Option 1: The Remote Environment

In a 3- to 4-page paper, briefly analyze two important recent changes in the remote or external environment of U.S. business in the following areas. You should provide two recent changes for each category:

1. Economic
2. Social
3. Political
4. Technological
5. Ecological

Various sources can be used to identify changes in the above-mentioned areas. Magazines such as BusinessWeek and Fortune, newspapers such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and various internet sites are good sources.

Include a title page and reference page, and follow APA format according to the CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements. Use outside academic sources other than the textbook, course materials, or other information provided as part of the course materials. The CSU-Global Library is a good place to find these sources.

Business Policy

Order Description

Course Project

Guidelines and Grading Rubric (200 points)

Use your Course Project organization selected during Week 2 for this assignment.

COMPANY NAME, WEBSITE, and INDUSTRY
State the company name, website address, and industry.

BACKGROUND and HISTORY
Briefly describe the company in the case analysis. What is their primary business, who were the officers or key players described in the case study? If the case study company is currently in business, list the company’s current CEO, total sales, and profit or loss for the last year where data is available. Identify key events or phases in the company’s history. Describe the performance of this company in the industry. Visit the company’s website and use http://finance.yahoo.com and/or some other financial search engine to find this data. (15 points)

NOTE: Make sure to use APA citations throughout the paper. The textbook should be cited if it is the source of information. If you are not familiar with APA citation, check out the tutorial APA Guidelines for Citing Sources at the end of the course Syllabus. There are videos to help you with the APA format and business research in the Week 1 Llecture.

ANALYSIS VIA PORTER’S FIVE FORCES MODEL
Analyze the competitive environment by listing the threat of new entrants, the bargaining power of buyers, the bargaining power of suppliers, the threat of substitute products and services, and the intensity of rivalry among competitors in the industry (Chapter 2). Summarize your key points in a figure. (25 points)

STRATEGY USED
How does this company create and sustain a competitive advantage? What strategy from the readings was undertaken by this company? Were they successful? Can all companies use this strategy? How is the strategy affected by the life cycle in the industry? Remember to reference Porter’s generic strategies identified in Chapter 5 of the textbook, THIS IS CRITICAL. (40 points)

Specific STRATEGY(S)
Choose six specific strategies from this list.
Ensuring Coherence in Strategic Direction (pages 26–32)
Value Chain Analysis (pages 81–93)
Resource View of Firm (pages 93–104)
Industry Life Cycle Strategies (pages 187–195)
Turnaround Strategies (pages 193–195)
Vertical Integration (pages 210–214)
Portfolio Management and the BCG Matrix (pages 216–226)
Strategic Alliances and Joint Ventures (pages 226–228)
Achieving Competitive Advantage (pages 256–267)
Entry Model (pages 267–272)
Entrepreneurial Strategy (pages 292–311)
External Governance Control (pages 340–347)
Linking Strategic Rewards (pages 366–372)
Creating Ambidextrous Organization Designs (pages 383–387)
Leadership (pages 392–416)

Apply them in detail to the organization. Be sure to think strategically and show the results clearly. Use the strategy as a sub-header for each section so it is clear what is being applied. (90 points)

COURSE OF ACTION RECOMMENDED
If you were in a position to advise this company, what strategy would you recommend to sustain competitive advantage and achieve future growth? Be specific and list the steps the company should take for successful implementation of your course of action. (15 points)

OPINION
What do you think of this case study? Describe what you believe are the lessons learned from this case. (10 points)

REFERENCES
When you have completed the paper using the above sections, insert a page break and have a separate reference page. The references should be listed in accordance with the APA guidelines as shown in the tutorial. (5 points)

FORMAT
• Use a title page.

• Font: Use Times New Roman, 12 point.

• Place your name in the upper left hand corner of the page.

• Each section of your paper should be headed by the bolded, capitalized item described above.

• Indent paragraphs.

• Insert page numbers bottom right.

• Paper length should be six double-spaced pages not including title page, references, or illustrations and tables.

• Use APA citations throughout the paper. If you are not familiar with APA citation, refer to tutorial, which is contained in the last section of our course Syllabus.

• Include a separate Reference page at the end of the paper.

• Please prepare reference page as follows.

