Introduction
The assignment is part fulfilment for the DBA programme. The assignment intends to outline
the process undertaken in conducting a research project that addresses an organizational
problem, relating on how this can be conducted in an ethical manner.
Strategy has been selected as a subject area. The approach is applied research, the aim is to
solve a problem of an existing organization. The subject area is based on the organizational
problem and the question formulated to help direct the solution for the problem identified.
The South African food manufacturing industry is rapidly growing, becoming extremely
dynamic. The increasing instability, uncertainty and complexity requires organizations to be
more aware of their operating environments, to enable creation of survival chances, growth and
development.
The organization in study is a food manufacturer, considered a market leader in its category. It
is not listed; therefore, the financial records are not permissible for public consumption. For
this reason, subjective measures shall be used in the study. The organization is facing
challenges of declining market shares, both volume and value, amongst a market that is also
declining. The problem is that the financial growth ambitions are set on existing products and
processes, which has not been performing well for the organization. This has had financial
implications for the organization as it is struggling to meet its financial ambitions, placing the
organization at risk for growth.
The intent of the research is to solicit knowledge on strategies that have high probabilities of
success, analyse this against the existing strategies followed in the organization, to help direct
for improved organizational performance.
Conceptualise Management Research
Management research is a systematic process of conducting research, through the steps of
collection, analysis and reporting of data in order to make informed decisions. It is a concept
which investigates the body of knowledge which may result in the discovery of management
tools for problem solving and decision making.
Management can be defined as a role of a person, managing the staff reporting to them, or as a
process of administering and coordinating activities that will drive and enable the organization
to achieve its set objectives. The administration of activities includes setting of the objectives
and strategy, clarity in communicating these to the organization, resource allocation and
coordinating efforts that directs workers to achieve the set objectives.
There are various views of management theories which have been explored by expert research
scholars such as, classical theory, decision theory, work activity and competencies to name a
few. These are all in pursuit to better manage knowledge, activities and people concerned with
management outcomes.
Research is the pursuit for knowledge and data search for potential application with the aim to
improve conditions of the body of knowledge. Research concerns processes of collecting,
organizing and the analysis of data to increase knowledge on a subject area.
Management research refers to the act of the study of various dimensions of theories and
frameworks to help solve organizational problems. It is concerned with the processes of gaining
knowledge and data to develop ways of their application for improving business practices.
There are two types of management research, namely, pure research and applied research. Pure
research is explorative, to identify new theories and frameworks that can be added in the body
of knowledge and for application in organizations. Applied research is concerned with finding
the work already discovered through pure research, to apply the principles, theories and
frameworks for problem solving. Applied research is the approach of choice in conducting this
research.
Management research can be explored through data gathering methods of deductive reasoning
or inductive reasoning. Inductive reasoning is a logical approach to making inferences or
conclusions (Bhandari 2022). This reasoning method draws from specific observations and
knowledge, often through exploratory research, to get to a generalized conclusion. Deductive
reasoning is an approach that progresses from generalised information to get to a specific
conclusion. It begins with having a theory, and then testing its validity, narrowing down ideas
until a specific result is concluded.
Literature review
The research will focus on the management concept of strategy. This follows the
conceptualization of the research problem and research question. Strategy is a set of plans,
actions and decisions that an organization makes to achieve its long-term goals. Bukhari (2019)
outlines that strategy determines the direction and how the resources are to be deployed to
achieve the organizational goals. He further outlines that, Micheal Porter, the strategy expert,
emphasizes the need for strategy to be clearly defined and to communicate the unique position
of the organization, to determine how the combined efforts of resources, competencies and
skills should create a competitive advantage.
Strategy can be formed as a result of the analysis of the market conditions to anticipate changes
or, it can be left to evolve organically as market conditions become difficult to predict. The
design of the organizations’ strategy is important as it affects achievement of ambitions of the
organization defined by organizational performance.
The literature defines organizational performance as the degree to which the organization
positions itself effectively and favourably in the marketplace (Conţu 2020 and Rostam 2019).
