Business Report: Strategic Planning

Case study
You are a member of the People Practice team for a company, BMC that has recently purchased a large
contemporary city centre licenced food premises in Manchester adding to its growing portfolio of
acquisitions in Leeds, London, Nottingham and Glasgow. You have been asked to assist in preparing the
managers for their forthcoming Strategic Management Planning meeting on implementing the new
business strategy, by providing them with a presentation and a written report.
Currently the company operates a strict centralized policy to all its premises but during the COVID- 19
lockdown the CEO considers that the previous business strategy needs addressing and is open to new
ideas and approaches to improve the business once trading resumes.
The CEO of BMC is also fully aware that the focus of the business has all too often neglected the people
side of the business and is conscious that BMC has a legacy of high staff turnover and low employee
satisfaction. Previously, response to this has not been high on the company’s agenda and the CEO is
keen for the management team to appreciate the connections between organizational structure,
strategy and the wider business environment and gain an understanding
of organizational culture, behavior and how people practices support the achievement of business goals
and objectives.
Preparation for the Tasks:
• Refer to the indicative content in the unit to guide and support your evidence.
• Pay attention to how your evidence is presented, remember you are working in the People
Practice Team for this task.
• Ensure that the evidence generated for this assessment remains your own work.
Don’t forget to:
Use the bullet points below each task as headings and sub-headings so your marker can see where your
answer begins.
Task One – Strategic Planning Meeting Report
As your report is being prepared for a formal senior management meeting, it should be written in formal
business report format and style.
Your report is to be provided to BMC’s forthcoming Strategic Management Planning meeting where the
main priority is to discuss implementing the new business strategy. The team is made up of mainly
operational managers who have limited knowledge and understanding of the connections between
organizational structure, strategy, and the wider business environment so the CEO has asked that your
report should include an understanding of the connections between organizational structure, strategy,
and the business operating environment.
The report must therefore include:
• an evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of two different types of organizational
structures in different types of organizations, the range of products, services and customers
associated with each, and how they link to organizational purpose. (AC 1.1)
o Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of two different types of organizational
structures such as Matrix, Hierarchical etc.
o Explain how the structure is influenced by and impacts the: — Organization’s purpose,
strategy, goals and objectives — Products/services, and the customers
• an analysis of the way in which organizational strategy should be linked to products, services,
customers and revenue (AC 1.2)
o Address the link between strategic goals /objectives and — Products and services —
Customers — Revenue generation
• an analysis of the current and ongoing impact on organizations of the range of external factors
and trends. (AC 1.3)
o Use a recognized analysis model such as PESTLE, STEEPLE, P5F etc ▪ At least 2 current
factors
o At least 2 current trends
• an assessment of two current issues and causes that identify key priorities within organizations
that will affect product/service delivery, and the impact this may have on people practice and
solutions. (AC 1.4 & AC 3.3)
o Using 2 items from your analysis from AC1.3:
o Identify 2 key priorities from each, discussing their issues / causes — Focus on the effect
that each priority has on People Practice
o Explain key themes currently impacting People Practice — Identify 2 themes moulding
an area of People Practice — Discuss their impact on how people solutions are provided
• an explanation of the ways in which people practices can impact on organizational systems and
structures, and therefore affect the effective employment, management, and development of
people (AC1.5)
o Identify how People Practice impacts on organizational structures, and “open and
closed” organizational systems
o Explain the effect on employment, management and development of people
• an exploration of the impact that technology has on people, work and working practices, and
the current and emerging scale of the use of technology within organizations. (AC 1.6)
o Evaluate the extent of technology within organisations
o Evaluate how technology impacts work, people and working practices ▪ Focus on
technology in the context of People Practice
Your evidence must consist of:
• Formal business report (2,500 words)
• Introduction
• Body of the report (using ACs as headings)
• References & Bibliography