Coursework Brief
Using the Case Study of ‘The Ikea Approach’, you are required to write a paper that provides critical insight into the future strategic performance of IKEA.
Guidance notes
You are required to:
- analyse its external environment now and in the future.
- identify its internal strategic resources, capabilities, etc. now and in the future
- look at its future potential and the strategic recommendation that you would make for it in achieving sustainable competitive advantage in the future.
You are required to write a paper that identifies its critical success factors and the capabilities of the organisation. The aim is to provide some insights into the future strategic performance of your selected organisation in your prediction of how it is going to meet the challenges of the future external environment.
Naturally in looking at the future of an organisation it is important to look at the current and future sector(s) / market(s) it operates within and the competitive forces driving that sector(s)/market(s) along with macroeconomic forces of the future. Equally important is to critically analyse the internal resources/competences that may/may not be leading to competitive advantage.
Context
You can consider the context of this work is that you have been asked by the current CEO and Chair to advise them on the potential future of the organisation.
Key elements of your paper that you must include:
- Your paper must address all three key areas:
o Strategic analysis – of its current and future business environment along with its internal resources
o Strategy formulation – identify the main strategic issues and the strategy recommendation you propose for it
o Strategic implementation – how you would lead and organise its strategic management
- Your paper must be based upon the central theme of strategy being about the organisation achieving sustainably competitive advantage.
o Strategic analysis – might usefully include areas such as:
- External environmental analysis including forces driving the sector / markets in the next few years.
- Competitor analysis and mapping
- Drivers of competition in the current / potential future markets
- Internal analysis, e.g. resources, competencies, dynamic capabilities etc and their use in achieving competitive advantage.
o Strategy formulation – is based upon your proposed strategy from the reality of their current position and helping them achieve sustainable competitive advantage and getting them into the best position – and this might usefully include areas such as:
- Your proposed mission/ vison etc. for the company
- Building on current sources of strength / competitive advantage
- Developing new sources of strength / competitive advantage
- Means of attacking / defeating competitors (or perhaps the organisation defending its position)
- Your clearly proposed source(s) of their future competitive advantage.
- Your clear strategic recommendations for your chosen organisation and your reasons why.
o Strategic implementation – is an internal management dimension so not always easy to propose in detail from the outside, so this section is about what you would do given your knowledge of the organisation and assuming you were the leader of it – and this might usefully include
- Methods of proposed development, e.g. growth, M&A, etc
- Proposed organising structure and leadership
- Managing complexity thorough a Strategy Map /Balanced Scorecard
- Broadly you should spread your work evenly across these three areas.
- A List of References – in Harvard style (and not part of the word count).
UG Coursework Assessment Criteria
In writing your coursework, you should be aware that you will be assessed by reference to the extent to which your answer meets the following criteria:
Guidance on Marking Criteria
Marking of the assignment will follow the undergraduate degree marking guide (in the Student Handbook) – it is important that you familiarise yourself with this scale so you can see how your work will be assessed.
At the end of this document you will see a blank copy of the ‘Coursework feedback sheet’ used in marking your work. The sections “Sources” “Analysis” and “Argument” are very important as we expect you to use module/course concepts, theory etc. and to research/gather data to evidence your argument.
By way of additional guidance (please read fully), credit will be given for:
- Your number one goal being to show that you can think strategically.
o e.g. think about the issues they are facing and their future, focus on how the company can build and sustain competitive advantage, in your thinking not being held back by the past and not becoming distracted by the tactical, how do you think this company should develop to be successful in the future?
- In demonstrating your knowledge, you MUST use NBS-6009Y module theories / models / frameworks / concepts from this module in your analysis, formulation and implementation.
o Our lectures and seminars are designed to support your courseworks and exam (and attendance at these is vital)
o you may want to briefly include issues around finance, people, operations, etc., but the focus here is strategy/strategic management (so don’t waste words).
- You must use the work of academic writers on strategy and strategic management while still grounding your analysis/recommendations in the reality of the real organisations and the real sector/markets.
o Use literature from a range of sources and this must include using academic journals (how many references is always a good question? – well, a good paper might have 30+ references including 20+ from academic journals).
o Gather data from a range of reliable sources. e.g. Financial Times, major consultancy companies, government organisations such as OECD, company reports of competitors in the sector (if these reports are available), etc.
o Use our core textbook, but also use others on the reading list and others in the library.
o Using Harvard style referencing in your paper (including in text citations and a reference list.
- To be successful you need to really analyse the business and its market (s) starting now into the future, to generate data and insights that allow you to formulate good strategy, and implement it, including.
o Critically discussing your data (from your analysis) in relation to theory.
o Make specific recommendations for your proposed strategy for the company supporting these with evidence and justification.
o You are welcome to make whatever strategic recommendation you think but whatever they are must be supported with evidence and justification. o Include good recommendations for the strategic management/implementation stage.
Material to Help You
The questions require you to draw upon all the following material:
- ‘The Ikea Approach’ Case Study
- our lectures and seminars;
- module readings;
- textbooks in the library
- ideas/thinking (but not organisation-specific material) discussed in Seminars;
- work published in academic journals;
- work published by other reliable sources, and,
- other appropriate material you consider relevant.