MNG3701/201/1/2024

Tutorial Letter 201/1/2024

Strategic Planning III

MNG3701

Semester 1

Department of Business Management

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

This tutorial letter contains feedback on Assignment 01.

BARCODE

Open Rubric
 CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 3
2. FEEDBACK ON ASSIGNMENT 01 ........................................................................................... 4
3. IN CLOSING ............................................................................................................................. 13

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1. INTRODUCTION

Dear Student

This tutorial letter provides feedback on Assignment 01. You need to review the
contents of this tutorial letter carefully as it will offer you valuable insight and guide you
in your learning experience.

This assignment consisted of four questions that had to be answered in essay format.
The first question dealt with the concept of stakeholders with specific reference to MTN;
the second question focused on the commitment of MTN towards SDGs and whether
or not MTN is a responsible organisation; the third question required you to formulate
a SMART goal for MTN and evaluate its adherence to the SMART principle; and the
fourth question required you to differentiate between vision and mission statements.

You will receive your marked assignment with the marker’s comments via the module
site. You need to consider these comments carefully before contacting your e-tutor, or
us to provide additional input. It is important to note that it remains your responsibility
to ensure that the University received your assignment on or before the due date. We
cannot mark any assignments that were submitted after the due date or that were not
received by the University.

1.1 Assessment

As stipulated in Tutorial Letter 101, verbatim copying or mere regurgitation of content

and theory from the prescribed text would only have earned you 25% of the marks.
However, for this module, we expect you to demonstrate your comprehension by
applying the theory and course concepts. Most marks were awarded for providing
evidence of understanding and we specifically asked you to use the MTN case study
for relevant examples and practical application.

At this early stage of your learning, we must issue a warning. Simply presenting the
content from your prescribed book, study guide or the internet will result in poor results.
 It is our duty and privilege to give you the necessary guidance and assistance
necessary to enrich your learning experience at Unisa. However, as a student enrolled
in an exit-level module, it is your responsibility to ensure that you pass. This implies
that you must work consistently throughout the year. We are committed to providing
you with all the support possible, but ultimately the responsibility lies with you to
determine how you will master the necessary skills. Simultaneously, we have a specific
requirement for essay-type responses to the assignment questions. This approach
aims to cultivate your academic writing and presentation skills. The ability to compose
reports and essays and articulate arguments in written form is invaluable and will
greatly benefit you in your future work environment. It is also important to reflect on the
generic assessment criteria for essay assignments included in your tutorial letter (see
section 13).

2. FEEDBACK ON ASSIGNMENT 01

We acknowledge that you may have found the assignment format challenging. We trust
that you have now realised your progression to a higher level in your academic career.
For this module, we expect you to strike a balance between theory and application. Mere
factual copying from prescribed books is insufficient – you must demonstrate your
understanding of the course concepts.

Assignment 01 was an essay-type assignment. Section 13 of Tutorial Letter 101 outlined

the criteria for the technical aspects of the assignment. Failure to adhere to these technical
aspects would have resulted in penalties. Below are guidelines on how you should have
answered the questions in the assignment. Each student’s answer was unique and
assessed individually based on the assignment guidelines stipulated below. Marks were
allocated based on the strength of your arguments and practical application.

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2.1 INTRODUCTION

It is important that your essay include an introduction that clearly states the purpose of the
essay and introduces the content to follow. Introductions offer a short explanation, in your
own words, of your understanding of the field of study of the assignment. Only one
introduction to the entire assignment (i.e. all four questions) is necessary.
Given the mark allocation and the restricted page allocation, we suggest that you keep your
introduction brief and to the point. An example of an introduction is offered below:

The focus of this assignment is on MTN, a mobile telecommunications company, and its
integrated report for the year ending December 2022. The primary objective is to analyse
stakeholders and explore how MTN contributes to their interests and to assess whether MTN is
committed to the SDGs. After completing the assessment, we will create SMART goals for MTN
and assess how well they adhere to the principles of effective goal formulation In the next
discussion we will explore the difference between a vision and mission statement. To gain a
deeper understanding, the final part of the assignment involves creating a vision statement and
assessing it based on the criteria for effective vision formulation.

