Coursework Summative Assessment Brief

Programme Name:

MSc Management

Module name:

Global Strategy and Sustainability

Submission mode: TurnItIn online access

1. General Assessment Guidance

• Your summative assessment for this module is made up of this submission which accounts for
100% of the marks. The assessment is in 2 parts as detailed below:
Part 1 – You are required to submit a 3000 word Strategy Report (70% of your final grade)
Part 2 – You are required to submit a set of Slides (using PowerPoint or any other presentation
software package) (max 6) as an APPENDIX to your strategy report.

• A total of 100 marks are available for this module assessment and you are required to achieve
minimum 50% to pass this module.

• The deadline for submission of BOTH parts of your summative assessment is shown on the
submission link. Please note late submissions will not be marked.

• You are required to submit all elements of your assessment via The Hub Assessment area. Only
submissions made via the specified mode will be accepted and hard copies or any other digital
form of submissions (such as via email or pen drive etc.) will not be accepted.

• For Part 1, the Strategy Report, the word limit is 3,000 words. You must comply with the word
count guidelines. You may submit LESS than 3,000 words but not more. Word Count guidelines
can be found on the assessments tab of your module.
• For Part 2, you must include an APPENDIX to your report which includes a MAXIMUM of 6 slides
and which follows the structure of your report.

• Do not put your name or contact details anywhere on your submission. You should only put your
student registration number (SRN) which will ensure your submission is recognised in the marking
process.

• A total of 100 marks are available for this module assessment. The marks for the Strategy Report
and the mark for APPENDIX will be added together to give your final mark. You are not required to
pass both part 1 and part 2. However, you are required to achieve a minimum 50% combined
mark, to pass this Module.

• You are required to use only Harvard Referencing System in your submission. Any content which is
already published by other author(s) and is not referenced will be considered as a case of
plagiarism.
You can find further information on Harvard Referencing in the online library on The Hub (Found in
Help&Support)
• BPP University has a strict policy regarding authenticity of assessments. In proven instances of
plagiarism or collusion, severe punishment will be imposed on offenders. You are advised to read
the rules and regulations regarding plagiarism and collusion in the GARs and MOPP which are
available on The Hub in the Academic registry section (Found via Help&Support).

• You should include a completed copy of the Assignment Cover sheet. Any submission without this
completed Assignment Cover sheet may be considered invalid and not marked.
2. Assessment Brief

2.1 Part 1 (70 marks):

You are required to write a Strategy Report for the CEO of Amazon.com referring to the case study in the core
textbook (Case Number 4 on pages 704 to 721) link:
https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781473765887/cfi/727!/4/2@100:0.00).

You will need your VitalSource Bookshelf log in details to access the case study. Your Report MUST BE
SUPPORTED WITH YOUR OWN EXTENSIVE AND INDEPENDENT RESEARCH. Within your report, reference
should be made to the relevant strategic concepts, key industry information and literature sources and their
application as appropriate.

The Amazon.com case study refers to historic information and this should be used to set context for your
Strategy Report. Your report must focus on recent events that are of value to Amazon.com. No new data
(other than that in the case study) should be introduced that is prior to January 2017.

2.1.1 Contents of your Strategy Report (3,000 words)

Amazon.com is an American multinational technology company based in Seattle. The business began by
selling books to a mass audience and, over the years, developed into an organisation that carries one of the
World’s most recognised (and valued) brands. Amazon.com focuses on e-commerce, cloud computing, digital
streaming, and artificial intelligence. It is considered the fourth technology company, surpassed only by
Apple, Google, and Microsoft.

Throughout its history, Amazon.com has been challenged by external and internal factors that have, at times
supported strategic direction and at other time arrested it. Amazon.com operates in a highly competitive
commercial environment and has chosen to implement innovation and disruptive technology to advance its
strategic goals.

Your Strategy Report should be structured as follows:

 Introduction
 External Analysis of the Industry using 2 appropriate Strategic Models of your choice
 Internal Analysis of Amazon.com using 2 appropriate Strategic Models of your choice
 Critical analysis and evaluation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability (using 1
model of your choice).
 Implications of the Externa Analysis, Internal Analysis, and Sustainability Analysis above, considering
Competitive Advantage and Global options for Amazon.com (using the SWOT Model)
 Recommendations for Amazon.com’s Strategic Development, including how they should deal with
Global challenges, mode(s) of entry into any new markets and choice of Global strategies. These
recommendations should be realistic and be consistent with the analysis outcomes from your
External and Internal Environments above
 Recommendations for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability
2.2 Part 2 (30 marks):
You are required to produce a PowerPoint (or equivalent) Presentation of a maximum of 6 slides
(excluding a title slide which should also be included but will not attract any marks). Your presentation
should follow the structure of your written report and should be targeted at the CEO of Amazon.com. You
should aim to present the highlights of your internal and external analysis and justify your clear Global
Development recommendations to the CEO.

Your PowerPoint slides should be included as an Appendix to your main report.

