代写 BUS211 Strategic Management assignment

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代写 BUS211 Strategic Management assignment


 
 
BUS211 Strategic Management
 Workbook
 
 
 
 

Table of Contents
Introduction.. 4
BUS 211: Assessment Details.. 5
Please note the following: 5
1.     The group assignment must be submitted through SafeAssign by the due date. Please submit once using the group member’s surname coming first alphabetically. 5
2.     The assignment submitted in pdf version will not be acceptable – it must be a Word document. 5
Assignment – Tasks, Marking Guide and Peer Evaluation Report. 6
Additional information and summary context for the main component of the Strategic Management Report ‘Group Size – 4 People’: Description.. 8
BUS211 Assessment Task 2b Main Strategic Management Report/Component 2 — Marking Guide ‘Group’ 10
Week 1 (beginning February 29). 13
Prescribed text. 13
Week 2 (beginning March 7). 13
Week 3 (beginning March 14). 17
Week 4 (beginning March 21). 20
Easter Break (beginning March 28). 23
Week 5 (beginning April 4). 24
Submission of Project plan: Component 1 of your assignment ‘group work’ in week 5.. 26
Week 6 (beginning April 11). 27
Week 7 (beginning April 18). 30
Week 8 (beginning April 25). 33
Week 9 (beginning May 2). 36
Week 10 (beginning May 9). 40
In-class Presentations (Maximum 2) - Component 3 of your Group Assignment. 42
Week 11 (beginning May 16). 43
In-class Presentations (Maximum 2) - Component 3 of your Group Assignment. 44
Week 12 (beginning May 23). 45
Submission of Component 2 of your Group Assignment ‘Strategic Management Project’ 47
In-class Presentations (Maximum 2) - Component 3 of your Group Assignment. 47
Week 13 (beginning May 30). 48
This course takes integrative and interactive approaches in meeting the learning objectives. As a part of the integrative approach, students are expected to apply the theoretical strategic management concepts in addressing the case issues. As a part of the interactive approach, students discuss the various strategic management issues in the tutorials. Each week, students will attend a two-hour lecture and a one-hour tutorial. The lecture will focus on the introduction and explanation of concepts, ideas and theories. To develop and enhance the problem-solving skills, the students meet in small groups and discuss the case studies and the related strategic management exercises in tutorials. The tutorial/seminar leaders will reinforce the theoretical concept(s) already covered in the lecture through discussion of some relevant questions. In analysing the case to address the relevant case question, students are expected to apply the theoretical knowledge / concepts learned along with their own practical experience. To make a good contribution to the discussion, it is important that you (students) read the tutorial material and try to answer the questions in this workbook before you come to the tutorial.
 Each chapter in the textbook contains useful materials such as opening case, ethical dilemma, discussion questions, strategy in action boxes, small-group exercise, article file, strategic management project, and a closing case followed by case questions. It may not be possible to cover all these materials in the tutorials but we encourage you to read them and get a good exposure to strategic management issues. We expect you to prepare your answers to the discussion questions and case questions and make yourself available for discussion in the tutorials.
It is highly recommended that the students attend all lectures and tutorial sessions. As a courtesy, you are also expected to keep your tutor informed of absences from class due to illness or other unavoidable commitments.
Following topics will be covered in the lectures and tutorials in this course:
1.                   Strategy and the strategic management process (Chapter 1)
2.                   External analysis to identify the opportunities and threats (Chapters 1 & 2)
3.                   Internal analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses (Chapter 3)
4.                   Functional level strategy (Chapter 4)
5.                   Business level strategy and industry environment – I (Chapter 5)
6.                   Business level strategy, technology and industry environment – II (Chapters 6 and 7)
7.                   Corporate strategy (Chapters 9 and 10)
8.                   Strategy in the global environment (Chapter 8)
9.                   Strategy implementation – I (Organisation structure and design, Chapters 12 and 13)
10.               Strategy implementation – II (Strategic control systems, culture and reward systems, alignment of strategy and structure, and strategic leadership) (Chapters 12 & 13)
11.               Strategic entrepreneurship, managing strategic change and strategic management in public/not-for-profit organisations (Powerpoint slides plus extra materials to be provided)
12.               Stakeholders, corporate governance and business ethics (Chapter 11)
Your weekly tasks will be based on these topics.
Have a great semester, Bruce.

BUS 211: Assessment Details

Task No.	Assessment Tasks	Individual or Group	Weighting %	What is the duration / length?	When should I submit?	Where should I submit it?	Hurdle Task
1	Class participation	Individual	10%	Every week in the tutorials	Week 2-13	In tutorial	No
2a	Assignment ‘Strategic Management Report’ - Component 1: Project plan	Group	10%	750 words	Week 5	In tutorial	No
2b	Assignment ‘Strategic Management Report’ - Component 2: ‘Main Written Report’	Group	30%	2500 words	Week 12, Wednesday 5:00pm AEST	SafeAssign	No
2c	Assignment ‘Strategic Management Report’ - Component 3: In-class Presentation	Group	10%	15 minutes	Weeks 10, 11 and 12	In your tutorial room	No
3	Final Examination	Individual	40%	2 hours	Central examination period	In exam venue	No
			100%

 
Please note the following:

1. The group assignment must be submitted through SafeAssign by the due date. Please submit once using the group member’s surname coming first alphabetically.
2. The assignment submitted in pdf version will not be acceptable – it must be a Word document.

