Strategic Management in a Global Context SOE09401: Coursework assignment Case Study Analysis Google. by Archer, B. et al. extracted from: Ireland, R.D., Hoskisson, R. E., & Hitt, M.A. (2013) The Management of Strategy: Concepts and Cases, 10th International Edition, South-Western, Cengage Learning, pages 161-177. This assessment contributes 90% of your final mark for this module and you are required to analyse the case study on Google. A digitised copy of the case study is on Moodle. When answering the case questions below only use information on Google contained in the case study. Your marks will be heavily penalised if you use information on the company from alternative sources as it is your assessment of the case information provide which is being assessed. Questions 1. Drawing on your knowledge of the Porter's five forces framework, analyse the industry and determine the attractiveness of the web search industry in which Google is competing. Support your analysis with evidence from the case study. (20%) 2. Conduct a value chain analysis to determine Google's organisational capabilities and use this analysis to identify the core competencies that can build or sustain its competitive advantage. (30%) 3. Use the cultural web, examine Google's culture and consider whether its culture has supported the successful implementation of its strategy. (20%) 4. Discuss how Google have used their capabilities to grow their business by market penetration, market development and product development, and also provide recommendations on future growth options. (20%) Mark allocated for the presentation of analysis, use of case evidence and conclusion. (10%)6.2 Guidance notes The assessment feedback sheet provides the marking criteria for the overall case analysis. Adjust the length of your answers to reflect the % weighting allocated to each question. Remember that in writing your solution to the questions you must not describe what the case says but use the concepts to analyse the information and use the evidence/facts in the case to support your analysis. To answer question 1, you need to review Porter's Five Forces model (Unit 2). Specifically, the five forces which enable you to determine the overall attractiveness of the global web search industry within which Google operates. At this stage, your review of the competitive rivalry will be helpful in determining Google's organisational capabilities and core competencies which is the focus of Question 2. Question 2 asks you to conduct a value chain analysis of Google. Divide your analysis into 3 stages: • Discuss each value chain activity in turn, primary through to support activities. Some activities will have more information to discuss than others. Explain what the firm does in each activity but extend your discussion to include a brief evaluation on whether each activity is strength or a weakness. • Identify and explain key VC linkages as an intermediary stage to identify core competencies (CCs). These linkages can be: primary to primary; support to support; and primary to support. The linkages are not only between two activities but could link 3 or 4 activities. • Based on the linkages, select those which are CCs and show how they meet the VRIN criteria to be a CC (see the textbook, chapter 3.3, pg.54-59). Most organisations are likely to have only a few CCs. Firms with limited competitive advantage may only have potential CCs which are still under development but have not yet yielded the superior returns associated with competitive advantage. The focus of your answer is on Internal analysis, the S & W of a SWOT not the external analysis (O & T) and is covered in Unit 3. You should read your textbook, Johnson et al chapter 3 and follow the stages of analysis above. Question 3 focuses on Google's organisational culture. You are asked to use the cultural web to identify the paradigm of Google's organisational culture. In your analysis you are expected to consider each of the elements of the cultural web in order to identify their paradigm and discuss whether their culture has enabled (or inhibited) the successful implementation of their strategy. Question 4 focuses on how Google has used their capabilities to grow the business. You are asked to focus on three of the options in Ansoff's matrix which are explained in your textbook and in Unit 5. The three options are market penetration, market development and product development. In your value chain analysis in question 2 you will have identified capabilities which they have used to support these strategies and in your answer to this question you should highlight how these capabilities support each growth option and make recommendations on how they should use these capabilities to implement future growth options.6.3 Assessment criteria Below we give you a schedule which is used as the basis for marking your assignment in Strategic Management. This will help you to judge what you need to do to achieve any given mark range. CLASS 1 • 90-100% - An outstanding answer showing an excellent understanding of the issues and methodologies; original, independent thinking informs an answer based upon rigorous clearly directed argument accurately supported by evidence; close to perfection and could not be bettered at undergraduate level in the time available. • 80-89% - An answer demonstrating an excellent level of understanding of the issues and methodologies. The answer displays independent thought, and strong and very well organised argument, demonstrating the ability to integrate a wide range of techniques. • 70-79% - An answer showing most (although not necessarily all) of the above criteria CLASS 2:1 • 65-69% - An answer demonstrating very good understanding of the issues with a well organised argument accurately demonstrating the ability to integrate material from various parts of the module • 60-64% - As above, although there may be some shortcomings, but no fundamental omissions or errors. CLASS 2:2 • 55-59% - An answer which shows a satisfactory grasp of the main issues, familiarity with the basic reading, some minor errors and omissions of essential material. • 50-54% - As above, but with a larger number of errors, omissions, and/or the inclusion of some irrelevant material. CLASS 3 • 45-49% - An answer containing some use of relevant material and the basic application of analytical techniques which shows some understanding of some of the issues raised by the question but only a minimal or no understanding of others. • 40-45% - As above with even less relevant material and not as well directed to the question. The answer can be considered a bare pass. FAIL • 35-40% - An answer that has some limited relevance to the question set, but showing little grasp of the issues raised. The content is descriptive and based on common sense rather than the application of analytical models • 30-34% - Demonstrates an extremely weak knowledge of the question with no grasp of the issues raised by it. Poorly constructed and poorly directed. • 0-29% - A poorly directed answer containing a few minor relevant points, and only a rudimentary attempt at discussion. Lower marks will be awarded to answers falling short even of this description, down to 0 for no answer. Note, that in ALL categories above it is expected that you will provide a bibliography (where applicable) of the material used in preparation of your assignment.If material is simply reproduced from the case study, using the same words, this will be treated as plagiarism and a fail mark will be given. Material copied from websites or other sources that provide ready made solutions to coursework will be deemed an academic offence and subject to disciplinary action. Grades will be awarded according to the following weightings and criteria and your assessment will be marked using the feedback sheet over page.Coursework Assessment Feedback Student Name: Date Submitted: Matriculation Number: Date Marked: Module: SOE09401 Assessment Category Fail Acceptable Good Very Good Excellent Comments Five forces analysis of web search industry (20%) Value chain analysis of Google's value chain capabilities and core competencies (30%) Cultural web analysis of Google (20%) Discussion Google's direction of growth: Ansoff's Matrix and recommendations (20%) Presentation of analysis, use of case evidence and conclusion. (10%) Additional comments Overall Mark % Marked by:6.5 Assessment presentation information As you prepare your case analysis there are a few other points you must take into account. • A case analysis is not a conceptual explanation or discussion so do not spend too much time on conceptual explanation, instead your focus should be on how the concepts are used to analyse the case events and reach evaluative judgments. • Always draw on evidence from the case to support your analysis and conclusions. Using evidence without analysis will amount to describing what has happened in the case and will not gain many marks. • It is critically important that if you use quotes from the case or academic texts, you do so selectively and they must be placed in quotation marks and referenced appropriately. • The case was published in 2014 and you should answer the questions in terms of the information presented in the case up to this time. You are not required to go beyond the case end date since your analysis and judgement are being assessed at this point, not in the light of subsequent events. As a result you should not include references on Google from sources other than those contained in the case. Word Limit: Word Length: 4000 words The word limit excludes appendices and bibliography. Where a submission exceeds the stated word limit the maximum mark awarded will be 40%. Late submission will normally be capped at 40%. Appendices can be a useful to provide additional information from your analysis provided that the key points are incorporated into the main body of the answer text. Submission deadline: Friday 9th December 2016, 11:59pm (UK time)