Write a 2500 - 3000 word report, including 200 words of an executive summary, but excluding references and appendix. In this report, you are required to perform the following tasks:
1. Describe briefly the background information (strategic context) of the firm (or SBU) you have selected. This information should be brief and relevant to the discussion of your assignment and thus may include ownership, history, size, business scope, major products/services, and major markets of the firm (or SBU) selected.
2. Conduct a macro-environment analysis for the entire industry within which the firm (or SBU) operates. You should use the analytical framework provided in the textbook. Foci will be placed on the 2 understanding of the purpose of this analysis, the identification of key factors and their implications in terms of key opportunities and threats, and the discussion of their overall impact on the industry growth in the future. Draw your conclusion based on your macro-environment analysis.
3. Undertake an industry (competitive) analysis using Porter's 5-forces model. You are required to pay attention to the purpose of this analysis, the inter-connectedness of different aspects of the competitive forces, the links between the competitive forces and macro-environment, and their overall impact on the industry and the organization selected in terms of main driving forces in the competitive environment. Draw your conclusions based on your five-force analyses.
4. Identify those resources and competences of the firm (or SBU) that are likely to provide sustainable competitive advantage. Justify why these resources and competences can be regarded as strategic capabilities using the four criteria covered in the textbook.
5. Identify and discuss the generic type of business strategy the firm (or SBU) implements by examining its strategy statement and/or its value chain activities.
6. Evaluate the suitability of the firm's current business strategy based on the outcomes of your analysis and integration above (e.g., the identification of the firm's current business strategy and the most significant factors affecting the firm's performance, and your understanding of business strategy).