STRATEGY

Syndicate Group Exercises Workbook

30-40% of the exercise will be completed in class, while rest outside of class time.
STUDENT # STUDENT NAME & SURNAME

Syndicate Group Members

COURSE CODE

LECTURER

SUBMISSION DATE

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The purpose of this workbook is to provide weekly exercise activities to meet the learning outcomes
of this course. The document also details requirements for each exercise. It is recommended that
candidates complete the various sections on a weekly basis after attending the relevant lectures.

Syndicate groups are encouraged to select ONE business organisation to use in completing all the
exercises for each of the weeks. The chosen business should be an entity most group members are
familiar with and have an interest in. This business case must ‘sustain’ you throughout the module
journey, so choose wisely!

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Introduction to strategy and overview of strategy
development process
1. Introduction to the chosen business

Briefly introduce the business organisation of your choice, touching on the

products/services it provides and the industry(ies) it is operating in.

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1.1. Synopsis of strategy elements

Provide a high-level summary on the strategic profile of your organisation, by address

the questions on the table below:

What is the strategic vision

of the entity?
(as stated on its website or
another official source)

Who does it serve? (client

segments)

What geographies do they

cover?

What is their typical timeline

in terms of strategic plans?
(you are welcome to make
assumptions – do not waste
time trying to find out)
What unique value does the
entity provide to its targeted
customers?

(Client value proposition and

key advantages of this
organisation)
What key resources and
capabilities are used to
deliver of the strategy / plan?

(think of both tangible and

intangible resources as well
as capabilities)

Ensure to include digital

resources and capabilities

DEFINITIONS
Resources = “what we have”
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Capabilities = “what we do
well”
List 3 external
environmental factors and
changes/trends that are
import to understand, for the
entity

Ensure to include digital /

tech trends

1.2. Critique of the Vision statement

1.2.1. Analyse the vision statement of the organisation of your choice using the
template below.

Name of the organisation:

Enter the strategic vision statement:

State whether the statements below are true or false, regarding the strategic vision
statement of the organisation of your choice.
True False
Defines present and future business make-up
of company
Charting a long-term -path to follow
Communicated in an inspiring and exciting
manner
Inspires, challenges, and motivates workforce
Stimulates strong sense of organizational
purpose and induces employee buy-in
Brings workforce together and galvanizes
people to live the business

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1.2.2. Please share any recommendations you might have in terms of how the chosen
organisation can improve its vision statement.

External Environmental Analysis: macro, industry, digital

transformation trends, competitors, and market analysis

2.1. PESTEL Analysis

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2.1.1. Prepare a high-level macro environmental analysis using the PESTEL
framework. Conclude the analysis with a summary of key implications. Part of the
challenge is to use an appropriate template in structuring your PESTEL analysis.

OPPORTUNITIES THREATS
P

OVERALL IMPLICATIONS

2.2. Industry trends analysis

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2.2.1. Use the table below to present a high-level view of industry trends, drivers of
change and impact of the identified trends on the organisation.

Top 3 Trends Drivers of *Summary on Top 3 Trends Drivers of *Summary on

affecting the change for how each trend that will affect change for how each trend
industry (now) each of the has impacted the industry each of the has impacted
identified the chosen (in +-5 years) identified the chosen
current organisation current organisation
trends trends

Overall Implications:

* Note that the question is on impact, negative or positive and NOT “what the
organisation has done about the trends/changes”

TRENDS MAP:

2.2.2. Place the 6 identified trends on the impact-probability MAP. Use your creativity to
label and complete the MAP axis, etc.
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2.3. Porter’s Five Forces

2.3.1. Create and populate a Five Forces template similar to the below for the industry
where your selected business operates. In addition to the traditional five forces,
include as part of your analysis new additional forces i.e. Complementors,
Digitization and Globalization.

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Internal Environmental Analysis

3. The internal situation of the business

3.1. Internal analysis addresses the question: “Internally, as a business, are we set
up to succeed?” Reflect on the internal situation of your chosen business
organisation by addressing the elements below. Ensure to include examples with
your motivation:
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Leadership

Would you say the

organisation has a
leadership team (at all
hierarchy levels) that is
cohesive and provides clear
direction and inspiration to
all team structures?

Decision-making &
Structure

Are there clear roles and

accountabilities for
decisions?
Does the business have an
organization structure that
supports its strategy?

People

Does the business have the

right people with necessary
skills to execute on the
strategic mandate (mission)
of the organisation?

Work processes and

systems

Does the business have

systems, processes and
work procedures in place to
ensure smooth and efficient
execution of tasks and
projects?
Culture

How would you define the

organisational culture in this
business? Is the culture a
good fit for the strategy that
is being pursued?

List ideal as well as

problematic behaviours that
define the organisational
culture of this business.

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Digital business

Digital businesses use

technology to create new
value in business models,
customer experiences and
the internal capabilities that
support its core operations.

How well is this business

doing on each aspect of
being a ‘digital business’?

Performance

Summarise the performance

of the business. Segment
your discussion by providing
performance review for each
of the four perspectives of
the balanced score card.

3.2. Rank (mark with ‘X’) your chosen business on how it is doing on each of the key
internal aspects

Strong Moderate Weak

Leadership capability
Decision-making & Structure
People skills / capacity
Work processes and systems
Organisational culture
As a ‘digital business’
Performance: Financial
Performance: Customer satisfaction, experience and retention
Performance: Employee satisfaction, experience and growth
Performance: Operational Effectiveness
Overall conclusions/ implications of the analysis:

3.3. Resources and Capabilities

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3.3.1. “The resources and capabilities of the firm should drive strategy; hence it is
important to understand what these are and how best to exploit them”. List the
key resources and capabilities of your chosen business.

