Module: Business Strategy

CA2: Group Project Brief

Unit Title: Business Strategy

Unit Code:

Unit Leader: Juan Fravega

Level: Award

Assessment Title: Business Strategy Development Report

Assessment Number: CA2

Assessment Type: Group Project

Assessment Weighting: 50%

Issue Date: Week 2

Hand in Date: Monday 16th of December 2024

Mode of Submission: Assignment title: Case Study Selected

Moodle by allocated team leader (only one
student to submit per group)
If more than one student submits, a penalty of
10% will apply to the group.
No zip files accepted

Assessment Task (100 Marks)

Assignment objectives

The module assessment is designed to enable learners to demonstrate achievement of the

learning outcomes for the module as set out above through coursework.

The formative element of the module assessment consists of a group-based strategy

formulation assignment researching the strategy of a specific organization chosen by the
student group involved.

For the purposes of this assignment each learner group will function as an external strategy
consulting team reporting to, and advising, the Board of Directors of their chosen
organization.

The role play aspect of the assignment requires learners to relate academic theory,

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frameworks, and models to a contemporary organizational/industry context with which
learners are familiar from their research/classwork and constitutes a valuable opportunity
for learners.

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Requirement

Details of assignment brief

This is a research-based group (4 to 5 students) assignment designed to test students

regarding the principal learning outcomes for the module as set out in the Module Guide.

For the purposes of the assignment, each student group is required to adopt the role of an
external strategy consulting group reporting to, and advising, the Board of Directors of a
large domestic or international organization of the group’s own choice (via the CEO of the
organization involved). The organization must be operating in Ireland at the time of the
submission of the assignment.

The assignment deliverable is as follows:

A formal written report (5,000 words (max) excluding appendices) setting out the
background to the consulting assignment and addressing the three principal requirements
specified below.

● The assignment must be submitted in electronic format (PDF only) via CA2 Moodle
link. It is the students’ responsibility to ensure that their submission is accessible,
and to keep an electronic copy of it in a separate storage device.

● The report to the Board of Directors should contain the following principal elements:

o Cover Page: Title, Students Name and Numbers

o Table of Content
o Executive Summary (5%): An executive summary is a brief overview of a
longer document or report that highlights its main points and key findings. It
is typically written for busy executives and decision-makers who do not have
the time or inclination to read through the entire document. The purpose of
an executive summary is to provide a clear and concise summary of the most
important information contained in the document, including the key insights,
recommendations, and conclusions.
o The Introduction should include (5%): Objectives and Background
information: This section provides some context for the report, including why
it was commissioned (rationale) and what the main objectives are.
 Scope and limitations: This section outlines the scope of the report and any
limitations that may have affected the research or analysis.
 Methodology: This section describes the research methods used to gather
data and information for the report.
 Key findings: This section provides a high-level overview of the main findings
of the report and what the reader can expect to learn in more detail in the
subsequent sections.
 Overview of the report structure: This section outlines the main sections of
the report and provides a brief description of what each section will cover.
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o An external analysis section (20%) of the organization’s external
environment highlighting, in particular, the major trends evident in the
organization’s environment, the opportunities and threats posed by these
trends, and the implications of same for the future strategy of the
organization.

o An internal analysis section (20%) of the organization’s internal strategic

capability in terms, especially, of its ability to respond to external
opportunities and threats identified previously.

o The group’s evaluation conclusions and recommendations (25%) for the

future strategic direction of the organization in the light of 1 and 2 above
(highlighting the various strategy development options open to it), the
report clearly have to highlight the different choices considered and
evaluated, before selecting one of the alternatives presented.

It should be written in a way that is easy to read and understand and should
capture the reader's attention and interest right from the start.

An effective executive summary can help to communicate the value and

importance of the document and its findings and can encourage the reader to
take action or make informed decisions based on the information presented.
(5 marks)

o Evidence of secondary research and inclusion of academic sources (5 marks)

o Structure and Presentation of the Report (10 marks)

o Evidence of teamwork Appendix 1 (10 marks)

The report must also contain the following:

● A cover page, including title and students and lecturer name

● A table of content page
● An Executive Summary
● An Introduction
● An identifiable main body (external and Internal analysis)
● Analysis External
● Analysis Internal
● Strategics options
● Evaluation
● Conclusions/Recommendations

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● A list of References and Bibliography
● Numbered Appendices (where appropriate).
● 12 font size, Times, Calibri, or Arial
● Double spacing
● Standard Margins
● PDF
● Headings and sub-heading
● Harvard referencing style in text and bibliography and reference list.

The final group report as specified previously.

Groups / Student Must Submit: A SINGLE word document incorporating (Appendix 1):

Action Minutes of group meetings.

• A note from each individual group member specifying the precise nature of their
contribution to the final product, and estimating the time involved. This will
represent the agreed group position.

• The right is reserved to vary the grade awarded to individual group members should
circumstances warrant.

• The selected company must be operating in Ireland at the time of the assignment.

List of excluded companies:

Apple
Amazon
Air B&B
Walmart
Ryan Air, Air Lingus
Dunne’s Stores, Super Valu, Musgrave, Centra, Spar
Tesco, Aldi, or Lidl
Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Red Bull and 7up
Alphabet or Google
Starbucks, Costa
Smurfit Kappa, Glanbia
AIB and Bank of Ireland
Microsoft
Pfizer
Disney
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eBay, PayPal
Ikea
Samsung
BMW-Audi, Mercedes, VW
Tesla, Toyota, Ford
Vodafone, O2, 3, Eir
Diageo, or Guinness or Jameson
Kerry Group and any of their parent brands
Nestle, Unilever and P&G
McDonald’s, Subway, Burger King
Netflix, Spotify, YouTube, Meta or Facebook, Yahoo.
Nike, Adidas, Pumas, Uber, Under Armour, Pennys, Zara, H&M, Levis

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Grading Criteria (2023)

Bands Description

90-100 Exceptional: Far exceeds the threshold of the assessment rubric in all of the categories. The
standard consistently far exceeds what would be expected at this NFQ level.
80-89 Outstanding: Achieves all the minimum learning outcomes. Exceeds the threshold of the
assessment rubric in all of the categories. The standard consistently exceeds what would be
expected at this NFQ level.
70-79 Excellent: Exceeds the threshold of the assessment rubric in most of the categories. The
standard is much better than what would be expected at this NFQ level.
60-69 Very Good: Meets the threshold of the assessment rubric in most of the categories and
exceeds in some. The standard is better than what would be expected at this NFQ level.
50-59 Good: Meets the threshold of the assessment rubric in some of the categories of the
assessment rubric. The standard is what would be expected at this NFQ level.
40-49 Sufficient: Achieves all the minimum learning outcomes. Meets the threshold of the
assessment rubric in a few of the categories. The standard is what is expected at this NFQ
level.
30-39 Somewhat fulfilled: Achieves some but not all of the minimum learning outcomes. Meets the
threshold of the assessment rubric in some or a few of the categories. The standard is below
what is expected at this NFQ level.
20-29 Limited fulfilment: Achieves a few of the minimum learning outcomes. Meets the threshold of
the assessment rubric in only a few of the categories. The standard is well below what is
expected at this NFQ level.
0- 20 Unfulfilled: Does not achieve any of the minimum learning outcomes. Meets the threshold of
the assessment rubric in none of the categories. The standard is considerably less than what is
expected at this NFQ level.
Table 1: Revised Grading Criteria

The Degree Classification Thresholds, which outlines the grading structure used at Dublin Business School
is outlined in Appendix B.6.3 of the QAH.

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