GROUP. Choose any SBU, for example:
a) Ducati
b) Bentley
c) Sauber
d) Audi Sport
3) INDITEX. Choose any SBU, for example:
a) Zara
b) Pull & Bear
c) Stradivarius
d) Oysho
4) EASY GROUP. Choose any SBU, for example:
a) EasyJet
b) EasyMoney
c) EasyCruise
d) EasyRentACar

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There is no formal structure for this report – you should structure this as
you see fit, and you can draw upon any suitable theoretical frameworks
EXCEPT
• SWOT/TOWS
• PEST/PESTLE/SPECTACLES/LE PEST C/LoNGPEST and other
versions of these
• SAFe
It is not appropriate to use any of these models in your assignment.

Good reports tend to include:

• Executive Summary (not included in word count).
• Contents page (not included in word count).
• Introduction, structure and corporate purpose of whole
organisation, and identify SBU.
• External analysis of the industry relating to an SBU.
• Internal analysis of the SBU.
• Internationalisation of the SBU.
• Strategic changes that impact the SBU.
• Strategic plan for the SBU, including evaluation, conclusion, and
recommendations.
• Reference list (not included in word count). Please see below
for further guidance.
• Appendices (not included in word count. Only include if these
are necessary).
The weightings for the different components of the assignment are:
• External analysis 20%
• Internal analysis 20%
• Strategic plan 40%
• Rest of the assignment 20%

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Research and evidence gathering: Start by selecting an organisation

from the list you are provided with. Research the organisation’s current
strategy, looking at their mission, vision, goals, and the tactics they use
to achieve these. Consider their stakeholders – who are the most
important? Show how the organisation is structured, and then select
one of their SBUs, then focus on this for the rest of your assignment.
When considering the external environment, you need to focus on one
of the SBUs, and explore the industry that this part of the organisation
operates in. Examine any recent volatility in that environment, the
speed of technological change, and any further uncertainty and
complexity the organisation faces. Make sure you apply theoretical
frameworks correctly.
When considering the internal environment, you need to focus on the
same SBU that you examined for the external environment. Make sure
you apply theoretical frameworks correctly.
For the internationalisation section, again you need to focus on the
same SBU that you examined above. You will be taught several models
HOW TO PREPARE during the course, and you need to apply whichever one best explains
FOR THE what is happening in your organisation.
ASSESSMENT
When considering strategic change, focus on the SBU that you have
been exploring. Use the theory you have been taught to examine trends
and patterns that impact the organisation. Can you extrapolate and
suggest likely continuations? What does the organisation need to do?
For your strategic plan for the SBU, you might want to use various tools
to identify a range of alternatives and then select the best of these.
Importantly, make sure you analyse your own work. What are the
implications of your analysis for the organisation? What does the
organisation need to do? Provide a roadmap for implementing the
proposed strategy, with justification for prioritising certain areas and
focusing on possible roadblocks and how to mitigate them. We are look
for your critical engagement with the issues at hand rather than a
descriptive list of recommendations.
THROUGHOUT YOUR ASSIGNMENT, REMEMBER:
• Underpin with relevant academic literature.
• Use the models, do not describe them.
• Be analytical, not descriptive.

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Show your knowledge of the relevant academic literature and cite it

throughout your assignment. Please see below for further details.

GROUP WORK
N/A. This assignment is an individual piece of work.
GUIDELINES

Throughout the course you will have the opportunity to receive

FORMATIVE
formative feedback and feed-forward on your work and ideas. There are
FEEDBACK &
also assessment webinars that you are required to attend, and these
FEED-FORWARD
are further opportunities to ask questions and receive feedback.

