Analyzing a Local Florist Company's Strategy and Operating Environment

1. Demonstrate knowledge of a range of tools and frameworks of strategy and creativity appropriate for the evaluation of complex situations in organisations

2. Use appropriate methods to analyse an organisation and its context in order to generate coherent, innovative strategic options and choice

What am I required to do in this assignment?

This assignment assesses your ability to critically analyse the operating environment of a small company and identify the short-term strategic risks and issues that it is facing. Furthermore, you need to assess the potential impacts that the identified risks and issues have upon the company’s current strategy. This task assesses your ability to critically evaluate the usefulness and relevance of a company’s strategic objectives and capabilities in the light of industry developments. Being able to use appropriate analysis to understand the key risks and issues and make decisions relating to strategy is one of the key skills of strategic thinking.

• You will analyse a company and its operating environment making use of creativity and strategy tools in order to frame understanding of the risks and issues facing the company. Time will be spent in the first two weeks of the unit to understand the demands of the assignment.

• You will work to understand the strategic risks and issues facing the company and to assess how these might affect the company in the near future. You will produce an individual report that makes use of this analysis

It is a local florist company. For you early research you should explore the company and start to investigate competitors and competitor segments.

• You must identify the company’s current strategy (Note: Where hard data is not available the use of assumptions with the inclusion of supporting rationale is permissible)

• You will analyse the business environment and industry of the company. You should consider the main competitors and their competitive position; market details (value, share etc.), current trends in the market, future trends in the market and objectives of the business

• You must make appropriate use of carefully selected tools and frameworks to help you to conduct and structure your analysis, clearly highlighting risks and issues

You must include:

• Appropriate appendices that support your analysis

• You must NOT contact the company directly as part of this assignment What do I need to do to pass? (Threshold Expectations from UIF)

• Deliver a report that includes a detailed analysis that identifies the strategic risks and issues facing a company

• Analysis requires you to demonstrate an understanding of how key trends and developments are likely to affect the industry segment and the company’s current strategy

• Develop and support your analysis by ideas and techniques drawn from academic theory and up to date research

• Ensure your arguments are backed up by evidence

How do I produce high quality work that merits a good grade?

We will be filling this section in together in class on make sure you have downloaded/printed out the Assignment Brief and bring it to the session with you.

How does assignment relate to what we are doing in scheduled sessions?

In the first few weeks of the unit, we will spend time discussing the assignment brief, covering relevant analytical methods and How will my assignment be marked?

Your assignment will be marked according to the threshold expectations and the criteria on the following page.

You can use them to evaluate your own work and consider your grade before you submit.