Strategic Management Assignment Brief (September,2019)

Assessment General Information: Individual Strategic Management Report (100%) Word limit: 3,500 (10% +/-) Submission Deadline: 20th December 2019, Friday, 11.59PM Details of Assessment You are the newly appointed strategic consultant at Grocer Lidl. The board of directors in UK have decided to expand the business to the ‘Asian Market’ and they have asked you to prepare a report suggesting the best strategic direction for the firm to grow internationally particularly, and strategies that will help them to create a competitive advantage and achieve their strategic objectives. You need to consider effectively scanning both the internal and external environment of Lidl in order to help them explore new opportunities in the Asian market. To narrow down your report you can choose any Asian country of your choice. Background Dating back to 1930’s, a small, independent grocery wholesaler was born in Germany (Lidl,2017). Fast track to today Lidl is one of the largest grocery retailers in Europe. The first Lidl stores were opened in 1973, and by the 1980s Lidl was a household name in Germany. During the 1990s Lidl started branching outside of Germany and today the grocer can be found across Europe. In 1994, Lidl opened its first retail shop in the UK, just two decades later, they now have over 600 stores with a simple vision of providing ‘high quality at low prices’. However, for better understanding of the organization you are required to research the given organization including its challenges and strategic management approach to expand in the Asian Market.

• Applying the knowledge of relevant strategic management frameworks, you need to

• Carry out the external analysis • Address the internal analysis

• Identify key issues, evaluate alternatives and make conclusions based on thorough analysis Make appropriate strategy recommendations for the organization(s) given in the case study, in today’s business environment. All these must be completed by accessing, selecting and utilizing a variety of business information sources.

Assessment Details Your individual strategic management report will need to identify the internal and external opportunities and threats facing the organization (s) given in the case study, and present appropriate frameworks that inform the development of strategic options and recommendations for the organization(s) in terms of future strategic directions and methods of expansion in Asian markets. The report should therefore be comprised of areas for consideration that address the following questions: 1. Appraise the current strategic positioning of the given organization. (LO1, LO2, LO3 and LO5) The following will need to be carried out to address this question: Undertake a critically evaluated strategic audit, using appropriate models & frameworks, of the firm’s existing strategy in relation to its ability to exploit new global opportunities to create a more competitive advantage In order to prepare report for the board of directors you are required to scan Micro and Macro environment of the company where it operates. This will need to include an critical assessment of the external MACRO environment (using the PEST or PESTEL framework); external MICRO environment (using Porter’s 5 Force framework) and internal analysis of the organization (applying Jay Barney’s VRIO or Michael Porter’s Value Chain Analysis) to identify opportunities and threats in both these external and internal environmental layers. 2. What strategic recommendations can you propose for the organization (s) given in the case study to strengthen its current position in the given Market? (LO4, LO6) The following will need to be carried out to address this question: This will need to include an analysis and evaluation of organization competitive strategies in a critical and informed way. Evaluating best alternatives and make possible recommendation and conclusions based on thorough analysis and consideration of their future competitive strategies, applying either Porter’s Generic Strategies of Competition framework or Bowman and Faulkner’s Strategy Clock. Your final strategic management report should contain: • Executive Summary • Introduction (Company & industry background, key challenges faced by the selected company) • External environmental analysis for identifying opportunities and threats: Macro (PEST or PESTEL) & Micro (5 Forces Framework for analysing industry structure and the nature of competition) • Internal environmental analysis for identifying strengths and weaknesses: VRIO or value chain analysis • Identification of Competitive Strategies (Bowman’s Clock or Porter’s Generic Strategies) • Strategic directions (Markets, Products, Services) & methods of expansion • In-text citations and list of references using Harvard Referencing Marking allocations: Sections Maximum Marks Awarded.
Executive Summary (not part of word count) Introduction (Company & industry background, key challenges faced by the selected company)
External analysis Macro (PESTEL or STEEPLE) & Micro (5 Forces Framework)
Internal analysis (VRIO or value chain analysis) 15
Identification of Competitive Strategies (Bowman’s Clock or Porter’s Generic Strategies)
Strategic directions (Markets, Products, Services) & methods of expansion
Writing and Harvard Referencing 10

