ASSESSMENT GUIDE
MGMT605: Strategic Management for Sustainability, Semester 2, 2020
Assessment 1
Assessment Artefact (Strategy thinking)
Weighting [30%]
Why this assessment?
What are the types of employability skills that I will acquire upon completion of this
assessment?
Assessment Overview:
The purpose of this assessment is to develop your theoretical understanding of the strategies, discuss how
organisations achieve competitive advantage through the chosen strategies, discuss ethical and social implications,
and justify their preferred strategic management model.
Due date: Friday, 28 August 2020, 12pm (week 5)
Weighting: 30%
Length and/or format: 1000 words
Learning outcomes assessed LO1, LO3, LO4
Graduate attributes assessed GA2, GA3, GA4, GA5
How to submit: Turnitin
Return of assignment: Two weeks
Assessment criteria: Rubric: see end of document
• Develop strategic thinking in business operation
• Exposure to real-life scenario
• The feedback from this assessment will help students to be ready to correct any conceptual
misunderstanding and apply in the next assessment
Skill Type
Developed critical and analytical thinking 
Developed ability to solve complex problems 
Developed confidence to learn independently 
Developed written communication skills 
Developed knowledge in the field study 
Developed work-related knowledge and skills 
2
Context
Imagine you are a middle manager at a company. Now your company is at the crossroad of its development and in
urgent need to find a way to build and sustain its competitive advantage. Your CEO asks you to write a strategy
report to help him/her to make an informed decision.
In a meeting with your CEO, he/her asks you to include the following elements in your report:
• Identify the options the company has and analyse how your presented options may help your company
achieve competitive advantage.
• Given the increasing pressure from stakeholders on your company’s social performance, your CEO also
wants to know the ethical implications of your presented options.
• Further, your CEO expects to see how you would recommend to implement a preferred strategy in order to
balance the interests of the business, society and environment.
Instructions
This is an individual assessment. This assessment requires you to choose two strategies relating lecture
contents/topics from published peer-review journals, analyse how your chosen strategies help businesses achieve
competitive advantages and the ethical implications.
Process for completing the assignment
Step 1: Use our lecture slides and resources to choose two strategies by which businesses can achieve competitive
advantage
Step 2: Conduct research and analyse about how these chosen strategies help businesses achieve competitive
advantages. You can use resources on Harvard Business Review and some quality business journals (Strategic
Management Journal, Academy of Management Review). It is important to note that the analysis should be critical,
that is, you need to mention the pros and cons of each concept.
Step 3: Evaluate ethical issues/implications surrounding the two strategies. This can include how the chosen
strategies can affect stakeholders such as community, environment, and employees etc.
Step 4: Generate recommendations drawing on your analysis. Choose a preferred strategy/approach after your
analysis of the two concepts and provide reasons why this strategy is better. Provide plans about how you may
recommend to implement this preferred strategy.
Structure (see below)
3
Introduction 100 words. Open up your report by explaining what you are going to do in this
report.
Identify two
strategies/approaches by
which organisations can
achieve competitive
advantage
In no more than 150 words outline two strategies by which organisations can
achieve superior performance over their competitors, and what the two strategies
specially may include.
For example, if you think cost leadership can help businesses to build competitive
advantage, then you need to explain what cost leadership is and what it strategies
for business (e.g., cutting costs across the broad).
Analyse how the chosen
strategies/approaches can
help organisations achieve
competitive advantage
In no more than 250 words analyse how the chosen strategies help organisations
become superior in relation to their competitors.
For example, cost leadership strategy can significantly lower the product price
than your competitors and therefore attract more customers and gradually
squeeze out your competitors.
Analyse ethical implications In no more than 200 words analyse what the ethical implications might be
surrounding your chosen two strategies. Explain which stakeholders might be
affected. For example, would environment and community, human rights,
employees be impacted?
For example, because cost leadership strategy requires cutting costs across the
broad, employees may get underpaid to meet this goal.
Recommendation In no more than 200 words recommend your preferred strategy based on a
comparison of the two approaches. You also need to recommend how you may
want to implement this preferred strategy/approach.
Conclusion 100 words. Briefly summarise your findings and recommendations.
Reference ACU Harvard style
How do I submit?
• Electronic submission using LEO through Turnitin
• Please include your student ID number and your name in the assignment file name.
• Submit one soft copy via LEO (link on unit site under Assessment). Please ensure you save a copy of your
document before submitting it.
• Include the checklist below in your assessment document
• You must keep a backup copy of every assignment you submit, until the marked assignment has been
returned to you. In the unlikely event that one of your assignments is misplaced, you will need to submit
your backup copy.
• Any work you submit may be checked by electronic or other strategies for the purposes of detecting collusion
and/or plagiarism.
4
Checklist for you to submit along with their assignment
My submitted assignment report is within the specified word limit ☐
I have included references using specified referencing style ☐
I have correctly cited all my sources and references ☐
I have formatted my report as per the specifications ☐
I have checked my Turnitin report to ensure the similarity report is acceptable and explainable ☐
I will be able to supply the process output, if required by my lecturer to prove this my own work (e.g screen dump
of my search and retrieval of journal articles, etc.)