The objective of all organizations is to be successful in the environment in which they operate.
The measure of success to depict organizational performance is based on quantitative measures
of profitability, revenue growth and market share amongst others (Alam and Islam 2017).
Profitability is the ability of an organization to produce more revenue than expenses, generally
done through sale of product/s. Market share is an indicator of the organization’s
competitiveness in a category of products. It is a measure of the percentage that the
organization’s product/s holds in the market against its competitors. This measure allows for
the monitoring of trends in customer purchases and competitor activity in the marketplace.
Market share is one of the critical measures of organizational performance, it requires constant
monitoring to determine the performance trajectory of the organization. It remains imperative
for organizations to boost their market share to realize a larger scale in their operations and
improve profitableness (Farmanesh et al. 2017). This requires an in-depth understanding of the
products value positioning in the marketplace, and relevance for the organization. The Boston
consulting group (BCG) portfolio matrix, a tool to analyse product portfolio, will be used to
analyse the organizations’ product portfolio to determine which of the products are still relevant
and aligned to the growth plans.
Schneider (2021) outlines that no matter the market size, there is a finite number of buyers
available therefore there will not be enough revenue to share for all organizations that are
competing. Considering the market growth challenges in the category that the organization is
operating within, including the activities of participating competitors, and changes in consumer
behaviour, it can be inferred that the slice of the operating pie is reducing. This is manifesting
as the reduction in market share for the organization. Organizations that are in pursuit of
performance growth, need to find strategies that will help them achieve holistic sustainable
profitable growth long term.
The study will be in pursuit to understand recent developments in the field of strategy and the
impact on organizational performance. Numerous strategies have been studied to help achieve
organizational performance, market share growth and how to take consumers from the
competition. Organizations that deliver to consumer’s expectations today and cater for their
future demands are at an advantage of positioning themselves for growth. Charan (2022) and
Schneider (2021) advises that organizations should prioritize those strategies that will have the
biggest impact long term. Various researchers have sighted essential strategies for improving
growth to include, such as: ensuring that the core is competitive, understanding competition,
having product visibility for consumer accessibility, providing exceptional consumer
experience, and innovating into adjacencies (Schneider 2021; Chirio 2018; Birshan et al. 2022
and Bradley et al. 2022).
The Blue Oceans Strategy (BOS) has been studied by numerous scholars as a differentiated
strategy that has a positive impact on organizational performance. The strategic principles
based on creation of plans and innovations that can be beneficial to the generation of
organizational performance and sustainable profits are emphasized (Madsen and Slåtten 2019).
BOS is a strategy for achieving success through analysing the market environment and
repositioning to achieve organizational objectives.
Alam and Islam (2017) indicate that BOS offers a framework to create uncontested market
position and to change the concentration from existing competition to creating value and
demand for consumers. Yunus (2021) further outlines that the BOS strategy is distinguished
and useful as it enables the authority to claim, action and take responsibility to displace
competition and enhance organizational performance. The strategy requires a shift in mindset
to change industry boundaries, focusing beyond the competition and creating new markets. The
BOS four actions framework will be tested against the existing strategy for delivering outcomes
of increased organizational performance. Yunus (2021) outlines the framework to contain the
following four elements:
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eliminate what no longer serves the objectives of the organization and the needs of the
consumer,
reduce elements that are no longer attractive to the consumer,
raise value offering to deliver better value for the consumer,
create new resources of value for customers thus creating new demand.
Madsen and Slåtten (2019) refers to the BOS strategy as a concept that is a recipe for becoming
successful, with claims of substantial performance improvements being generally very strong.
In light of the organization having challenges on performance and sustainable growth, the idea
is to test the strategy phenomenon against the performance and growth objectives of the
organization.
Achieving organizational growth performance is becoming more difficult. The decision on how
to achieve organizational growth performance needs to be intentional. When sustainable,
inclusive, and profitable growth becomes a conscious, resolute choice, it shapes decision
making across every area of the business (Birshan et al. 2022). Growth becomes the oxygen of
the organization, feeding its culture, ambitions, and sense of purpose.
