Assessment and Feedback

 Project [85%]

Students will focus on a ‘live’ business issue of importance to an identified UK organisation and will be asked to identify the parameters, key deliverables, timescales and project management details of their work (Please refer to pages below for details on the company of focus and related projects that are available). There are two stages to this:

1. Students will firstly provide an individual project proposal of 1,500 words (worth 15%) setting out the consultancy project requirements. This will be submitted in week 5, the 7/11/2021 by 23:59. Feedback provided within one week to allow the project to develop onto stage 2.
2. Using the project proposal, students will complete the project work and then produce an individual consultancy report of 6,000 words (worth 70%), based on the deliverables agreed within the project proposal. Deadline for Submission: 09/01/2022 by 23:59

Reflective Portfolio [15%]

Students will submit an Individual reflective portfolio of 1,500 words. Students will be required to provide details on their learning experiences, achievements, significant occurrences, and personal/professional development. Deadline for Submission: 09/01/2022 by 23:59

The assessments must be submitted through the UK Turnitin link in Blackboard (instructions will be given in Blackboard).

Written feedback will normally be provided within 15 working days of the submission date of the project.

Company Information

Company Name: Dexiotis Security Solutions

Client Name: Zsolt Perjesi CEO

Website: www.dexiotis.com

Industries: Security

Company size: 1-10

Summary of Company:

Dexiotis Ltd is a security specialist company focusing on the provision of effective and efficient solutions and services to both public and private sectors. The company’s headquarters are in Hungary and they have another centre in Cyprus.

With the extensive experience that Dexiotis has on matters of security, it can audit, measure, control and quality assess your security operations to ensure they are functioning in the best possible way and provide tailor-made solutions to any potential security issues that may be hindering your organisation as well as deliver specialist security training.

Our multidisciplinary experts have experience as company directors, consultants, academics, coaches, scientists, engineers, security specialists and police and military personnel. We apply an interdisciplinary and cross-functional approach to provide our clients with the solutions and services they require as well as increase the level of creativity and innovation necessary to realise the highest possible level of satisfaction for the customer organisation.

Dexiotis is based in the following countries:

• Hungary (HQ)
• UK
• Cyprus

There is no intention, in the short term, to expand the company beyond these 3 countries even though the aim is to service clients wherever there is need. However, Dexiotis would consider, in the medium term, options for presence in new countries depending on opportunities.

List of Countries of interest:

High Priority Regions/Countries:

• All EU/EEA countries

Medium Priority Regions/Countries:

• Middle East
• North Africa

Low Priority Regions/Countries:

• South Asia
• East Asia
• Latin America
• Central and South Africa

Products & Services offered:

• Consultancy on matters of physical security (Evaluation of Organisational Security; Security Efficiency Measurement & Control; Security Service Quality Control; Ad Hoc Security Solutions; etc)
• Training security personnel (Explosives: what they are, categories and characteristics; Methods of Detection and Awareness; Explosives Detection Devices; Operation of X-Ray Machines; Explosives Detection Technologies; Event Security; etc).
• Training non-Security employees (Security Awareness for Non-Security Personnel; Identifying Suspicious Behaviour; Reacting to a Threat; Crowd Management and Panic Control; etc).
• Selling of Security products and devices.
• Recruitment services to the security market.

Zsolt Perjesi would like to expand his company Dexiotis Security Solutions. He requires a consultant to review, research, analyse and provide appropriate recommendations in order to start his business in a different country.

Consultancy Projects

Acting as marketing consultants for Dexiotis Security Solutions and to address the requirements of the Advanced Practice Consultancy Project, you are required to address the objectives for the project which have been selected by Zsolt Perjesi. The emphasis is on secondary research and not academic sources. Use competitor reports, consultant reports articles and marketing reports.

Project 1- Business Strategy

Individual Consultancy Project:

The specific aim of this project is for yourselves (as ‘The Consultancy Firm’) to develop a Business strategy and evaluate the opportunities that can create sustain competitive advantage in the long term for Dexiotis Security Solutions

• Objective 1: To conduct market analysis
• Objective 2: Evaluate the existing company strategy and approach as well as its’ suitability
• Objective 3: Develop a new strategy to help the company to grow
• Objective 4: Evaluate Implementation Plan and Cost Estimations

Suggested structure/approach:

The emphasis is on secondary research and not academic sources. Use competitor reports, consultant reports articles and marketing reports.

• Introduction - context i.e. nature of the problem/objectives (SMART) and summarise strengths and the weakness of the company

Objective 1 Market Analysis/Environmental Analysis - (Conduct an environmental audit of the company and assess the competitiveness in the market)

• Identify and analyse external factors that are relevant to the company’s strategy – linking each factor to either an opportunity or threat
• Industry analysis (5 Forces) should be applied to assess industry attractiveness (each force should be discussed and assessed as High, Moderate or Low and industry attractiveness should be assessed having those forces in mind). This objective should relate to the UK

Rationale- Objective 1 Company focus

The student needs to have an understanding of the company’s current position, their objectives with an analysis of the external and industry environments that it operates in

Objectives 2: Company Strategy - (Suggest a new company strategy and approach and its’ suitability) (Develop a new strategy to help the company to grow, increase its Strategic capability, competitive advantage and how to gain market share.)

• Choosing 1 EU/EEA country and 1 country from either the Middle East or North Africa compare and contrast the market attractiveness. You should consider various factors within each countries market, such as profitability, growth rate and market size. Also, wider factors such as access to raw materials, competition and industry capacity (each factor should be discussed in detail as to why it is relevant and the level of importance. Suggested frameworks that could be used are Ansoff Matrix, Porter Generic or the strategy clock

Objectives 3: Two methods of market entry

• Analyse and evaluate two strategic methods of market entry, discuss each one, as to which method should be used and why.

Rationale- Objective 2 and 3 – Country focus

The students will provide a comparison of 2 different potential destination markets from a market entry perspective from the areas of declared high and medium interest to Dexiotis, i.e., EU/EEA and Middle East / North Africa

Objective 4: Implementation Plan and Cost Estimations – (Finally, provide an implementation plan and robust final costing for their strategic recommendations in line with the company’s resources.)

• S (Suitability) – taking into consideration market attractiveness factors which country would be the would be the best option for Dexiotis to set up their business and why.
• A (acceptability) Financial return - Evaluate if the strategy acceptable. Identify at least 5 stakeholder groups and place them in a Power/Interest matrix. Then discuss how will they be affected by the strategy you are evaluating and therefore is the strategy acceptable to them or not.
• F(feasibility)e Two key questions need to be addressed here: Do the resources (skills, processes etc) and competences (derive from the strengths and the weakness from your introduction and the opportunities or threat’s from objective 1) currently exist to implement the strategy effectively? If not, can they be obtained?
• Develop a Strategic implementation plan and identify the relevant implementation issues (Gantt chart) to include a timeline of Strategic activities and a budget to implement the plan. Bear in mind that costs and timeframes suggested are expected to be pragmatic estimations based on your research.

Recommendations and Conclusion

• Overall, recommendations to deliver the strategic plan

Rationale- Objective 4

Pulling it all together but with an emphasis on the specific country chosen by the student focusing on strategic issues, stakeholder groups and competences

Note: A Consultancy report should always be professionally designed and should include visuals to accompany the ideas that have been discussed