Assignment 2: External and Internal Environments
Choose an industry you have not yet written about in this course, and one publicly traded corporation within that industry. Research the company on its own Website, the public filings on the Securities and Exchange Commission EDGAR database (http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml), in the University's online databases, and any other sources you can find. The annual report will often provide insights that can help address some of these questions.
Write an eight to ten (8-10) page paper in which you:
1. Thoroughly choose the two (2) segments of the general environment that would rank highest in their influence on the corporation you chose. Thoroughly assess how these segments affect the corporation you chose and the industry in which it operates.
2. Thoroughly considering the five (5) forces of competition, choose the two (2) that you estimate are the most significant for the corporation you chose. Thoroughly evaluate how well the company has addressed these two (2) forces in the recent past.
3. With the same two (2) forces in mind, thoroughly predict what the company might do to improve its ability to address these forces in the near future.
4. Thoroughly assess the external threats affecting this corporation and the opportunities available to the corporation. Thoroughly give your opinions on how the corporation should deal with the most serious threat and the greatest opportunity. Thoroughly justify your answer.
5. Thoroughly give your opinion on the corporation's greatest strengths and most significant weaknesses. Thoroughly choose the strategy or tactic the corporation should select to take maximum advantage of its strengths, and the strategy or tactic the corporation should select to fix its most significant weakness. Thoroughly justify your choices.
6. Thoroughly determine the company’s resources, capabilities, and core competencies.
7. Thoroughly analyze the company’s value chain to determine where they can create using the resources, capabilities, and core competencies discussed above.
8. Use at least four (4) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources.
Assignment formatting requirements:
Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format.
Answer will be sent by email as attachment.