References

Dess, G., Lumpkin, G., & Eisner, A. (2012). Strategic Management (6e). Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Side Notes
• Save your paper in the following format: Your last name, initials of your first and middle name, and the company discussed in the case study.
EXAMPLE: If your name is Edward R Jones and you are writing a case study on Google, then the file name for your paper would be jonesergoogle.doc
————————————————————————————————–
Objectives
Select, develop, and analyze an in-depth case analysis. The purpose of this project is to utilize course concepts to strategically analyze an organization of your choosing.
Case studies are used extensively in teaching business. Typically, students perform an analysis on a case study prepared by an author or the professor—in this instance, the student is the author of the cases. The case study research strategy provides the opportunity to develop an in-depth understanding of an organization or event—data can be collected from multiple sources (for example, company websites, interviews, or published articles).
Choose an organization during the Week 2 Discussions. Be sure it is not already chosen by another student by seeing what was posted in that discussion. The organizations may be large, medium, or small businesses as well as non-profits. Governmental organizations do not qualify.

Case Analysis: The Course Project will build on the skills developed by the Case Analysis assignments done in Weeks 3 and 6.
Research Skills: Each case uses four to six sources, and sources are cited in the text and at the end of the case study in APA format.
Writing Skills: Ideas are communicated clearly in business English and using the appropriate business terminology. Work should be prepared following the development of a rough draft, revision, editing, and proofing to produce a final polished report.
A successful project will meet all of these requirements to earn a maximum of 200 points. At the conclusion of this project, it will be beneficial to compare what factors are selected by your peers. Are there patterns here?

Best Practices
Back to Top
The Process for Developing a Case Study and Cross-Case Analysis
• Generate topic ideas—brainstorm, use your experience, your interests, and career oriented choices.
• Develop initial ideas—explore the Internet and library databases.
• Select a topic—find the best fit between assignment and information, interest, and experience obtained.
• Develop a research question and set of questions (e.g., Why did this strategy succeed?)—answering this question will guide data collection and helps interpret results.
• Data collection and analysis
? Decide on suitable sources and means to access these sources.
? Conduct interviews and observations, if appropriate.
? Collect published sources and record publication details (use APA format).
? Review data and determine gaps that need to be filled.
? Determine case study structure (chronological or organized around key events and issues).
? Interpret data in relation to the initial research question.
• Develop an outline—say what you are going to say, say it, and then say you have said it (i.e., introduction, main body, summary, and conclusion).
• Develop a rough draft, revise, edit, and proof—this is critical to producing a good quality document.
• A good case study should be
? significant;
? complete;
? consider alternative perspectives;
? display sufficient evidence; and
? be written in an engaging manner.

Business Policy

Order Description

Course Project

Guidelines and Grading Rubric (200 points)

Use your Course Project organization selected during Week 2 for this assignment.

COMPANY NAME, WEBSITE, and INDUSTRY
State the company name, website address, and industry.

BACKGROUND and HISTORY
Briefly describe the company in the case analysis. What is their primary business, who were the officers or key players described in the case study? If the case study company is currently in business, list the company’s current CEO, total sales, and profit or loss for the last year where data is available. Identify key events or phases in the company’s history. Describe the performance of this company in the industry. Visit the company’s website and use http://finance.yahoo.com and/or some other financial search engine to find this data. (15 points)

NOTE: Make sure to use APA citations throughout the paper. The textbook should be cited if it is the source of information. If you are not familiar with APA citation, check out the tutorial APA Guidelines for Citing Sources at the end of the course Syllabus. There are videos to help you with the APA format and business research in the Week 1 Llecture.

ANALYSIS VIA PORTER’S FIVE FORCES MODEL
Analyze the competitive environment by listing the threat of new entrants, the bargaining power of buyers, the bargaining power of suppliers, the threat of substitute products and services, and the intensity of rivalry among competitors in the industry (Chapter 2). Summarize your key points in a figure. (25 points)

STRATEGY USED
How does this company create and sustain a competitive advantage? What strategy from the readings was undertaken by this company? Were they successful? Can all companies use this strategy? How is the strategy affected by the life cycle in the industry? Remember to reference Porter’s generic strategies identified in Chapter 5 of the textbook, THIS IS CRITICAL. (40 points)

