Option 1

This assignment consists of two parts: Part A requires an analysis of Wesfarmers (Australia) and Part B requires that you submit evidence of your work on the module activities.

Download the Wesfarmers 2017 Annual Report from the companyâ€™s website or search the Internet for the document should the hyperlinks have changed or are inoperative.

Part A

Perform an analysis of Wesfarmers by drawing on the latest Annual Filing/Report (as filed 31 December 2017). Your analysis can include information prior to December 2017 but must not include any information, reports, etc., post December 2017. Bear in mind that as a strategic manager, you do not have the benefit of foresight, and hence your analysis for this assignment must be confined to the period ending 31 December 2017.

Address the following in your analysis:

1. Read the Wesfarmers material, identify, and analyze the generic building blocks and the strategies that this organization is expressing. Which building block is the most important for this firm and outline the relationships between the four blocks.

2. Analyze and discuss the forces that have shaped Wesfarmersâ€™ response to the market.

3. Examine and comment on Wesfarmersâ€™ international ventures. What is the rationale for such ventures, and what approach is the firm taking in these other markets? Discuss whether the firmâ€™s strategies conform to what the theory suggests would be appropriate in these ventures, and identify what competencies it is leveraging in its international activities.

4. Based on your awareness of the firm and the nature of the industry cycle as revealed in questions 1â€“3, what must the firm do to improve its performance and long-term sustainability? As appropriate, refer to strategic management theory and the evidence from the case to support your assessment.

Part A should not exceed seven pages in length, and should be double-spaced using Times New Roman 12pt. Page setup: 1-inch margin on the left and right.

Option 2

Part A

Perform an analysis of L Brands by drawing on Form 10-K (as filed 3 February 2018). Your analysis can include information prior to February 2018 but must not include any information, reports, etc., post February 2018. Bear in mind that as a strategic manager you do not have the benefit of foresight, and hence your analysis for this assignment must be confined to the period defined in the Form 10-K as of the financial year ending 3 February 2018.

Address the following in your analysis:

1. Read the L Brands Inc. material, identify, and analyze the strategic group in which L Brands places. How does its position in the strategic group shape its principal strategy? Based on what the documentation reveals, are its principal strategies appropriate in the current industry cycle?

2. Identify and explain the forces that have shaped the company and defined its current place in the marketplace. Determine and discuss whether the firm faces more challenges than opportunities in its market.

3. Identify and explain the L Brandâ€™s market entry approach and describe how its market entry approach correlates to its strategic thrust.

4. Based on your awareness of the firm and the issue raised in this assignment, what must the firm do to improve its performance and long-term sustainability? As appropriate, refer to strategic management theory and the evidence from the case to support your assessment.

Part A should not exceed seven pages in length, and should be double-spaced using Times New Roman 12pt. Page setup: 1-inch margin on the left and right.

Option 1 This assignment consists of two parts: Part A requires...