SECTION A.
Answer ONE question.
1.a) Porter and Kramer (2006) argue that “the prevailing approaches to CSR are so disconnected from business as to obscure many of the opportunities for companies to benefit society”.
Critically discuss this statement focusing on the debate between the shareholder and stakeholder models of corporate governance in relation to the strategic purpose of organisations.
b)Using examples and support from wider reading, critically discuss the challenges for global companies of both maintaining legitimacy and ensuring financial performance through their CSR activities.
SECTION B
Answer TWO questions.
2.a)Critically discuss the following statement: “An enterprise with strong dynamic capabilities will be able to profitably build and renew resources, assets, and ordinary capabilities, reconfiguring them as needed toinnovate and respond to (or bring about) changes in the market” (Teece 2018).
b)Identify a strategic business unit (SBU) from a global company you might want to work for (for instance, Huawei, Tesla, Airbnb, Unilever etc.). Using the VRIO framework, and support from wider reading, critically evaluate a capability of this SBU that gives them the potential to realise sustained competitive advantage.
3.a)With reference to key theory and using examples, critically examine how flexibility requirements (Yin and Shanley 2008) can influence the choices that managers make when choosing between mergers & acquisitions, organic development, and strategic alliances.
b)Using examples and support from wider reading, critically discuss the following statement from Ghemawat and Altman (2019): “The biggest winners regardless of whether globalization goes up or down, are likely to be companies that embrace globalization’s complexity rather than purely local or global visions of their business environments.”
4.a)Porter (2008) and Kim and Mauborgne (2004) offer two differing views of the external business environment: Red Oceans and Blue Oceans.
With reference to key authors and using examples, compare and contrast the two theoretical viewpoints.
Using examples and support from wider reading, discuss the threat of substitutes in the UK supermarket retail sector, and what major companies in this industry are doing to deal with this competitive force.
5.a)Critically discuss differences between synergy and responsiveness in corporatestrategy, and illustrate your answer with reference to theory and practice.
b)Using examples and support from wider readings, compare the strategic positioning of two different strategic business units in the UK cosmetics industry (e.g. Body Shop, Lush, etc.). How can they strengthen or change this positioning given the current global challenges and ethical issues affecting global supply chains?
6.a)Managers can change an organisation’s strategy through revolutionary change, which consists of radical, comprehensive, and dramatic changes. With reference to theory and practice, critically discuss the benefits and drawbacks of this approach.
b)An organisation’s cultural heritage can offer a unique advantage or become a significant barrier to change. Using Johnson’s (2008) Cultural Web framework, plus specific examples and support from wider reading, critically discuss the impact of company culture in theUK higher education sector (e.g. universities) on strategic change in these organisation.
