Concepts in Strategic Management and Business Policy (Coursework Sample)

Concepts in Strategic Management and Business Policy
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UNIVERSITY
Question One
Corporate governance refers to the applications of methods best suited to manage a company and its resources. It provides the guidelines through which the company’s goals and objectives will be met, when they should be and how. Sarbanes-Oxley Act was one of the revolutionary legislations in the U.S. that brought sanity to the corporate governance; it has impacted positively in the management of firms and corporations. It provided for Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) an ability to enact the true independence of auditors of the public companies or organisations. This meant that the financial records of public entities were open to scrutiny; this imposed a sense of responsibility in the corporate management systems, (Bazan et al., 2008). The Sarbanes-Oxley Act has laid the foundation for the participatory incites for shareholders. Subsequently, greater shareholder democracy was enhanced. For example, the shareholders can choose the persons to be nominated in the board of directors. This policy has roots in the ethos much professed by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. This act notably increased the confidence levels in the U.S. capital markets through better investor protection rights. Prior to the enactment of this bill, the stock market was at its all-time low and the investor’s confidence in the integrity of our systems had dipped. Though Sarbanes-Oxley Act increased the cost of business operations in the capital markets, this was outweighed by the increased confidence levels in our market systems and the reliability of the corporates’ financial reports.
Question two
The board of directors is a body entrusted with the mandate of overseeing the company’s goals and ensuring that objectives are met besides the inspection of the company’s activities. It ensures that the professional standards and ethos are upheld; this is mainly to foster integrity and accountability within the firm through the providence of a Code of Conduct along with supporting policies (Champfy & Hammer, 2014). The board also seeks to protect the interests of the company and churn the value for the benefit of the stakeholders of the firm. The board also has exclusive powers in approval of policies, guidelines, transactions and even investments
Question three
Consider the Davis and Shirtliff Company, which has an appreciable network internationally, hence a brand. The company mainly deals with installation and maintenance of pumps, solar products, water treatment and supply accessories, borehole services and equipment. The company’s main strength is its well-developed human resource and equipment; it is unrivalled, concerning the staff quality and equipment acquired by this company. With emergence of green energy and better water conservation campaigns globally, the company is on the receiving end of many awards and tenders by different governments across Africa.
Question four
While still considering Davis and Shirtliff Company, it is very clear that Africa grapples with severe food and water shortages periodically and several strategies have been set by different governments to enhance efficient irrigation systems and energy generation. Davis and Shirtliff is well-placed to provide solutions to the said problems. Concerning weaknesses, the company lacks a strong financial base to be able to undertake major projects across the continent. Though it is a step ahead in promoting the brand, certain incites have to be undertaken for Davis and Shirtliff to undertake megaprojects beyond Africa as a whole.
Question five
A value chain is a chronology of tasks that a company operating in a specified industry is involved in in order to deliver quality products or services for a particular market. An example is how to perform die forging in a steel company.
Question six
Four socio-cultural trends in the US;
Screened interactional trends-People have grown to be obsessed with touch screens among other sophisticated technology.
Celebrating age-With good health care, there is a large number of the aged in the American society.
Marriage being an option-Marriage used to be a must for most people in the past but that’s not the case currently.
Inventive generation-The youth are becoming go-getters and that means a lot to marketers.
Question seven
Corporate scenarios are basically simulations of expected future trends or traditions in the market. They could be stories or data accrued over long research periods to best describe a business regime or situation. In creation of corporate scenarios, the three steps include:
Focus on the contextual situation or regime; this best identifies the target situations and even their behaviours.
Identify the driving forces within that regime; this will enable you to uncover the risks involved and the assets to bank on.
Perform the analysis of the scenarios and reporting; the logics of the scenarios are uncovered where the threats and opportunities are measured or quantified to depict the viability of a scenario. The implications of the said scenarios are assessed before a decision is arrived at.
Question eight
The strategies of business growth come explicitly in ...