Strategic leadership in a changing world c/w 2 Assignment Brief

Strategic leadership in a
Module Title: Module Code: 6BUS1059
changing world 2019/20
Draft/provisional. Individual
assignment. Individual portfolio
which comprises two separate
essays. 2,000 words each
Assignment Format & Assignment
essay (there is no plus or 70%
Maximum Word count Weighting:
minus 10% “rule” on this
module. The limit is 2,000
words for each essay (see
below for further details)
Four weeks (eg
One electronic copy (you 20 working days
submit the two essays as one (when the
document) via the usual university is
assignment mechanism on open) (Monday
Studynet on or before 24th to Friday are
Coursework return
April 5pm 2020.Also, you defined by the
Coursework Submission: Date returned to
MUST submit an IDENTICAL university as
students:
paper copy to the designated working days)
6BUS1059 assignment hand after the hand in
-in box at the coursework point of the identical
(bottom floor of HBS) on or paper copy.
before 28th April 1.30pm.
Tutorial team-all
scripts will be
Module leader Keith Seed First marker marked by staff
who teach on this
module.
Internal Moderator Approved ☐yes Module Board name HR & Strategy

Approved ☐
External Examiner Module Board date Early June 2020
Date:

Assessment Criteria
Learning Outcomes: Knowledge and Understanding tested in this assignment:
1. the risks and opportunities confronting strategic leaders in a changing world; 2. the
challenges facing organisations in times of economic growth and recession; 3. theoretical
approaches to the evaluation of an organisation's strategic position, choices and
implementation of options for change; 4. the distinctions between differing change contexts
and styles of leadership.

Learning Outcomes: Skills and Attributes tested in this assignment:

5. research, diagnose and analyse a complex range of strategic problems; 6. critically evaluate
strategic concepts and theory, decision-making and planning, using practical examples of strategic
leadership and change processes.

Transformational Opportunities
Opportunity for students to develop skills with regard to considering how organisations go
about/should go about their strategic thinking/implementation.

Feedback /Marking criteria for this Assignment

Performance will be assessed using the combined HBS Grading Criteria and Mark scheme (see below)

Guidance for improvement will be given in writing on the Assessment Feedback Form within 4 weeks of
submission (see above).

Late assignments are subject to the following Business school regulations: For each day or part thereof and
up to five days after the published deadline, coursework relating to modules at 0,4,5 and 6 submitted late
(including deferred work but with the exception of referred work) wil have the numeric grade reduced by ten
grade points until or unless the numeric grade reaches or is 40.Where the numeric grade awarded for the
assessment is less than 40 no lateness penalty will be applied.

Plagiarism offences will receive standard penalties.

Detailed Brief

General instructions for BOTH essays :

Do note the importance of accessing the “live” c/w 2 FAQS. You need to access these on a
regular basis (see below for further information re the c/w 2 FAQS).
Do note there is a word count for this coursework. This could appear to be insufficient to
answer this question well. However, markers/examiners are fully aware of the word count and
bear its limitations in mind when marking your work. Despite the word count it is possible to
obtain an extremely high grade in this strategy assignment.
In terms of a “structure” for this assignment there are different ways to structure the essays.
You may recall the following two paragraphs were written in the assessment brief for your c/w
1. Word for word was written:
“Strategy as a subject is famous for the disagreements/arguments between the major thinkers.
Indeed, such is the level of disagreement amongst strategists that Bob De Wit (Strategy
Synthesis, fifth edition, page 2) says of his own book “In a book entitled Strategy, it seems
reasonable to expect Chapter 1 to begin with a clear definition of strategy that would be
employed with consistency in all subsequent chapters…Yet, even a quick glance through
current strategy literature indicates otherwise. There are strongly different opinions on most of
the key issues, and the disagreements run so deep that even a common definition of the term
“strategy” is illusive”.
Arguable, the two most famous strategists are Michael Porter and Henry Mintzberg. They
seem to disagree on almost everything in the world of strategy (Porter arguing strategy should
be a logical and analytical subject and Mintzberg countering by arguing that strategy is often
“messy”, partially/wholly emergent and non-linear etc).Indeed, some strategists go as far as to
say “chaos” (eg Stacey) is the best way to describe what often, in reality, happens in
organisations. Some strategists embrace what could be termed an unstructured and “chaotic”
attitude to the formulation or organisations strategies. They support “organised chaos”. Others
disagree and call for structure and planning as the best way to undertake an organisations
strategy formulation.”
Specific instructions for ESSAY One

Essay question one (worth 35% of the total module mark)

Choose ONE of the following three organisations:

Sainsbury’s or

Topshop or

Nissan Motor corporation

Write an essay (using module tools/frameworks/concepts/perspectives) that critically

evaluates the strategic issues and options facing your organisation of choice on 31st
March 2020.

