Unit 7 – Business Strategy
Task 3
LO3: Understand approaches to strategy evaluation
Scenario: According to Marks and Spencer corporate website ‘As we continue the
work to transform our infrastructure, we will now focus on consolidating our position
as a leading international, multi-channel retailer.
Using our strengthened capabilities, our priorities, both in the UK and international,
will be to accelerate our Food growth, deliver an end-to-end GM operating model
and to drive the experience on M&S.com. We will continue to develop a world class
talent pool, further growing our skills in key strategic areas.
The UK food market will remain challenging but we are well positioned with a store
format that caters for how shopping habits are changing. We opened 62 Simply
Food stores this year, and we have a strong pipeline with the fastest Food store
opening programme planned in M&S’s history.
Whilst we expect the Clothing and Home market to remain highly competitive, we will
deliver growth through a focus on stylish design, quality and newness, with better
availability and more choice.
We anticipate that our International business will continue to be impacted by this
year’s weakening euro and macroeconomic factors will remain a challenge,
particularly in our Middle East region. However we will focus on delivering relevant
ranges to our local customers, improving our like-for-like sales performance across
our owned and franchised market and building our international supply chain.’
(http://corporate.marksandspencer.com/aboutus/our-plans-for-the-future)
Requirement: Write a report to the Board of Directors of Marks and Spencer.
The report should include:
? An analysis of the appropriateness of alternative strategies related to
market entry; substantive growth, limited growth or retrenchment for Marks
and Spencer (covers AC 3.1)
? A justification of the strategy that is selected for Marks and Spencer
(covers AC 3.2)
Guidelines: The answer should include an analysis on the suitability of alternative market
entry strategies for Marks and Spencer. A justification of the strategy that is chosen for
Marks and Spencer should also be included.
Task 4
LO4: Understand how to implement a chosen strategy
Scenario: According to Honda ‘”Do Not Imitate.” The mandate of Soichiro Honda
echoes in the minds and hearts of everyone at Honda. At Honda, we are constantly
striving to seek out new initiatives and stay at the forefront of innovation.
As an organization dedicated to the advancement of mobility, we have always
targeted leading-edge technologies. From our racing spirit to our dedication to our
environmental leadership, it is Honda’s mission to develop forward-thinking
technologies that anticipate and satisfy the needs of a future society.’
(http://corporate.honda.com/innovation/)
Requirement: Write a report to the Board of Directors of Honda. Your report
should include:
? An assessment of the roles and responsibilities of personnel who are
charged with strategy implementation (covers AC 4.1)
? An analysis of the estimated resource requirements for implementing a new
strategy for Honda (covers AC 4.1)
? An evaluation of the contribution from SMART targets to the achievement
of strategy implementation in Honda (covers AC 4.3)
