Competitive Strategy
Assignment 3 – Strategy Case Analysis
Publicly-owned companies (i.e., businesses owned by shareholders and managed by professional management teams) are ‘listed’ on stock exchanges in their respective countries. Investors may buy and sell shares in listed companies through stock exchanges. Examples include the New York Stock Exchange (USA), London Stock Exchange (United Kingdom), and the Shanghai Stock Exchange (China).
In Australia publicly-owned businesses are listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX for short, https://www.asx.com.au/). The top-performing 200 companies listed on the ASX are known as the ‘ASX 200’. The ASX 200 list can be accessed via the following link: https://www.asx200list.com/. Your task is to select one company listed on the ASX 200, then:
• Google search the ‘investor relations’ page for your company, and download the latest company annual report
• Download the company’s latest strategic plan (if this is available – not all companies will make their strategic plans available)
• Look through other areas of your company’s investor relations webpage to identify other materials that could inform your Strategy Case Analysis
• You are then to address all of the following five (5) questions. Each question is worth 10 marks.
Question 1 (Learning Objective 2, 3, 5)
Drawing upon theories and concepts relating to strategy formation, discuss the company’s approach(es) to forming its overarching strategy. Issues you could take into consideration here include:
• Does the company take a planned or emergent approach to strategy formation? Or a combination of both?
• Are any of the schools of thought regarding strategy formation reflected in the company’s materials?
Question 2 (LO 3)
Discuss how corporate-level strategy is practiced by the company. Issues you could take into consideration here include:
• Is the company a diversified organisation (i.e., participates in more than one industry)? What makes you say this?
• What types of corporate-level strategies has the company utilised?
Question 3 (LO 4, 5)
Discuss the company’s approach to its business-level strategy. Issues you could take into consideration here include:
• Does the company adopt one of Porter’s generic strategies? Or a combination?
• What is the key foundation of the company’s competitive advantage relative to its closest competitors?
www.scu.edu.au
Lismore Coffs Harbour Gold Coast
PO Box 157, Lismore NSW 2480 Australia Hogbin Drive, Coffs Harbour NSW 2450 Australia Locked Mail Bag 4, Coolangatta QLD 4225 Australia
T +61 2 6620 3000 F +61 2 6620 3700 T +61 2 6659 3777 T +61 7 5589 3000 F +61 7 5589 3700
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Question 4 (LO 3, 4)
Discuss how international strategy is practiced by the company. Issues you could take into consideration here include:
• Does the company currently utilise an international strategy? If so, how does the company’s international strategy reflect the different kinds of international strategic options we have spoken about throughout the unit?
• What internal and external environmental factors encourage the company to pursue an international strategy?
• If the company does not currently have an international strategy, can you make any suggestions about international strategic options that could benefit the company? Or is there a case not to pursue international strategies? Be sure to discuss relevant internal and external environment factors to justify your suggestions.
Question 5 (LO 2, 5)
Discuss how business ethics and corporate social responsibility (CSR) influence the company’s strategic direction.
Issues you could take into consideration here include:
• Is business ethics and/or CSR embedded into the company’s mission and vision? If so, how?
• Does the company leverage business ethics and/or CSR to create competitive advantage?
• Does the company engage in sustainability reporting? Why or why not?
• If CSR is not readily visible within the company’s materials, can you identify any opportunities where the company could utilise CSR initiatives? Relate your suggestions back to theories around the use of CSR in business contexts
All five (5) questions are to be attempted, Responses for each question between 300 and 350 words. Strategy theories and concepts from the academic literature used to formulate responses to the five questions.
Strategy theories and concepts may be drawn from the textbook and readings prescribed within the unit’s content, and/or other academic sources not part of the unit’s content.
Minimum of two (2) academic references integrated into each response/question.
Do not simply cite references. You must use references to help guide and structure your responses. The emphasis in this assignment is on assessing your ability to apply theories and concepts we have covered throughout the unit. Hence there is a minimum of 10 academic references cited throughout the Strategy Case Analysis document in total.
www.scu.edu.au
Lismore Coffs Harbour Gold Coast
PO Box 157, Lismore NSW 2480 Australia Hogbin Drive, Coffs Harbour NSW 2450 Australia Locked Mail Bag 4, Coolangatta QLD 4225 Australia
T +61 2 6620 3000 F +61 2 6620 3700 T +61 2 6659 3777 T +61 7 5589 3000 F +61 7 5589 3700
CRICOS Provider 01241G