...1.0 QUESTION 1 “PEST analysis is used by businesses around the world to devise a strategic approach to their activities”. Discuss this statement describing in detail the components of the said analysis. 1.1 INTRODUCTION Apart from a company’s internal resources there are several other factors that have a profound impact the performance of a company. The internal resources usually refers to the employees of the firm, contractors, sub-contractors, suppliers and so on whereas the external environment refers to the market, clients, stakeholders, etc. 1.2 PEST ANALYSIS According to Kotler (1998), PEST analysis is a useful strategic tool for understanding market growth on decline, business position and direction for operations. The use of PEST analysis can be seen effective for business and strategic planning, marketing planning, business and product development and research. In order to survive, be profitable and maintain their competitive advantage, organizations have to recognise and take advantages of the external environments as well as identifying and consider threats when developing strategies. One of the most commonly used analytical tools for assessing external factors in a business situation is PEST analysis. Pest is an acronym for Political, Economic, Social and Technological external factors. PEST analysis is beneficial when conducting research before beginning a new project or to help conduct market research. Also, PEST analysis helps to determine...
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...Topic Gateway Series Strategic Analysis Tools Strategic Analysis Tools Topic Gateway Series No. 34 Prepared by Jim Downey and Technical Information Service 1 October 2007 Topic Gateway Series Strategic Analysis Tools About Topic Gateways Topic Gateways are intended as a refresher or introduction to topics of interest to CIMA members. They include a basic definition, a brief overview and a fuller explanation of practical application. Finally they signpost some further resources for detailed understanding and research. Topic Gateways are available electronically to CIMA Members only in the CPD Centre on the CIMA website, along with a number of electronic resources. About the Technical Information Service CIMA supports its members and students with its Technical Information Service (TIS) for their work and CPD needs. Our information specialists and accounting specialists work closely together to identify or create authoritative resources to help members resolve their work related information needs. Additionally, our accounting specialists can help CIMA members and students with the interpretation of guidance on financial reporting, financial management and performance management, as defined in the CIMA Official Terminology 2005 edition. CIMA members and students should sign into My CIMA to access these services and resources. The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants 26 Chapter Street London SW1P 4NP United Kingdom T. +44 (0)20 7663 5441 F. +44...
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...Topic Gateway Series Strategic Analysis Tools Strategic Analysis Tools Topic Gateway Series No. 34 Prepared by Jim Downey and Technical Information Service 1 October 2007 Topic Gateway Series Strategic Analysis Tools About Topic Gateways Topic Gateways are intended as a refresher or introduction to topics of interest to CIMA members. They include a basic definition, a brief overview and a fuller explanation of practical application. Finally they signpost some further resources for detailed understanding and research. Topic Gateways are available electronically to CIMA Members only in the CPD Centre on the CIMA website, along with a number of electronic resources. About the Technical Information Service CIMA supports its members and students with its Technical Information Service (TIS) for their work and CPD needs. Our information specialists and accounting specialists work closely together to identify or create authoritative resources to help members resolve their work related information needs. Additionally, our accounting specialists can help CIMA members and students with the interpretation of guidance on financial reporting, financial management and performance management, as defined in the CIMA Official Terminology 2005 edition. CIMA members and students should sign into My CIMA to access these services and resources. The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants 26 Chapter Street London SW1P 4NP United Kingdom T. +44 (0)20 7663 5441 F. +44...
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...techniques ▪ Quantitative marketing research - generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include surveys and questionnaires. ▪ Techniques include choice modelling, maximum difference preference scaling, and covariance analysis. on observations: ▪ Ethnographic studies -, by nature qualitative, the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting - observations can occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) - examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces. See also Ethnography and Observational techniques. ▪ Experimental techniques -, by nature quantitative, the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors, then manipulates at least one of the variables - examples include purchase laboratories and test markets 1.2 Design marketing research campaigns based on the OPAR (Objectives,...
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...ITERNATIONAL BUSINESS AND STRATEGY ANALYSIS, TESCO By Basheer Mohamad Hassan Alkhatib Student Number:@00406850 This Assignement is submitted for Professor Dr. Alistair Benson Salford University August, 3rd, 2014 Contents 1. Introduction 2 2. Analysis of the International Market 2 2.1 PEST Analysis: Tesco in Brazil 2 2.2 Market Specific Issues 4 3. Industry Analysis: Brazil 4 3.1 Competitive Rivalry in the industry 5 3.2 Bargaining Power of Suppliers 5 3.3 Bargaining Power of Customers 5 3.4 Threat of New Entrants 5 3.5 Threat of Substitutes 6 4 Company Analysis: Tesco 6 4.1 Resource Based View: Tesco 6 4.2 SWOT Analysis: Tesco 8 5. CAGE Analysis 9 6. Conclusion 11 7. References 12 1.Introduction Tesco Plc is the second largest retailer in the world and currently operates in over 6000 stores worldwide (Tesco Annual Report, 2014: n.p). This report analyses Tesco as an organisation and proposes a potential market for international expansion. The aim of this report is to analyse the international market’s environment and then indicate a potential strategy for Tesco to enter the market. The report initially works towards the analysis of the new market’s macro environment to understand key aspects linked with the proposed business market. This is followed by an internal analysis of Tesco and an overall external analysis of the retail industry in the new market. A strategic approach to enter the new international market is then presented...
