7BSM2004 Strategic Management Research Assessment Brief

This assessment brief sets out the instructions, requirements and marking criteria for the 7BSM2004 Strategic Management Research individual coursework at the University of Hertfordshire. The brief covers the task structure, learning outcomes, word count, submission rules and academic integrity expectations. Sample answer extracts demonstrate how to apply strategic frameworks to a chosen organisation. The brief also includes references, an FAQ, writing guidance and a follow-up assessment suggestion for the study session.

Assessment Context and Module Details

The University of Hertfordshire Business School delivers 7BSM2004 Strategic Management Research at Level 7. The module carries 15 credits and contributes 70 per cent of the total module mark through individual coursework. The assessment asks you to produce a 2,000-word strategic analysis of a chosen organisation. Submission is via Canvas. The module leader for the current session is Ioannis Gkliatis, with Konstantinos Athanasiadis as first marker. The assessment tests your ability to identify strategic issues facing managers, apply strategic tools and theoretical frames to complex environments, and critically evaluate strategic options against internal and external analysis. The brief also states that the module is eligible for an extension on the submission date, subject to university regulations. Late submission carries a penalty of 10 grade points per day up to five days, after which a grade of zero is awarded.

Assessment Task Instructions

Select a real organisation of your choice and conduct a strategic analysis. Your 2,000-word report must identify one or more strategic issues the organisation faces and evaluate how its internal and external environments shape its strategic options. You must apply at least two strategic frameworks, such as PESTEL, Five Forces, VRIO, SWOT or scenario planning. The analysis should move beyond description and demonstrate critical evaluation of the frameworks themselves, including their limitations in the chosen context. Use evidence from credible sources to support your claims. The report should include an introduction, analysis sections organised around your chosen frameworks, a critical evaluation of strategic options, and a conclusion. Include a reference list in Harvard style. The assessment requires you to demonstrate research, synthesis and critical thinking rather than summarising publicly available information.

Learning Outcomes Tested in This Assignment

The module assesses four knowledge outcomes and five skills outcomes. Knowledge outcomes require you to demonstrate critical awareness of current strategic issues facing managers in your chosen field, apply a range of strategic tools and theoretical frames to enhance decision-making in complex environments, understand strategic options and critically evaluate them against internal and external analyses. Skills outcomes require you to research, analyse and evaluate information from a range of sources, synthesise findings to investigate business context issues that shape strategy formulation, critically evaluate different approaches to strategic thinking, reflect on practical experiences of leadership or management, and communicate ideas effectively. The University of Hertfordshire’s assessment criteria also note that the module aims to help you gain deeper understanding of an industry or sector of personal interest and develop reflective skills to identify transformational experiences.

Formatting and Submission Requirements

Submit your assignment through Canvas before the stated deadline. The module uses a Canvas submission portal in the Assignments folder. You must include the module name and number and your student number, not your name. Use .doc or .pdf file formats. The university cannot guarantee to mark incorrect formats. Do not leave submission to the last minute, and always allow time for technical issues. The date and time of submission are taken from the Canvas server and recorded when the submission is complete, not when you click submit. Check that you have submitted the correct file. For each day or part day up to five days after the published deadline, coursework submitted late will have the numeric grade reduced by 10 grade points until the numeric grade reaches 40 for levels 4, 5 and 6 or 50 for level 7. If the numeric grade awarded is less than 40 or 50, no lateness penalty is applied. A submission more than five working days after the deadline receives a grade of zero.

Marking Criteria and Feedback

Performance is assessed using the Hertfordshire Business School Grading Criteria and Mark Scheme. Guidance for improvement is given in writing on the Assessment Feedback Form or via Canvas within four weeks of submission. The marking criteria weight four areas: knowledge and understanding of strategic management concepts, application of those concepts to the chosen organisation, critical evaluation of frameworks and strategic options, and structure, clarity and presentation. The University of Sheffield explains that assessment briefs include a link to the marking criteria and that students should read the brief carefully before starting work, as many details about how to approach the assessment sit in the brief rather than the rubric. Module outcomes provide a framework for assessing progress and success, so mapping your report to the learning outcomes before you write sharpens your focus.

