Strategic Business Management: Understanding Internal and External Factors

Importance of external forces on organizations

Organisations are increasingly aware of the importance of complex, ever-changing external forces that significantly affect them. Managers, therefore, need to widen their perspective away from the internal daily functions and activities of the organisation in order to understand and cope with such factors that impact the long term grow and viability of the organisation. Strategic business management is the decision making process that links an organisation's internal functions and capability with the external opportunities and threats it faces. It is a process that involves analysis, planning and action that is ever changing and evolving.

Completion of this assignment will address the following learning outcomes:

1 Critically explore the theoretical schools of strategic business and change management, with a particular focus on the role of strategy formation and the strategic planning process.

2 Evaluate and apply conceptual and practical approaches to strategic business and change management in a range of organisational settings.

3 Evaluate critically the impact and significance of macro and micro environmental influences on strategic business behaviour and subsequent responses to them, with reference to available tools and techniques

6 Demonstrate the ability to think critically in relation to a particular problem, situation or strategic decision through real-world scenarios.

Guidance notes and considerations

If you are not able to complete your coursework on time due to extenuating circumstances, the ONLY way to receive an extension (up to 5 working days) or a deferral (anything longer than 5 working days) is to contact a Registry team member located at your specific CU site.

* Extenuating circumstances are defined by CU as ‘genuine circumstances beyond your control or ability to foresee, and which seriously impair your assessed work’.

* Please note that you will need to provide third party evidence to support your reasoning for requiring an extension or deferral.

* Your course tutor is NOT able to approve an extension or a deferral, if you have not completed the official forms and had your request approved your work will count as not submitted and receive a zero mark.

Plagiarism and Malpractice

* You are encouraged to check the originality of your work by using the draft Turnitin links on your Learning Experience Platform.

* Collusion between students (where sections of your work are similar to the work submitted by other students in this or previous module cohorts) is taken extremely seriously and will be reported to the academic conduct panel. This applies to all coursework and exam answers.

Linking internal capability with external opportunities and threats

* A marked difference between your writing style, knowledge and skill level demonstrated in class discussion, any test conditions and that demonstrated in a coursework assignment may result in you having to undertake a Viva Voce in order to prove the coursework assignment is entirely your own work.

* If you make use of the services of a proof reader in your work you must keep your original version and make it available as a demonstration of your written efforts.

* You must not submit work for assessment that you have already submitted (partially or in full), either for your current course or for another qualification of this university, unless this is specifically provided for in your assignment brief or specific course or module information.  Where earlier work by you is citable, ie. it has already been published/submitted, you must reference it clearly. Identical pieces of work submitted concurrently will also be considered to be self-plagiarism.

What is the current situation {e.g.} market size, what is happening {etc} give some context to the charity current standing? Estimated words count approx 300 words.

SECTION 1:

{1.2} EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS/AUDIT.

{a} Prepared an environmental analysis{external} using model such as PEST and 5-Forces.

[b} Having done the analysis, identify the relevant issues{factors} applicable to your charity and what the impacts are- positive/negative on the firm. Be prepared to draw conclusions for the external forces that you discover in audit. [e.g.} Are there forthcoming changes in specific legislation? Be specific.

·What will the implications of that be?

·How are consumer lifestyle changes and trends likely to affect the performance of your products and services?

·Size of the market/opportunity can be abroad as the goal is to get to a wider audience.

·Which market segment.

·Trends identified.

·Peoples wants.

·Product/services identified.

·This will provide you with the information for your {SW- not included as only doing external analysis}

A commentary and critical analysis based on the wider macro/micro environmental setting which potentially impacts on the performance and strategic actions of the firm. Estimated word count 1,300 words.

SECTION 2:

{2.1] THE EVALUATION OF YOUR FINDINGS.

Prepared an evaluation report based on your findings from section 1{that is} the key drivers- opportunities and threats.

This part is a SWOT without the SW. AS you are only doing an external analysis, you will show only the opportunities and threats and relate to the findings in 1.2 as shown below.

Opportunities{external}

·Bullet point 1 {need to show where found{e.g.} PEST- Social}

·Bullet 2 need to show where found {e.g.} PEST- Economics}

·Bullet point 3 need to show where found PEST- Tech.

·Bullet point 4 need to show where found 5- Forces.

Threats {external}

·Bullet point 1 {need to show where found {e.g.} PEST- Legal}

·Bullet point 2 need to show where found {e.g} 5- Forces- New Entrants}.

·Bullet point 3 and 4.

Identify 2 or 3 key drivers from your above opportunity threats analysis that your chosen charity most likely to focus and evaluate them in formulating/modifying its new strategies. Estimated words 300 words ish

SECTION 3:

{3.1.} Justify critically, the use of any of the following as an appropriate model for your chosen charity base on the key drivers identified earlier.

·Porter's Generic strategies or

·Ansoff Matrix or

·One of the 3 Growth Options M&A, JV, or organic growth.

Estimated word 400.

{3.2} Now evaluate your chosen strategy using Balanced scorecard {BSC}- not looking for detail here. You do not need to apply the balance scorecard as the strategy has not been delivered yet. But can be combined with the SMART objectives identified-KPI. A short conclusion- to say why the recommended strategy should go ahead. Estimated word count 200.