☐
I have completed proof reading and checked for spelling and grammar ☐
I have submitted my work before the due date/time ☐
Some Helpful Websites and Resources
www.businessweek.com
www.bbb.org (Better Business Bureau)
www.fortune.com
www.hbr.org (Harvard Business Review)
www.aom.pace.edu (Academy of Management online)
www.slfnet.org (Strategic Leadership Forum)
Full editions of these magazines are available through the library database
Who can help me?
24/7 study on-demand study support
Academic skills Unit (ASU)
NLIC:
Dr. Limin Fu (Limin.Fu@acu.edu.au)
I’m having problems
For extension of time for assessments, please go to the Assessment and Assignment Forms page of the ACU
5
website. For special consideration, please go to the Special Consideration page of ACU website.
Referencing
All referencing should be in ACU Harvard style; however if you are coming from another faculty, you may choose
to use your usual referencing style. If this is the case you must indicate at the top of your reference list what
referencing style you are using (e.g. APA, MLA, Chicago, etc).
Please ensure your assignment makes use of in-text citations and a reference list. Missing citations or references
is equivalent to plagiarism.
Criteria
The full criteria are compiled in a rubric, which can be found on the following page/s.
6
Rubric for Assessment 1 (30%)
Relevant LO/GAs Criterion Does not meet
expectations
Meets expectations Exceeds expectations
NN (0-49) PA (50-64) CR (65-74) DI (75-84) HD (85-100)
GA5
LO3
Weights: 8 marks
TL=3
Learning Stage: I
Identify different strategies
by which organisations
achieve essay writers competitive
advantage for
sustainability
(8 marks)
Fail to identify different
strategies by which
organisations achieve
competitive advantage for
sustainability.
(0-3.9 marks)
Adequate identification of
different strategies by
which organisations
achieve competitive
advantage for
sustainability. Would
benefit from more
concrete illustrations.
(4-5.1 marks)
Credible identification of
different strategies by
which organisations
achieve competitive
advantage for
sustainability. Some
general illustrations are
included with reasonable
clarity.
(5.2-5.9 marks)
Distinctive identification
of different strategies by
which organisations
achieve competitive
advantage for
sustainability. Clear and
specific illustrations are
included.
(6.0-6.7 marks)
Highly distinctive
identification of different
strategies by which
organisations achieve
competitive advantage
for sustainability.
Research-based
illustrations are included.
(6.8-8 marks)
GA4
LO3
Weights: 8 marks
TL=4
Learning Stage: I & D
Critically analyse the
presented strategies
(8 marks)
Fails to critically analyse
the presented strategies.
(0-3.9 marks)
Adequate critical analysis
of the presented
strategies. Would benefit
from more concrete
illustrations.
(4-5.1 marks)
Credible critical analysis
of the presented
strategies. Some general
illustrations are included
with reasonable clarity.
(5.2-5.9 marks)
Distinctive critical
analysis of the presented
contemporary strategic
management. Clear and
specific illustrations are
included.
(6.0-6.7 marks)
Highly distinctive critical
analysis of the presented
strategies. Researchbased illustrations are
included.
(6.8-8 marks)
GA3
LO4
Weights: 8 marks
TL=4
Learning Stage: I & D
Analyse the ethical issues
related to the chosen
strategies
(8 marks)
Fails to analyse the
ethical issues related to
the chosen strategies
(0-3.9 marks)
Adequate analysis of the
ethical issues related to
the chosen strategies
Would benefit from more
concrete illustrations.
(4-5.1 marks)
Credible analysis of the
ethical issues related to
the chosen strategies.
Some general
illustrations are included
with reasonable clarity.
(5.2-5.9 marks)
Distinctive analysis of the
ethical issues related to
the chosen strategies.
Clear and specific
illustrations are included.
(6.0-6.7 marks)
Highly distinctive
analysis of the ethical
issues related to the
chosen strategies.
Theory-based
illustrations are included.
(6.8-8 marks)
GA2
LO1
Weights:6 marks
TL=6
Learning Stage: A
Develop strategy
implementation
recommendations related
to the chosen strategies
that help balance
business, the environment
and society
(6 marks)
Fails to develop strategy
implementation
recommendations related
to the chosen strategies
that help balance
business, the
environment and society
(0-2.9 marks)
Develops adequate
strategy
recommendations related
to the chosen strategies
that help balance
business, the
environment and society.
Would benefit from more
concrete plans.
(3-3.8 marks)
Develops credible
strategy
recommendations related
to the chosen strategies
that help balance
business, the
environment and society.
Some concrete plans are
included with reasonable
clarity.
(3.9-4.4 marks)
Develops distinctive
strategy
recommendations related
to the chosen strategies
that help balance
business, the
environment and society.
Clear and specific plans
are included.
(4.5-5 marks)
Develops highly
distinctive strategy
recommendations
related to the chosen
strategies that help
balance business, the
environment and society.
Excellent and actionable
plans are included.
(5.1-6 marks)

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