FACULTY OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Download as DOCX, PDF1 like217 views
The document provides guidelines for writing assignments at the Richfield Graduate Institute, emphasizing the importance of proper referencing, structure, and submission requirements. It details the assessment criteria and specific questions regarding case studies on competitive strategies, management resistance, corporate mergers, and automotive sales performance. Instructions also highlight the significance of originality in work and outline penalties for plagiarism.
![Moderator’s Comments:
Signature of Examiner: Signature ofModerator:
QUESTIONS [90 MARKS]
QUESTION 1 20 MARKS
1.1 Critically explain the five generic competitive strategies. What resources or
capabilities are required to pursue each of these strategies? Justify your answer
with
theory and practical examples. (10)
1.2 Using the five forces framework evaluate a competitive environment of your choice.
Support your answer with theory and practical example. (10)
QUESTION 2 20 MARKS
2.1 In mid 1984 Mr. Mahmood, the General Manager of Westward Exports Limited, Karachi,
Pakistan was trying to implement a management information system. He was facing
resistance from Mr. Saleem, his most senior Supervisor. Mr. Mahmood wondered what
he could do to overcome this resistance.
Company Background
Westward Exports was an exporter of ladies cotton garments. It was a private company
established in 1971. It was a family run business and all four directors were brothers.
Over the past fourteen years the exports of the company had grown from Rs.0.71 million
in 1972-73 to
Rs. 59.76 million in 1984. Almost 90% of the exports went to USA. It owned no
manufacturing facility of any kind. It purchased cotton cloth from six different textile
mills and had the cloth dyed and printed. This fabric was then passed on to 138 stitching
subcontractors. The company had been expanding the product line over the years and
by 1983 it was exporting about one million garments in over one hundred basic designs.
The 100 designs were presented in a large of fabric types, shades, designs and sizes.
When seen in the context that the company had to get all these things done through
subcontractors, the managerial control of the operations became quite challenging. The
directors who had always been actively involved in each and every aspectof the business,
and made all the decisions by themselves, felt the heat of changing situations. They
appreciated the problem and decided to hire some professional assistancetobring more
control to their operations.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/e8c14ebc8aab89e56f38ff03de0f0ffb-it-strategic-management-732-170401131442/85/FACULTY-OF-INFORMATION-TECHNOLOGY-3-320.jpg)
FACULTY OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
- 1. NB: 1. Candidates are advised to read the guide lines. 2. For reference use prescribed, recommended books and other source you may come across. 3. Correct referencing carries 10 Marks. GUIDELNES The purpose of an assignment is to ensure that the Learner is able to: Use methods of enquiry and research in a disciplined field. Interpret and evaluate text. Have a sound understanding of key principles and theories, rules and awareness. Solve unfamiliarproblemsusingcorrectproceduresaswellasinvestigate andcriticallyanalyse information and report thereof. Present and communicate information reliably and coherently. Instructions and guidelines for writing assignments 1. Use the correct cover page provided by the institution. 2. All essay type assignments must include the following: 2.1 Table of contents 2.2 Introduction 2.3 Main body with subheadings 2.4 Conclusions and recommendations 2.5 Bibliography 3. The length of the entire assignment must have minimum of 5 pages. Preferablytyped with font size 12 3.1 The quality of work submitted is more important than the number of assigned pages. 4. Copying is a serious offence which attracts a severe penalty and must be avoidedat all costs. If any learner transgresses this rule, the lecturer will retain the assignments and ask the affected learners to resubmit a new assignment which will be capped at 50%. 5. Use the Harvard referencing method.
