Managing Strategy and Operations
MANAGING STRATEGY, OPERATIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS
INTRODUCTION
Strategic Leadership.
This handbook provides you, as a student, with the information that you need in order to successfully complete this module and lay a solid foundation for further studies and/or enhancing your employability after graduation. It is important that you engage with this handbook and complete all the requirements of the module to ensure that you receive the necessary credit.
Organisations are collections of people that, over time, develop routines – repeated behaviour patterns – that distinguish them from others. Some of these become important in meeting the economic objectives that all organisations have, such as profitability or managing within a limited budget.
In this module you will be introduced to the way organisations are managed, both at strategic and operational level. You will learn a number of theories, models and techniques which will help you understand the basis of business success or failure, appraise the strategies its managers have adopted, propose strategies that they might adopt in future and understand the issues involved in implementing those strategies.
You will also be introduced to theories and practices relating to the way day to day running of the organisation is managed and learn to recognise how this relates to the strategy adopted by its managers. This aspect is critical to the success of a strategy because it influences its delivery. The strategy can also involve deciding to use the expertise of other organisations. You will learn of the different types of partnership available to an organisation and the considerations that must be accommodated if the organisation is to stay true to its vision.
All this will be set against the backdrop of Industry 4. This is the name given to the 4th industrial revolution we are currently witnessing with mega changes in the industry environment shaping the options that are viable both at a strategic and operational level. Managing Strategy and Operations
Teaching methods
Teaching on this module adopts a blended model. It runs over 12 weeks with a mix of face to face lectures & seminars, recorded lectures and tutor guided activities. You will learn the best if you fully engage with all of these activities. It is important that you keep up with your studies so that you study the materials in sequence. That way, you will gain the most from your face to face classes and be able to develop a broad view of managing an organisation at multiple levels.
This is a challenging module and you need to be careful not to fall behind. Please make sure that you read the required reading materials, since the lectures are only intended to complement the reading, not replace it. The concepts are not always simple to apply, so making the most of your face to face classes is important.
Moodle
Moodle is our primary way of delivering your teaching materials, the material is organised in a way that facilitates easy access to relevant materials. You are advised to look at the materials in the section labelled Module Introduction.
You will probably only need to refer back to it if you have a specific question. Do however read all of this handbook.
Assessment
In this area you will find the assessment brief extracted from this handbook. Page numbering will naturally be different, but all other details are the same. You will also find the Turnitin sites where you submit your assessments and support material providing guidance for critical processes that you need to undertake. Managing Strategy and Operations
Schedule and materials
The teaching schedule along with necessary preparation and reading that is in this handbook is repeated in this section. You should note the illustrations that are used because they are the same ones as those on the home page and will help you identify where your teaching material is.
The schedule in the handbook is currently only indicative. Please check the reading on a weekly basis as it might be updated closer to the lecture concerned.
Please check the Moodle site regularly. It is the formal means of communicating instructions, changes, and updates. This site is regularly updated, and you are advised to check it regularly. You are advised to check your university email daily. Any announcements we make in Moodle will be sent to your webmail.
MODULE AIMS
In this module will enable you to explore the process of creating, evaluating and developing strategy and operations. You will be introduced to the challenges and practices associated with becoming strategic leaders and how organizations manage their operations.
MODULE LEARNING OUTCOMES
Knowledge
- Demonstrate critical understanding of the theory and practice of strategic development and
- Evaluate the impact of current and emerging trends on
Thinking skills
- Demonstrate the ability to effectively analyse problems and issues employing a range of appropriate concepts, theories and
- Analyse and synthesize contextual
- Think strategically and assess the impact of strategic change
Subject-based practical skills
- Apply tools and techniques of strategic and operations
- Explain how to influence the strategic direction of an
Skills for life and work (general skills)
- Developing succinct business reports.
- Judging complexity, diversity, and a multiplicity of perspectives accommodated in management
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READING AND RESOURCES LIST
Core:
Grant, R. M. and Jordan, J. J. (2015) Foundations of strategy. 2nd edn. Chichester: Wiley
Johnson, G., Whittington, R., Scholes, K., Angwin, D. and P. Regnér (2013)
Exploring strategy text & cases. 10th edn. Harlow:Pearson
Slack, N., Brandon-Jones, A., Johnston, R. and Betts, A. (2015) Operations and process management, 4th edn. Harlow: Pearson.
Recommended:
Adair, J. (2010) Strategic leadership. How to think and plan strategically and provide direction. London: Kogan Page.
Henry, A.E. (2018) Understanding strategic management. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Leavy, B. and McKiernan P. (2008) Strategic leadership, governance and renewal, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Kastalli, I.V., Neely, A. (2014) Collaborate to innovate: How business ecosystems unleash business value, Executive Briefing
Mintzberg, H., Ahlstrand B., and J. B. Lampel (2008) Strategy safari: The complete guide through the wilds of strategic management. 2nd edn. New York: Free Press
Paroutis, S., Heracleous, L. and Angwin, D. (2016) Practicing strategy. 2nd edn. London: Sage Publications Ltd.
Slack, N., Brandon-Jones, A., Johnston, R. (2016) Operations management, 8th edn. Harlow: Pearson.
ASSESSMENT
Assessment 1: Individual Report
Summary
Word count: 2000 words Weighting: 50%
Appendix up to: 1000 words
Learning outcomes evidenced by this assessment:
Knowledge
- Understand the impact of current and emerging trends on organisations.
