Business Strategy
Strategic Planning for the Sony Corporation
Assignment brief
Unit number and title Unit 7: Business Strategy
Qualification Pearson BTEC Level 5 HND Diploma in Business
Start date 24th February 2014
Deadline/hand-in 20th June 2014
Assessor Perry Ellis
Assignment title Strategic Plan for the Sony Corporation
Purpose of this assignment
Students will identify key strategic planning tools and apply them to a global corporation. They will be required to evaluate the effectiveness of these tools and to
put them to practical use through an examination of the Sony Corporation, which has a broad portfolio of products and a trading presence in many international markets.
Case study for:
The Sony Corporation, in which students will:
1. Identify key terms and planning tools related to strategic planning for the Mobile Communications division (Task 1).
2. Recommend a medium and long term strategy for the Sony Corporation, based on one of the following options: market entry, substantive growth, limited growth or
retrenchment (Task 2).
Scenario: You have been engaged by the Head of Marketing at Sony Mobile Communications to prepare a PowerPoint presentation about the current state of this important
division within the Sony Corporation. Although the presentation is intended to be for the Head of Marketing to present to the main board, it is possible that you
might be called upon to make the presentation in their place. The presentation should contain around 20 slides (± 10%). You have also been tasked with preparing a
report about the future strategy of the Sony Corporation (2000 words ± 10%), for the main board.
Task 1 LO1 (LO1.1, LO1.2, LO1.3) and LO2 (LO2.1, LO2.2, LO2.3, LO2.4)
Case Study for Task 1
Sony Mobile Communications (SMC) is one the world’s leading providers of mobile multimedia devices including phones, accessories and PC cards. The main competitors of
SMC are Apple, Nokia and Samsung.
SMC has a key presence in both developed and developing markets and is the world’s fourth-largest maker of handsets. Employing over 7,500 employees over 40 countries,
the management team is led (at the time of writing) by Executive Vice-President, Kunimasa Suzuki.
Sales for the Sony Mobile Products and Communications division in 2012 were Yen 622.7m, with an operating income of Yen7.2m. In 2013 their sales were Yen 1,257.6m,
with an operating loss of Yen 97.2m.NB: the sales figures for this division of the Sony Corporation include the following products: mobile phones, personal and mobile
products (eg. Tablets), and personal computers.
The above is Sony Ericsson’s position in year 2013. Carry out research and analysis on Sony Mobile Communications (SMC) and produce a presentation which addresses the
points below:
a) Using SMC as an example, assess how mission statements, company visions, objectives, goals and core competencies contribute to the strategic planning process
of an organisation. (LO 1.1)
b) Analyse the factors that SMC need to consider when formulating their strategic plans. (LO1.2)
c) Evaluate the effectiveness of the techniques SMC could use when developing strategic business plans. (LO1.3)
d) Analyse the strategic positioning of the Sony Corporation by conducting an organisational audit (LO2.1)
e) Conduct an environmental audit on SMC. As a minimum requirement you must carry out a PESTLE analysis, Porter 5 Force analysis and an internal audit. (LO2.2)
f) Assess the role of key SMC stakeholder groups – notably, shareholders, staff and customers – when formulating a new strategy. (LO2.3)
g) Present your recommended strategy for SMC in your preferred PowerPoint format. (LO2.4)
To achieve M1, you will make effective judgements about the value to an organisation of mission statements, vision statements, publicly stated goals and core
strategies. To achieve M2, you will have used, explained and then evaluated the key techniques available to organisations when they are preparing to implement their
short, medium and long term strategies.
Task 2 LO3 (LO3.1, LO3.2) and LO4 (LO4.1, LO4.2, LO4.3)
Scenario: As a member of the Marketing Department, you have been given the task of preparing a report for the main board of the Sony Corporation. The report must be
written in a professional manner and properly referenced. The report should comply with the word count of 2000 words (± 10%). You may use tables and diagrams to
support your report and to illustrate the text. Word count excludes the index, headings, information contained in tables, references and bibliography.
Case Study for Task 2
Following the analysis you have carried out in Task 1, you are required to produce a report which addresses the following elements:
a) Analyse and evaluate four key options that the Sony Corporation could adopt when considering its future strategy. These options are:
1. Market entry
2. Substantive growth
3. Limited growth
4. Retrenchment (LO3.1)
b) Justify your selection (LO3.2)
c) Assess the roles and responsibilities of Sony staff (functions or individuals, as appropriate) who are directly involved in strategy implementation. (LO4.1)
d) Analyse the estimated resource requirements that Sony will need to identify and allocate if it is to implement the new strategy you have recommended. (LO4.2)
e) Evaluate the contribution of SMART objectives which Sony could employ to help it to achieve its overall strategic implementation. You may consider a number of
approaches, including the balanced score card approach. (LO4.3)
To achieve M3 the work you present will be presented in suitable business formats and will use appropriate business terminology accurately, in line with the scenario
described in the case study. To achieve D1 you must show that you have evaluated the strategies you have presented in your assignment, such that they are clearly
identified in order of importance (as selected by you) in relation to the future success of the company in the case study. To achieve D2 you will have demonstrated an
effective approach to independent research and study, and you will have presented your recommendations in an appropriate business format. To achieve D3 you will have
drawn conclusions which identify the links between the planning and the implementation of a global strategy for the company cited in the case study. To achieve this
you must show that convergent and lateral thinking has been applied to problems and that innovation and creative thought have been applied to your work.
Evidence checklist Summary of evidence required by student Evidence presented
Task 1 A PowerPoint presentation, based on Sony Mobile Communications, which analyses key strategic planning tools. The presentation should contain around 20 slides
(± 10%).
Task 2 A report which recommends a future strategy for the Sony Corporation. The word count for this task is 2000 words (± 10%).
Achievement Summary
Qualification Pearson BTEC Level 5 HND Diploma in Business
Assessor name
Unit Number and title Unit 7: Business Strategy
Student name
Criteria Reference To achieve the criteria the evidence must show that the student is able to: Achieved?
(tick)
LO 1
1.1 explain strategic contexts and terminology – missions, visions, objectives, goals, core competencies
1.2
review the issues involved in strategic planning
1.3 explain different planning techniques
LO 2
2.1
produce an organisational audit for a given organisation
2.2
carry out an environmental audit for a given organisation
2.3
explain the significance of stakeholder analysis
LO 3
3.1 analyse possible alternative strategies relating to substantive growth, limited growth or retrenchment
3.2 select an appropriate future strategy for a given organisation
LO 4
4.1 compare the roles and responsibilities for strategy implementation
4.2 evaluate resource requirements to implement a new strategy for a given organisation
4.3 discuss targets and timescales for achievement in a given organisation to monitor a given strategy
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