After you have written an introduction to your essay, you can start answering the questions.
Use headings, subheadings and numbering. It is important to offer a structured and organised
response to the assignment questions to enable the markers to locate the responses to each
question. In academic writing, and in essays overall, sentences, paragraphs and narratives are
used to present the content as an overall unit.

2.2 STAKEHOLDERS

Question 1 required you to discuss the concept of stakeholders and differentiate between a
narrow and broader view of stakeholders. Additionally, you had to provide examples of how MTN
has added value to its stakeholders.
2.2.1 Who are stakeholders?
Stakeholders are individuals or groups that depend on an organisation to reach their own goals
while simultaneously the organisation depends on them (Ehlers & Lazenby, 2019). These
stakeholders play an important role to the success of organisations. Consequently, organisations
must strike a balance between the interests of various stakeholder groups some directly involved
and others indirectly connected to the organisation’s operations.

2.2.2 Narrow and broader view

There are two distinct stakeholder views: the ‘narrow’’ view and the ‘broader” view. In the narrow
view, stakeholders are directly linked to the organisation. This group includes employees,
customers and suppliers among others (Botha, 2022). Conversely, the broader view
encompasses stakeholders beyond the organisation itself. These external stakeholders include
the community and government (Botha, 2022).

2.2.3 Below are the examples of stakeholders and how MTN adds value to its stakeholders.

Government and regulators

• MTN invested R38.2bn in capex to support enhanced and resilient network performance
for superior customer experience.
• MTN supported the tax bases of host nations’ with a total tax contribution of R51.5bn.

The investment community

• MTN has improved its ESG disclosure. It has been recognised as the most improved
emerging market company in the Telco Giants Scorecard by Ranking Digital Rights for a
second consecutive year.

• MTN diligently adheres to relevant regulations, including JSE listing requirements, and
shareholders are well- informed about all material developments.

Subscribers/customers

• MTN has actively digitised all customer touch points, ensuring engagement through
various digital channels. These channels include both MTN platforms and non-MTN
platforms to improve customer access to information and services.

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• MTN has expanded its partnerships to accelerate rural network rollout, improving
broadband coverage to 88% of the population.

MTNers

• MTN has made significant progress in their diversity and inclusion initiatives This includes
commitments to achieve workforce gender equality by 2030 ensuring gender pay parity,
enhancing gender representation in strategic programmes and improving representation
of differently abled people.

• MTN has launched a special digital platform, called MTN MOVE, to empower, engage and
promote self-care and holistic wellbeing.

2.3 MTN’S COMMITMENT TOWARDS SDGs

Question 2 required you to discuss MTN’s commitment towards SDGs. Start your discussion with
a brief explanation of what SDGs entail. In your discussion, you should also have indicated
whether the MTN group is a responsible organisation by justifying with the three principles of
responsible management.

2.3.1 Sustainable development goals (SDG)

There are 17 sustainable development goals (SDG) aimed at dealing with diverse economic,
social and environmental challenges worldwide. These SDGs serve as a framework for global
stakeholders to combat extreme poverty, promote equity, deal with injustice and protect the planet
by 2030 (United Nations Global Compact, 2024).

2.3.2 MTN’s Commitment towards the SDGs

In 2021, the MTN Group implemented an SDG prioritisation tool to identify the SDGs and SDG
ambition benchmarks that would allow the company to make the most significant impact while
creating value.

MTN has identified the seven SDGs indicated below:

Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
Goal 8. Promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and
productive employment and decent work for all.
 Goal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization
and foster innovation.
Goal 10. Reduce inequality within and among countries.
Goal 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
Goal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide
access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all
levels.
Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for
sustainable development.

