The assessment of this subject supports students in developing their skills and knowledge in topics that include environmental assessment, problem diagnosis, strategy development, and cultural and ethical contexts. Stakeholder meetings are a critical element in strategic management. This assessment task provides experience and immersive understanding of the complex interactions involved in the development of strategic choices, and the need to take an integrative approach to problem solving.
You are required to perform a simulated stakeholder meeting to discuss the scenario below. Students will be assigned a role to play in the simulated stakeholder meeting. Roles will be assigned to ensure each group has one of each of the stakeholders.
To do this assessment, it is necessary for you to know the responsibilities and interests of the stakeholder that you are assigned to be. To assist you with this knowledge, each stakeholder’s general scope of responsibilities is described below. It is suggested that you take some time to research more about each stakeholder’s responsibilities so that you can contribute effectively to the meetings and write your white paper.
The white paper is to be completed individually by each member of the team reflecting the impact of the proposed strategy on their particular part of the business and should be completed to the professional standard that would be required if the scenario were real.
The GM has the final accountability to the CEO. The GM takes responsibility of the of the company’s successes and failures of the company. The GM brings together the different functions in the company (HR, Finance, Operations, etc.) and the interests of all the stakeholders. A key issue for the GM is to maximise shareholder value and the long-term sustainability of the company.
Obviously, the GM of the supplier has the same responsibilities in his company as the GM of the case company below. The supplier is in the business of supplying goods and services which the case company requires. The successes and failures of the supplier company are linked to the successes and failures of the case company.
General responsibility of the Union official is to represent the interest of workers. It also includes conflict resolution between the employer and the workers and bargaining of behalf of workers. It goes without saying that the workers would want the company to be financially sustainable while they receive appropriate remuneration.
The general responsibilities of the OM are to ensure that productions of goods and services is running efficiently. Therefore, the role includes both planning and implementing production/manufacturing schedules including material and energy inputs among other things. The OM understands the feasibility of attaining certain production levels and quality of products/services.
The general responsibilities of the finance manager are to ensure that the company is financially sound. Therefore, the finance manager plans the long and short-term allocation of resources as well as produce financial reports. For example, the SFM would be interested in issues such as risk, capital availability, likely timing and amount of returns, etc.
The scenario provides you with a brief overview of a hypothetical project for a real-life organisation. Be aware that the scenario may not cover every detail that you will need to address in the White Paper, in which case, you will need to conduct additional research, including further research into the industry concerned.
[Pro-Go Pty Ltd is a privately-owned manufacturer of small, high-quality action cameras based in Geelong, Victoria. Founded in 2004 it has enjoyed continuous year-on-year growth until the last financial year. Pro-Go has a track record of innovation, and technology that provides excellent quality results in a small package able to operate with small batteries for extended periods of time. The video files these cameras produce are known for having superior colour, and operate effectively in lower lighting conditions than competitor’s cameras. They are also marketed on the basis of their extreme ruggedness, and reliability. Much of the technology used in its devices has been patented by Pro-Go and is not currently available to other manufacturers.
The Pro-Go management team has recognised that the ability to capture videos is now a feature of most phones. It suggests to them that the future of the stand-alone camera may be limited. Pro-Go’s CEO has requested the executive team meet independently to develop a strategy to guide the company over the next five years.]
The stakeholder meeting will discuss and agree on three strategy options for Pro-Go. In doing so, the Stakeholder meeting may consider strategy options that exist in adjacent markets or with related but different products or technologies. Remember to apply strategy concepts in your stakeholder meeting discussions to identify strategy options.
The deliverables required of each student are to produce a white paper covering the following:
Students are to address the assessment task from the perspective of their own functional area of responsibility. Integrate theory in your white paper.
We have chosen 3 strategies which are: