Examine the relationship between the external context of an organisation and its internal context, and how these impact on its strategies

• Programme: BA Business Management
• Module code: LCBB6004
• Assignment Title: Strategic Management and Sustainability – Assessment 1
• Word count (or equivalent): 2500 Words (+/- 10%)

Module Learning Outcomes (from module syllabus)

Upon the successful completion of this module, the student should be able to:

• Examine the relationship between the external context of an organisation and its internal context, and how these impact on its strategies.
• Critically evaluate the competitive and development strategies of an organisation in the context of contemporary strategic management issues.
• Analyse the factors that must be considered by an organisation in the implementation of a strategy.

 ASSESSMENT TASK DESCRIPTION - Assessment 1 (2,500 Words) - 50%

Students in this module submit individual essays that carry out an analysis of VW and its competitive environment. This individual essay will constitute 50% of your overall mark (please see below the note on the requirements of the individual essay).

NOTE: The case study organisation provides you with a ‘platform’ on which to develop your knowledge. It is your responsibility to explore additional material on the case study company.

Individual Coursework

Volkswagen is to pay £193m to more than 90,000 drivers in England and Wales after it settled a High Court claim over the installation of emissions cheating devices in its vehicles. The German carmaker apologised again to customers and said it was working to rebuild trust. The "dieselgate" scandal erupted in 2015 and has led to VW facing litigation in several countries.The group has already paid out more than €30bn (£26bn) worldwide. This includes fines, compensation, civil settlements and buyback schemes. The use of "defeat devices" meant that Volkswagen`s cars were certified as conforming to EU pollution standards when, in reality, they were emitting up to 40 times the legally permitted amount of nitrogen dioxide. Nitrogen dioxide is a pollutant, which has been linked to respiratory diseases and premature death. Volkswagen admitted that 11 million vehicles worldwide, including almost 1.2 million in the UK, were affected. About 91,000 motorists in England and Wales, represented by several legal firms, took action against VW as well as its subsidiaries Audi, Seat and Skoda.

Among other things they claimed they had been misled by VW about the sustainability ratings of their cars and in many cases it affected the value of their vehicles. The claim, which lawyers said would have been the biggest ever brought by a group of consumers in the UK, was due to go to trial in January 2023. Volkswagen said it had made no admission of liability but that the legal costs of a six-month trial in England meant a settlement "was the most prudent course of action commercially". It will pay out a total of £193m, allocated between the claimants in proportions agreed by their solicitors, as well as a separate contribution towards their legal costs. In a statement, the company said: "The Volkswagen Group would, once again, like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologise to their customers for the two-mode software installed in the EA189 vehicles. The Volkswagen Group will continue to work to rebuild the trust of their customers here in England and Wales." Philip Haarmann, chief legal officer of Volkswagen AG, said the settlement was "another important milestone as the Volkswagen Group continues to move beyond the deeply regrettable events leading up to September 2015". David Whitmore, chief executive of Slater and Gordon, which represented around 70,000 of the claimants, said: "The settlement avoids the need for a lengthy, complex and expensive trial process and we are delighted to have achieved this settlement for our Page 3 of 11 customers as a result of the group action. (Source: BBC (2022) Volkswagen to pay out £193m in `dieselgate` settlement. Accessible via https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-61581251).

In specific, the following criteria should be covered in your report.

1) Identify with evidence the key business strategies of VW over the past five years. Use related frameworks to discuss why this strategy was pursued or changed.

2) Identify with evidence the resources and capabilities of the case study company over the past five years and analyse to what extent the company has aligned its resources and capabilities to its current business strategies.

3) Evaluate with evidence how VW has tried to become more competitive while taking into consideration sustainability and the environment.

4) Make recommendations on how further sustainability practices can help the organisation to develop competitive advantages in the future.

PRESENTING COURSEWORK FOR ASSESSMENT

Assignments must be presented in the following format:

• Assignments need a front cover page stating: Module number, Module name, Title of the assignment, Your name and student number, Submission date, Word count
• An Executive Summary is not required.
• It is mandatory that learners adhere to the specified word count given in the assignment brief within a margin of -/+10%.
• Your assignments should be written in a report/essay style with an introduction, body of the essay (broken down into sub-sections), and conclusion.
• Assignments must be word-processed in 11 font Arial and double spaced
• All pages must be numbered
• Margins must be as follows: Top: 1 inch, Bottom: 1 inch (2.5 cm), Left: 1.25 inches, Right: 1.25 inches (3.2 cm)
• The assignment word limit does not include the cover page, reference list or appendices.
• The length of an assignment is limited by a set number of words to contribute towards the development of writing skills and to ensure all work is assessed equitably. We, therefore, require you to complete your assignments within the number of words specified in the assignment brief. If you write more than required words, the extra words will not be marked to ensure equality of marking.
• Your report will be assessed based on the content within the main body of your report (within the word limit). However, you are encouraged to use appendices for the presentation of the detailed research which supports your discussion, and for the detailed analysis using course models. Please ensure, however, that your main argument and key findings are included in the body of your report. Page 4 of 11
• Please also remember that a report can be enhanced or damaged through layout, for example, placing all tables and drawings in appendices can hamper the flow of discussion. Decisions, therefore, need to be made about the most appropriate place to use tables etc. to support your case.
• Appendices themselves will not be marked. However, inappropriate use of appendices will be taken into consideration when awarding the final mark.
• Assignments not complying with this format might be returned to students unmarked.