Assessment 1

This assessment consists of a written report and an accompanying presentation. Students will be grouped into teams of three or four for this assignment, with groupings to be finalised in Week 2.

There is a choice of three organisational case studies included here. The teams must choose only one for this assessment.

Teams are expected to conduct a thorough analysis and construct a detailed report on the selected case, employing relevant management theories. All questions outlined in this assessment must be addressed comprehensively.

Teams must carefully study and contemplate the chosen case and the related questions, substantiating their analysis with relevant literature and clarification. The presentation should encompass a synopsis of the case and a discourse on the case questions, supported by applicable concepts and theories.

Teams must present their findings in class, involving a 10-15 minute PowerPoint presentation followed by a 5-to-10 minute Q&A session.

Grade allocation (out of 30) is as follows for this assessment: 18 for the written report, 10 for the presentation, and 2 for the evaluation.

Case Study 1 - Teslas Market Capitalization and Innovation

Teslas skyrocketing market value, innovative technology, and disruptions to the automotive and energy industries offer insights on strategic management, innovation, and market valuation.

Reference for case study:https://hbr.org/2020/02/how-tesla-sets-itself-apart

Some areas of competitive advantage highlighted:

Innovation and Product Development

Market Valuation and Share Price Dynamics

Sustainability and Electric Vehicles

Some areas of focus:

Analyse the role of innovation in building a competitive advantage.

Understand the strategic challenges and opportunities in the electric vehicle market.

Case Study 2: Zooms Rise during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Zoom became a household name during the pandemic as organisations, schools, and individuals turned to video conferencing. The platform faced increased demand, security concerns, and competition.

Reference for case study:https://medium.com/predict/the-success-journey-of-zoom-app-case-study-56534abfc008

Some areas of competitive advantage highlighted:

Crisis Management and Response

Cybersecurity and Data Privacy

Market Competition and User Experience

Some areas of focus:

Evaluate the strategies deployed in response to sudden increased demand and scrutiny.

Assess the importance of user experience and trust in product adoption.

Understand market dynamics in rapidly evolving environments.

Case Study 3: Pfizer\'s Development of a COVID-19 Vaccine

The unprecedented speed of the vaccines development, testing, approval, and distribution provides an exploration of partnership, innovation, risk management, and logistics.

Reference for case study:https://hbr.org/2021/11/drive-innovation-with-better-decision-making

Some areas of competitive advantage highlighted:

Pharmaceutical Innovation and Development

Strategic Partnerships and Collaboration

Supply Chain Management and Logistics

Some areas of focus:

Understand the importance of agility and collaboration in pharmaceutical innovation.

Analyse the logistical and managerial challenges in global vaccine distribution.

Evaluate the impact of regulatory environments on pharmaceutical development.

Questions to address in the assessments.

Questions to be addressed in your assessments include:

1. Environmental analysis: What are the different factors of general and specific environment mentioned in the chosen case and their impact on organisations.

2. Level of strategies: Explain the corporate level strategy and business level strategy (as covered in the MGMT401 course). From the chosen case, provide one example of each level of strategy examples and critically analyse them.

3. Type of strategy: (low cost and differentiation as covered in the MGMT401 course): What type of a business level strategy is used by the chosen organisation along with examples and critically analyse them?

4. Organisational culture: Analyse different characteristics of the chosen organisations culture (e.g., strong or weak, decision making, employee participation etc) along with explanation and examples from the case and through other reading.

5. Competitive advantage: What competitive advantage/s the chosen company has/have and how the company has leveraged on that competitive advantage/s.

6. Stakeholders: what are different Stakeholders addressed in the chosen case, their importance, along with specific examples from the case.

Details relating to the Case Study Report

Due Date: 11.55pm Friday, Week 5.

Report: 2000 words

For the report:

Written in MS Word

Use 12 pt font.

Double-space your document to allow room for feedback.

State your name and student number in the document header.

State the word count in the document header.

Include a bibliography.

Comply with the APA referencing style

All group members must complete evaluation form, which is available on the Course Hub

PDF file (.pdf) or Word (.doc) only for the report

PDF file (.pdf) or Word (.doc) only for peer and self-evaluation form

Details relating to the Presentation

Presentation: Week 6. Power Point Presentation: 10 to 15 minutes

PDF file (.pdf) or PowerPoint (.ppt) only for the presentation

All members of the team must be present in Week 6 tutorial and contribute to the presentation. Suggested PPT slides in range of 10-15.

Submission details for the report and presentation

One submission only per group for the report

One submission only per group for the presentation

Individual submissions are required for the peer and self-evaluation form

All submissions must be made via the Turnitin Dropbox on the Course Hub

Please refer to the rubric for marking criteria (which will also be discussed in class).

Maximum of 10 references half must be from academic journal articles.