Faculty of Business Studies

Tutor Marked Assignment

B301 A: Making Sense of Strategy I

Second Semester 2013 – 2014

The assignmentrequires you to select a “private bank” in your home country and then to provide the following:

1)    A critical analysis of the business environment (Macro environment) of the bank you have selected. (20 marks; 900 words)

2)    A critical analysis of the Industry structure and attractiveness. (20 marks; 300 words)

3)    A considered application ofPorter’s Five Forces of Competition framework to this industry. (30 marks; 800 words)

4)    A considered application of game theory on your case, including an explanation ofwhy this approach may be beneficial. (15 marks; 500 words)

5)    Outline, explain and justify(at least) threeVALUABLE recommendations for the bank that you have selected that would enable it to improve its competitiveness in the future. (15 marks; 500 words)

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General instructions for students:

TMA Submission Date:28/APR/2014

TMA weight: 20% of total course grade.

Course material:Block 1-2, Reading 4, and 5, and Unit 2 (2.3: Economics and causality) are relevant course material to this TMA.

Relevant readings: Readings for Block 1&2; Reading 7; Block 3, Unit 1

Plagiarism: It’s imperative that you write your answers using your own words. Plagiarism will be penalized depending on its severity and according to AOU plagiarism policy.

Format:  you are expected to write your answers in an essay format: introduction, body paragraph(s) and a conclusion. Failing to do so could result in the deduction of up to 5 marks from your total TMA mark.

Word count: your answers are expected to be within the specified word count. A 10% deviation from word count limit is acceptable. Not adhering to specified word count could result in the deduction of up to 5 marks of your total TMA mark.

Referencing:  You are expected to use the Harvard referencing style for in-text referencing and list of reference at the end. Failing to do so could result in the deduction of up to 5 marks of your total TMA mark.

E-library:  You are expected to use E-library sources to support your answers. A minimum of 3 sources is required. Failing to do so could result in the deduction of up to 5 marks of your total TMA mark.