The various scholars who critique the Blue Oceans Strategy for delivering substantial
performance and organizational growth view the lens through which the success stories were
interpreted being biased, and that the rate of success in various implemented areas cannot be
compared to other strategies, for example, the Red Ocean Strategy. The popularity of the Blue
Oceans Strategy across different types of industries is an indication of its ability to transform
organizational performance in market conditions that are challenging (Madsen and Slåtten
2019). The fundamental element to the success of BOS is the aspect of “humanness”, to drive
peoples’ effectiveness to discovering new, untapped horizons.
The market conditions are rapidly changing. Uncertainty, complexity and instability are
becoming more prevalent, coupled with consumer changing behaviour and needs, making
operating in the marketplace challenging. The Porters 5 forces model shall be used to analyse
the market environment in which the organization is operating. The purpose is to analyse the
competitive forces in the market environment, to determine strengths and weaknesses that the
organization can take advantage of.
Furr (2022) indicates that existing organization strategy frameworks, developed during stable
periods, are not suitable in driving performance growth in challenging periods. To enable for
growth creation or transformation in territories unknown, or during rapid changes in the market
environment, there is a need for the use of new or different tools to overcome the challenges.
Organizations that succeed largely have fluidity to adapt at speed to the changes in the external
environment (Charan 2022 and Conţu 2020). Achievement of goals that lead to profitable
organizational performance depends on the ability of the leaders to create a favourable
environment to facilitate the achievement of the organizational goals. Bradley et al. (2022)
indicates that the pursuit of organizational performance requires leaders to have a growth
mindset, to have bold aspirations, set clear objectives for growth initiatives and establish
enablers that will be embedded in the organization. When a business leader chooses growth,
that choice begins to shape behavior, mindset, risk appetite and investment decisions, creating
a growth orientation across the organization.
The literature review is to help in answering the question: What strategies can the organization
use to drive profitable performance to meet its financial objectives and sustained growth?
Conţu (2020) argues that organizational performance depends on leaders’ mastery to create a
conducive environment and on their ability to lead teams. A leader is a key to success any
organizations that achieves its goals and solves its problems in a creative way (Conţu 2020).
The leadership of an organization is considered to have a strong impact and influence on its
performance (Akparep et al. 2017). Leaders help steer the organization under challenging
conditions to a direction of meeting the set objectives (Zucker and Rowell 2021). They are
expected to lead their people and organizations through challenging times of uncertainty,
complexity and instability in market conditions. Through the creating of strategies and
appealing to emotions, leaders are able mobilize teams to take action that will enable for
organizational performance.
Al-Khaled and Chung (2020) indicate that some researchers have concluded that by using
effective leadership models and styles, leaders can inspire and enable their workers to be
successful. Al-Khaled (2018) outlines that an effective leadership style is viewed as a strong
source of sustainable competitive growth for organizational performance, more so in uncertain
and unstable periods. Various scholars have studied leadership and the characteristics required for
an organization to excel and improve their performance.
Unprecedented market condition periods require leadership to take bold, speedy and sometimes
taking risky actions (Cote 2020). Literature cautions that the actions and decisions made by leaders
can impact the organization’s profitability, either positively or negatively. A good strategy can put
the organization on a favourable competition map and good growth trajectory; however, the
appropriate execution becomes mostly a struggle as these changes may require re-organization
or structural changes (Alam and Islam 2017).
The research problem
The food manufacturing industry in South Africa is growing rapidly and becoming extremely
dynamic. The increased complexity and uncertainty of the environment have increased the need
for organizations to elevate their knowledge and awareness about the environment in which
they operate and to create wide organizational changes for survival, growth and development
(Korejan and Shahbazi 2016). In this context, the authors emphasize that the role of leaders
who move the organization toward the future recognizes the need to facilitate appropriate
changes that will grow and sustain the organization to achieve its goals for the future.