Specific STRATEGY(S)
Choose six specific strategies from this list.
Ensuring Coherence in Strategic Direction (pages 26–32)
Value Chain Analysis (pages 81–93)
Resource View of Firm (pages 93–104)
Industry Life Cycle Strategies (pages 187–195)
Turnaround Strategies (pages 193–195)
Vertical Integration (pages 210–214)
Portfolio Management and the BCG Matrix (pages 216–226)
Strategic Alliances and Joint Ventures (pages 226–228)
Achieving Competitive Advantage (pages 256–267)
Entry Model (pages 267–272)
Entrepreneurial Strategy (pages 292–311)
External Governance Control (pages 340–347)
Linking Strategic Rewards (pages 366–372)
Creating Ambidextrous Organization Designs (pages 383–387)
Leadership (pages 392–416)

Apply them in detail to the organization. Be sure to think strategically and show the results clearly. Use the strategy as a sub-header for each section so it is clear what is being applied. (90 points)

COURSE OF ACTION RECOMMENDED
If you were in a position to advise this company, what strategy would you recommend to sustain competitive advantage and achieve future growth? Be specific and list the steps the company should take for successful implementation of your course of action. (15 points)

OPINION
What do you think of this case study? Describe what you believe are the lessons learned from this case. (10 points)

REFERENCES
When you have completed the paper using the above sections, insert a page break and have a separate reference page. The references should be listed in accordance with the APA guidelines as shown in the tutorial. (5 points)

FORMAT
• Use a title page.

• Font: Use Times New Roman, 12 point.

• Place your name in the upper left hand corner of the page.

• Each section of your paper should be headed by the bolded, capitalized item described above.

• Indent paragraphs.

• Insert page numbers bottom right.

• Paper length should be six double-spaced pages not including title page, references, or illustrations and tables.

• Use APA citations throughout the paper. If you are not familiar with APA citation, refer to tutorial, which is contained in the last section of our course Syllabus.

• Include a separate Reference page at the end of the paper.

• Please prepare reference page as follows.

References

Dess, G., Lumpkin, G., & Eisner, A. (2012). Strategic Management (6e). Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Side Notes
• Save your paper in the following format: Your last name, initials of your first and middle name, and the company discussed in the case study.
EXAMPLE: If your name is Edward R Jones and you are writing a case study on Google, then the file name for your paper would be jonesergoogle.doc
————————————————————————————————–
Objectives
Select, develop, and analyze an in-depth case analysis. The purpose of this project is to utilize course concepts to strategically analyze an organization of your choosing.
Case studies are used extensively in teaching business. Typically, students perform an analysis on a case study prepared by an author or the professor—in this instance, the student is the author of the cases. The case study research strategy provides the opportunity to develop an in-depth understanding of an organization or event—data can be collected from multiple sources (for example, company websites, interviews, or published articles).
Choose an organization during the Week 2 Discussions. Be sure it is not already chosen by another student by seeing what was posted in that discussion. The organizations may be large, medium, or small businesses as well as non-profits. Governmental organizations do not qualify.

Case Analysis: The Course Project will build on the skills developed by the Case Analysis assignments done in Weeks 3 and 6.
Research Skills: Each case uses four to six sources, and sources are cited in the text and at the end of the case study in APA format.
Writing Skills: Ideas are communicated clearly in business English and using the appropriate business terminology. Work should be prepared following the development of a rough draft, revision, editing, and proofing to produce a final polished report.
A successful project will meet all of these requirements to earn a maximum of 200 points. At the conclusion of this project, it will be beneficial to compare what factors are selected by your peers. Are there patterns here?

Best Practices
Back to Top
The Process for Developing a Case Study and Cross-Case Analysis
• Generate topic ideas—brainstorm, use your experience, your interests, and career oriented choices.
• Develop initial ideas—explore the Internet and library databases.
• Select a topic—find the best fit between assignment and information, interest, and experience obtained.
• Develop a research question and set of questions (e.g., Why did this strategy succeed?)—answering this question will guide data collection and helps interpret results.
• Data collection and analysis
? Decide on suitable sources and means to access these sources.
? Conduct interviews and observations, if appropriate.
? Collect published sources and record publication details (use APA format).
? Review data and determine gaps that need to be filled.
? Determine case study structure (chronological or organized around key events and issues).
? Interpret data in relation to the initial research question.
• Develop an outline—say what you are going to say, say it, and then say you have said it (i.e., introduction, main body, summary, and conclusion).
• Develop a rough draft, revise, edit, and proof—this is critical to producing a good quality document.
• A good case study should be
? significant;
? complete;
? consider alternative perspectives;
? display sufficient evidence; and
? be written in an engaging manner.