Thinking skills
- Demonstrate the ability to effectively analyse problems and issues employing a range of appropriate concepts, theories and
Subject-based practical skills
- Apply the tools and techniques of strategic and operations analysis.
Skills for life and work (general skills)
- Developing succinct business reports.
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Submission procedure:
Your report should be prepared as explained in the following pages, presented as described on page 11 and uploaded to the appropriate Turnitin link. A cover page will be provided in Moodle above the Turnitin link.
Written feedback will be provided via Turnitin within 15 working days of submission.
Introduction
In this assessment you are to analyse the factors contributing to competitive advantage in Leon’s Restaurants. You should concentrate on demonstrating your ability to use the tools and techniques taught during the first part of the term. Most of the data you will require can be found on the organisation’s web pages, and you are guided towards any further research requirements. Do note the final Learning outcome being assessed. The word count is tight.
Leon’s Restaurants are fast food outlets designed to meet the desires of a health-conscious clientele as well as establishing a reputation for sustainable practice. Managing Strategy and Operations
Individually: Prepare a report of 2000 words that:
- Critically evaluates the environment of the industry in which Leon
- Critically evaluates the strategy and operation of the organisation against its vision and industry success factors
- Identifies a range of relevant emerging issues and explores their potential impact at different points within the company’s value chain.
- Identifies areas of potential vulnerability facing Leon Restaurants
Details of the task.
You should take this task in steps. You are being asked to show that you can use the tools and techniques to assist with an analysis. Take the following steps one at a time. The word counts for each section should be taken as a guide and are not monitored. However, the total word count should not exceed 2000 words ±10%. If the lecturer marking your work considers the word count is too high, it will be checked, and marking will stop at the word count.
Introduction 150 words
- Provide the necessary background:
o A brief overview of Leon’s Restaurant including their vision.
- An explanation of the purpose of the
- An overview of the
- Explanation of potentially ambiguous
Critical evaluation of the environment of the industry in which the Leon’s Restaurant operates 600 words
- Conduct a PEST(LE).
- Review emerging megatrends and identify those that apply to the restaurant trade
- Determine the strength of Porter’s 5
- Summarise the industry environment
- Identify what it takes to succeed in the
- Identify how the industry’s environment is likely to change in the future given the influence of the megatrends you identified
The most frequent error made in this stage is to assess the organisation’s environment, not that of the industry
Necessary Research
You will have to conduct the research for this section. When doing so you will probably find PEST and/or Porters Forces analysis that have already been undertaken. However, we want you to conduct your own and the full version of both, complete with citations should be in the appendix. This should be presented in a table with your notes or findings in the left column, supported by a citation in the right hand. The word count of the left-hand column should not exceed 1000 words. If the citations prove to be inappropriate, a mark of 0 will be given for this section of your work. Only summarise key points in your report. Managing Strategy and Operations
Critical evaluation of the strategy of Leon’s Restaurant. 600 words
Using the information in the resources below:
- identify the resources of the
- Identify the capabilities of the organisation
- Evaluate the resources and capabilities (VRIN).
- Compare sustainable resources and capabilities with the industry success factors developed above including consideration of the impact of megatrends Week 3a and 4a
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The most frequent error made in this stage is to describe rather than evaluate, and to omit stage 4.
Critical evaluation of the operation of Leon’s Restaurant. 500 words In the above section you would have identified what Leon’s Restaurant do. In this section you would investigate how they do it. Return to the value chain and identify the elements that fall under their direct control.
- Using the information that you gather from the resources below briefly describe the operation of Leon
- Refer briefly to the vision of Leon
- Critically assess the extent to which the operation supports the delivery of the
- Evaluate the extent to which the operation is sustainable
Weeks
2b – 5b
The challenge: keep the description to just enough to support the analysis
Conclusion` 150 words
The purpose of the conclusion is to provide a very brief overview of the main body of your work and answer the question underlying the purpose of the report.
- Briefly re-iterate the purpose of the
- Summarise your key
- Clearly indicate where you have identified
It should not:
- Contain new information
- List tasks rather than summarise the key findings
Resources
The first links in the resources below will provide a lot of useful information relating to the strategy and the remainder focus more on their operations. Some of the links provide good detail for both. Managing Strategy and Operations
When referring to financial information, always check the date of the report.
- https://www.businessleader.co.uk/why-are-leon-restaurants-at-the- forefront-of-the-healthy-food-revolution/63504/
- http://www.foodchainmagazine.com/2015/04/13/leon-restaurants/
- https://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Article/2015/06/08/Business-Profile- Leon
- https://www.thecaterer.com/articles/552028/leon-reports-record-sales- and-fifth-year-of-revenue-growth
- https://www.verdictfoodservice.com/news/leon-restaurants-financial- results/
- https://www.thecaterer.com/articles/511757/leon-reports-record- revenue-as-it-breaks-50m-mark
- leon.co.uk – Explore all of the links at the top and bottom on this page.
- https://leon.co/blog/
- Look for information in their blog that describes how they operate. For instance:
Reviews from staff provide their perspective of the operation. Much is about the staff management element, but there are a few references to the operation itself.
Referencing Requirement.
You have been asked to produce a business report. These are not referenced in the same way as academic work. You should not reference any material that is from any of the above resources, or in your appendix. Additional references should be in the form of footnotes.