The growing competition and growing businesses have made the changes so fast that it is often
difficult to anticipate them, thus creating highly unstable and unpredictable environments for
all organizations. This requires organizations to adapt and become dynamic and flexible to
sustain themselves, especially during periods of turbulence (Charan 2022 and Conţu 2020).
Failure to adapt will create challenges in meeting the goals set for success, impacting on
organizational performance. There is a plethora on organizational performance and strategies
that can be employed to enable for success. However, the subject on how this can be achieved
sustainably in an environment that is constantly changing has not been fully explored.
Satyenda (2020) defines organizational performance basically as the outcome which indicates
the organization’s efficiencies or inefficiencies in terms of competencies, effectiveness and
financial outcomes. Sumbul (2020) concurs with this as she describes organizational
performance as the ability to meet financial performance, product market performance, and
shareholder return as the crucial aspects of organizational performance. Simplified,
organizational performance is the ability of the organization to achieve its set of defined
objectives.
The measure of organizational performance is therefore based on the ability to meet the set
objectives and being able to continuously improve on them. However, in a dynamic, complex,
and uncertain environment, there are environmental external and internal forces that influence
the ability of the organization in meeting its set objectives. This can significantly impact
organizational performance. For this reason, it remains critical that organizations are constantly
aware of the changes in these forces, to adapt their strategies to mitigate the changes and
challenges faced.
The manufacturing industry in South Africa faces a multitude of challenges, in dealing with a
range of new challenges such as systemic supply chain disruptions, rampant global inflation,
and the beginnings of a global recession, among others (Jinabhai and Marais 2022). These,
together with ongoing local challenges such as power cuts, underperforming utilities, long
overdue structural reforms, and the devastating impacts of climate-related events, are weighing
on South Africa’s growth outlook.
The food manufacturing industry has not been spared in these challenges. The positive outlook
is that food is an essential need for all people. Consumer needs start with a physical or
emotional need, which can be evaluated with many theories including the Maslow hierarchy of
needs. The need to eat arises to fulfil satiety, nourishment, snacking, and indulgence. However,
consumer behaviours, preferences and needs change over time, based on knowledge and
priorities; for example, a need to eat healthier products and thus moving away from foods
containing high fats or sugar. These consumer-changing needs drive the decisions at the point
of purchase, which ultimately impacts the financial outcomes of the organization, reflecting on
organizational performance. Habel et al. (2019) emphasizes on keeping a consumer-centric
focus being key to ensuring relevancy to consumers and success to the organization.
To deal with this constant rapid change in the environment and to position the organization for
success, leaders are much needed, to transform and move the organizations towards their future
goals.
Powerhouse organizations with widespread brand awareness are facing the challenge of
holding on to historical ways of working and thus lack the agility to change and adapt as the
industry faces a rapid pace of change. This can make these organization powerhouses more and
more vulnerable to the unpredictability and uncertainty of the environment in which they
operate. The complacency produced by historical ways of working becomes detrimental to the
future of the organization.
Organizations that have captured the market with their product, to have the highest market
share in volume and or value, might find it challenging to grow their business in the future.
Being the largest amongst the competition has a spin-off of becoming complacent and not being
agile to changes necessary. The existing powerhouse organizations that have and are leading
the market for a number of years, constantly face a risk of being overtaken by new entrants,
having stagnant volume and value market growth, if they remain complacent on their existing
products, operations and strategies. This can lead to an adverse impact on the performance of
the organization.
The challenge arises when such organizations become complacent about the value that their
product offering brings to the market and the consumer. They remain in a bubble of being a
market leader in their category offering, neglecting to realize the rapid changes as they happen
around them. The consumer needs are constantly evolving and changing. The market
conditions are not favourable. Consumers are cash-strapped and are in need to stretch their
rand, there are new players entering the market with more appealing, versatile, and costeffective products, and the market environment is showing stagnated growth with indications
of decline.
The research will be conducted as an applied research, as the focus will be on an existing
organization, deemed a leader in its market category. The organization holds a market share is
70% volume and 65% value, with the product category having a market penetration of 92%.
This is indicative of a well-established market. The market is indicating a declining rate of 0.5% to -1% year-on-year, with the organization’s share declining faster at -1% to -2%.
