Sustainable business and marketing management.
Background information of the chosen company
The discussion can focus on (but not limited to) the following points:
- General introduction about the company, its management and organisational structure
- International business environment and Australian context
- Analyse the impact of the environmental factors (i.e. political-legal, economic, socio-cultural & technological factors)
- Evaluate the level of competition within the industry in which CSL operates
- Selected useful references:
- The company's website
- Industry and company information & general databases accessible via La Trobe's library, such as IBIS, Passport, Factiva, Company 360, Marketline Advantage, EBSCO, ProQuest.
- Chapters 1, Samson & Daft's textbook
- Chapter 3 - Environmental analysis for sustainable strategic management (pages 60-95) from Sustainable Strategic Management (2nd edition) book by Stead & Stead.
Planning
The discussion can focus on (but not limited to) the following points:
- Analyse CSL's vision, mission and values and their connection with sustainability.
- Analyse CSL's goal setting practices, and major types of plans
- Examine CSL's approach(s) to planning (i.e. traditional, modern and innovative)
- How has sustainability been incorporated into those key decisions/practices?
- Selected useful references:
- The company's website, industry & company information, and general databases
Human resources management
The discussion can focus on (but not limited to) the following points:
- Which HR-related competitive strategies have been implemented by CSL
- How has CSL managed to find the right people?
- How has CSL managed to develop an effective workforce?
- How has CSL managed to maintain an effective workforce?
- Has any sustainable practice been applied in CSL's HRM activities?
- Selected useful references:
o The company's website, industry & company information, and general databases
o Chapters 12, Samson & Daft's textbook
o Book section: "The relevance of the vision of sustainability to HRM practice", pages 401 - 419, from Sustainability and Human resource management book, by Ehnert, Harry & Zink.
- Book section: "Sustainability and HRM", pages 3 -33, from Sustainability and Human resource management book, by Ehnert, Harry & Zink.
- Jabbour, C. J. C., & Santos, F. C. A. (2008). The central role of human resource management in the search for sustainable organizations. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 19(12), 2133-2154. (accessible via La Trobe's library)
Leadership
The discussion can focus on (but not limited to) the following points:
- Examine leadership at CSL and its effectiveness
- Analyse the leadership styles exercised in CSL.
- Which leadership traits and characteristics have been demonstrated by CSL's leaders; which type of power and influence tactics have been used?
- Has CSL's leadership been able to inspire and motive people beyond their normal levels of performance (i.e. charismatic and transformational leadership)?
- How has sustainability been incorporated into CSL's leadership? Selected useful references:
- The company's website, industry & company information, and general databases
- Chapters 15, Samson & Daft's textbook
- Chapter 8 - Organisational governance and strategic leadership in SSM (pages 239-245) from Sustainable Strategic Management (2nd edition) book by Stead & Stead.
Controlling the value chain and technology
The discussion can focus on (but not limited to) the following points:
- Analyse how effective CSL is in conducting its operations management.
- Analyse how effective CSL is in managing its supply chain.
- Has new technology been implemented in CSL's operations/supply chain management practices?
- How has sustainability been incorporated into those key decisions/ practices
- Selected useful references:
- The company's website, industry & company information, and general databases
- Chapters 20, Samson & Daft's textbook
- Book section: "Value chain analysis" (pages 109-112), from Sustainable Strategic Management book by Stead & Stead.
- Section 20 - Sustainable supply chain management: The good, the bad and the ugly
(pages 277-287) from Sustainability and Management: An international perspective book by Caliyurt & Yuksel
- Sustainable supply chain management across the UK private sector by Walker & Jones (2012)
Recommendations & future strategies
- Future strategies management should engage in (identify at least 3 major strategies for the company)
- Please make sure the recommendations/suggested strategies are made based on your earlier analyses