- 2. RICHFIELD GRADUATE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (PTY) LTD FACULTY OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IT STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT 732 2ND SEMESTER ASSIGNMENT Name & Surname: _________________________________ ICAS No: _________________ Qualification: ______________________ Semester: _____ Module Name: __________________________ Date Submitted: ___________ ASSESSMENT CRITERIA MARK ALLOCATION EXAMINER MARKS MODERATOR MARKS MARKS FOR CONTENT QUESTION ONE 30 QUESTION TWO 30 QUESTION THREE 20 QUESTION FOUR 10 TOTAL MARKS 90 MARKS FOR TECHNICAL ASPECTS 1. TABLE OF CONTENTS Accurate numbering accordingto the numbering in text and page numbers. 2 2. LAYOUT AND SPELLING Font – Calibri 12 Line Spacing – 1.0 Margin should be justified. 3 3. REFERENCE Accordingto the Harvard Method 5 TOTAL MARKS 10 TOTAL MARKS FOR ASSIGNMENT 100 Examiner’s Comments:
- 3. Moderator’s Comments: Signature of Examiner: Signature ofModerator: QUESTIONS [90 MARKS] QUESTION 1 20 MARKS 1.1 Critically explain the five generic competitive strategies. What resources or capabilities are required to pursue each of these strategies? Justify your answer with theory and practical examples. (10) 1.2 Using the five forces framework evaluate a competitive environment of your choice. Support your answer with theory and practical example. (10) QUESTION 2 20 MARKS 2.1 In mid 1984 Mr. Mahmood, the General Manager of Westward Exports Limited, Karachi, Pakistan was trying to implement a management information system. He was facing resistance from Mr. Saleem, his most senior Supervisor. Mr. Mahmood wondered what he could do to overcome this resistance. Company Background Westward Exports was an exporter of ladies cotton garments. It was a private company established in 1971. It was a family run business and all four directors were brothers. Over the past fourteen years the exports of the company had grown from Rs.0.71 million in 1972-73 to Rs. 59.76 million in 1984. Almost 90% of the exports went to USA. It owned no manufacturing facility of any kind. It purchased cotton cloth from six different textile mills and had the cloth dyed and printed. This fabric was then passed on to 138 stitching subcontractors. The company had been expanding the product line over the years and by 1983 it was exporting about one million garments in over one hundred basic designs. The 100 designs were presented in a large of fabric types, shades, designs and sizes. When seen in the context that the company had to get all these things done through subcontractors, the managerial control of the operations became quite challenging. The directors who had always been actively involved in each and every aspectof the business, and made all the decisions by themselves, felt the heat of changing situations. They appreciated the problem and decided to hire some professional assistancetobring more control to their operations.
- 4. Mr. Mahmood Mr. Mahmood was hired in late 1983 to be the new general manager. He was an agricultural graduate who had about fifteen years of marketing and sales experiencewith a multinational organization. He also had attended more than a dozen management development courses. The directors were confident that he could introduce some new control measures to help ensure the continued success of the company. Mr. Mahmood quickly determined that if Westward Exports was to remain in business it immediately must eliminate the haphazardness in its operations. No proper costing, no scheduling, no progress sheets or order status reports, no follow up charts, or for that matter no control procedure worth the name existed. “It was all so nebulous” he concluded. He worked currently serving as Chairman, Department of Commerce, Bahauddin Zakria University, Multan. Late hours to comprehend fully the nature and scope of the company’s business and its coordination and working relationships without contractors. Almost immediately he started to design a proper system to help cure the lack of control and information available. Mr. Saleem Out of about 200 old employees in the company, the key operating manager was Mr. Saleem. Saleem joined the company in 1973 as a production officer, nearly the lowest rung in the company’s hierarchy. He distinguished himself because of his hard work and was promoted to be a supervisor. By 1982, Saleem, under direct supervision of the directors, was looking after every activity in manufacturing. Right from raw material procurement to packing and shipping of finished garments, he was coordinating all of the activities. Because of the varied nature of his duties and his dedication to work, he was able to learn all the ins and outs of the business. Saleemalso was considered to be a man with a photographic memory. He virtually ran the whole business from the information stored in his head. “I have an abhorrence for paper work”, saidSaleem. “My work load is so great that I am always engrossed in my job. Even my dreams are job related”, he added. “But due recognition has always been awarded to me by my director.” Current Situation Mr. Saleem initially cooperated with Mr. Mahmood. However, when Mr. Mahmood started to implement some of the new systems and procedures, Mr. Saleem refused to go along with them. Mr. Saleemeven questioned the very need for sucha drastic change. “Ask me about anything …. any detail of a fabric, any garments any export order …. For that matter anything that has bothering the people here with such clerical burdens? These luxuries are all right for big companies, but not for us. We can not spare people for such unproductive things.” Mr. Mahmood understood that Mr. Saleem was close to the director and was the seniormost supervisor. Therefore, his opposition could not be taken lightly. Mr.
