Assessment Task

This is an individual assessment with a component of the work to be conducted in stakeholder teams allocated by the lecturer. In your stakeholder team, you are required to:

Meet, discuss and agree on three strategy options

Apply strategy concepts in your stakeholder meeting discussions to identify options.

Produce a teamwork log Individually, you are required to produce a white paper:

Nominate the preferred strategy option and apply a strategy framework/s

Discuss the implications specifically relating to your part of the business

Include the team log in your papers appendix

Please refer to the Task Instructions for details on how to complete this task.

Context

The assessment of this subject supports students in developing their skills and knowledge in topics that include environmental assessment, problem diagnosis, strategy development, and cultural and ethical contexts. Stakeholder meetings are a critical element in strategic management. This assessment task provides experience and immersive understanding of the complex interactions involved in the development of strategic choices, and the need to take an integrative approach to problem solving.

Instructions :

You are required to perform a simulated stakeholder meeting to discuss the scenario below. Students will be assigned a role to play in the simulated stakeholder meeting. Roles will be assigned to ensure each team has one of each of the stakeholders. To do this assessment, it is necessary for you to know the responsibilities and interests of the stakeholder that you are assigned to be. To assist you with this knowledge, each stakeholders general scope of responsibilities is described below. It is suggested that you take some time to research more about each stakeholders responsibilities so that you can contribute effectively to the meetings and write your white paper. The white paper is to be completed individually by each member of the team reflecting the impact of the proposed strategy on their particular part of the business and should be completed to the professional standard that would be required if the scenario were real.

Please Note: You will be placed in your stakeholder team by your facilitator and are expected to conduct at least one (1) stakeholders meeting per week. Times and location are to be arranged by the team. The submission must be in Word document format.

Stakeholders description and interests

a) General Manager (GM) of the company :

The GM has the final accountability to the CEO. The GM takes responsibility of the of the companys successes and failures of the company. The GM brings together the different functions in the company (HR, Finance, Operations, etc.) and the interests of all the stakeholders. A key issue for the GM is to maximise shareholder value and the long-term sustainability of the company.

b) General Manager of key supplier

Obviously, the GM of the supplier has the same responsibilities in his company as the GM of the case company below. The supplier is in the business of supplying goods and services which the case company requires. The successes and failures of the supplier company are linked to the successes and failures of the case company.

c) Union official:

General responsibility of the Union official is to represent the interest of workers. It also includes conflict resolution between the employer and the workers and bargaining of behalf of workers. It goes without saying that the workers would want the company to be financially sustainable while they receive appropriate remuneration.

d) Operations manager (OM)

The general responsibilities of the OM are to ensure that productions of goods and services is running efficiently. Therefore, the role includes both planning and implementing production/manufacturing schedules including material and energy inputs among other things. The OM understands the feasibility of attaining certain production levels and quality of products/services.

e) Senior finance manager (SFM)

The general responsibilities of the finance manager are to ensure that the company is financially sound. Therefore, the finance manager plans the long and short-term allocation of resources as well as produce financial reports. For example, the SFM would be interested in issues such as risk, capital availability, likely timing and amount of returns, etc.

(Note: My assigned role is the General Manager of key supplier)

Skuta Pty Ltd Scenario

The scenario provides you with a brief overview of a hypothetical company, Skuta and a contemporary scenario. Be aware that the scenario may not cover every detail that you will need to address in the White Paper, in which case, you will need to conduct additional research, including further research into the industry concerned. [Skuta Pty Ltd is a privately-owned manufacturer of compact, high-quality electric scooters (escooters) based in Sunbury, Victoria. Founded in 2018 it has enjoyed continuous year-on-year growth until the last financial year. Skuta has a track record of innovation, and technology that provides excellent value for money commuting in a compact foldable design able to operate with rechargeable batteries for extended periods of time. The flagship Skuta-way models are marketed on the basis of their extreme ruggedness, low maintenance cost, and reliability. Features include front and rear LED safety lights, disc brakes, LCD display and rechargeable 56 volt lithium-ion battery. Much of the technology used in the product has been patented by Skuta and is not currently available to othermanufacturers. The Skuta management team recognises that e-scooters are still being trialled in some states in Australia but believe that some states will legalise privately-owned e-scooters soon. The future of e-scooters in Australia is uncertain, so Skutas CEO has requested the executive team meet independently to develop a strategy to guide the company over the next five years. Deliverables The stakeholder meeting will discuss and agree on three strategy options for Skuta. In doing so, the Stakeholder meeting may consider strategy options that exist in adjacent markets or with related but different products or technologies. Remember to apply strategy concepts in your stakeholder meeting discussions to identify strategy options. The deliverables required of each student are to produce a white paper covering the following:

1. Nominate the preferred strategy option and apply a strategy framework(s) to analyse and justify why you believe it is the best strategy option for the company; and

2. Discuss the implications specifically relating to your part of the business, and what challenges these might represent. Separate the discussion into short-term and long-term issues. Students are to address the assessment task from the perspective of their own functional area of responsibility. Integrate theory in your white paper.

Suggested format Your 500-word, individual, Preliminary Outline of your White paper should be structured as follows: Introduction - Provide background and context to the report. Tell the reader what has happened in the past that has led to this report being needed. Be very brief. Aim - State in a single sentence what this report is seeking to achieve.

Discussion - Cover the key deliverables of the assessment described above. Remember, you are providing an outline only.

Adhere to the word limit and be thoughtful in your response. The first attempt at an outline is rarely comprehensive or correct.

Please recognize that this will likely need to be revised through several iterations to arrive at an outline that is of impact. Teamwork Log Students should also keep a log of how they have worked together as a team in the delivery of this project. This includes meeting dates and times, meeting minutes/notes, a detailed description of how tasks were allocated and completed (and by whom), copies of emails and/or written discussion regarding the project, and any other evidence of teamwork that students would like to include.

All students involved in the project need to check the log before submission. It is assumed that the final submission has been agreed between students as being an accurate record of the work that has taken place for the project. The Teamwork log needs to be submitted with the assessment but is not a part of the overall word count. Referencing It is essential that you use appropriate APA style for citing and referencing research. Please see more information on referencing here in the Academic Writing Guide found via the Academic Skills website.