References are the items you have read and specifically referred to (or
cited) in your assessment submission. Do not include a list of
everything you read in preparation for writing your submission if you
have not referred specifically. Attempt to summarize in your own words
another person’s work, theories or ideas and then cite your sources.
Use quotes to show the difference between the actual words of the
writer and your own words, and always acknowledge your sources in
references. Using references in reports and essays is the way to avoid
REFERENCING accusations of academic misconduct, specifically plagiarism.
All ManMet students required to use an author-date referencing style
are expected to use Cite Them Right Harvard. This version of the
author-date referencing style is supported by Bloomsbury’s Cite Them
Right website and accompanying ebook.
The Cite Them Right website offers an online tutorial and video
guidance. If you have any queries about Cite Them Right Harvard,
please email library@[Link]

Academic Misconduct is action that could give you an unfair advantage

in coursework, exams, or any other assessed work. This may include
improper use of generative AI, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, cheating,
collusion, falsification of data, contract cheating, breaching Exam
ACADEMIC Regulations, or non-compliance with ethics procedures.
MISCONDUCT If your work is submitted and it is discovered that you have broken the
regulations, the piece of work will be awarded zero marks or will be
significantly penalised. Your awarding body will decide which penalty is
appropriate. Please see further guidance on Academic Integrity and
Academic Misconduct Regulations.

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Enterprise & Sustainability

MARKING CRITERIA

This section includes the marking criteria for this assessment.

STEP MARKING: In line with University guidance, we use a restricted number of marks
within the range of 0-100%. Marks ending in 2, 5 and 8 represent the lower, middle, and
upper ranges of the standard classification bands. Please see the marking criteria grid or
rubric below.

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Enterprise & Sustainability

85-100% 70-84% 60-69% (Very 40-49% 0-29% (Very

Criteria 50-59% (Good) 30-39% (Poor)
(Outstanding) (Excellent) Good Satisfactory) Poor)
Demonstrates a
Demonstrates a
good ability to
Demonstrates a satisfactory ability
Demonstrates an critically analyse Demonstrates a
very good ability to to analyse the Demonstrates
outstanding ability the organisational limited ability to
critically analyse organisational little to no ability
to critically Demonstrates an context, identify analyse the
the organisational context, identify to analyse the
analyse the excellent ability to key issues, and organisational
context, identify key issues, and organisational
organisational critically analyse offer sound context, identify key
key issues, and offer basic critical context, identify
context, identify the organisational critical analysis, issues, and offer
Critical Analysis offer sound critical analysis, though key issues, and
key issues, and context, identify though some weak critical
of organisation analysis. There analysis lacks offers poor or no
offer sound, well- key issues, and analysis may lack analysis. The work
are some depth and rigor. critical analysis.
supported critical offer well- depth. Multiple is largely
elements of There are large Does not take the
analysis. There is supported critical parts of the descriptive and
descriptive work passages where context of the
a mastery of analysis. analysis are does not consider
where analysis is analysis is not case study into
critical analysis on descriptive and the context of the
lacking and critical and not consideration.
display. loosely written to case study.
slightly off context. applied to the case
the context of the
study context.
case study.
Outstanding Excellent Good argument Satisfactory
Very good
argument argument in most places argument in places Structure does
argument in most
throughout with throughout with with solid with some Limited argument in not match the
places with good
comprehensive strong coverage coverage of the coverage of the places with key assessment brief
Depth of coverage of the
coverage of the of the key areas key areas of key areas of sections missing. in most or all
understanding key areas of
key areas of of strategic strategic analysis. strategic analysis. Few or no links places. Key
strategic analysis.
strategic analysis. analysis. Good Links between Links between between sections. sections are
Some links
Clear links links between sections are not sections are not missing.
between sections.
between sections. sections. always clear always clear
Demonstrates an Demonstrates an Demonstrates a Demonstrates a Demonstrates Demonstrates Demonstrates
outstanding level excellent level of very good level of good level of some level of minimal level of little to no
of strategic and strategic and strategic and strategic and strategic thinking strategic thinking strategic thinking
Application of innovative innovative innovative thinking innovative when applying when applying when applying
Theory and thinking when thinking when when applying thinking when theory to changes theory to changes theory to changes
Frameworks applying theory to applying theory to theory to changes applying theory to in contextual in contextual in contextual
changes in changes in in contextual changes in practice. There is practice. There is a practice. There is
contextual contextual practice. There is contextual an attempt to weak attempt to little to no attempt
practice. There is practice. There is a strong display of practice. There is display how the display how the to display how the