Sample Answer Writing Help

A strong response to 7BSM2004 opens by identifying a specific strategic issue facing the chosen organisation and stating why that issue matters for the organisation’s competitive position. A student analysing a UK supermarket chain might focus on the tension between price competition and sustainability commitments. The analysis then applies PESTEL to identify the regulatory and consumer pressures driving that tension, followed by VRIO to evaluate whether the organisation’s supply chain resources can support a differentiated sustainability strategy. The critical evaluation section weighs the organisation’s strategic options against its resource constraints and industry structure. The conclusion states which option appears most viable and acknowledges the limitations of the analysis. This structure demonstrates the critical evaluation the rubric rewards, rather than simply describing what the frameworks say.

For the critical evaluation component, the marker looks for evidence that you can judge frameworks, not just apply them. A student might argue that PESTEL offers a useful checklist for scanning the macro-environment but treats all factors as equally important, which weakens its analytical power. The stronger approach ranks the factors by impact on the organisation’s specific strategy and explains why some matter more than others. Similarly, VRIO helps identify resources that may confer sustained advantage, but it assumes stable markets and may underestimate how quickly digital disruption erodes resource value. A report that names these limitations and then explains how they affect the analysis scores higher than one that applies frameworks mechanically. The University of Hertfordshire’s grading criteria reward this level of critical engagement.

Frequently Asked Question

How do I choose an organisation for the 7BSM2004 Strategic Management Research coursework?

Pick an organisation you can access information about. Public limited companies file annual reports and strategic statements that give you verifiable evidence for your analysis. Private companies or public sector organisations can work if sufficient credible material exists. Avoid choosing an organisation based only on personal familiarity; you need sources you can cite. The module learning outcomes include developing deeper understanding of an industry or sector of personal interest, so choose a sector you want to study. Check that the organisation faces identifiable strategic issues that frameworks can analyse. If the brief does not specify a sector, the choice is yours, but justify it in your introduction.

Why This Matters in Practice

Strategic management assessment mirrors the analytical work that managers do when they evaluate a market entry decision, assess a competitor’s move or justify a resource allocation. The frameworks you practise in this module, PESTEL, Five Forces, VRIO and scenario planning, are the same tools used in consulting, corporate strategy and public sector planning. Learning to apply them with incomplete information and to acknowledge their limitations builds the judgement that employers value. The 7BSM2004 report format tests whether you can research independently, synthesise evidence and reach defensible conclusions. That capability transfers directly to professional settings where decisions cannot wait for perfect data.

References

• University of Hertfordshire (2023) 7BSM2004 Strategic Management Research: Assessment Brief. Available at: https://www.studocu.com (Accessed: 17 September 2026).
• Fleisher, C.S. and Bensoussan, B.E. (2003) Strategic and Competitive Analysis: Methods and Techniques for Analyzing Business Competition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
• Barney, J.B. (1991) ‘Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage’, Journal of Management, 17(1), pp. 99-120. doi: 10.1177/014920639101700108.
• Porter, M.E. (2008) ‘The five competitive forces that shape strategy’, Harvard Business Review, 86(1), pp. 78-93.
• University of Sheffield (2025) How to use marking criteria and assessment briefs. Available at: https://www2.sheffield.ac.uk/study-skills/assessment/literacy/marking-criteria (Accessed: 17 September 2026).

Next Assessment

Week 8 Assessment: Strategic Management Research Presentation (30% weighting). This assessment builds on the written coursework and asks you to deliver a 15-minute video presentation with accompanying slides. You will summarise the strategic issue identified in your report, present your framework analysis and justify your recommended strategic option. The presentation must include a slide deck and a spoken narrative. Submit via Canvas by the stated deadline. The rubric weights content knowledge at 40 per cent, analytical depth at 30 per cent, presentation structure at 20 per cent and delivery at 10 per cent. Refer to the module handbook for the video upload instructions and file size limits.