Possible STRUCTURE for essay one. One POSSIBLE (stress POSSIBLE) structure for
Essay one is as follows: In terms of how many words to use for each section then in a subject
such as strategy it is difficult to give an answer that is "fair" to all strategists. However,
POSSIBLE/MAYBE 5% of your words on the introduction,10% of your words on the position
analysis (the position analysis is sometimes called a “situational” analysis).The
position/situational analysis will enable you to locate issues. Possible 35% on the strategic
issues/critically evaluating the strategic issues .You would possible look to have three issues.
Possible 45% of your words on the creation of strategic options (you may possible use the
Ansoff matrix to help you create possible options)/evaluation (possible using SAF model) of
strategic options. You would possible have three options and the options would link to the
issues. You do not have to give a recommended option but you can if you wish. Possible 5% on
your conclusion. Please note, in giving the above advice I have attempted to be fair to the
different perspectives/strategists mentioned above. An obvious area of debate is how many
models/theories to use in your essay? Different strategists would give different answers to that
question! It is your choice regarding how many models/theories to use but do remember to
justify that choice/number in your answer. You may POSSIBLE consider using 6
tools/concepts/perspectives models etc in essay one.

As regards the options and issues you locate etc that obviously, depends upon the organisation
you choose and the circumstances your organisation is in before and up to 31 st March 2020. In
terms of topics/syllabus for essay one then the lecture and seminar topics/syllabus such as
environment, resources and capabilities, stakeholders and governance, history and culture
could be useful for your BRIEF position analysis. For other parts of the essay you say also use
those topics but may also wish to consider International issues/theory etc, Innovation and
entrepreneurship issues/theory etc, mergers and acquisition issues/theory etc, Organisational
issues /theory etc, strategic development process issues/theory etc, Leadership issues/theory
etc, resources and capabilities issues/theory etc, environment, theory/issues etc, strategic
purpose theory/issues etc. As you can see these possible topic areas straddle topics/work
undertaken in semester A and semester B.

Your work is to be up-date up until 31st March 2020.You are not allowed to use “information” on
your organisation of choice that occurs/is produced after the 31 st March 2020 e.g. any
changes/issues/events/information/environmental or internal changes concerning/affecting the
organisation that occur after 31st March 2020 CANNOT be used.
Word count limit: 2,000 words (there is no plus or minus 10 per cent “rule” on this coursework)
The maximum amount of words allowed for essay one is 2,000. ALL WORDS COUNT,
EXCEPT FOR THE FRONT PAGE (on which you must put your srn (not your name), name of
the module, word count, title of coursework, my name (Keith Seed) as module leader. You only
need to have one front page for this portfolio) AND THE END OF ESSAYS LIST OF
REFERENCES (using University of Hertfordshire’s version of the Harvard system of
referencing). You will have a list of references at the end of your essay one and a list of
references at the end of your essay two.

You are not allowed to have any appendix

You are allowed to use secondary research (using publicly available sources e.g. the
company’s annual report, investment analysts’ reports and any other material available free of
charge in IH databases or on the internet).
You are NOT allowed to use primary research (i.e. questionnaires, interviews or any
information obtained privately from company employees or on pay-per-view internet sites). You
are NOT allowed to email the company asking for information.

The combined grading and marking scheme criteria for c/w 2 are in a separate document
entitled “Combined grading criteria and marking scheme for c/w 2 6BUS1059 2019-20”. These
criteria will be used to mark both essays.
Do also note if you require any coursework guidance you must contact me (Keith Seed) (you
are not to contact any other teachers re c/w guidance).All c/w 2 guidance is given by Keith
Seed. I will not read a draft (or indeed any) of your work but I am very happy to discuss with
you your main ideas/thoughts re c/w 2. I have two office hours per week (though like c/w 1
when the hand in date is imminent I will be extending my office hours to 4 hours per week).I
can also see students immediately after either of the two identical strategy lecture’s. DO NOTE
C/W 2 FAQS will operate and you are expected to access these on an ongoing basis. To
obtain the c/w 2 FAQS click on “units” on the module canvas site homepage.Then click
on “Frequently asked questions c/w 2 (essay one) 6BUS1059” or “Frequently asked
questions c/w 2 (essay two) 6BUS1059” As student questions arise during the
coursework (and during the module) the c/w 2 FAQS are amended and/or added. I write
a few of my own before the coursework commences but once the coursework
commences the questions are added to/amended by me as/when I receive legitimate
questions about c/w 2.