2.2.1 Contents of your Presentation

Your presentation should contain the following: -

 Title Slide: Title of the presentation, your SRN and the date (no marks available)
 Slide 1: Table of Contents (no marks available)
 Slides 2-3: Key points of interest to a CEO from your internal and external analysis of Amazon (10
marks)
 Slide 4: Key points of interest to a CEO on the future sustainability of Amazon (5 marks)
 Slide 5: Your conclusion as to the competitive position of Amazon as a global organisation (5 marks)
 Slide 6: Your key recommendations to the CEO on key strategic opportunities for Amazon (5 marks)

Slide Presentation Guidance

There are many resources available on-line providing guidance on how to put together a good slide
presentation. Please make sure you do some research, for example:

https://www.edugeeksclub.com/blog/21_awesome_PowerPoint_presentation_tips_for_students/

2.3 Structure of your Submission Document: The Strategy Report

Your submission document for your Strategy Report should contain the following: -

 BPP Cover Sheet, including your SRN, word count and date and a link to your video recording
 Report Title Page – contains the title of your report, SRN and date
 Contents page – should guide the reader through your document and help them find specific sections
easily. It should include page numbers
 Introduction – introduces the company, its current strategic position and challenges and informs the
reader of the key contents of the report
 Critical analysis and evaluation of the External Environment
 Critical analysis and evaluation of the Internal Environment
 Critical analysis and evaluation of CSR and Sustainability
 Evaluation of the implications of the External Environment Analysis, Internal Environment Analysis,
and Sustainability Analysis and how they may impact on the Industry and on Amazon.com
 Recommendations for Global Development
 Recommendations for Sustainability
 References - all sources either printed or online must be included in your list of references and internet
sources must include access dates.
 Appendices (if appropriate) – Appendices should contain additional information which would be too
detailed to include in the main body of the report e.g. glossaries, supporting statistical data, additional
research etc. Appendices will not attract any marks and so should be used sparingly.
 3. Marking Guide - Report

The Summative Assessment is marked out of 100 and contributes to 100% of you overall mark. This is split
between the Strategy Report (80 marks) and the video presentation (20 marks). Both marks will be added
together to determine your final mark for this Assessment.

Note – All your independent research data must not be older than 3 years, other than that contained in
the case study, which can be used to provide context. The following table shows the mark allocation,
word count guidance and the approach required

Assignment Part Mark Approach

For an excellent mark you will present a considered and

factual introduction to Amazon.com. Consideration should be
1. Introduction (approx. 200 5 given to its launch, current strategic position in its industry
words) and any key challenges it is facing. You should also include an
introduction to the key sections of the report (5 Marks)

For an excellent mark you will provide a comprehensive and

2. External Environment
Analysis for the Industry
(approx. 650 words)
15 coherent critical analysis of the External influences on the
Online Retail Industry using 2 appropriate models (e.g. Pestel,
5 Force analysis, ILC etc.) (5 Marks each model).
You will analysis the Industry attractiveness and competitive
conditions and provide, from the case study and your
independent research, facts and figures to support your
analysis (5 Marks).

For an excellent mark you will provide a thorough and

3. Internal Environment
Analysis of Amazon.com
(approx. 650 words)
15 structured audit of Amazon.com using 2 appropriate models
of your choice (e.g. VRIO, Value Chain etc.) (5 Marks each
Model).
You will provide, from the case study and your research, facts
and figures to support your analysis (5 Marks).

4. CSR and Sustainability 10 For an excellent mark you will provide a critical analysis and
Analysis (400) evaluation of Amazon’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
and Sustainability activities using 1 appropriate Strategic
Model of your choice (eg Carroll’s Pyramid etc). (10 marks)

For an excellent mark you will Identify and clearly analyse the
5. Evaluation of analysis 5 Opportunities and Threats facing the Industry and state clearly
(approx. 200 words) their potential impact on the Industry and on Amazon.com.
These should emerge clearly from your External Analysis.

6. Recommendations for
Global Development
(approx. 400 words)
7. Recommendations for
Sustainability (approx. 400
words)
Report Presentation and
Referencing
Slide Presentation (Maximum 10
minutes)
You should identify and analyse the key Strengths and
Weaknesses of Amazon.com. These should emerge logically
from your Internal Analysis) and identify the company’s
source/s of Competitive Advantage. You will also provide an
evaluation of the outcomes of your CSR and Sustainability
analysis. You will use a model of your choice (eg SWOT) (5
Marks)
For an excellent mark, the recommendations should derive
10 from the Opportunities and Threats facing the global industry
and from the Strengths and Weaknesses of Amazon.com.
Clear explanation should be included as to how the
recommendations contribute to the company’s future Global
Competitive Advantage (10 Marks)
Identify and discuss 2 CSR dilemmas that the Amazon.com
10 Board of Directors’ face (from your CSR and Sustainability
analysis and evaluation above). Identify how these dilemmas
may be impacted by your Global Development
recommendations and recommend how Amazon.com can
reduce their impact (10 Marks)
For an excellent mark, the Report should follow a clear and
10 logical structure which is easy to read and has a professional
level of presentation and writing. There should be no spelling
or grammatical errors. There should be clear and appropriate
citations within the text, and these should be detailed within
your Reference pages using Harvard Referencing (10 Marks)
30 Please see the mark allocation in section 2.2.1 of this report.
Distinction: 70% or more:
Logical, well presented slide deck which follows the structure
of your report and clearly highlights key points of interest as
per the marking guide. Slides are well presented in concise
business English with no spelling or grammar mistakes. Slides
are well laid out and easy to follow
Merit: 60-69%:
Logical, well presented slide deck which follows the structure
of your report and highlights some points of interest as per
the marking guide. Slides are easy to follow but there are
some areas of presentation and use of language that could be
improved
Pass: 50-59%
Content of the presentation is evident within the slides, but
structure, presentation and language could be improved
Fail: less than 50%
Slides do NOT represent the content and structure of the
report and/or are poorly presented