2.3.3 Is MTN a responsible organisation or not?

MTN demonstrates its commitment to responsible management by integrating the principles of

sustainability, responsibility and ethics into its activities. (Laasch & Conaway, 2015). Below are
examples of how MTN demonstrates that it is indeed a responsible organisation:

• Sustainability
Ensure MTN Operating Companies (Opcos) deliver on Net Zero emissions targets,
collaborating with suppliers to reduce scope-3 emissions.
• Responsibility
In 2022, MTN implemented a its Corporate Social Investment (CSI) approach, emphasising
more ICT-enabled programmes. MTN also aims to continue to prioritise gender equality
and youth development. Furthermore, its CSI programmes are beneficiary focused,
targeting youth and women empowerment.
• Ethics
MTN aims to entrench a culture of ethics, aligned with the King IV. It also participated in
the Ethisphere global ethics maturity survey to enhance its ethical culture. Going forward,
it plans to enhance the Group’s ethical culture by attending to the findings of the Ethisphere
survey.

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2.4 STRATEGIC GOALS

Question 3 required you to formulate a SMART goal for MTN. In addition, you should have
evaluated whether the formulated goal complies with the requirements of the SMART principle.
You should have started with your answer by providing a brief definition of the concept of strategic
goals.

Ehlers and Lazenby (2019) define strategic goals as the outcomes an organisation aims to
achieve over a multi-year timeframe, with long-term impact. Strategic goals and objectives must
be formulated to indicate what the organisation has to do to move from where it is to where it
would like to be. A well-formulated goal should meet the SMART principle, as indicated below.

2.4.1 MTN SMART goal: Expand broadband coverage to 100% of population by 2030.

It is very important that strategic goals and objectives are measurable in terms of monetary value,
units, figures and percentages. In order to measure goals, they should also be specific so that
everyone knows exactly what has to be done.

The MTN goal formulated above is specific as it clearly indicates what needs to be achieved for
the organisation i.e. to expand broadband coverage. The goal is measurable, as it indicates a
100% target for the broadband coverage.

Goals should also be attainable and realistic to ensure that those who must achieve them believe
that they can attain them and are, therefore, motivated to work towards them.

The goal is attainable. There is an increase in internet usage, and the organisation has the
necessary resources and capabilities to achieve the goal.

The set goal is realistic. This is based on the fact that in 2022, MTN reached 87,8% coverage.
In 2023, MTN set a target of 95%. Aiming for a 100% target is ambitious, but within reach.

Finally, a well-formulated goal is linked to a specific timeframe to provide individuals with

deadlines they have to work towards. The set goal is time bound. The deadline they are working
towards is 2030.
2.5 PURPOSE STATEMENT, VISION STATEMENT AND MISSION STATEMENT.

Question 4 required you to differentiate between a purpose statement, vision statement and
mission statement. In addition to formulating a vision statement and evaluating whether the vision
statement meets the requirements of a good vision statement.

2.5.1 Vision statement

A vision statement expresses the organisation’s desired future state, and it is often referred to as
the dream of the organisation. The vision must be a powerful, ambitious, imaginable and specific,
capable of inspiring the entire organisation towards a common goal (Davis, 2022).
The central focus is on defining WHERE the organisation aims to be in future.

2.5.2 Mission statement

A mission statement provides an explanation of what the organisation (in some instances it also
includes why it exists). It is often referred to as a purpose statement. A well-formulated mission
statement should include at least the following information: The product and/or service that the
organisation offers; the target market(s) that the organisation serves; and the method (technology)
used to deliver this product or service to the market (Davis, 2022).
Central focus is on the WHAT

2.5.3 Purpose statement

Collins and Porras (1991, 1997) define the purpose as the organisation’s reason for existence.
While Campbell (1992) concurs by highlighting the main focus of purpose as to define for whose
benefit the firm operates; that is, the firm’s business philosophy or reason for existence.
Central focus is on the WHY.

Note: Students usually get confused by these statements, but it is important to understand that
purpose statements, vision statements and mission statements are related but not the same. In
practice, organisations may opt for a single statement, for instance, MTN only includes a purpose
statement in their integrated report. Some may create an all-inclusive statement consisting of the
vision, mission, purpose statement and values (Khalifa, 2012).