The problem identified is that the organization’s growth ambition, to double the financial
performance by 2027, is set on the existing products and processes, whilst the organization’s
offering is gradually losing market share. This places the organization at risk of achieving its
growth ambitions.
The deduction is that existing strategies are not factoring in the market conditions and thus
places the organization at a risk of not achieving its performance and financial ambitions. The
current impact is felt in the organization as it is not achieving its performance objectives. The
research aims to help define the strategies that will direct the organization to achieving better
performance and a higher chance of meeting its financial ambitions.
Conceptualising the research question
The overall objective of this study is to determine how the organisation can achieve its growth
ambitions amidst the challenges being faced. The organization in study is considered a market
leader in its category, with a 70% volume share and a 65% value share. Its product category
market penetration is at 92%.
For the past 3 years the organization has been facing challenges of market share and profit
declines amidst a challenging business environment, characterised by instability, uncertainty
and complexity. In addition, there has been challenges of new competitors entering the category
in the market, thus taking share from the market leader. The consumer changes in behaviour,
preference and needs, has also heightened the competition pressure in the market place. The
outcome of this is seen in the decline in the financial results of the organization. The current
trajectory of the organization is challenging the ambition of doubling its current financial
ambitions by 2027.
The food manufacturing industry is growing and becoming extremely competitive and
dynamic. The industry is also becoming increasingly complex and uncertain due to the rapid
changes in the business environment and the changes in consumer behaviours and needs
(Jinabhai and Marais 2022).
Organizations are created, powered and lead by people (Furr 2022). In the current dynamic,
complex, and uncertain business environment, leadership is the most critical factor that
influences organizational performance that directly affects the organization’s future
development either to succeed or fail (Ko and Kang 2019). Furr (2022) outlines that in turbulent
periods, most leaders back down at the hint of risk, falling into a series of traps that limits
organizations’ ability to adapt and grow.
To enable success, organizations are to align their behaviours with the dynamic changes of the
business environment in which they operate (Charan 2022). The achievement of the
organizational goals is highly dependent on the effectiveness and efficiency of the operations
and strategy utilised in the organization.
Al-Khaled and Chung (2020) believe that an organizations kind of leadership style influences
overall performance. The need for effective leadership to encourage a culture that drives
organisational performance remains critical. Effective leadership and leadership competencies
are viewed as a strong source of sustainable competitive advantage and organizational growth
(Al-Khajeh 2018 and Rose et al. 2019) more so in turbulent periods. Literature states that
leadership has a direct cause-effect relationship on organizations and their performance, as they
shape the approaches, strategies and effectiveness for implementations. A lack of effective
leadership is said to increase the chances of making errors and reduces the prospects of success
and organizational performance.
Organizations are created with a purpose to meet a set of objectives that will define their growth
and success. The changes in the business environment contributed by the rapid pace of change,
complexity and instability make it challenging to achieve the desired success. Organizations
that survive are those that adapt to the changes in the business environment to find and
implement strategies that keep them relevant in their competing categories. In view of this, the
question to be answered through the research is: What strategies can the organization use to
drive profitable performance to meet its financial objectives and sustained growth?
The research process
Research approaches are plans and procedures for research that span the steps from broad
assumptions and detailed methods of data collection, analysis, and interpretation (Solanki
2022). The selection of the research process is said to be based on the nature of the research
problem to be addressed, following a sequence of steps that are interdependent.
The South African manufacturing business market conditions together with the changing
consumer behaviour and needs have made the business environment for food manufacturers to
be constantly changing, unpredictable and unstable. To survive the turbulent period, it
necessitates for organizations to let go of unproductive historical processes and adapt to
improve their relevancy in the marketplace.
Organizations that are in pursuit of performance growth need to find strategies that will help
them achieve holistic sustainable and profitable growth long term. The decision for achieving
the organizational growth needs to be intentional, and a mastery created by the leaders of the
organization.