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a mastery of how a very strong how the theory an adequate theory and/or theory and/or theory and/or
the theory and/or display of how and/or framework display of how framework is framework is framework is
framework is the theory and/or is applied in the theory and/or applied in practice, applied in practice, applied in
applied in framework is practice, but with framework is but with many but with very many practice, but with
practice. applied in some errors applied in errors and basic errors and weak errors and very
practice. throughout. practice, but with application application weak application
multiple errors throughout. throughout. throughout.
throughout.
Very good attempt
to use alternative A good attempt to Uses a limited
Outstanding and Excellent and
approaches to use alternative number of Uses few Little to no
clear ability to clear ability to
business problems approaches to approaches to approaches to approaches to
critically evaluate critically evaluate
and business business problems business problems business
alternative alternative
communicates to problems and and communicates and communicates problems and
approaches and approaches and
a very good communicates to to a satisfactory to a poor standard communicates to
communicate communicate
Critical standard that a good standard, standard with with little critical a very poor
critical thinking critical thinking
Evaluation and demonstrates but with less some critical thinking. The standard with no
with rigor, with rigor,
recommendations critical thinking critical evaluation thinking but lacks recommendations critical thinking.
structure, and structure, and
and adaptation of and rigor. There depth. There is are not linked with There is no link at
clarity. The clarity. The
each approach. is some link some link between the critical all between the
recommendations recommendations
Recommendations between the recommendations evaluation recommendations
clearly arrive from clearly arrive from
demonstrate a recommendations and critical throughout the and critical
the critical the critical
very good link to and critical evaluation, but will response. evaluations.
evaluation. evaluation.
the critical evaluation. many gaps.
evaluation.
Adequate use of Basic use of Poor use of Little to no use of
Outstanding use Excellent use of Clear use of
references, references, references, references,
of references, references, references,
citations and citations and citations and citations and
citations and citations and citations and
presentation. Cite presentation. Cite presentation. Cite presentation. Cite
presentation. Cite presentation. Cite presentation. Cite
Them Right Them Right Them Right Them Right
References, Them Right Them Right Them Right
Harvard is Harvard is applied Harvard is poorly Harvard is very
citations and Harvard is Harvard is Harvard is applied
applied but with but with constant applied with poorly applied
presentation correctly applied correctly applied in most parts with
consistent errors errors throughout. constant errors with constant
throughout. The in most places. some errors. The
throughout. The The assessment is throughout. The errors throughout.
assessment is The assessment assessment is
assessment is labelled and formal assessment is The assessment
clearly labelled, is clearly labelled, labelled, formal
labelled, formal but lacks poorly labelled and is poorly labelled
formal and formal and and professional,
and professional, professionalism, lacks formalness and lacks

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Enterprise & Sustainability

professional in professional in with some minor with consistent with consistent and formalness,
presentation. presentation. errors. errors throughout errors throughout professionalism logical flow and
that interrupt the that interrupt the throughout. professionalism
flow of the flow of the Consistent errors throughout.
document. document. throughout that Consistent errors
interrupt the flow of throughout that
the document. interrupt the flow
of the document.

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RATIONALE FOR THE ASSESSMENT

This section explains how and why this assessment is important to assess your learningt, and how it links to the
outcomes of your programme.

Our expectations in this assessment are linked to the learning outcomes listed below. We
teach, practice, and assess these outcomes in the module. The learning outcomes are
linked to your overall programme.

