Bus 409 W – Strategic Management – Breakdown of Key Requirements for Intensive Writing
This class has three Distinct Stages and Deadlines.
You are required to begin Stage 1 and introduce two key companies: One which is a strong one and the other should be a weaker one, whether in the same or different industries. Create an overall idea about what you will be working on, how you will navigate the process of comparing and contrasting the two companies and your research strategy. When you begin Stage 1, remember that the elements of this stage will then be absorbed into Stage 2 and so on. Each Stage will build upon the last Stage and you will bring the best of each Stage to the next Stage. That means that when you are finished with Stage 1, you will review it carefully and create a synopsis of the complete paper and show the reader what you had discussed in the earlier stage and then where you will be leading into Stage 2. Each stage will build upon the research process and will showcase more ideas and strategies.
When you begin Stage 3, you will add a separate introduction called Executive Summary that will give a brief of what the reader will find in your paper. The Executive Summary should be Page 1 and will show how you will take the reader through the research and strategic understanding of building the weaker company into a stronger company. It will give the reader a sense of what will be addressed in the paper including issues, comparisons and some possible conclusions. Review samples of Executive Summaries online or other sources to plan this page.
Your Opening and Closing statements in each stage must be strong and clear as to give the reader the clarity of your thought process. Bibliography, citations, in-text citations, footnotes, and other proper credits must be given to all sources used for your paper. You must use Financials of the companies to show why one is better than the other and how do you interpret them. Use key ratios to supplement your answers. Use current and latest news on the companies to show that your work is up to date.
Stage No. Length of Paper (Min-Max) Focus Chapters Primary Focus
70% Of Paper Secondary Focus
30% of Paper
Stage 1
600-750 words
Minimum Citations Required:
5 – 8 Resources 1 – 3 Introduction of Two Company Profiles
Brief of Their Business including
Products and Services (stay within one product range to avoid too much confusion)
Brief SWOT analysis
External Analysis/Internal Analysis
Leadership skills of CEOs
Steps you will take to build the case and provide the Case Development (Stage 2) and Comprehensive case assignment (Stage 3) Preliminary Competitor Analysis
Review Porter’s Five Forces Model. Review mission statements and begin formulating your own mission statement for the weaker competitor

strategic management

Order Description

1. write a report (3,000 words) containing a comparative strategic analysis of two companies’ (Air France/KLM and United Airlines) following the guidelines outlined below. (75%)

Executive Summary [10%] – This must be a short 150-200 word summary stating
a) The aim of the report
b) What were the KEY FINDINGS
c) What strategy would you recommend each company pursue

Section One – Introduction [10%]: Introduce the two companies you are researching, explain the main products/services they provide and markets they operate within, as well their missions, visions and CSR stances.

Section Two – External Industry Environment [15%] Analyse the key factors impacting on (a ) the stability of the external environment and (b) industry attractiveness –using appropriate macro/meso tools.

Section Three – Internal environment [15%] – Analyse the firms’ internal strengths and weaknesses using appropriate micro tools.
Section Four– Financial analysis [15%]Analyse the two firms’ financial positions based on the following SIX ratios
TWO Horizontal: percentage change in sales and operating profit
FOUR Vertical operating profit margin, return on capital employed, current ratio, debt gearing.

Section Five – Conclusions and Recommendations [10%]:
(a) Conclude by providing a SPACE analysis to summarise the strategic position of each organisation. AND
(b) Make recommendations for strategies EACH company should consider adopting to become more competitive given current challenges in the external environment and their access to internal strengths.

2. Appendix One – Personal Reflection [25%] – This section (1,000 words) should outline the secondary research you undertook to gather information on the companies and sectors and reflect on how any gaps in available information have impacted on your report findings and conclusions. You should also discuss (a) which sections of your report you feel are strongest and (b) any concerns you have about limitations or weaknesses in your report relating to the application of strategic management concepts and models.

strategic management

Order Description

1. write a report (3,000 words) containing a comparative strategic analysis of two companies’ (Air France/KLM and United Airlines) following the guidelines outlined below. (75%)

Executive Summary [10%] – This must be a short 150-200 word summary stating
a) The aim of the report
b) What were the KEY FINDINGS
c) What strategy would you recommend each company pursue

Section One – Introduction [10%]: Introduce the two companies you are researching, explain the main products/services they provide and markets they operate within, as well their missions, visions and CSR stances.

Section Two – External Industry Environment [15%] Analyse the key factors impacting on (a ) the stability of the external environment and (b) industry attractiveness –using appropriate macro/meso tools.

Section Three – Internal environment [15%] – Analyse the firms’ internal strengths and weaknesses using appropriate micro tools.
Section Four– Financial analysis [15%]Analyse the two firms’ financial positions based on the following SIX ratios
TWO Horizontal: percentage change in sales and operating profit
FOUR Vertical operating profit margin, return on capital employed, current ratio, debt gearing.

Section Five – Conclusions and Recommendations [10%]:
(a) Conclude by providing a SPACE analysis to summarise the strategic position of each organisation. AND
(b) Make recommendations for strategies EACH company should consider adopting to become more competitive given current challenges in the external environment and their access to internal strengths.

2. Appendix One – Personal Reflection [25%] – This section (1,000 words) should outline the secondary research you undertook to gather information on the companies and sectors and reflect on how any gaps in available information have impacted on your report findings and conclusions. You should also discuss (a) which sections of your report you feel are strongest and (b) any concerns you have about limitations or weaknesses in your report relating to the application of strategic management concepts and models.