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...A SWOT Analysis view of the software development industry Georgios Kormaris Department of Information and Computing Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands gkormari@cs.uu.nl WWW home page: http://www.cs.uu.nl/ Introduction I n the past twenty to thirty years many changes and developments have taken place in the software industry which started off during the 1960s mainly in the United States of America and experienced a revolutionary boom since the 1980s, Steinmueller, (1995). There are many different ways and methods of developing software and planning the strategy of a software development company, as we can derive from many recent research projects. Most of these projects are usually concerned with the way that software is developed and not with the way that the strategy of the company as a whole is planned, Cusumano, MacCormack, Kemerer, & Crandall, (2003). Another important factor is which techniques and methods are used to analyze company’s environment and how the strategy is formulated and implemented. In this paper we analyze a popular method for strategic planning which has been mostly used for product portfolio planning and strategic planning on an abstract level, as stated in a research paper by Houben, Lenie, & Vanhoof, (1999). We will focus our interest in the software industry and base our research on the case study of the Austrian software industry as it is presented by Bernroider, (2002). Additionally, certain guidelines are...
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...ABE Level 5 Diploma Unit Title: The Business Environment Learning Outcome: 1. Understand the significance of the environment on business activity. Please note that the content of this Lecture Guide is listed in its recommended teaching order, rather than in numerical order. Indicative Content: 1.1.1 Explain the business organisation as a transformation process: • Business organisations undergo a transformation process from inputs into outputs, using physical inputs plus finance and skills to produce both goods and services. • Use examples from both manufacturing and service sector organisations to illustrate the process. 1.1.2 Describe the different ways in which a business may structure its activities: • Organisational structures can be based on the functions of the organisation, its product ranges, or geographical regions. Alternatively some less hierarchical organisations may use a matrix structure, especially if the firm is project based. 1.2.1 Discuss the complexity, volatility and uniqueness of an organisation's environment: • The organisation in its environment has to face a wide range of internal and external influences which affect business activity. • The immediate or operational environment interacts with suppliers, competitors, the labour market and financial institutions. • The general or contextual environment consists of economic, political, legal, and social factors. Each functional area of the organisation may be affected. • Whilst organisations have some...
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...UNIT 5: INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS PLAN Set of documents prepared by a company’s management to review its operational and financial objectives for the future (usually one to three years) and to show how they will be achieved. It serves as a plan to guide the firm's policies and strategies, and is continually modified as conditions change and new opportunities and/or threats emerge. The business plan process is simply the steps you go through and actions you take when producing a business plan. In effect, it describes how you produce your business plan. While most people focus on the ‘final output’, i.e. the business plan itself, the business planning process is extremely important for entrepreneurs. PROCESS OF BUSINESS PLAN The process of producing a business plan forces entrepreneurs to examine areas of their business that typically may not be subject to much scrutiny. For example, entrepreneurs do not tend to routinely produce cash flow forecasts, so the requirement to produce one as part of the business planning process forces them to consider the impact of cash on their business. The business plan process typically begins with an event, be it the need to produce a business plan when seeking investment, or to obtain short-term financing from a bank. Once a business plan is needed, the entrepreneur has to then decide how they are going to go about producing the plan. They will need to undertake the following: 1. Decide who is going to write the plan (if not...
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...School of the University of South Wales, and with the explicit permission of the authors. 1. Module Introduction – What is this module about? Welcome to the workbook for Business Strategy. This book contains all the background information you need for the whole course, together with the lecture and tutorial programme. Use this book as your key reference for information on the course. Most of the frequently asked questions you are likely to raise are answered here. Please note that while this information is correct at the time of going to press, we reserve the right to alter the programme and other course details from time to time. This will be done through announcements in lectures and on Blackboard, the web-based learning environment. It is imperative that students access Blackboard regularly to ensure they are aware of any changes. This course is intended to be an informative and interesting introduction to strategic management. The very words ‘strategic management’ can occasionally lead some people to think that there is some kind of dark art or mystery about this supposedly senior management activity. In fact it is possible to approach strategy in the same structured way as any other subject like marketing, finance, or human resources. Every subject has ambiguity and areas of debate and strategy is...
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...expectations and influence 9 Strategic Options for the NYCTA 10 References 12 Strategic Aims and Objectives The Charities Evaluation Services (2005) identify the difference between aims and objectives as: “Aims are the changes you hope to achieve as a result of your work Objectives are the activities you undertake and the services you offer to bring these changes about” It also recognises that there can often be an overall aim with several specific aims. [pic] The overall strategic aim of the NYCTA is: • To restore public confidence in the subways by improving the environment for passengers, from a physical standpoint, by a feeling of safety and a feeling that somebody is in control. The specific aims of the NYCTA, (in ascending order of priority) are: 1. To increase security measures and customer safety 2. To create a welcoming environment and improve transit employee performance 3. To improved ridership and recovery of fares 4. To reduce costs and maintain a high state of repair, performance and service The strategic objectives of the NYCTA, (in ascending order of priority) are: 1. To create...
