STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT 1 2023 ASSIGNMENTS

AND TUTORIAL QUESTIONS

Assignments

1. Using a company of your choice show the strategies it is pursuing at different

strategic levels and explain how these different strategies are complementing each

other in attaining the organisation’s goals and vision. [25

marks]

Due date 20 September 2023

2. Use Michael Porter’s five forces model, analyse the state of competition for

universities in Zimbabwe and suggest some strategic moves that can be taken any

university of your choice in light of the prevailing competitive conditions.

[25 marks]

Due date 20 September 2023

Tutorial Questions

3. (a) Using examples, identify the industry driving forces that are at work in the

clothing landscape and the competitive conditions for companies in that industry. [10]

(b) Assess how the driving forces are making the industry more or less attractive and

suggest strategic changes that the management of your company can make in light of

the driving forces. [15 marks]

4. Evaluate the usefulness of Mckinsey’s 7 S model in strategic management [25

marks]
 5. Making reference to companies in the shoe industry explain how will carry out

strategic group mapping of firms in that industry. Is strategic group analysis of any

benefit to a firm? Justify your answer

[25marks]

6. Give advice to a manager for Netone Zimbabwe, on how he/she can effectively

implement a best cost provider strategy for their services [25 marks]

7. Identify any five major industry driving forces that are at work in Banking Industry in (or

mining sector) and explain how these driving forces are making the industry more or less

attractive. [25 marks]

8. Give a comparison between the Competitive Forces Approach and the Resource Based

View of the Firm as models that can be used by firms to gain some competitive

advantage. Which one would you opt for and why? (25

marks]

9. With aid of examples discuss the usefulness of the value chain analysis and benchmarking

as tools of assessing competitiveness of a company [25 marks)

10. With the aid of examples from Zimbabwe, examine the conditions that are necessary for

the adoption of following generic strategies.

a) Low cost provider strategy

b) Broad differentiation strategy

c) Best cost provider strategy

d) Focused low cost provider strategy

e) Focused differentiation strategy [25

marks)

11. With the aid of examples, explain the characteristics of the following market

situations and the strategic options that can be adopted in these market situations:
a) Emerging markets

b) Fragmented markets

c) Slow growth mature markets

d) Stagnant or declining markets

e) Turbulent or fast changing markets [25 marks]

12. Using examples, examine factors that shape strategy in foreign markets. [25 marks]

13. Evaluate any five strategic options that can be adopted by an entrepreneur in your area

of choice in opening new markets in the SADC region.

[25marks]

14. Evaluate strategies being pursued by University of Zimbabwe at different strategic

levels. [25 marks]

15. Discuss strategies that can be put in place by an organisation of your choice so as to
adjust to the growing and changing needs of the environment. [25 marks]

16. Discuss practically how Porter’s generic strategies can be implemented with reference
to any business of your choice

17. Discuss and illustrate some global business strategies that companies use citing
relevant examples. [25
marks]

18. Discuss the main distinction between strategy formulation and implementation

[25 marks]

19. Evaluate the factors which can be considered in implementing strategies successfully.

[25 marks]

20. Discuss how the balanced score card can be implemented in any organisation to
measure business performance. [25 marks]
21. Evaluate how strategic benchmarking system can be applied with reference to any
given organisation of your choice. [25
marks]

22. Discuss why firms enter into strategic alliance and why at times strategic alliance is
unstable. [25
marks]

23. With aid of examples discuss the usefulness of vertical integration strategies in
strengthening the company’s competitive strategy [25 marks]

24. Distinguish between offensive strategies and defensive options and highlight
situations under which these strategic moves can be taken. [25
marks]

25. With aid of examples discuss the advantages and disadvantages of diversifying with
related business and unrelated businesses. [25
marks]