Final Case Study Report

Assessment Information
This task
involves a 4000-word report, excluding tables, figures, references and
appendices. This report should look like any professional report you would
expect from a consultancy firm. Please try to make it as neat and professional
(and fancy) as possible.
Starting
with the brief summary of your analysis of the past and current strategy
(completed in Assessment 1), you will present in a report what you recommend
the company do given your analysis.
Your
report should:
1. Briefly
summarize your findings from past and present strategy analysis (completed in
Assessment 1).
2. Provide
innovative and problem-solving recommendations to achieve competitive advantage
in the future.
Assessment
2 presents an opportunity for you to analyse a case and to hone your skills in
analysing and recommending a strategy. Your recommendation should involve at
least two of the following topics:
·
Business-level strategy
·
Corporate-level strategy
·
Acquisition and restructuring strategies
·
International strategy
·
Corporate governance
·
Organisational structure and controls
·
Strategic leadership
Although
you will have sub-sections in your report, these sub-sections must be linked
together so the report is an integrated and compelling analytical argument that
leads to your evaluation and recommendations.

Assessment 1 & 2
Guidelines
For Assessment
items 1 and 2, you will act as a member of a professional consultancy team.
As such you should choose a “real” company as a “case-to-study.” The same
company will be used for both Assessment items 1 and 2. Please choose
carefully, after conducting enough research. The focus of your analysis is on
the analysis of the company’s strategy (for Assessment item 1)
and strategic planning (for Assessment item 2).
How to choose a case to study
We want
to keep this consulting work as real as possible, which means you will not be
able to change your client (a.k.a. case you are studying) after you have
completed your Assessment item 1. Please conduct enough research to complete
both Assessment items 1 and 2.
Here are the rules:
1. Please
email the lecturer your group member details and chosen company for Assessment
1 case study.
2. You
cannot choose a company that another group in your workshop has already chosen.
It will be first come first served. That means, it is better for you to plan
ahead.
3. You
cannot choose a company that has already been analysed in the textbook. Your
lecturer can check this for you if you are not sure.
4. Deadline
to choose a company is by the end of Week 4.
Here are the tips to choosing a company:
1. It makes
sense to choose a publicly listed company since you need to make sure data is
readily available. You will need access to things like annual reports and
financial data as well as media coverage. Sometimes, small and medium
enterprises have little information available on their websites and internet.
You should check the amount of available data before making the final decision.
2. There is
no restriction on ‘company size’ however it makes sense to keep the company to
a manageable level. It is no use trying to analyse the corporate strategy of
Wesfarmers, for example, in six weeks. Bunnings however is probably manageable.
In this sense, your group’s choice will determine whether you are at Business
level or Corporate level strategy. At the other end of the scale is the corner
shop – which clearly, while equally important – is not likely to yield
sufficient data for analysis at the level required by this course.
3. There is
no restriction on the company’s location although, again, it makes sense to try
to choose an Australian firm or an Asia-Pacific firm. You must realise that if
you do choose an international firm the complexity will increase, and it may be
necessary for you to spend more time assessing and explaining political and or
regulatory matters at the expense of strategic choice and realized strategy
matters.
4. Generally,
make it easy for yourselves. It is easier to do the simple perfectly than the
hard imperfectly. At the same time however your interest and passion for a
specific industry / market / firm is more likely to yield a good analysis than
trying to force yourself to investigate a firm that is of no interest to you.

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