Assessment 1 involves completing an analysis of the relevant external

Assessment 1 involves completing an analysis of the relevant external environment for our case study organisation (Impossible Foods) and writing a business report about it.

This assignment is designed to enable assessment of your knowledge, skills and abilities across three dimensions:

1. Your ability to learn and understand the strategic management theory and concepts contained within the course. This may include other theories and concepts not specifically covered in the course that you discover through your reading of the (strategic) management literature.
2. Your ability to critically evaluate theory and to understand the implications of applying the theory.
3. Your ability to apply the theory in an appropriate or creative manner.

Your report should include the following:

A description of the relevant background and history of our case study organisation

This information should be accurate and relevant to the analysis. You will need to decide what should be included; it may include ownership, history, size, business scope, major products/services, and major ‘markets’, and spheres of influence of the organisation. Only include the relevant material that will have a material affect on your analysis.

This provides the background against which you undertake subsequent analysis.

It may also include an outline of the significant moments in the organisation’s history and why you believe these moments were/are consequential to the way the organisation undertakes its activities today. Your choices here about which information to include or exclude are important and will require you to use your critical and analytical thinking skills.

Conduct a macro-environment analysis for the operating environment within which the organisation operates.

You must use analytical tools/frameworks that have been published in recognised scholarly publications.

Focus on developing and demonstrating:

• identification of key factors/forces and their implications in terms of key opportunities and threats

• determine the overall direction of the operating environment in the future.

Draw well-reasoned conclusions that have been supported by analysis about the nature of the macro-operating environment of the organisation. Use this analysis to inform later aspects of your assignment.

Undertake an industry/sector/market analysis.

You must use analytical tools/frameworks that have been published in recognised scholarly publications. Focus on developing and demonstrating:

• a conceptual understanding of the purpose of this analysis;
• how this analysis is connected to the macro-environmental analysis i.e. the links between the external environmental forces and industry/market structure;
• identify and explain the characteristics that define the industry boundaries 

You must make reasoned, argued conclusion(s) on the structure of the Industry/market/sector(s) and any competitive/cooperative forces that are operating on and within it.

Identify any resources and competencies that represent key success factors for organisations operating in this industry and how and why these KSF are likely to provide a sustainable competitive advantage.

Justify why these resources and competencies can be regarded as strategic capabilities and discuss how useful they are in relation to the macro-environmental and industry/sector/market analysis.

You must use analytical tools/frameworks that have been published in recognised scholarly publications.

Focus on developing and demonstrating:

• a conceptual and practical understanding of any tools/frameworks you select for the analysis
• drawing evidence-based conclusions as to whether you believe the organisation currently possesses the resources and competencies that you have identified.