Elements (100%) (≥ 70%%) Distinction 60% – 69% Merit 50% – 59% Good 40% – 49% Fair <40% Poor This range is reserved for work of high quality which shows evidence of a deep understanding of and insight into the full range of ideas, principles, themes and/or techniques in question and independence of thought. It demonstrates a full and systematic understanding of knowledge, and a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights, at or informed by the forefront of the discipline, field of study, or area of professional practice This range is for work which shows evidence of a very good understanding of the main ideas, principles, themes and/or techniques in question coupled with some insight and the expression of some independent thought. It demonstrates a systematic understanding of knowledge, and a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights, much of which is at, or informed by, the forefront of the discipline, field of study, or area of professional practice. This range is for work which shows evidence of appropriate study, presented clearly and adequately marshalled to illustrate the most significant of the main ideas, principles, themes and/or techniques in question and to demonstrate a sound grasp of them. It demonstrates a good understanding of knowledge, and a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights, some of which is at, or informed by, the forefront of the discipline, field of study, or area of professional practice. The range is reserved for work that is lacking in some respects or contains flaws which are noticeable and serious enough to warrant the award of a failing grade, but nonetheless essentially approaches the criteria necessary for the good category sufficiently for it of itself not to prevent the award of an overall pass. This is a failed category. It is for work which fails to meet or in significant ways does not approach the criteria described for a good grade.
Introduction (10%) (Company & industry background, key challenges faced by the selected company) Understand the role of strategic management within an organization.
(≥ 7.0) (6.0 – 6.9) (5.0 – 5.9) (4.0 – 4.9) (<4.0)
Demonstrate highly comprehensive level of understanding
Demonstrate robust level of understanding
Demonstrate adequate level of understanding
Demonstrate a fair level of understanding
Demonstrate a very limited level of understanding
External analysis (25%) Macro (PESTEL or STEEPLE) & Micro (5 Forces Framework) Critically analyze an organizations competitive environment
(≥ 18.0) (15.0 – 17.9) (13.0 – 14.9) (10.0 – 12.9) (<10.0) Demonstrate ability to provide comprehensive, lucid analysis; Demonstrate highly developed critical skills Demonstrate ability to provide detailed and coherent analysis and demonstrate consistently sound critical skills Demonstrate adequate ability to analyse and some sound critical skills demonstrated Demonstrate some ability to analyze and some sound critical skills demonstrated Demonstrate little ability to analyze and some sound critical skills demonstrated.

Internal analysis (15%) (VRIO or value chain analysis) Evaluate the resources, capabilities and core competences of an organization
(≥ 11.0) (9.0 – 10.9) (8.0 – 9.9) (6.0 – 7.9) (<6.0)
Provide a consistently strong assessment with well-reasoned and original assumptions; All ideas are highly coherent
Provide a generally strong assessment with some well reasoned assumptions; Ideas are consistently coherent
Provide a reasonable assessment of the subject; Ideas are generally coherent
Provide some assessment of the subject; Ideas are generally coherent
Provide little assessment of the subject; Ideas are generally coherent
Identification of Competitive Strategies (20%) (Bowman’s Clock or Porter’s Generic Strategies) Understand the impact of competition on the strategy of an organization
(≥ 14.0) (12.0 – 13.9) (10.0 – 11.9) (8.0 – 9.9) (<8.0)
Demonstrate highly comprehensive level of understanding
Demonstrate robust level of understanding
Demonstrate adequate level of understanding
Demonstrate a fair level of understanding
Demonstrate a poor level of understanding
Strategic directions (20%) (Markets, Products, Services) & methods of expansion Understand the formulation and implementation of organizational strategy based on Markets, Products, Services Understand the effect of business ethics and social responsibility on strategy of methods of expansion
(≥ 14.0) (12.0 – 13.9) (10.0 – 11.9) (8.0 – 9.9) (<8.0)
Demonstrate highly comprehensive level of understanding
Demonstrate robust level of understanding
Demonstrate adequate level of understanding
Demonstrate a fair level of understanding
Demonstrate a poor level of understanding
Writing and Harvard Referencing (10%) (≥ 7.0) (6.0 – 6.9) (5.0 – 5.9) (4.0 – 4.9) (<4.0)
6
Understand the use of referencing. Various credible and up-to-date sources are used
Demonstrate highly comprehensive level of understanding
Demonstrate robust level of understanding
Demonstrate adequate level of understanding
Demonstrate a fair level of understanding
Demonstrate a poor level of understanding