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MGT302A Strategic Management Assignment Sample

Individual/Group - Individual
Length - 1,000 words, +/- 10%
Learning Outcomes

a) Describe and evaluate the objectives, aims and the primary aspects of a strategic plan whilst taking into account the vision and mission of the organisation.

b) Discuss and evaluate the processes and forces that influence the strategic decision-making process in relation to business strategy.

Instructions for Essay Writing help

This assessment requires that you consider each of the following:

? A brief summary of the theory of Porter’s Value Chain Model.

? Analyses of OPTUS’ value chain by finding specific application to each of the value chain components and providing an overall summary showing which parts of its operations create value and which do not.

? Your opinion on the usefulness and limitations of the Value Chain Model, using a Torrens Library academic journal article of your choice.

 

 

This Assessment is a ‘Reflective Essay’ Which Means:

? It is an academic analysis, using your own opinions as well as those of others. It still follows typical essay conventions, for instance, it should have a logical series of paragraphs and is structured with a beginning, middle, and end. It is appropriate to use headings for this essay.

? You need to critically reflect on your own thoughts and rationale, then integrate these reflections with appropriate theoretical concepts.

? It should be written in both the first and third person as directed in the suggested structure below.

A suggested structure for your essay is as follows:

? Introduction (approx. 100 words). Define the purpose and scope of your essay, including what you intend to cover. Identify, in a compelling way, why the topic is important. Explain its context. This section should be written in the first person.

? A brief summary of Porter’s Value Chain Model (approx. 200 words). Clearly and succinctly outline the theory underpinning the approach (does not have to be detailed). Use a number of academic references (lean heavily on the provided sources in Blackboard) to support the description provided. This section should be written in the third person.

? Application of the model (approx. 450 words). Here, taking each component in turn, describe and analyse the OPTUS value chain. Be purposeful and specific in applying each component of the model. Integrate relevant academic references. This section should be written in the third person.

? Usefulness and limitations (approx. 150 words). Explain the usefulness and limitations of the Value Chain Model, supporting your arguments with at least one academic journal article of your choice from the Torrens Online Library.

Note, the model does have critique and a balanced reflection should show the usefulness of additional methods of analysing the internal environment. Use references to support and justify your position. This section should be written in the first person.

? Conclusion (approx. 100 words). Summarise what you have undertaken in the essay along with the relevant conclusions and your own opinions. This section should be written in the first person.

Solution

Introduction

Strategic management is one of the most important parts of any business as it allows the organisation to shape their business approach more flexibly. It makes the business more consistent that is essential in the competitive business environment of the 21st century. This study is based on the strategic management of Optus using “Porter’s value chain model”. I feel that considering this study will allow me to understand the company's business environment better. Moreover, this study also helped me to shape the business strategy of Optus properly by applying "Porter's value chain model". I will also be able to understand the usefulness and limitations of "Porter's value chain model" through this study which makes the study more significant in terms of relevance.

Summary of Porter’s value chain Model

Porter's value chain model is one of the most effective tools that help to streamline the business process in an organised way to deliver better value to the business. As per the study of Anthony Jnr (2019), "Porter value chain model" shed light on primary attributes such as "inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing and sales, and service" along with some support attributes such as "procurement, film infrastructure, technology development and human resource development". Value chain analysis of the company greatly allows the company to deliver better value to the company that leads to the mutual benefit of both company and customers. Company expenditure can also be controlled with the application of the “Porter value chain model”. It can enhance the level of profitability for the organisation that can deliver a competitive edge. As mentioned by de Moura &Saroli (2021), the “Porter value chain model” regulates drivers such as capacity utilisation, economies of scale, activity linkage, market entry timing, policy or practices of differentiation & cost and institutional factors. It can make the business more responsive which is essential for business survival in the competitive business environment. Quality assurance can be also greatly facilitated through the “Porter’s value chain Model”. It will make the products and services of the company more desirable.


