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Assignment III - Descriptive Questions

This document outlines an assignment on strategic management for an MBA course. It includes 6 questions related to strategic analysis tools and frameworks: [1] Using a SPACE matrix to analyze a company's strategy; [2] Applying value chain analysis to identify a company's strategic opportunities; [3] Discussing generic strategies and pursuing both cost leadership and differentiation; [4] Comparing the organizational differences of pursuing cost vs differentiation strategies; [5] Explaining the balanced scorecard framework for strategic implementation; and [6] Distinguishing corporate, business, and functional strategies and using concepts like the BCG matrix and synergy. Students are instructed to answer all questions in their own words with examples or illustrations where applicable.

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47 views

Assignment III - Descriptive Questions

This document outlines an assignment on strategic management for an MBA course. It includes 6 questions related to strategic analysis tools and frameworks: [1] Using a SPACE matrix to analyze a company's strategy; [2] Applying value chain analysis to identify a company's strategic opportunities; [3] Discussing generic strategies and pursuing both cost leadership and differentiation; [4] Comparing the organizational differences of pursuing cost vs differentiation strategies; [5] Explaining the balanced scorecard framework for strategic implementation; and [6] Distinguishing corporate, business, and functional strategies and using concepts like the BCG matrix and synergy. Students are instructed to answer all questions in their own words with examples or illustrations where applicable.

Uploaded by

Android Account
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Strategic Management

Assignment III
Descriptive Questions: Individual Assignment
To be submitted in soft copy (doc or pdf) format

NO ASSIGNMENT SUBMITTED AFTER STIPUTATED DATE AND TIME SHALL


BE ENTERTAINED / ACCEPTED.

ANY FORM OF PLAGIARISM AND/OR CHEATING DURING


TESTS/EXAMS/QUIZZES/CASE SUBMISSIONS/PRESENTATIONS AND/OR
ACTIONS AGAINST NORMS/RULES/ REGULATIONS OF THE COLLEGE AND
CLASS WOULD BE PENALIZED WITH NQ STATUS.

1. The filename of Doc or PDF format should contain “MBA-SM-<Your Section>-


<Your Name>-Assmt III”
2. Submission Deadline: 5th March, Saturday (For both sections)
3. To be submitted in HUB

Candidates are required to give their answers in their own words as far as practicable.
Provide illustrations and examples while answering each question.

All questions carry equal marks.

1. The Strategic Position & ACtion Evaluation matrix or short a SPACE matrix is a strategic
management tool that focuses on strategy formulation especially as related to the
competitive position of an organization. Explain the process and use of SPACE matrix in
analyzing a company and fixing the category of strategy it should take. Use a proper
illustration to back up your explanation.

2. Assume that you are hired as a consultant for analyzing a company from their value chain
point of view. (You can assume a company within any sector/ industry). Your client is not
clear about the this analytical tool and its importance and asks following questions to you.
You are supposed to answer all of the following questions in relation to VCA clearly and
with illustration wherever applicable:

a. What is value chain and what are its major constitutents?


b. What is the broad process you will apply for VCA?
c. Once the value chain activities are identified, what sort of strategic explorations
are done?
d. What is the relevance of VCA in strategic analysis and formulation?
e. Give examples of some strategic moves the company can take once it completes
VCA.
f. Is there any link between VCA and Resource Based View/ Analysis as an
analytical tool? How?

1
3. Basically, strategy is about two things: deciding where you want your business to go, and
deciding how to get there. A more complete definition is based on competitive advantage,
the object of most corporate strategy: “Competitive advantage grows out of value a firm
is able to create for its buyers that exceeds the firm's cost of creating it. Value is what
buyers are willing to pay, and superior value stems from offering lower prices than
competitors for equivalent benefits or providing unique benefits that more than offset a
higher price. There are two basic types of competitive advantage: cost leadership and
differentiation.”- Michael Porter.
Competitive strategies involve taking offensive or defensive actions to create a
defendable position in the industry. Generic strategies can help the organization to cope
with the five competitive forces in the industry and do better than other organization in
the industry. Generic strategies include ‘overall cost leadership’, ‘differentiation’, and
‘focus’. Generally firms pursue only one of the above generic strategies. However some
firms make an effort to pursue only one of the above generic strategies. However some
firms make an effort to pursue more than one strategy at a time by bringing out a
differentiated product at low cost. Though approaches like these are successful in short
term, they are hardly sustainable in the long term. If firms try to maintain cost leadership
as well as differentiation at the same time, they may fail to achieve either.

Do you agree with the argument given in the paragraph above? Give your position and
justification for the same. What should a company pursuing both the strategies at the
same time take into consideration and what should be their factors of focus?

4. Strategy that an organization chooses to pursue and employ carries its essence in the fact
that everything else that an organization chooses to create, employ, develop, formulate
and implement depends upon it. Consider two companies ABC and XYZ employing cost
leadership and differentiation strategy respectively. Each of these companies would differ
drastically in their organization and management systems, processes, policies,
approaches, procedures etc. Explain such differences between these companies through
which they harness the cost leadership and differentiation opportunities. Also list out the
challenges/ risks for these two organizations while pursuing their chosen strategy.

5. Explain Balanced Score Card as a strategic implementation and performance management


tool. Give its framework with an illustration. Explain its utility as a tool to bind short term
activities to long term objectives relying on the four processes, viz. Translating the
Vision, Communicating and Linking, Business Planning and Feedback and Learning.

6. What do you understand by Corporate Level Strategy? How is that different from
Business and Functional Strategy? What are the core concepts that a Corporate applies in
order to provide strategic inputs to its SBU (Strategic Business Units)? Explain BCG
Matrix, Parenting and the concept of Synergy in that regard.

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