Strategic Analysis

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RMIT Classification: Trusted

Strategic Management

Detailed assignment guide

Semester 1, 2021

Assignment 1 (Individual assessment): Strategic Analysis

Weighting This assignment accounts for 30% of the assessment in this Course.

Due Date Monday, Week 6

Due Time By 7.00pm

Place via RMIT Canvas’s electronic submission

Format Report

Length 1500 words (max), 1.5 line spaced, 12 point Times New Roman.

Note: The word count does not include references nor appendices

You will work individually to conduct a strategic analysis, and write a report on a real-life business. Please

note that this report will focus on business-level strategy.

You are required to conduct strategic analyses for Coles Supermarkets, a division of Coles Group

(Corporation) which is a publicly listed company (https://www.colesgroup.com.au/home/), for this assignment.

The focus of this assignment will be on Coles Supermarkets (“Coles” hereafter for short), an Australian

supermarket chain. You are advised to conduct research such as Internet searching for industry and media

reports, and browsing the website and annual reports of Coles Group

(https://www.colesgroup.com.au/investors/?page=investors) and other relevant organisations.

Write a 1500 word report, excluding references and appendix. In this report, you are required to perform the

following tasks:

1. Describe briefly the background information (strategic context) of the corporation and the

organisation. This information should be brief and relevant to the discussion of your assignment and

thus may include ownership, history, size, business scope, major products/services, and major markets,

and financial performance of the organization selected.

2. Conduct a macro-environment analysis (focusing on Coles Supermarkets in this assignment) for the

entire industry (The Australian Supermarkets Industry) within which the organisation operates.

You should use the analytical framework provided in the textbook. Foci will be placed on the

understanding of the purpose of this analysis, the identification of key factors and their implications

in terms of key opportunities and threats, and the discussion of their overall impact on the

industry growth in the future. Draw your conclusion based on your macro-environment analysis.

3. Undertake an industry (competitive) analysis using Porter’s 5-forces model. You are required to pay attention to the purpose of this analysis, the inter-connectedness of different aspects of the

competitive forces, the links between the competitive forces and macro-environment, and their overall

impact on the industry and the organization selected in terms of main driving forces in the

competitive environment. Draw your conclusions based on your five-force analyses.

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RMIT Classification: Trusted

References should be utilised within this Report to validate the information presented, and should be drawn

from academic sources and organisational information such as the website and annual reports. The business

press may be used to identify relevant issues.

Please note that no executive summary is required in this report.

Learning outcome/s and capability development

This assessment is deliberately designed not only to test what you know, but also to build your lifelong

learning skills. The skills that you will be developing include:

• cognitive conceptualisation skills

• critical thinking and analysis skills

• creative application skills.

All these are valuable skills you will need in future employment. How well you are able to demonstrate these

skills and knowledges will impact not only on you and your group (in terms of a mark) but also has the

potential to influence the future of the case study organisation. Your work matters.

Specifically, completing this assignment can help you develop your capabilities in the following areas:

• Understanding of the key concepts, models, theories, and analytical concepts covered from the relevant

Modules (1-3) in this Course;

• Developing your ability to apply strategic management concepts and theories to the organisation

selected, particularly in analysing its strategic position;

• Enhancing your capability in critical think through evaluating existing strategic concepts, analytical

frameworks, and theories; and

• Developing your generic skills for pursuing your professional career in the areas of communication and

report writing.

Advisory notes for this assignment

• You should conduct an extensive information search on the organisation selected.

• Company websites, annual reports, and media reports are important sources of such information, but their

objectives, and thus credibility, should be carefully analysed and evaluated.

• You should use appropriate concepts and analytical tools in your report.

• The report should be written in prose; however limited use of dot points is acceptable.

• This advice should be read in conjunction with RMIT assessment policy and the course guide.

Guide for assignment presentation

Written assignments must be presented in a professional format. Quality of presentation, especially literacy,

will be considered in the marking criteria. Written communication skills are an essential component of RMIT

University’s courses. In line with RMIT policy, all sources of information must be fully referenced using

standard Harvard or APA referencing systems. You are encouraged to use referencing software such as

Endnote for referencing and formatting. The assignment should be in report format and use Times New Roman

font size 12, 1.5 line spacing.

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RMIT Classification: Trusted

Assignment submission

You are required to submit your assignment online. Please submit it via the course canvas and note:

• Submit your assignment into the final submission link in the Course Canvas. Please note the Turnitin is

also embedded in this link for checking the authenticity of your report.

• Further submission instructions will be given in the lectures or announcements.