Word count/essay writing etc for essay one: There is a strict 2,000 word limit on the essay.
The word count does NOT include title page and end list of references. It does include the in-
text references. There is no 10% plus or minus word count rule for this coursework. The word
count is 2,000 words. Markers/examiners are aware of word count regulations and realise the
limitations a word count places on a students work and mark accordingly. Although the word
count may appear to be low to you it is possible to obtain an extremely high grade in this c/w
2.In terms of any general academic skills for c/w 2 you are advised to visit the case website or
go in person to their office (bottom floor of HBS). We on this module do not teach generic
academic skills. Particularly useful on the CASE website is the section called “Academic
Writing” (it includes sections entitled “Essays, Reports, Reflective Writing and Posters” (within
that section is a very useful subsection called “essay writing skills”) and “Harvard referencing”).
You must follow those guidelines in your courseworks APART from the advice on the CASE
website re “diagrams”. You are allowed to use “diagrams” in your work but all words/numbers
that are in or associated with the diagram/figures/drawings/tables etc are counted in your word
count. A “number” counts as a word eg “5 forces” would have the same word count as “25
forces” (eg it is two “words” etc). Do also note the CASE website discusses bibliographies and
end List of References. Do note you are NOT to produce bibliographies in your courseworks for
this module .You must provide two separate Lists of References (eg one for each essay). Do
also note your essay is not to have bullet points, underlinnings, sub headings, headings etc. If
you go over the word count the marker/examiner will penalise you and make an “academic
judgement” on how much advantage you obtained by going over the word count. Based on that
“academic judgement” the marker/examiner will institute a penalty. You will not be penalised for
going under the word count.

Presentation: Work must be submitted as an MS Word document. Page borders are not
permitted. Work should be in a size 12 Arial font.

Referencing: Referencing is of vital importance in order to avoid the serious academic offence
of plagiarism. This is defined in University of Hertfordshire Policies and Regulations as ‘the
representation of another person’s work as the student’s own, either by extensive
unacknowledged quotation, paraphrasing or direct copying’. UH Business School reserves the
right to use electronic means to identify plagiarism and collusion. Wherever possible we prefer
you to develop your own ideas and to express them in your own words. You must use the UH
version of the Harvard referencing system (this is the one published on the CASE
website) to acknowledge all of your sources of data AND all of the theories, models and
frameworks. A complete list of references must be included at the end of your essay. Where
you use direct quotes or show diagrams, keep them short and ensure you explain their
contribution to your argument. Do note we on this module will not teach or advise you how to
Harvard reference. All questions concerning Harvard referencing must be directed to the CASE
Unit. At the time of writing this assessment brief the CASE Unit provide a “67 point” (eg 67
different scenario’s on referencing) guide to Harvard referencing.
In terms of any technical issues re canvas (how to access documents, technical skills re
canvas, how to access and play audio and video podcasts etc you need to contact case-
technology@herts.ac.uk. ) We on this module are academics and are not technicians. We
cannot offer any technical advice/expertise. You must contact the UH helpdesk or case-
technology@herts.ac.uk
You should aim to have a minimum of 10 sources (online or in print) in your essay one. It is
expected you would refer to between 10-25 different sources in essay one. You will not be
penalised if you have more than 25 references in essay one.

Essay one clarifications will be posted on the module website if/when any issues need clarifying
re the assignment and these will be via the c/w 2 (essay one) FAQS/lecture slides/canvas etc.
See above re c/w 2 FAQS. The c/w 2 FAQS override any previous information/advice given re
c/w 2. DO NOTE THERE ARE TWO SEPARATE C/W2 FAQS OPERATING- C/W FAQS FOR
ESSAY ONE AND C/W FAQS FOR ESSAY TWO.

Specific instructions for Essay two

You must start your essay two on a separate page from your essay one.

Essay question two (worth 35% of the total module mark)

Critically evaluate how useful the models/concepts/tools/perspectives you used in essay

one were when you applied them to your chosen organisation. Using your essay one
organisation as an example (or ,if you prefer using another (or more than one)
organisation (s) (not necessarily ones in the three organisations mentioned in the essay
one question) critically evaluate the debate between the intended/deliberate perspective
and the emergent perspective. Using leadership theory what type/style of leader do you
feel is likely to be most successful in an organisation?

