MBA 6024 Business Strategy assessment 1
MBA 6024 Business Strategy assessment 1
Write a 4–6-page business analysis of your selected firm’s
business strategy.
Notes: The assessments in this course are sequenced in such
a way as to help you build specific skills that you will use throughout your
program. Complete the assessments in the order in which they are presented.
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Context
Grant and Jordan (2015) say that strategy is not a detailed
plan or set of instructions; instead, strategy is the means by which
organizations or individuals achieve their objectives.
In order to achieve objectives, firms have a value
proposition—a product or service that is being offered in the market to meet
customers’ needs or perceived needs. How the firm goes about delivering the
value proposition is what Grant and Jordan call a business strategy, or a
competitive advantage.
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Questions to Consider
As you prepare to complete this assessment, you may want to
think about other related issues to deepen your understanding or broaden your
viewpoint. You are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them
with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of
your professional community. Note that these questions are for your own
development and exploration and do not need to be completed or submitted as
part of your assessment.
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Resources
Suggested Resources
The resources provided here are optional. You may use other
resources of your choice to prepare for this assessment; however, you will need
to ensure that they are appropriate, credible, and valid. The MBA-FP6024 –
Organizational Strategy Library Guide can help direct your research, and the
Supplemental Resources and Research Resources, both linked from the left
navigation menu in your courseroom, provide additional resources to help
support you.
Case Study
You have the option to purchase the following case study to
use for this course, or you may do your own research on other companies. See
the assessment instructions for details.
Bhatnagar, M. (2014). Walgreen’s: Strategic restructuring
for sustained growth. Amity Research Centre. Retrieved from http://www.thecasecentre.org/students/products/view?id=119840
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Assessment Instructions
Note: The assessments in this course are sequenced in such a
way as to help you build specific skills that you will use throughout your
program. Complete the assessments in the order in which they are presented.
Preparation
For the assessments in this course, select one of the
companies from the list below to be your focus:
Ford: Ford is a complex multinational organization that has
recently focused on strategic initiatives to address production capacity,
supply chain reliability, sustainability, and technological innovation in order
to remain competitive in the rapidly changing automotive industry.
Procter and Gamble: This is a huge multinational firm with
products you probably buy every day. This business is interesting because the
company is focusing on science and technology to help it revise many of its
business strategies and contribute to overall company goals for sustainability
and corporate social responsibility.
Virgin Group: This company is an interesting one because of
its high profile owner, Sir Richard Branson, and the many widely diversified
companies that are part of the Virgin Group.
Walgreen’s: The #1 drugstore chain in the United States,
Walgreen’s operates approximately 8,300 stores in the United States, the
District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Note: A Walgreen’s
case study is available for purchase for your use in this course. See the
Suggested Resources for more information.
Build Your Own Case: Create a strategic case on the company
of your choice. The company must be publicly traded, have multiple strategic
business units (a corporation), and be approved by faculty.
Review the resources available in the Company Research
Information document (in the Suggested Resources) for understanding the
organization, and begin researching the firm’s business strategy and business
model. Use additional resources from the Capella University Library or your own
research as needed. Find at least four current, scholarly, or professional
resources for this assessment.
Overview
The vice president of corporate strategy at the headquarters
of your selected firm—Ford, Procter and Gamble, Virgin Group, Walgreen’s or a
firm of your choice—has requested that you provide her with a business analysis
of your key findings regarding the firm’s business strategy:
An overview of the generic strategy that seems to best
describe the company’s strategic approach.
A discussion of key elements in the overall business
strategy.
A review of the most important components of the company’s
business model.
Requirements
In 4–6 pages, provide a business analysis of the firm you
selected. Your analysis should do all of the following:
Explain the generic business strategies, including cost,
differentiation, and focus or hybrid information, for the selected firm.
Analyze what business strategies the firm is using in their
marketplace approach. Provide examples of how they use the strategy to position
itself in a competitive environment.
Analyze the firm’s business model.
What are their core products?
How does the firm make money?
What is the customer value proposition?
What is the profit proposition?
Use clear headings and subheadings to organize the key
points of your analysis.
Your report should be clearly written and communicate
effectively to organizational leadership; use correct grammar, spelling and
mechanics as expected of a business professional. Cite and reference all
sources using current APA style.
Additional Requirements
References: Support your business analysis with at least
four academic resources from the Capella University Library.
APA Style: Use proper APA style for all citations and
references.
Length: The body of the business analysis must be 4–6
double-spaced, typed pages, not including the references list.
Written communication: Demonstrate graduate-level writing
skills through accurate communication of thoughts that convey the overall goals
of the analysis and do not detract from the message.
Font: Times New Roman, 12 point.
Note: Faculty may also use the Writing Feedback Tool to
provide feedback on your writing. In the tool, click the linked resources for
helpful writing information.
APA Writing Checklist
Use this document as a checklist for each paper you will write throughout your GCU graduate program. Follow specific instructions indicated in the assignment and use this checklist to help ensure correct grammar and APA formatting. Refer to the APA resources available in the GCU Library and Student Success Center.
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☐ APA paper template (located in the Student Success Center/Writing Center) is utilized for the correct format of the paper. APA style is applied, and format is correct throughout.
☐ The title page is present. APA format is applied correctly. There are no errors.
☐ The introduction is present. APA format is applied correctly. There are no errors.
☐ Topic is well defined.
☐ Strong thesis statement is included in the introduction of the paper.
☐ The thesis statement is consistently threaded throughout the paper and included in the conclusion.
☐ Paragraph development: Each paragraph has an introductory statement, two or three sentences as the body of the paragraph, and a transition sentence to facilitate the flow of information. The sections of the main body are organized to reflect the main points of the author. APA format is applied correctly. There are no errors.
☐ All sources are cited. APA style and format are correctly applied and are free from error.
☐ Sources are completely and correctly documented on a References page, as appropriate to assignment and APA style, and format is free of error.
Scholarly Resources: Scholarly resources are written with a focus on a specific subject discipline and usually written by an expert in the same subject field. Scholarly resources are written for an academic audience.
Examples of Scholarly Resources include: Academic journals, books written by experts in a field, and formally published encyclopedias and dictionaries.
Peer-Reviewed Journals: Peer-reviewed journals are evaluated prior to publication by experts in the journal’s subject discipline. This process ensures that the articles published within the journal are academically rigorous and meet the required expectations of an article in that subject discipline.
Empirical Journal Article: This type of scholarly resource is a subset of scholarly articles that reports the original finding of an observational or experimental research study. Common aspects found within an empirical article include: literature review, methodology, results, and discussion.
Adapted from “Evaluating Resources: Defining Scholarly Resources,” located in Research Guides in the GCU Library.
☐ The writer is clearly in command of standard, written, academic English. Utilize writing resources such as Grammarly, LopesWrite report, and ThinkingStorm to check your writing.