The research study will be applied research, as it will be conducted in a food manufacturing
organization in South Africa. The data collected will comprise both primary data and secondary
data. The biggest limitation of this research is that, although the organization identified is one
of the leading food manufacturing organizations in South Africa, it is not listed on the
Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), and for this reason, the yearly financial results are not
published nor permissible for public consumption. In this regard, the financial records of the
organization will not be used for this research.
The objective is to find in-depth knowledge of existing strategies, to understand, challenge and
recommend on best approaches the organization can use to drive the performance to meet its
financial ambitions and sustain business growth. The approach to be used is that of a case study.
McCombes (2023) supports that a case study approach is useful in gaining concrete, in-depth
knowledge of real-world subjects.
Data collection will be conducted as a mixture of qualitative data and quantitative data to solicit
information that will help analyse the current organizational strategic approaches. The purpose
is to test against existing strategy phenomena to help make recommendations on what best can
improve the organizational performance.
The research study will use subjective measures for market data of volume and value shares,
as analysed by a local independent marketing agency, to validate the current position and the
trajectory of the organization in the market. This shall be compared to the same metric measures
for competitors in the market. This will be the approach for collecting quantitative data. Data
period for study and analysis will be from 2018 to-date.
As a qualitative research method approach, the aim will be to gain in-depth knowledge of the
existing strategies used in the organization. It is believed that the executive leadership of the
organization can provide information on this. As such, interviews will be conducted with
executive leadership to gain in-depth knowledge of existing strategies. There are 8 executive
leaders, the aim will be to conduct interviews with all of them.
Additional data shall be solicited from the workers in the organization. A set of close-ended
questionnaires with Likert scales will be emailed to workers and management staff to solicit
their opinions and perceptions on the effectiveness of the strategies used in the organization.
Likert scales are used as they are a reliable method to numerically measure the opinions and
perceptions of respondents.
There are 240 employees in the organization, the research target will be to reach 80% of the
population with a response rate of 60%, to represent a large sample of the population.
According to Bryman (2017), large and adequate sample size will ensure data collected
provides a reliable basis for drawing inferences, making recommendations, and supporting
decisions. Park et al. (2019) supports the use of a large sample size as it improves consistency
in data and representation of the population characteristics, facilitating better generalizations
regarding the causes of phenomena in nature. It is believed that a total sample of 144 people
should provide data that can be generalizable, deemed reliable, and repeatable for the study.
The objective is to determine the cause-and-effect relationship of the strategies used in the
organization and the outcomes of performance as measured by financial metrics. A regression
analysis tool will be used to measure the relationship between the dependent variable of
performance, as measured by financial metrics, and the independent variables of strategy. Mean
values will be used for the analysis.
A report on the results will be completed and interpreted based on data analysis.
Ethical considerations
Ethics in research provide guardrails to conducting ethical research studies. Ethics are
important values that need to be maintained from the conception to the conclusion of the
research.
The researcher will take responsibility to adhere to considerations of ethics issues as outlined
in the tripartite ethics model of respect, integrity and responsibility. In addition, the research
study will follow principles of academic integrity in holding values of honesty, trust and
fairness.
The researcher is an executive employee of the organization to be studied. To uphold the
standard and values in conducting research, the researcher endeavours to have no influence on
the study, especially during the data collection, analysis and reporting. Honesty and integrity
shall be upheld throughout the research study.
To maintain transparency, the researcher has made the managing director aware of the intent to
conduct such a study and has obtained verbal consent on this. A confidentiality agreement on
the use of the information data shall be obtained to ensure that confidentiality on organizational
critical matters is maintained.
The purpose of the research is to contribute to the body of knowledge. The quality of work
needs to be guided by ethical value considerations to produce authentic, reliable work to
contribute to the body of knowledge.
This will be applied research, conducted as a case study. The study will be conducted on an
organization that does not publish its financial performance. For this reason, internal data of
the organization will be treated with strict confidentiality and reported only in subjective
measures. The problem identified for the organization considers the possibility of harm to the
reputation of the organization in its market environment. In this regard, the organization shall
not be named.
