Module title

Strategic International Business Management (RKC)

CRN

July 2019

Level

7

Assessment title

Final Assignment

Weighting within module

This assessment is worth 50% of the overall module mark.

Submission deadline date and time

As indicated under Unit 3 of the Syllabus section on the RKC online campus.

How to submit

You must submit your report via the RKC online campus, either from the home page, or from the Unit 3 of the Syllabus.

Assessment task details and instructions

For this task you should consider yourself a management consultant who has been recruited by a company (see the case detailed below) to advise them on how to implement a planned change.

TASK

A) Read the case study below:

SAR Health Services (SARHS) are part of a multi-national enterprise based in Switzerland. They supply sophisticated diagnostic equipment to hospitals across Europe and have recently entered new marks in Asia. SARHS’s relationship with its customers is based on high trust, high quality products and in Europe on 24/7 servicing. The company employs around 3000 staff, consisting of technicians, production, office staff (sales, marketing, distribution) managers and drivers.

SARHS puts particular emphasis on environmental education through staff training and induction. New staff receive a half-day session on sustainability. In addition, monthly departmental meetings in head office include a ‘green slot’ where updates and activities regarding environmental sustainability are discussed. The organisation also runs an internship, which has proved to be a useful source of ideas regarding green initiatives.

The company has gone through two reorganisations in the last 3 years. The most recent involved shifting from a functional to a matrix structure. Managers however, have complained that this last structural change confused authority and responsibility relationships.

Due to pressure on equipment budgets for healthcare organisations, and increasing competition, SARHS senior management team is aware that it has to find ways of reducing operating costs.

A decision has been taken to close one production site (Site A) and consolidate operations at another (Site B), some 100 miles away, in 6 months’ time. During this time site B will be redesigned, including the development of an ‘open plan’ office, which it is expected will reduce energy costs. It is anticipated that the overall number of office and production staff will be reduced by 5 -8%, but technical and sales staff numbers are expected to remain the same. **

The management’s aim is to decrease the company’s carbon foot print by a third by 2022.

A number of green initiatives are also planned to reduce costs, including:

Recycling and waste reduction

Encouragement to recycle by putting lids on waste bins to make recycling easier and providing recycling bins to customers

Transport initiatives

Company drivers are to be provided with training in fuel efficient driving, with a bonus of 100 Euros twice a year for those who are found to be fuel efficient.

Home based working will also be introduced for the entire sales team, who will only attend the Site B office for monthly meetings.

To be successful, the relocation and proposed green initiatives need to be fully supported by all staff. Unfortunately, began to hear rumours about the planned changes. As a result, the Managing Director brought forward his formal announcement and held a briefing meeting for staff.

Having now heard about the plans formally there is a fair degree of anger and concern amongst the workforce, with remarks from production staff such as “we’ve only just got over the last change and now I might have to move” and “it’s going to cost me money to travel, that’s effectively a wage cut” being typical. Some sales reps are however happy about the idea of being home-based, as this will cut down their overall travel. 

Re **: You are not expected to understand and discuss redundancy or consultation.

B. Write a management report of 3,000 words (plus or minus 10%, not including the reference list) which draws on theory and addresses the following:

1. Identify the factors that the management team might wish to consider before going ahead with their plan.

(30 marks)

2. Identify and discuss the people management issues that the management team are likely to face in implementing the plan, explaining the reasons for this.

(30 marks)

3. Develop and justify recommendations as to how to proceed with this project.

(30 marks)

4. Identify the factors that the organisation may need to consider in order to build its change capability.

(10 marks)

Total =100 marks

Assessed intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this assessment, you will be able to:

Knowledge and Understanding

1. Analyse effective change management in organisations.
2. Understand theories relating to motivation and/or leadership, critically evaluating how organisations put them into practice.
3. Promote a professional and ethical approach to organisations.

Transferable Skills and other Attributes

1. Apply planning, organising, decision-making and time management skills appropriate for use in an organisational context.

2. Experiment and develop personal initiative and responsibility in undertaking complex investigations in the solving of organisational problems and issues.

3. Critically analyse and apply key ideas and concepts via comprehensive research relevant both to the subject area and to professional practice in the field.

4. Use terminology associated with the subject area accurately and in a way, which demonstrates sophisticated knowledge and understanding.

5. Develop and enhance individually and/or collaboratively effective written and/or oral communication skills for both specialist and non-specialist audiences.

Module Aims

1. The overall aim of the module is to provide you with a thorough grounding in the major issues and perspectives of developing and implementing business strategy at the international level.
2. You are encouraged to think about global management issues within the context of your respective programme and in your future career.
3. In addition, the module aims to encourage you to think critically about theory and practice in an ethical and professional manner, in particular in light of key issues and decisions related to strategic organisation in both national and international contexts.
4. The achievement of these aims will be facilitated by an introduction to major debates about leadership theory and practice, as well as a demonstration of the links between leadership and motivation practices with a view to attaining positive organisational outcomes.

Word count/ duration (if applicable)

As indicated above, your assessment should be 3000 words in total (+ / - 10%).

Feedback arrangements

“The purpose of feedback is not to provide students with a benchmark between passing and failing but to identify strengths and where there is room for improvement and development” (Assessment and Feedback for Taught Awards Policy).

You can expect to receive the provisional mark and feedback for this assessment 2 calendar weeks after submission.

Feedback is provided via the RKC online campus.

All marks will be ratified at the appropriate Board of Examiners following internal and external moderation.

Please note that being dissatisfied with your results does not constitute grounds for an academic appeal.

Support arrangements

RKC

Please contact your tutors for any questions. You may contact them per email at any time for personal questions. Alternatively, you can contact Student Care using the links on your homepage.

AskUS

The University offers a range of support services for students through askUS.

Assessment Information

If you have any questions about assessment rules, you can find out more here.

Personal Mitigating Circumstances

If personal mitigating circumstances may have affected your ability to complete this assessment, please contact Robert Kennedy College. You can find more information about personal mitigating circumstances procedure here.

Good Academic Conduct and Academic Misconduct

Students are expected to learn and demonstrate skills associated with good academic conduct (academic integrity). Good academic conduct includes the use of clear and correct referencing of source materials. Here is a link to where you can find out more about the skills which students require http://www.salford.ac.uk/skills-for-learning.

Academic Misconduct is an action which may give you an unfair advantage in your academic work. This includes plagiarism, asking someone else to write your assessment for you or taking notes into an exam. The University takes all forms of academic misconduct seriously.  You can find out how to avoid academic misconduct here https://www.salford.ac.uk/skills-for-learning.

Assessment Criteria

The Level 7 Grade Descriptors for the assessment can be found in the Assessments folder on the module’s Blackboard site.

You should look at the assessment criteria to find out what we are specifically looking at during the assessment.

In Year Retrieval Scheme

Your assessment is not eligible for in year retrieval.

Reassessment

If you fail your assessment, and are eligible for reassessment, you will be advised of the resubmission date by Robert Kennedy College.

For students with accepted personal mitigating circumstances, this will be your replacement assessment attempt.  

Students should be aware that there is no late submission period at reassessment (this includes those students who have an accepted PMC request from a previous attempt).

If you need to be reassessed, the reassessment will be the same as the original assessment.