Threshold Distinctive Threshold Distinctive

Resources Resources Capabilities Capabilities
1. 1. 1. 1.

2. 2. 2. 2.

3. 3. 3. 3.

Reserve the 3rd row for resources and capabilities that are part of the strategy or efforts
towards becoming a ‘digital business,’ if the reviewed business has any.

3.3.2. VRIO Analysis. Use the VRIO framework to conduct analysis that will help
determine if the identified DISCTINCTIVE resources and capabilities are a
source of competitive advantage for the business.

Does it have
Is it
Resource Is it Is it difficult to organizational
Rare? Competitive
or Valuable? imitate support
Implications
Capability (Value) (Inimitability)? (Organisational
(Rare)
support)
Competitive parity; or
Competitive
Resource Disadvantage; or
or Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Temporary Competitive
Capability 1 Advantage; or
Sustainable Competitive
Advantage
Competitive parity; or
Competitive
Resource Disadvantage; or
or Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Temporary Competitive
Capability 2 Advantage; or
Sustainable Competitive
Advantage
Competitive parity; or
Competitive
Resource Disadvantage; or
or Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Temporary Competitive
Capability 3 Advantage; or
Sustainable Competitive
Advantage
Resource Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Competitive parity; or
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 Competitive
Disadvantage; or
or Temporary Competitive
Capability 4 Advantage; or
Sustainable Competitive
Advantage
Competitive parity; or
Competitive
Resource Disadvantage; or
or Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Temporary Competitive
Capability 5 Advantage; or
Sustainable Competitive
Advantage
Competitive parity; or
Competitive
Resource Disadvantage; or
or Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Temporary Competitive
Capability 6 Advantage; or
Sustainable Competitive
Advantage
OVERALL IMPLICATIONS:

3.4. Summary of External & Internal Analysis

3.4.1. Use the SWOT tool to summarise the key findings from external and internal
situational analysis that has been conducted.

SWOT

Internal factors

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Exter
nal
factor
s
 Strengths Weaknesses

Threats
Opportunities

3.5. *Priorities and objectives

Based on the situational analysis of the organisation, what should be its

priorities and objectives, going forward, say for the next 1-3 years?

PRIORITIES / FOCUS OBJECTIVES (List 2 objectives per focus area, taking into
AREAS consideration the four perspectives of the balanced scorecard).
1.

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2.

3.

4.

5.

Creation and Evaluation of Growth Strategic

Options

4. Creation of strategic growth options

4.1. Use the TOWS matrix to craft strategic and tactical actions the business should
consider for it to reach its objectives.

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Application of TOWS:

Strengths Weakness

S1. W1.

S2. W2.

S3. W3

S4. W4.

Opportunities SO OPTIONS WO OPTIONS

O1.

O2.

O3.

O4.

Threats ST OPTIONS W & T OPTIONS

T1.

T2.

T3.

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 T4.

4.2. Use the Growth Star Matrix to craft additional strategic and tactical actions the
business should consider for it to reach its objectives. Craft a minimum of 3
options, from the 21 options presented under the 7 categories of the tool.

4.3. Evaluation and selection of strategic growth options

Apply the SAFE model to select the most suitable options out of the options crafted in
4.1., 4.2. and 4.3. You are required to ‘test’ a minimum of 4 options (out of all the 3
frameworks applied).

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APPLYING THE SAFe criteria for evaluation of options:

SAFe Model

OPTION: Suitability Acceptability Feasibility

(Addresses
opportunitie
s & threats Is the level of Is the likely Will stakeholder Can the Do Can the
faced?) risk acceptable return reactions be strategy people require
acceptable positive? be and their resource
Provide a (specify financed skills s be
short relevant (specify what (ensure to list ? exist or obtained
motivation stakeholders, the likely the key can they and
the type of risk return will be – stakeholders (be be integrate
faced) monetary and and motivate) specific obtained d
otherwise) on the ?
finance (motivat
that will (be e)
be specific
needed on the
as well skills
as items and
to be capabiliti
financed es
needed)

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STAKEHOLDERS PER OPTION

INTERNAL EXTERNAL
1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.

CONCLUSION:
Conclude on whether top management should CHOOSE this option and
provide a high-level motivation on their decision.

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WEEK 5: Strategic Planning & Implementation

5. Activity planning

5.1. You now need to plan against the options (strategic and tactical activities /
actions) that meet the SAFe criteria, as per exercise 4.3. These are options that
have been chosen by Top Management for the purposes of meeting the set
organisational growth objectives. You are expected to develop an activity plan for
a minimum of two options.

Strategic Objective(s) KEY Department(s) / Budget Start and end

and to be PERFORMANCE Business estimation Time for
tactical impacted by INDICATORS unit(s) / People for each each Activity/
activities this action (KPIs) & responsible for action/ Project
/ actions MILESTONES delivery initiative
to be (How will success
delivered look like if the
action is
effectively
delivered)

1.

2.

3.

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Business Model Design

6.1. Business Model Components

Discuss at a high level the business components of your chosen business

organisation as per topics and questions listed in the model below.

6.2. Business Model Canvas and Customer Value Proposition Canvas

Complement the discussion in 6.1. by populating the business model canvas and
customer value proposition templates (provided separately from this Workbook).

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MARKING CRITERIA

Criterion Mark
Allocation (%)

Quality of research as evidence by use of provided sources and other 30

proactively sourced information (outside prescribed and recommended reading)

Use / application of relevant frameworks from the course material, textbook and 30
other academic sources
Ability to analyse, think critically, synthesise ideas and reach sound and 20
conclusions/implications for organisation and industry
Practicality of recommendations provided (where applicable) 20
TOTAL 100

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