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2.5.4 MTN’s Vision statement

‘To be the leading telecommunication company in Africa and the Middle East, enabling the
benefits of a modern connected life for all’.
In addition to formulating a vision statement, you were also required to evaluate it to determine
whether it meets the requirements of a good vision statement. When evaluating the vision
statement, use a table with the headings; characteristics, yes/no, and reason(s) as illustrated
below:

Characteristics Yes/No Reason(s)

Future-oriented Yes The vision statement is written in future tense,
they want to be the leading telecommunications
company.
Powerful Yes Leading telecommunication company in African
and the Middle East, enabling the benefits of a
modern connected life for all.
Ambitious Yes They want to lead in both Africa and the Middle
East and are therefore ambitious.
Imaginable Yes They already have a strong footprint in Africa and
the Middle East.
Motivational Yes The vision statement is motivational as it is clear
what they want to achieve in the future.
Guide decision-making Yes It is clear where MTN would like to be in future,
all decisions will be geared towards achieving
this.
Flexible enough to allow the Yes The statement refers to ‘enabling the benefits of
organisation to respond to a modern connected life’. Meaning that they can
changes in the environment? respond according to what will be beneficial to the
customer in terms of enabling the benefits of a
modern connected life.
Easy to communicate, explain Yes Uses plain language, the sentences are short and
and understand? understandable.
2.6 CONCLUSION

The conclusion is the final part of your essay. It should relate to the assignment topics. The
main points of the assignment answer can be summarised, but no new information should be
included in the conclusion. A good conclusion gives an informed impression of the outcome of
the assignment.

The section below offers an example of a conclusion.

The assignment was based on MTN, a leading telecommunications company operating in Africa
and the Middle East. The assignment commenced with an exploration of the stakeholders and
how MTN adds value. Subsequently, an evaluation of MTN’s commitment towards SDGs was
conducted. In accordance with the SMART principle, a goal was formulated. Furthermore, the
assignment clarified the differences between vision, mission and purpose statements.

For an essay-type assignment, it is important to include a list of references you have consulted
in preparing the essay. The Department of Business Management prescribes the Harvard
reference method. Reread section 10 in Tutorial Letter 101, which gives more information on
plagiarism and the need to cite sources. The list of reference used for this tutorial letter follows.

2.7 LIST OF REFERENCES

Botha, T. (2022). ‘The evolution of management theories’. In: Venter P. (ed). Practising Strategy: A
Southern African context. Cape Town: Juta

Campbell, A. (1992). The power of mission: aligning strategy and culture, Planning Review, Special
Issue. 20(5): 10-3.

Collins, J.C. & d Porras, J.I. (1991). Organizational vision and visionary organizations, California
Management Review. 34(1): 30-52.

Collins, J.C. & Porras, J.I. (1997). Built to Last, Harper Business, New York, NY.

Davis, A. (2022). ‘A process perspective of strategic management’. In: Venter P. (ed). Practising
Strategy: A Southern African context. Cape Town: Juta.

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Ehlers, T. & Lazenby, K. (2019). Strategic management - southern african concepts and cases 4th
ed. Cape Town: Van Schaik.

Khalifa, A.S (2012). Mission, purpose, and ambition: redefining the mission statement. Journal of
Strategy and Management. 5(3): 236-251

Laasch, O., & Conaway, R. (2015). Principles of responsible management: Glocal sustainability,
responsibility, ethics. Mason: Cengage.

MTN (2024). corporate-social-investment [Online]. Available from:

https://www.mtn.com/corporate-social-
investment/#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20we%20implemented%20a,focused%20on%20ICT%20
ecosystem%20programmes. [accessed: 15 February 2024].

3. IN CLOSING

We encourage you to review the feedback in this tutorial letter and to compare it with your
answers. Your efforts in this regard will assist you in your overall learning experience and
your preparation for Assignment 02.

Good luck with your studies!

Kind regards,
MNG3701 Lecturers
Department of Business Management Unisa
Unisa © 2024