Possible structure for c/w 2. As stated above for essay one different strategists would advise
different possible structure’s. However, you may consider the following POSSIBLE structure:
You will, as this is an essay, have an introduction and a conclusion. Your introduction would
probable see you use 5% of your words. Then, as for the rest of the essay as regards the part
of the question that says “Critically evaluate how useful the models/concepts/tools/perspectives
you used in essay one were when you applied them to your chosen organisation” you would
look to critically evaluate each model etc you used. You would be looking to give your informed
opinion and looking to have some academic underpinning in your answer (eg possible some
analysis from an academic/thinker on the model). You may POSSIBLE have used, say, 6
models/tools/perspectives/concepts, in essay one. If so, you would look to evaluate each model
This section of your essay 2 would possible see you using 30% of your word count. As regards
the second part of the essay question you would possible use 30% of your word count. In this
section you would be looking to consider how influential are the top executives/senior leaders in
organisations? You would be considering to what extent the plans/thinking of the top executives
account for what actually occurs in organisations? You would probable be looking to consider
the debate between the likes of Michael Porter (the design/rational/intended/deliberate view of
strategy) and Henry Mintzberg (the more “messy” and emergent view etc) etc. As regards the
third part of the essay question you would possible be looking to use 30% of your words. There
is,obviously, a lot of leadership theory available for you to draw on. You will be using your
informed opinion to integrate that theory with an organisation (or if you wish more than one
organisation).You would have a conclusion and the conclusion would possible be 5% of your
words count.

In terms of the referencing/sources, word count, presentation, regulations on appendix

(you are not allowed any appendix), use only of secondary data for essay two these are
identical to essay one.

Do note c/w 2 (essay two) FAQS will be created and these will be added to/developed as
the module/time progresses. C/w 2 FAQS override any previously published
information/advice regulations.

The same word count, layout advise etc given for essay one applies to essay two. You
are not allowed any appendix for essay two or essay one.

Mark scheme:
e.g. Weighting
Presentation and Structure etc 5
Harvard Referencing etc 5
Content etc 30
Business Application/Integration of literature etc 30
Analysis etc 35
Total 100

Tips

Research: To develop and support your research and academic skills for the coursework
assignment, investigate the excellent resources on Studynet .Purely as an example go to
Online Library  My Subject Toolkit – Business  Specialist Databases  Nexis UK. Nexis is
excellent for access to quality national and international business newspapers for up-to-date
business news and reports on industries and companies. Other reliable and recommended
databases, found on the same Studynet webpage as Nexis include Business Source Complete,
Mintel, FAME and Keynote which provide financial reports and industry reports. Further support
for using these sources is available from CASE. You are welcome to reference videos and
other similar resources. Preliminary research by the module leader has proven that ample
evidence is available for the purposes of this project.

Appendices: You are NOT allowed any appendices in either of your essays.

Writing Style and Presentation: The essay should be written in fluid prose. Do not use lists
and bullet points (see above). Write in the third person.

Student Support and Guidance

 For further help, contact Keith Seed(you are not to contact any other teachers about this
coursework-all coursework advise is given by Keith Seed. Keith Seed has two one hour drop in
hours in teaching week (these will be extended close to the hand in date to four hours per week) and
can also speak to students immediately after either of the two identical strategy lecture’s that occur
every week.
 Use the document entitled “6BUS1059 Combined grading criteria/marking scheme for c/w 2 2019-20”
to inform you how your work will be marked (this will be uploaded in a separate document onto the
module canvas website).
 Go to CASE workshops, use the CASE website and drop-in hours.
www.studynet.herts.ac.uk/go/CASE/ staff on this module do not offer any GENERIC academic
skills advise.
 CASE is the place to go for advice on how to write essays, how to Harvard reference, how to manage
your time etc. Those generic academic skills are not taught by us on this module.
 Academic English for Business support is available through daily drop-ins from the CASE office. See
the CASE workshop timetable on the CASE main website page for details.
 Make full use of Library search to identify relevant academic material and the ‘Subject Toolkit for
Business’ which contains links to other Information Databases and the Information Management
contact details.
(http://www.studynet1.herts.ac.uk/ptl/common/LIS.nsf/lis/4DAF5390094771C2802575ED004212BF)
 Some tutors allow students to test their work using Turnitin. This module does not offer that facility.
Guidance on submission to Turnitin via StudyNet can be found by using the following link.
http://www.studynet1.herts.ac.uk/ptl/common/asu.nsf/resource+library/TURNITIN+FOR+STUDENTS
+2016+USER+GUIDE.pdf/$FILE/TURNITIN+FOR+STUDENTS+2016+USER+GUIDE.pdf