Discussion OVERVIEW

Your assignment this week requires you to write a personal leadership statement. This discussion allows you to receive feedback on your statement and to comment on your peers’ leadership statements. For this discussion, post a draft of your statement for feedback from your peers. Feel free to discuss any other areas of the assignment that you would like peer input on as well.

Assignment Overview

This week you analyze your company’s overall business strategies and how well they fit with one another.

What You Need to Know

As you examine global strategy this week, consider the extent of global influence on current organizational strategies, why companies pursue global strategies, and how global strategies can be difficult to implement. The CAGE (Cultural, Administrative, Geographic, and Economic) is one such framework introduced as a way strategic decision makers organize their thinking about global strategies. Porter’s Diamond Model is another strategic framework to consider the competitive advantage of nations in which a company might operate or compete. Take a look at these resources as a means to enhance your understanding of global business:

• EnrichWise. (2011, December 10). The CAGE framework – distance matters in globalization!!! [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.enrichwise.com/the-cage-framework-dista…
• Business-to-You. (2018). Porter’s diamond model: Why some nations are competitive and others are not. Retrieved from https://www.business-to-you.com/porter-diamond-mod…

Successful strategic businesses can range from a local small business to a multi-national corporation. The strategic models and frameworks illustrated this term can make any business endeavor a success. But the proof is in the data. Developing strategies and monitoring their implementation using objective data allows business leader to make sound decisions that will take their organizations to the next level. The Age of Analytics: Competing in a Data-Driven World [PDF] is an interesting resource, one you may wish to include in your business library for consultation down the road. For now, just review the book, becoming familiar with its content. Then read pages 1–18 for this week.

Assignment Instructions

BUSINESS STRATEGY FORMULATION

Introduction

This portfolio work project will help you differentiate between business strategy and corporate strategy, and analyze the fit of a business strategy to an organization.

Scenario

The vice president of strategy has now tasked you with providing a business analysis of the organization’s business strategy. This includes level of diversification (product scope), geographical and vertical scope, and the overall fit with the business strategy or strategies.

Your Role

You are a strategic analyst for the company you have selected to use in this course.

Requirements

Use information from the company’s website and your course textbook to complete this assignment. Write a business analysis that includes:

• Explain the generic business strategies for the company. Include cost, differentiation, and focus or hybrid information.
• Analyze the business strategy the company uses in its marketplace approach. Provide examples of how the strategy is used to position the company in a competitive environment.
• Analyze the company’s business model.
  • What are the core products?
  • How does the organization make money?
  • What is the customer value proposition?
  • What is the profit proposition?
• Analyze the corporate strategy of the company. Include the product, geographical, and vertical scope in which it operates.
  • Has the company expanded from its original product line or field of operation?
  • Does the company own vertically related activities along the value chain for its products?
• Analyze the overall corporate structure and key management systems.
  • Does the company employ diversification, vertical integration, or globalization?
  • Are global alliances part of the corporate strategy?
• Analyze the strategic fit between the business and corporate strategies of the company.
  

  Deliverable Format

  The Business Strategy Analysis is a professional document and should therefore follow the corresponding MBA Academic and Professional Document Guidelines, including single-spaced paragraphs. In addition to the analysis, include:

  • Title page.
  • References page.
  • APA formatted references from at least five sources.
  • 7–10 pages in length, in addition to the title and references pages.
  • Written for executive leadership.

  Evaluation

  By successfully completing this assignment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies through corresponding scoring guide criteria:

  • Competency 3: Analyze the internal and external environments of an organization in order to formulate and implement successful strategies.
    • Explain the generic business strategies for a company.
    • Analyze the business strategy a company uses in its marketplace approach.
  • Competency 4: Apply strategic concepts and models to ensure the fit between strategy, organizational structure, capabilities, and goals; and the external environment.
    • Analyze a company’s business model.
    • Analyze the corporate strategy of a company.
    • Analyze the overall corporate structure and key management system of a company.
    • Analyze the strategic fit between the business and corporate strategies of a company.
  • Competency 5: Communicate business needs, opportunities, and strategies with multiple stakeholders.
    • Address assignment purpose in a well-organized text, incorporating appropriate evidence and tone in grammatically sound sentences.
    • Apply the standard writing conventions for the discipline, including structure, voice, person, and tone.

    Business Strategy Formulation Scoring Guide

    CRITERIA	NON-PERFORMANCE	BASIC	PROFICIENT	DISTINGUISHED
    Explain the generic business strategies for a company. 14%	Does not explain the generic business strategies for a company.	Identifies the generic business strategies for a company.	Explains the generic business strategies for a company.	Analyzes the generic business strategies for a company.
    Analyze the business strategy a company uses in its marketplace approach. 14%	Does not analyze the business strategy a company uses in its marketplace approach.	Explains the business strategy a company uses in its marketplace approach.	Analyzes the business strategy a company uses in its marketplace approach.	Analyzes the business strategy a company uses in its marketplace approach and provides examples of how the strategy is used to position the company in a competitive environment.
    Analyze a company’s business model. 13%	Does not analyze a company’s business model.	Describes a company’s business model.	Analyzes a company’s business model.	Analyzes a company’s business model and shows the relationship between the model and the strategy.
    Analyze the corporate strategy of a company. 13%	Does not analyze the corporate strategy of a company.	Describes the corporate strategy of a company.	Analyzes the corporate strategy of a company.	Analyzes the corporate strategy of a company, including the product, geographical, and vertical scope in which it operates.
    Analyze the overall corporate structure and key management system of a company. 13%	Does not analyze the overall corporate structure and key management system of a company.	Describes the overall corporate structure and key management system of a company.	Analyzes the overall corporate structure and key management system of a company.	Analyzes the overall corporate structure and key management system of a company, including elements of diversification, vertical integration, globalization, and global alliances.
    Analyze the strategic fit between the business and corporate strategies of a company. 13%	Does not analyze the strategic fit between the business and corporate strategies of a company.	Analyzes the strategic fit between the business and corporate strategies of a company, but the analysis is flawed or is missing key elements.	Analyzes the strategic fit between the business and corporate strategies of a company.	Evaluates the strategic fit between the business and corporate strategies of a company.
    Address assignment purpose in a well-organized text, incorporating appropriate evidence and tone in grammatically sound sentences. 10%	Does not respond to the assignment prompt and/or does not organize text appropriately, uses inappropriate tone, or does not include structurally sound sentences.	Addresses the assignment purpose with minimal issues related to evidence, tone, and sentence structure.	Addresses assignment purpose in a well-organized text, incorporating appropriate evidence and tone in grammatically sound sentences.	Presents a focused purpose through strong organizational skills. Presents evidence through strong paraphrasing/summarizing and appropriate tone and sentence structure.
    Apply the standard writing conventions for the discipline, including structure, voice, person, and tone. 10%	Uses language that is inappropriate for the intended audience.	Does not meet writing conventions for the discipline and/or lacks appropriate voice, person, or tone for the intended audience.	Applies in text the standard writing conventions for the discipline, including structure, voice, person and tone.	Exhibits strict adherence to writing conventions for the discipline and uses appropriate voice, person, and tone for the intended audience.