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...insights into the external environment and the strategic capabilities possessed by organisations. Many of these models and frameworks have developed as a consequence of a twenty-year debate over the way in which organisations seek to develop sustainable competitive advantage. In broad terms, two distinct approaches have emerged from the debate about this central issue within strategy content: the positioning approach and the resource-based approach (or more accurately, approaches). Much of the debate has concentrated upon two key questions: • Is competitive advantage achieved by concentrating on either low cost or differentiation or should a strategy seek to exploit both low cost and differentiation? • Does an organisation develop strategy to respond to or shape the environment in which it exists – is strategy outside-in or inside-out? As the primary purpose of the tools of strategic analysis is to help organisations to develop and implement successful strategies, then an understanding of the underlying context in which these models and frameworks can be applied is an important requirement. By exploring the development of these competing approaches to competitive advantage and the debate between them, this Session sets out to provide this contextual understanding. Your Objectives By the end of this session you should be able to: • Outline how the tools and frameworks of strategic analysis are utilised by the positioning and resource-based approaches to create...
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...series analysis Growth indexes Composite indexes Benchmarking GIS mapping PEST / trends analysis Tools to help cities understand the structure of their local economy: Sector share analysis Value-added analysis Economic base analysis Location quotient Specialisation index Shift share analysis Input-output analysis Social accounting matrix Cluster mapping Value chain analysis Tools to look at local endowments: Asset mapping Tools to assess human capital: Skills audit Tools to analyse institutions: Stakeholder analysis / institutional mapping Analysing the Data Guide to Data Analysis Tools 8 This chapter discusses the tools that cities and city-regions can use to analyse data collected on their economies. All of these have been tried and tested in actual city development strategies (CDSs). A few other tools not yet widely applied in city planning environments have also been included. Time Series Analysis What Issues Are Addressed by Time Series Analysis? The following questions can be addressed by a time series analysis: How is a local economy performing over time? ● Population and other demographics (including education and labour force ● Income levels and distribution ● Employment and unemployment levels (total economy and by sector) ● Economic output and exports (total economy and by sector) Which growth patterns reflect shocks and cycles and which are long-term trends? 73 How Is Time Series Analysis Used? See table 4.1, page 36 Time series analysis is one...
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... • Business • Functional • Global • Tailoring • Diversification ➢ Competent organization ➢ Budgeting ➢ Policy Procedure ➢ Information Best Practice ➢ Motivating people ➢ Reward Based Performance ➢ Creating Organizational culture ➢ Establishing Management Control ➢ Leadership & Change ➢ Strategy: A company’s strategy consists of the competitive moves and business approaches that managers are employing to grow the business, attract and please customers, compete successfully, conduct operations and achieve the targeted levels of organizational performance. Thus, a company’s strategy is all about how: • How to compete successfully. • How to satisfy the customers. • How to grow business. • How to manage all processes. • How to improve financial market performance or market share. Five “P”s in the strategy 1. Plan 2. Ploy 3. Position 4. Pattern 5. Perspective Depends on five “P” s Strategy is a plan to deploy all the substantial resources to positioning the...
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...AN ANALYSIS OF THE BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF AN ORGANISATION OVER THE PREIOD OF THREE YEARS THE CASE STUDY OF ACCESS BANK PLC BEING A PROJECT SUBMITTED TO OXFORD BROOKES UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT FOR THE AWARD OF B.SC (HONS) IN APPLIED ACCOUNTING BY xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ACCA REG. NO: xxxxxxx E-mail: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx MAY, 2011 PAGES: 29 WORD COUNT: 6345 TABLE OF CONTENTS PART 1 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Reason for choosing the topic 1.3 Aims and Objectives of the report 1.4 Research questions 1.5 Research Approach PART 2 Information gathering 2.1 Sources used for information gathering 2.2 Description of methods used: 2.3 Limitations of information gathered 2.4 Ethical...
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...In addition to the above PASS criteria, this assignment gives you the opportunity to submit evidence in order to achieve the following MERIT and DISTINCTION grades | Grade Descriptor | Indicative characteristics | Contextualisation | M1 Identify and apply strategies to find appropriate solutions, by using complex problems with more than one variable have been explored | Effective judgements have been made.An effective approach to study and research have been applied | M1: To achieve M1 you need to identify some of the types of benchmarking strategies used by organisations and analyse at least four of the stages used in Benchmarking, state some of the advantages of using the technique OR Identify and analyse the 7 elements in McKinsey’s model (Task1) | M2 Select/design and apply appropriate methods/techniques, by using a range of sources of information | Appropriate learning methods/techniques have been applied | M2: To achieve M2 you need to compare, strategies and demonstrate how they (PESTEL and Porter’s Five Forces ) influence your chosen organisation or as (Task2) | M3 Present and communicate appropriate findings by using an appropriate structure and approach | Coherent, logical development of principle/concepts for the intended audience. | M3: To achieve M3 Present or communicate your choice or chosen strategy using any structured method or approach. (Task 2) | D1 Use critical reflection to evaluate own work and justify valid conclusion | Conclusions...
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