PROGRAMME LEARNING OUTCOMES

MSc Management and Consultancy (incl with Internship version)

Part A – Knowledge and Critical Understanding
By the end of the programme students are expected to have knowledge and critical understanding of:
1 How to systematically and rigorously analyse the competitive environment that organisations operate within
2 Strategy formulation at organisation and business unit levels.
6 Fundamental strategic skills, tools and techniques that are key to successful management consulting and how to
apply them

MSc Management (incl with Internship version)

Part A – Knowledge and Critical Understanding
By the end of the programme students are expected to have knowledge and critical understanding of:
1 How to systematically and rigorously evaluate the competitive environment that organisations operate within
2 Strategy formulation at organisation and business unit level.
3 How to be an effective manager and leader within a competitive environment
6 Developing an interface between strategic positioning and the organisational value chain and understanding their
relationship to the logistics and supply chain functions
Part B – Skills and Attributes
The programme will ensure students will gain the following skills and attributes:
9 Be effective communicators using a range of media.
10 Demonstrate an awareness of ethical, corporate social responsibility and sustainability issues appropriate to the
level of study and the discipline context.

MSc Management and Sustainability (incl with Internship version)

Part A – Knowledge and Critical Understanding
By the end of the programme students are expected to have knowledge and critical understanding of:
1 How to systematically and rigorously evaluate the competitive environment that organisations operate within
2 Strategy formulation at organisation and business unit level.
3 How to be an effective manager and leader within a competitive environment
6 Developing an interface between strategic positioning and the organisational value chain and understanding their
relationship to the logistics and supply chain functions
Part B – Skills and Attributes
The programme will ensure students will gain the following skills and attributes:
9 Be effective communicators using a range of media.
10 Demonstrate an awareness of ethical, corporate social responsibility and sustainability issues appropriate to the
level of study and the discipline context.

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MODULE LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Identify and frame key corporate and global level strategic management concepts.
2. Recognise and apply different strategic theories and practices in organisations and
evaluate the strategies of a range of enterprises.
3. Critically assess the effectiveness of approaches to strategic leadership
4. Assess the impact of globalisation on the operation and development of multi-
national enterprises.

ASSURANCE OF LEARNING (AoL)

Assurance of learning (AoL) refers to the systematic processes and assessment plans that
demonstrate that learners achieve learning competencies for the programs in which they
participate. AoL also includes the processes of identifying competency gaps and designing
and implementing changes to the curriculum and learning experience so the learning
competencies are met.

PRSB REQUIREMENTS

Not applicable for this module

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ASSESSMENT SUPPORT

This section provides an overview of opportunities for both module-level and university level assessment support.

MODULE LEVEL SUPPORT

Assessment webinars with compulsory

ASSESSMENT CLINICS
attendance

ASSESSMENT 1-2-1 SUPPORT

Available via appointment with teaching team
OPPORTUNITIES

The MMU library runs study skills sessions on

referencing and critical reading and writing
OTHER ASSESSMENT SUPPORT
throughout the programme. Please see details on
Moodle.

UNIVERSITY-LEVEL SUPPORT
Includes details of study skills, library workshops and assessment support at university and department level. There is a
lot of support and guidance available at the University to help you with your assessments.

Undergraduate Assessment Regulations

Peer Assisted Learning
MMU Study Skills
Study Skills Online
MMU Library
Disability Service
Cite Them Right Harvard
Counselling, Mental Health and Wellbeing Service
Students’ Union Advice Centre
Student Hub
Moodle Student Resource Area

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ESSENTIAL AND RECOMMENDED READING

This includes a list of essential and recommended readings to support you in your assessment preparation.

Whittington, R., Regner, P., Anwin, D. Johnson, G. & Scholes, K.

TEXTBOOK 2020. Exploring strategy: text and cases (12th edn).
London: Pearson Education.
De Wit, B. and Meyer, R. 2014. Strategy Process, Content,
Context: An International Perspective (5th edn). Andover:
ESSENTIAL
Cengage.
READING
Ghemawat, P. 2017. Strategy and the Business Landscape (4th
edn), New York, NY: Pearson Education.
RECOMMENDED
READING Please see reading list on Moodle.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Useful information not covered above.

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