ASSIGNMENTS QUESTIONS
ASSIGNMENT 1
You are the newly appointed Strategic Planning Manager for a state-owned agricultural development corporation in Zambia. The corporation’s mission is to enhance food security and support small-scale farmers by providing affordable inputs (seeds, fertilizers) and market access. However, the corporation has faced declining profitability over the past five years due to, inefficient distribution networks causing delays in input delivery, competition from private agribusinesses offering cheaper, subsidized imports, and poor stakeholder trust, as farmers perceive the corporation as bureaucratic and unresponsive. The board suggests diversifying into commercial farming to boost revenue. However, this could divert resources from small-scale farmers, contradicting the corporation’s social mandate.
The board has tasked you with formulating a 3-year strategic plan to revitalize the corporation. You are expected to:
- Conduct a SWOT analysis to evaluate the corporation’s internal and external Highlight at least two critical strategic issues emerging from your analysis.
- Apply Porter’s Five Forces to assess the competitiveness of Zambia’s agricultural inputs industry. How might these forces shape your strategy?
- Use the Resource-Based View (VRIO framework) to identify one tangible and one intangible resource the corporation could leverage to gain a competitive edge and assess if these resources are currently meeting VRIO
- Propose a revised vision/mission statement aligned with the corporation’s goal of
sustainability and farmer empowerment. Justify your changes.
- Advise the borad on diversification using ethical and strategic
ASSIGNMENT 2
You are the CEO of Architect Solutions, a Nairobi-based fintech startup specializing in mobile banking services for unbanked populations in East Africa. After three years of rapid growth, the company faces critical challenges, such as competitors (e.g., M-Pesa, Airtel Money) dominate Kenya and Tanzania, squeezing profit margins and new Central Bank policies mandate stricter data privacy and capital requirements, increasing operational costs. Further, the board demands expansion into West Africa (Nigeria/Ghana), but cultural and infrastructural differences pose risks. Architect’s board proposes aggressive user-data monetisation to offset regulatory costs, but this could violate customer trust
You are required to:
- Evaluate whether Architect should adopt a cost leadership, differentiation, or best-cost strategy to compete in East
- Use the product life cycle model, analyse Architect’s current stage and propose one innovation strategy (incremental/disruptive) to rejuvenate
- Apply the CAGE framework to compare Nigeria and Ghana as potential expansion
Which country aligns better with Architect’s capabilities?
Advise the board on its proposal for aggressive user-data monetisation to offset regulatory costs.