Module Outline
This document tells you what you can expect to learn from this module and how you will be taught
and assessed.

Mode of assessment
Individual essay (3,000 words) 100%

Module aims:
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
 Apply management theory to analyse practical organisational situations
 Evaluate and criticise the relative merits of different theories, tools and concepts of
management through real world application
 Produce written reports relevant to real-world management contexts
This module aims to integrate students’ learning from across the various management topics
undertaken this academic year, exposing students to real-world challenges such as sustainability,
responsibility, economic growth, competition and megatrends. This module aims to be an integrative
module—drawing on knowledge gained in other modules such as Operations Management;
Marketing; Organizational Behaviour; HRM; Finance and Accounting; and in particular Strategy.
There are strong complementarities between this module and your semester two strategy module—
where this module is an opportunity to apply theoretical principles to develop a strategy document
to make recommendations. Therefore, this module will be more focused on the practical application
than theory.

Lecture information
Each lecture will be available via Blackboard on the appropriate morning. It is strongly recommended
that you view the lecture between 9am and 11am that day, prior to your seminar.
Monday 4 May: Lecture 1—Module introduction
This lecture will introduce the problem you have been set and outline how the course will run. Please
ensure you have read this handbook prior to viewing lecture 1.
Tuesday 5 May: Lecture 2—Tools for management
This lecture will remind students of some basic tools they can use to strategise in a business context.
This will introduce “Porter’s five forces”, “PESTLE analysis” and “SWOT analysis”.
Wednesday 6 May: Lecture 3—Stakeholders & sustainability
This lecture will introduce some tools that might be useful in analysing the stakeholders of a
business, including “stakeholder salience” analysis. It will also introduce the idea of sustainability in a
business context.
Thursday 7 May: Lecture 4—Business model innovation
This lecture will introduce more contemporary methods of developing and innovating upon your
business model, drawing on the “Business Model Canvas” approach.
Monday 11 May: Lecture 5—Future proofing
This lecture will pose some questions about the future of the industry you are working within and
address how best to deal with these issues.
Tuesday 12 May: Lecture 6—Managing in a crisis
This lecture will introduce the concept of crisis management. Specifically, it will pose the problem of
how the business for whom you are writing a report deals with the outbreak of Covid-19, an issue
that you will need to integrate into your report.
Wednesday 13 May: Lecture 7—Writing your report
The final lecture will offer advice on writing the report that forms the assessed component of the
module.
Seminar information
Seminars will take place on 4-7 May and on 11-13 May, the days when lectures are held. The other
days are set aside for individual work by students. On the days when seminars and lectures take
place, seminars will be from 11am-1pm and 2pm-4pm. They will take place on Blackboard
Collaborate Ultra. You will have the opportunity to discuss the lecture content in small groups, and to
consult members of the teaching team to assist you in your work.
We propose that you use the seminar time both to discuss the material covered with fellow students
and teachers, and to draft sections of your report related to the material covered in that day’s
lecture.
Assignment brief
Dear Management team member,
Congratulations on your new appointment to the board of Cuppa Char. You have been appointed to
consider the challenges facing the company in the years ahead and to develop a new strategy for us.
As you know, Cuppa Char is currently a chain of cafes serving specialised and high quality teas, with
three locations in Leicester. Though we remain a small company, our ambitions are large.
We hope that you will develop a strategy document mapping out Cuppa Char’s direction for the
next five years. Your strategy MUST address each of the following areas:
 Who is our target consumer?
 How can we grow our customer base by improving or transforming the customer experience?
 To what extent should we integrate sustainability into our business model?
 Should we expand our business and, if so, how?
 What can we offer in terms of our business model that would differentiate us from our
competition?
 What should our specific targets and goals be? And how shall we know if we’re achieving
them?
In addition, we would like a section of your report to deal with:
 How best should we respond to the government’s shut-down of all cafes in the wake of the
outbreak of Covid-19 in spring 2020.
Cuppa Char is proud of our history in supplying specialty tea to its consumers and is keen to maintain
this side of the business. The steady collapse of various regional café outlets is of particular concern
for the board. As the new management team, we expect you to identify lessons that we can learn from
these closures and suggest ways in which the company can avoid similar issues.
Of equal concern to the board however, is the issue of sustainability and how CC might capture value
from social and environmental opportunities. For example, the major café chain Starbucks claims it is
now known around the world as an ethical company. Perhaps this is an issue we should consider in
more detail.
We look forward to reading your strategy document.
Yours sincerely,
Sally Ford
Chairperson, Cuppa Char
May 2020

Notes on assessment
 The individual essays that from your report should be submitted by 3 June 2020 via
Blackboard in the usual manner. It should be no more than 3,000 words.
 The essay should take the form of a report written for the company Cuppa Char, as
described in the letter above. That means that it should be written in the style of a strategic
report for a company. However, as it is also a piece of academic writing, you should also
include references and a bibliography in the usual academic style.
 Bear in mind that this is a “real-world” situation, so if you are making proposals in your
report, the board will probably want to know how much they are going to cost.
 The report must, as a minimum requirement, contain sections dealing with:
o An assessment of the current situation of the company, including the question of
stakeholders.
o Recommendations for a five-year plan for the company, drawing on a process of
integrated strategy formation and business modelling.
o A discussion of the future of the tea serving industry and the way that your strategy
will protect and develop the business under different scenarios.
o An outline of measurable goals or targets relevant to your strategy.
o A brief response to the Covid-19 crisis.