Strategic Management : CARNIVAL -

NO SWOT

NO PESTILE

NO Porters 5 FORCES

Assignment Brief

To complete this assignment you must produce a 2000 (+/- 10%) word academic essay (the word count excludes the reference list). This essay is to be based on the application of ideas from the Resources and Capabilities topic area to an organisation of your choice (see below).

You need to explore the Resources and Capabilities topic area discussing theoretical concepts within the area and look at an organisation that uses a strategy which can be understood by drawing on ideas from the Resources and Capabilities literature.

Drawing on the Resources and Capabilities literature, how does your chosen firm generate sustainable competitive advantage?

This assessment task requires you to both discuss the theoretical area and, drawing on secondary research, to offer some application to a ‘real world’ example. The key to doing well is to demonstrate that you can discuss the theoretical ideas and apply these in an analysis of an organisation. The organization must be one that is currently part of either the FTSE 100 http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/prices-and-markets/stocks/indices/constituents-indices.html?index=UKX or the Dow Jones Industrial Average http://www.djaverages.com/?go=industrial-components

However, please note that you cannot use any organisation that we use in the workshops, nor the organisation that you used for your ISP.

The essay MUST be based on secondary sources, i.e. using newspapers, annual reports and annual reviews (available from the company website), analyst reports and journal articles rather than primary research which would involve actually talking to firms. You should of course ensure that you reference all sources. Advice on finding sources can be found at the library’s ‘Skill Zone’ resources:

http://iskillzone.uwe.ac.uk/RenderPages/RenderHomePage.aspx

Assignment Learning Objective

To demonstrate your ability to apply concepts from the module to an organisation or firm, to undertake a theoretically informed analysis and to draw conclusions that link the topic of study to the objective of sustaining competitive advantage. For a research essay you will be required to independently investigate the academic literature on the topic and apply your knowledge of this literature to the organisation.

Assignment Output Style

Essays are a form of academic writing that require you to follow the general structure of – introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion. An essay is written in whole sentences and paragraphs. If you do not use an essay format you will lose marks. Essays do not necessarily need headings, though these are often useful for guiding the reader. Please avoid using appendices – the inclusion of any essential figures and tables in the body of the assignment is preferred. The purpose of an essay as an assignment task is to demonstrate your understanding of the topic and your ability to sustain an extended argument.

Please submit an electronic copy of your essay on a CD that is clearly marked with your student ID number. The electronic copy of your essay should be saved in a WORD file named as your student ID number and course number, e.g.: 1103 9641 UMSD38.

Additional assistance with essay writing skills can be obtained via the Learning Development Centre in room 2B076.

Referencing

Please refer to these UWE ‘Library Guidelines on Citations and References’:

References (citations) within the body of a report should be linked to your reference list using the Harvard system of referral. This requires the authors’ surname and the year of publication to be inserted at every point in the text where reference is made to a particular document.

Why reference?

There are a number of reasons why you should provide references:

to demonstrate that you have considered other people’s opinions and read around your subject;
to acknowledge other people’s work and/or ideas – and thus avoid accusations of plagiarism (plagiarism: is the act of presenting the ideas or discoveries of another as one’s own);
to provide evidence for a statement;
to illustrate a point or offer support for an argument/idea you want to make;
to enable readers of your work to find the source material, e.g. for a particular methodology you have used; and
to direct readers to further information sources.

When preparing reports, essays, etc. for assignments at UWE, if you wish to refer to something you have read you MUST give a reference for this material.

Harvard Referencing

There are often differences in how this system is implemented as there is no definitive guidance on how Harvard should be applied. However, UWE Library Services have undertaken an extensive review and provide UWE-approved guidance on what is expected by all UWE Faculties that use the Harvard style. For details of how to reference according to the UWE-approved Harvard referencing style, please visit the Referencing section of UWE Library Services’ iSkillZone. You will find advice on how to list references within the body of the text, as well as how to present the reference list.