- 5. Mahmood also felt that others might say that he had neither the general management experience nor any particular experience in the garment industry. Conclusion Nevertheless, Mr. Mahmood was confident that the company did need the change and as soon as possible.He was troubled; however, with the resistanceof Mr. Salaam’s reluctant to accommodate his new system, he would not be able to do the job. 2.1.1 Do you agree with Mr. Saleem that “such luxuries are for big companies, but not for us”? Why or why not? (10) 2.1.2 How should Mr. Mahmood handle the current situation? (10) QUESTION 3 25 MARKS 3.1 CASE STUDY:Telkom and Business Connexion Merger South African telecoms giant Telkom and IT Company Business Connexions have confirmed they are to merge their businesses in a joint venture. The move-first announced earlier this year-can be seen as an attempt to provide broader services to the citizens of South Africa and business organisations in the telecom and who need IT experts for their business evaluations. Business Connexions had a lot of clients and the business was increasing rampantly gaining more favour with many companies. Both companies are expected to continue providing their current services in the current brand names, with a new brand name expected in the near future. There are clear advantages to both companies of a merger, JSE has announced on SABC Business News. 3.1.1 Did Telkom make the correct decision by forming a merger? Justify your answer with relevant theories. (5) 3.1.2 Do a SWOT analysis for Telkom in the market of cellular competition. Use a table to present you answer. (10) 3.1.3 Critically evaluate the future impact of this decision of a merger by both companies (10) QUESTION FOUR 25 MARKS 4.1 Toyota SA sellsa record 13 094 vehiclesinMarch Toyota South Africa set a new monthly sales record for the local motor industry with 13 094 vehicles sold in March 2006. This is the first time any manufacturer or importer has broken through the 13 000 unit barrier. Toyota’s total was made up of 8838 passenger cars, 3757 light
- 6. commercial vehiclesandanindustry-leading499 trucks.This gave the marketleaderforthe past 26 years a 23, 2 per cent share of total vehicle sales. ThislatestsalesachievementbyToyotaSA followsmanyothermilestonespassedoverthe years,with Toyota being the first company in South Africa to sell 10 000 units in a month (10 833 in March 1984), 11 000 unitsinamonth(11249 inJune 2005) and12 000 unitsinamonth(12167 inAugust 2005). The total vehicle marketforMarch was also a record at 56 341 units-61 799 unitswhenthe 5458 sales of non-reporting Association Motor Holdings is addedto the official figure released by the National Associationof Automobile Manufacturesof SouthAfrica.Thisequatestoanincrease of 29 percentoversalesinMarch 2005 and an improvementof 12,4 percenton the salesfigure for February this year. “Talking from a Toyota point of view, it was rewarding that our dealers could make major contributiontoourrecordsalesinmonth inwhichtheylaunchedthreeall-newmodels-Fortunes, RAV4 and Yaris sedan –and a revised Prius,” commented the President and CEO of Toyota SA, Johan van Zyl. “We were delightedwith the immediate market acceptance of our new Fortuner SUV,sellingmore than500unitsintwoweeks.The ongoingsuccessof Yaris,now withtheaddition of a sedan derivative, is certainly growing the B segment of the local market. “Lookingatthe overall SouthAfricanvehiclemarketweare pleasedtosee thatitcontinuestoexpand onthe back of soundeconomicfundamentals.Marchisusuallyastrongsalesmonthandthiswasthe case againthis year.Not onlywas ita buyers’market,withmanynew modelsandlots of marketing activity, but it was also the last month for deliveries against the 2005/6 government tender.” 4.1.1 UsingToyota, discussthe commonbarrierstothe entryof the companyintonew market. (5) 4.1.2 What will be ToyotaSA’scompetitivepositionregardingthe otherfouraspectsof porter’sFive Forces model? (10) 4.1.3 Identify and apply a PEST analysisfor Toyota SA. (10) TOTAL 100 MARKS TOTAL MARKS: 100