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SingaporeBusiness Management

Strategic Management

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do businesses grow, and why do so many mergers and takeovers fail to deliver?

Explain methods of business growth, including organic growth, mergers, takeovers and integration, and evaluate the benefits and risks of growth
A focused answer to the H2 Management of Business outcome on growth. Organic versus external growth, mergers and takeovers, horizontal, vertical and conglomerate integration, economies and diseconomies of scale, and why growth - especially by acquisition - often disappoints.
9 min answer →

How does a business prepare for and respond to crises and the unexpected?

Explain contingency planning and crisis management and evaluate how firms prepare for, respond to and recover from major disruptions
A focused answer to the H2 Management of Business outcome on contingency and crisis management. The difference between contingency planning and crisis response, the stages of crisis management, the role of communication and reputation, and how to evaluate a firm's preparedness.
8 min answer →

Why do people resist change, and how can a business manage change so it succeeds?

Explain the causes of and resistance to organisational change, and evaluate how firms can manage change effectively
A focused answer to the H2 Management of Business outcome on change management. Drivers of change, why employees resist it, models such as force-field analysis and driving and restraining forces, and how firms can lead change effectively - with a worked force-field example.
8 min answer →

How does a business analyse its internal and external situation before choosing a strategy?

Explain the tools of strategic analysis, including SWOT and the link to external analysis, and evaluate how a firm turns analysis into strategic choice
A focused answer to the H2 Management of Business outcome on strategic analysis. SWOT analysis, the difference between strategy and tactics, linking internal strengths and weaknesses to external opportunities and threats, and how a firm converts analysis into strategic choice.
8 min answer →

How does a business choose between competing strategies, and what makes a strategy succeed in practice?

Explain how firms make and implement strategic decisions, including generic competitive strategies, and evaluate the factors that determine strategic success
A focused answer to the H2 Management of Business outcome on strategic decision making. Porter's generic strategies (cost leadership, differentiation, focus), the danger of being stuck in the middle, strategy implementation, and the factors that determine whether a strategy succeeds.
8 min answer →