Group Project

Prepared by Dr M.K. Nandakumar

Select an organization you are familiar with and identify its strategic challenges. You must
conduct a thorough strategic analysis of this organization and derive conclusions and
recommendations based on your analyses. You need to research the organization using the
learning resources provided by IIM Kozhikode and collect the relevant information/data.
After collecting the relevant information/data and carrying out your research, you need to
produce a report. The details regarding the report structure, the analyses to be carried out, and
the discussion to be presented in the report are provided below.

Structure of the Report

1. Introduction
 A brief overview of the operations of the company;
 If you have identified some issues or challenges facing the organization that
are addressed in the project, please explain;
 A brief description of the structure of the report.
2. Analysis of the External Environment
 Analyze the macro-environment using the PESTEL framework and discuss the
findings. Identify the main opportunities and threats facing the company;
 Analyze the industry environment using Porter’s Five Forces model and assess
the attractiveness of the industry;
 Identify strategic groups in the industry and discuss the strategic implications
for the chosen company; and
 Identify the closest competitors of the chosen company and compare their
strategies. Assess the competitive position of the chosen company and discuss
the strategic implications.
3. Scenario Planning
 Identify a key focal issue facing the organization;
 Identify the driving forces which are likely to affect, influence, and shape the
key focal issue in fundamental ways;
 Rank the driving forces identified and determine the top two critical
uncertainties;
 Create a 2 X 2 matrix using these two critical uncertainties, identify four
different scenarios and name those scenarios; and
 Create brief narratives for each scenario that are simple to understand yet
compelling enough to stimulate new thinking.
4. Analysis of Resources and Capabilities
 Identify the key resources and capabilities of the company;
 Examine the value chain of the organization;
 Using VRIN framework, assess each Resource/Capability and determine
whether they satisfy each criterion in the VRIN framework. While doing this,

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 compare the key resources and capabilities of the chosen company with that of
their closest competitors; and
 Identify the core competencies of the company which satisfy every criterion in
the VRIN framework.
5. Business-level Strategy of the Organisation
 Assess how the key resources/capabilities/core competencies of the
organization enable them to formulate and implement an effective business-
level strategy; and
 Analyze the organization's business-level strategy using Porter’s generic
strategy framework/Strategy Clock and provide suitable recommendations.
6. Business Model of the Organisation
 Using business model canvas, analyze the organization's business model and
identify the opportunities for further value creation;
 If there are opportunities for innovating the business model, please explain
them.
7. Corporate-level Strategy of the Organisation
 Using Ansoff’s Product/Market growth matrix, identify growth opportunities
available to the organization;
 If the firm has diversified its activities, discuss the value creation as a result of
diversification;
 If the firm is not currently diversified, and if you feel that it will benefit from
diversification, discuss the implications of diversification; and
 If relevant, discuss the opportunities for vertical integration/horizontal
expansion, which is also a form of diversification.
8. Conclusion
 Summarise the discussion presented in the report and highlight your key
recommendations for the organization to address the strategic challenges.
 Discuss the possible growth options and recommend the most appropriate
option.

Word Limit

Not more than 5000 words, excluding tables, charts, figures, and references.

Referencing

Harvard system of referencing should be used in the report.

Plagiarism

All reports will be checked using plagiarism detection software, and hence you need to
ensure that the report is not plagiarised in any way. Plagiarism will include copying and
pasting materials from various websites, taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing
them off as your own, and not following standard referencing procedures in the report.

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Criteria for Marking

1. Demonstration of a good understanding of the theoretical concepts and frameworks;

2. Quality of the research carried out;
3. Quality of the analyses carried out;
4. Recommendations and conclusions; and
5. Structure and presentation of the report.

Submission Deadline

Sunday 27th of August 2023, 11.59 PM

One person from each team should submit a copy of the project through the link provided in
the Moodle platform.