Assume AC's directors choose Option A. Evaluate the importance of business planning to the successful implementation of this strategy.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2019). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. Knowledge: Successful strategic implementation – the process of putting a strategic choice option into action effectively, to the benefit of the business.
2. Knowledge: Nature of strategic management and implementation, such as long term, irreversible change.
3. Knowledge: How implementation fits with strategic choice and analysis
4. Knowledge: Business planning as part of implementation, including mission, corporate objectives and functional business plan sections.
5. Application: This will be a diversification into production of final chocolate products, rather than the existing production of an ingredient or raw material.
6. Application: How might this fit with AC's current organisational structure?
7. Application: How might AC's mission and objectives change as the move into producing and selling a final product?
8. Application: Use of business planning and corporate objectives in context, e.g. change from selling chocolate powder to existing manufacturers to selling final product to supermarkets, link with marketing objectives.
9. Application: Comment on recent changes such as centralisation and this as a further change needing to be managed
10. Application: The need for a completely new production function and business plan for new chocolate products
11. Analysis: How strategic implementation techniques may be used and their advantages and disadvantages
12. Analysis: How setting and updating of new business plan objectives might lead to success, as in high sales of new products
13. Analysis: The need for constant updating in order to keep up with changes in the fast growing chocolate market
14. Analysis: How resistance to change may come about, e.g. from existing production employees and how this could be overcome
15. Evaluation: Will there need to be a culture change?
16. Evaluation: Might there be more need now for contingency planning or are risks not significantly different?
17. Evaluation: What are the main factors that could lead to successful implementation?
18. Evaluation: Other factors such as external factors that need to be considered.