Strategic Analysis Report on a company Research Paper

Strategic Analysis Report on a company - Research Paper Example The criteria on which these initiatives are based can be differentiated under the influence of the internal and the external organizational environment. Current paper focuses on the strategic positioning and decisions of a specific company: Macquarie Group, a leading Australian bank. The firm has managed to keep its competitiveness despite the pressures of the global economic crisis. The examination of the firm’s environment but also of its strategies led to the conclusion that the company’s growth has been mainly based on the continuous update of its strategic decisions and the close monitoring of its strategies’ development. It is concluded that through the above strategies the firm has achieved the continuous increase of its competitiveness towards its rivals in the Australian and the international banking industry. 1. Introduction Banks have a key role in the development of Australian economy; in fact, in accordance with a report of the Australian Bankersâ₠¬â„¢ Association, in Australia banks are ‘the third largest contributor to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product’ (Australian Bankers’ Association, 2011). It is for this reason, that in these institutions, ‘the staff enjoy excellent pay and flexible workplaces’ (Australian Bankers’ Association, 2011). ... has been kept high mostly because of the support offered by the country’s banking industry – the shares of which achieved a high increase (Banking Industry Today, 2011). In order to minimize the potential threats from the global crisis, the Australian government has announced in December its intentions to support the specific industry in case that such need emerges (Bloomberg, 2011). Moreover, in the report published in June 2010 by ‘Austrade’s Financial Services division’ (GovMonitor, 2010) it is noted that banking industry in Australia is facing a significant growth while ‘its collective financial wealth is predicted to surpass that of North America by 2013 and be worth US$13.5 trillion, accounting for 28 per cent of the world’s total’ (GovMonitor). 2. Macquarie Group - Overview Macquarie Group is one of the leading firms in the Australian banking industry; the firm was first established in 1970; currently, it operates in about 28 countries and the number of its employees has been estimated to ‘14,600 people’ (Careers, in the firm’s website, 2011). The alignment of the firm’s strategies with the business ethics and values is ensured and controlled through a detailed code of conduct; moreover, the monitoring of organization’s operations has been delegated to specific groups of persons, ensuring that all business practices follow the principles described in the firm’s corporate governance statement and its Goals and Values statement; the latter emphasizes on the promotion of six principles/ values through the organizational activities: ‘a) integrity, b) client commitment, c) strive for profitability, d) fulfillment for our people, e) teamwork and f) high standards’ (Goals and Values, in the firm’s website, 2011). The firm’s key