NOTE: If you submit a poorly referenced essay you will lose marks. If you submit an unreferenced or plagiarised essay you will fail the assignment. Cases of gross plagiarism will be referred to the Associate Dean (Programmes). Plagiarism, collusion and non-compliance with assessment regulations are offences under University regulations and where suspected, will be investigated under official procedures. Penalties vary depending on the severity of the offence but can include expulsion from the University.

Assessment Criteria for the Research Essay:

The detailed breakdown of the marking criteria used to assess the research essays by staff when marking is provided on page 20. When writing your assignment it is useful to keep in mind these assessment criteria and the weightings allocated to each as well as the overview of standards provided on pages 1-2. These will help to guide your efforts in researching and writing the essay.

Weighting

20%

30%

45%

DEMONSTRATE RESEARCH INTO AND UNDERSTANDING OF CHOSEN TOPIC AREA

RESEARCH INTO AND UNDERSTANDING OF KEY STRATEGIC ISSUES FACING THE ORGANISATION

ANALYSIS LINKING

ORGANISATION & TOPIC AREA

PRESENTATION AND WRITING

Chooses excellent (i.e. appropriate, interesting and perhaps unusual) theories, models and frameworks. Uses them incisively to inform and develop discussion.

Excellent research into and understanding of the organisation and the strategic issues they face. Perceptive insight into relevance of the strategic topic for organisations.

Extensive integration of strategic topic with organisation. Development of strong, coherent argument. Consistently addresses the purpose of the assignment. Evidence of sound judgement with well supported evaluations.

Style and grammar are excellent. Structure is well organised with a clear line of thought that is easy to follow and has an obvious conclusion. Excellent use of language. References accurately and appropriately recorded.

Chooses good theories, models and frameworks. Uses them well to inform and develop discussion.

Good research into and understanding of the organisation and the strategic issues they face. Generally perceptive in choice of topic to focus upon. A good sense of relevance for organisations.

Good integration of strategic topic and organisation. Development of a coherent argument. Addresses the purpose of the assignment. Demonstrates good judgement and support for evaluations.

Style and grammar are good. Clear, orthodox structure. Use of language accurate. References accurately and appropriately recorded.

Chooses adequate theories, models and frameworks (i.e. just the common ones). Uses them adequately to inform and develop discussion.

Reasonable research into and understanding of the organisation and the strategic issues they face. Able to identify and focus on topic, although not necessarily the most interesting or relevant. Some sense of current relevance for organisations.

Reasonable integration of strategic topic and organisation. Has an argument but sometimes difficult to follow. Generally addresses the purpose of the assignment. Reasonable judgement with some attempt at evaluation. Sometimes lapses into description rather than analysis.

Style and grammar are satisfactory. Some structure to the answer, including conclusion. Use of language mainly accurate. References adequately recorded but may contain occasional minor errors (e.g. no page references for quotes).

Theories chosen may be relevant but not well used or barely relevant.

Weak research into and understanding of the organisation and the strategic issues they face. Limited ability to focus on important topic. Little sense of current relevance for organisations.

Little linkage between strategic topic and organisation. Weak argument – not developed. Does address the purpose of the assignment in parts, but often strays off the point. Poor judgment and some unsupported assertions. Tends to be descriptive.

Style and grammar are weak. Poor structure and a weak conclusion. Occasional inappropriate expressions and poor sentence construction. Language may contain errors. Referencing may contain errors.

Theories, models or frameworks are non-existent or not relevant (e.g. at individual rather than organisational level of analysis) and not well used.

Demonstrates little or no research into or understanding of the organisation or the strategic issues and what is important in organisations.

No linkage between strategic topic and organisation. Little or no obvious argument. Fails in large part to address the task set. Unsupported assertions and value judgments. Heavily descriptive.

Style and grammar is poor. Little structure. Too frequently contains inappropriate expressions and poor sentence construction. Language may contain errors. Referencing weak and containing errors.

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