Assessment 1: Strategic Audit (40%) This is an applied assessment and to be undertaken in a group (not exceeding three people). In assessment 1, you are required to conduct a strategic audit of a company of your choice. In preparing your report, your approach should be that of a “management consultant” who is seeking to answer “where is the organisation right now?”. In assessment 1, you are analyzing and communicating on three aspects about the company: Vision and mission statements, external audit and internal audit. Note: You can choose any business or organization operating in Australia. It can be a company that you work for or have worked for previously or own. Also, note that you should NOT choose a company that has multiple divisions. However, you can choose one of the divisions of the organization. For example, you should not choose Wesfarmers but can choose one from Coles, Bunnings, Kmart, etc. which are divisions or subsidiaries within Wesfarmers. Important: You need to get approval from the unit coordinator about your chosen company before you start working on your assessment.
The strategic audit format for assessment 1 will be as follows: 1. Title page with all group member names and student IDs 2. Executive summary (one page) 3. Table of contents 4. Brief introduction to the company 5. External audit Analysis of Porter’s Five Forces Model of the industry List at least three (3) Key success factors for the industry 6. Internal audit SWOT analysis Value chain analysis 7. Vision and mission statement analysis 8. Identify one or two key strategic issues that the company must address in future (Assessment 2 is linked to this) As a strategist, you need to think about where the company will be in three year’s time. For example, you need to anticipate customer needs in three year’s time and what you need to do today (you will do this in assessment 2 strategic plan) in order to be able to meet those needs. You need to anticipate how your competitor will react or how the industry will change in future1. You will need to plan for these in assessment 2, but identify the issues in assessment 1. 9. Reference list 10. Appendices