Figure 1: “Porter’s Value Chain Analysis”
Source: (As influenced by Anthony Jnr, 2019)

Application of The Model

Inbound logistics

Inbound logistics plays a major role in the value chain of the company as it ensures the availability of required raw materials for the products or services required for the company. As per the official information Optus maintains a very healthy relationship with its suppliers which becomes key strength of the company as it allows the company to maintain better availability of their offerings. As per the official information output logistics of Optus relies on Ariba Network, SingTel and SAP Ariba (Optus.com.au, 2022).

Operations

Telecommunication, business investment and IT operations are the key operations associated with Optus. As stated by Cokins, Pohlen, &Klammer (2021), flexibility and reliance on operations help organisations to develop better profits. Hence, considering these operations Optus can generate their desirable profit that makes their operational attribute quite significant.

Outbound logistics

Singtel, MayneNickless, Cable & Wireless, BellSouth and AIDC Limited are the main outbound logistic service providers of Optus (Optus.com.au, 2022). The company does not possess an outbound logistic system that puts an impact on their distribution of service. It is one of the areas that the authorities of Optus need to work on.

Marketing & sales

The marketing and sales operations of the company rely on both traditional and online mediums. As per the study of Nor et al. (2020), consideration of both online and offline marketing and sales can ensure better reach to the targeted customers that deliver a better return in business. Hence, in this area, the telecommunication business of Optus delivers promising results.

Service

Telecommunication services, as well as financial services, are the key services of Optus allowing the business to maintain consistency in the growth.

Firm infrastructure

Firm infrastructure ensures the operational resilience of the company. Therefore, an organisation must possess a clear and effective infrastructure. The infrastructure of Optus is distributed among accounts, R&D, service and marketing & sales department which are quite basic (Optus.com.au, 2022). It is effective in quick decision-making however, lack of involvement of some crucial departments such as the operational monitoring team or department might create inconsistencies. Hence, this area needed improvements.

Human resource management

The human resource department of Optus delivers promising results by executing administrative tasks, recruitment and training activities.

Technology development

Optus recently worked on AI, 5G and lossless transmission that allows the company to offer seamless services.

Procurement

The procurement of Optus relies on service agreements and local supplier selection. However, the company does not emphasise more on the international level procurement resulted in a lack of acceptance of services at the international level.


Figure 2: “Value Chain Analysis of Optus”
Source: (Created by author)

Usefulness and limitations

"Porter's Value Chain Analysis" deeply emphasised the micro details of the industrial aspects. For this reason, I feel that maintaining synchronisation among the core activities linked with a broader strategic view becomes difficult and leads to failure in most cases. According to me,itmight be a very problematic aspect for Optus as company growth in the challenging market can be restricted for lack of effective broader and long-term strategic view. The article by Anthony Jnr (2019) also indicated that any organisations should focus on both primary and supportive activities in order to attain sustainable value chain. As opined by Presutti& Mawhinney, (2013), the main purpose of applying the value chain analysis is to evaluate company operations and properly shape them to deliver optimum value to a business as well as consumers. I think it can deliver a competitive edge that is useful. However, the value chain analysis is unable to establish proper linking between the activities that can be considered as one of the potential limitations(Anthony Jnr, 2019). I also observed from his article that it also makes monitoring of interrelated activities complicated which can be also considered as a limitation.

Conclusion

Strategic management is one of the key success criteria to maintain long-term consistency in the business process. However, from this study I feel that strategic management process of any business is only viable when a suitable strategic framework or model can be applied. The similarity has been also observed in the case of Optus, in which "Porter's Value Chain analysis" framework has been applied. From this study, I can conclude that along with consideration of micro factors of business it is crucial to monitor the broader perspective. Otherwise, the business is not going to be suitable for the long-term which might result in losing competitive positions in the business.Therefore, as per my perception shaping business strategy by applying "Porter's Value Chain analysis" can deliver extra flexibility to the business of Optus, that might lead to gaining competitive position easily. 

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