The data collection will be a mixed method of qualitative and quantitative research. For the
quantitative research method, the privacy will be maintained by not directly naming the
organization, as well as competitors whose data will be used to contextualise the market
conditions.
Qualitative data collection will require strict and careful ethical considerations. Human subjects
can be easily violated by practices of ethical consideration not followed by researchers. The
participants of the study will be two separate groups. Group 1 will be all the executive members
of the organization. The data collection purpose with this group is to determine the existing
strategies in the organization. This will be conducted through individual interview sessions.
Group 2 will be the management staff and workers of the organization. The population will be
targeted based on accessibility to email and ability to respond.
Human dignity is one of the ethics values promoted in ethical research studies. In upholding
this value, the participants that will be used in the study will be treated with fairness and respect.
The researcher will provide a document introducing herself, the purpose of the study and the
academic institution enrolled with to validate the research as being a contributor to body of
knowledge.
Interview participants will be requested to sign a consent form, which will outline the privacy
treatment of the participants’ identity in the study and the confidentiality of the data shared,
and that the information shall only be of use for the research purposes.
Data from group 2 participants shall be obtained through a close-ended questionnaire with
Likert scales. These will be shared via email to the selected population. The email shall include
the purpose of the study, a block to tick to give consent to participate in the study and
declaration of privacy of the participant and confidentiality of the use of the information
obtained.
To maintain the values of integrity, truthfulness and honesty, the data obtained from all
participants shall not be manipulated to suite the conditions of outcome. They shall be used and
analysed as received from the participants.
Authenticity and good will are aspects of truthfulness that are related to conducting a research.
Based on the consent granted by each participant, it will be taken in good faith that the
responses are honest.
The interpretation of the results shall not be manipulated in any way. The quantitative mean
values shall be used with tools of regression analysis to determine the cause-effect relationship
of strategy and organizational performance.
The researcher aims to maintain integrity in the report writing. Academic reports, books,
journals and articles shall be used as sources of available information relating to the research
subject and topic. Information obtained in these sources shall be represented as such.
Representing ideas extracted from research sources as your own, is deception and
misrepresentation of truth. This is in breach of the ethics conducts in research.
The reference citations on the body of the report will be indicated as necessary. A
comprehensive list of all references used will be listed at the end of the report. All references
will use the Harvard reference style. To ensure that the report has no plagiarism, it will be
uploaded on the Turnitin platform, a plagiarism detection service, to determine the extent of
unintended plagiarism. This will be corrected and cited accordingly before submission of the
report.
The data collected shall be analysed using regression analysis tool. The reporting of the data
shall not be manipulated, to ensure that the report maintains integrity, validity and authenticity
of the results.
The final written document will be in a thesis format, which will be submitted to the university
as fulfilment to completion of a DBA degree. To close the research loop, the completed
document shall also be shared with the organization in research.
Conclusion
The assignment serves as a report to outline how a research project would be conducted in an
ethical manner, to help solve an organizational problem.
The organization identified is a food manufacturing business. The organization’s identified
problem is that of declining market shares, which has impacted its financial performance over
the past 3years. This is challenging the ambition to double the financial performance by 2027.
Research indicates that the market conditions are not favourable. The instability, uncertainty
and complexity of the operating environment forces organizations to be agile in adapting to the
changes, to position themselves for future success and growth. Research further indicates that
changes in consumer behaviour and preferences, contributes to the market conditions being
unfavourable.
According to the research, organization leaders have a large influence and impact on achieving
organizational objectives. Their ability to create favourable conditions that supports growth
strategies, requires a mindset shift, to lead people and the organization through challenging
periods. The leaders are expected to be aware of the context of the external environment, to be
able to create strategies that will drive organizational performance.
Data collection to be obtained from the organization will outline the existing strategies
employed, to inform changes that can be made to direct the organization towards achieving its
ambitions of financial performance and sustained growth.
Further research needs to be conducted on strategy as a subject area, and specifically Blue
Oceans Strategy and how it significantly changes the trajectory of organizations towards
achieving their ambitions and objectives.