Design a growth strategy for a current sme in the uk

3000 word report on a current uk sme,There is one assessment for this module. The assignment consists of a formative and a summative
element. The formative task is there to help you complete the summative assessment task
successfully. The formative process is important because it will help you address the task more fully
and therefore contributes to your learning and understanding of the challenges facing SMEs and help
you develop your business development & planning skills in relation to SMEs.
You will be required to undertake a detailed evaluation of an existing SME and then design and
growth/development strategy for the business. You will present your findings in a report and make
clear and costed recommendations
Students will need to research a small, or medium sized business. You should try to determine the
following during the research:
• The nature of the entrepreneur behind the venture.
• The SME start-up processes.
• The business concept and any sources of competitive advantage
• The current level of demand and the competitive environment
• The growth and development of the business to date
• The challenges of managing and running the business
• The SMEs current growth and development strategy
• Any government support measures that may be available to help the business overcome the
challenges faced
You should make use of all available sources and current thinking on SMEs should be central to
your Module Study Guide template – January 2020
6
Module Study Guide template – May 2019 7
analysis and illustrated with reference to current articles from relevant journals and from broadsheet
newspapers (e.g. FT). Use should be made of the library’s electronic databases such as Summon,
Emerald, etc. You should apply theoretical concepts and models relating to the entrepreneurial
process and to the various stages of growth and development of the business.
Once you have done your research you will need to write your report in which you will present your
findings and your recommendations for the future growth and development for the business. You are
advised to adopt the following structure for the report:
• Title page: Include module title, the names of the SME discussed, student ID number and the
total word count (excluding bibliography)
• Executive summary: (not included in the word count)
• Contents page
• Introduction: this should include some background on the SME and entrepreneur(s). You may
wish to include details such as the type of business, size, how long it has been trading, etc.
Students should also give a brief account here of the research process (focusing primarily on
the secondary data collection). The aims and objectives of the report, or the terms of reference
should be clearly spelled out and should obviously relate to the assessment brief.
• Findings: here the results of the research need to be presented. This section should follow
along the lines of the aims and objectives highlighted in the introduction. The purpose in this
section is to set out the elements covered as part of the research set out above. This should
include the growth and development of the business to date, the current situation faced by the
SME, your evaluation of the environmental factors and your assessment of current growth and
development strategy. Where appropriate students should also highlight appropriate
government support schemes that may be available to the business. Students are also
expected to consistently support their work with reference to appropriate sources (cited in
accordance with the Harvard referencing convention).
• Conclusions: this should follow logically on from the findings and provide a concise summary of
them. No new information should be presented here.
• Recommendations: here students should present their proposals for the future growth and
development of their SMEs. Work should be supported with reference to appropriate sources.
• References and Bibliography: you should be discerning about your sources of information
and ensure that all references conform to the Harvard convention.