 
Assignment – Tasks, Marking Guide and Peer Evaluation Report

Goal:	You will develop and demonstrate leadership abilities through active participation in the tutorials through engagement with questions on various strategic management issues and your application of relevant concepts/theories in analysing case studies/answering discussion questions. It will be important to read the relevant materials before you attend the tutorials to ensure you gain the most from this interactive learning environment.
Product:	Participation in discussion
Format:	This is an individual assessment.
Criteria	Your marks will be based on the following: There will be 10 marks for your participation in tutorials. Every week your tutor will evaluate you using a 5-point scale (0 to 4) based on your tutorial performance. The maximum score you can get in 12 weeks is 48. If your score is 48, you get 10 marks in class participation. Your mark will be calculated on pro-rata basis. For example, if your score is 24 you get 5 marks in class participation. Please note that you need to read and prepare the relevant tutorial material for a particular week to be able to actively participate in the class and get a good mark. Basic criteria: Analysis and evaluation of the relevant tutorial materials Communication of business management theory and content Identification and description of strategic management techniques Your level of preparation for and participation in the class will determine your performance. For example: 0  mark    =     Absent from the tutorial 1  mark    =     Tries to respond when called on – demonstrates infrequent involvement in discussion. 2 marks   = Demonstrates knowledge of the content but does not show evidence of trying to interpret/analyse them. Offers straightforward information and does not contribute much to discussion. 3 marks   = Demonstrates knowledge of the content and contributes well to discussion in an on-going way. 4 marks   = Offers analysis, synthesis and evaluation of discussion material and contributes in a very significant way to on-going discussion and respects the views offered by colleagues in the class.

Goal:	The purpose of this component is to help you familiarise and build relationships with your team members, clarify the roles of team members and ensure that each member makes a worthwhile contribution in producing a high quality report and to be able to submit the report on time (time management).  You are required to submit this component to your tutor in week 5. This assignment will be based on a case study context provided in this document under Assessment Task 2B and on Blackboard. There are three components for this task in total..
Product:	Project Plan - Strategic Management Report
Format:	This is a group assessment. The length of this assignment should be approximately 750 words.  In this component you are required to provide an outline of the following aspects: ·      Names of the team members and their roles in the assignment  as to who is going to do what and when ·      How often you are going to meet as a group and what you are going to discuss in the meeting ·      List of references including the industry reports if any that you are going to use in completing your assignment ·      Project activity schedule for progress monitoring to ensure that you are able to submit your assignment on time ·       Your strategy for addressing the conflict if any in your group
Criteria	Level of comprehensiveness of the project plan ( 4 marks) Roles and responsibilities of team members clearly outlined  (2 marks)                        Appropriateness of research materials  (2 marks)                                       Clearly defined and achievable scheduling   (2 marks)

 
Assignment Task 2b: Assignment ‘Strategic Management Report’ - Component 2 ‘Group’: ‘Main Written Report’ (30 marks worth)

Goal:	This task is an opportunity to develop your strategic management skills through the production of an authentic report for a business/industry case study. Please check Blackboard for case study.
Product:	Strategic Management Report
Format:	This is a group assessment. The length of this assignment should be approximately 2500 words.
Criteria	Marks will be allocated using the marking guide - please see marking criteria. For marking consistency, a marks moderation meeting will be held with all markers.

 
 
Additional information and summary context for the main component of the Strategic Management Report ‘Group Size – 4 People’: Description
‘In contemporary business settings it is asserted, if you are not doing the disrupting in your industry then somebody else will be. At  a time where product and industry lifecycles are at their shortest and technology is converging in settings where linear thinking is fast becoming outdated , the basis for the challenge of strategic management has never been so turbulent.
Consider the impact fifteen years ago of the internet on newspapers, more recently Uber on the taxi industry, Spotify on the music industry, Netflix on the television industry and air bnb on accommodation industry? Disruptive technology is being used to drive competition, derail long held assumptions and open the minds of consumers and corporate executives to all manner of possibilities for the future.
The futurists tells us – this is just the beginning, and the Kodak moments; the moments where the problem and the solution look one another in the eye and the nimble, under-capitalized upstart grabs the advantage of hesitation due to a single light bulb moment will become the norm.
Disruption of course comes with risk, and organisations are grappling with change and transformation where exponential growth is demanded by shareholders – where does the line break due to tension between threat and opportunity?
The challenge for AT2 is to select an organization which is either disrupting or being disrupted in the current Australian context and apply and discuss strategic management frameworks as related to your chosen organization and selected industry.’
 
You need to prepare and submit a written strategic management report on or before the due date (Wednesday, 3:30pm, week 12). In preparing this report, you need to analyse your chosen context (organisation and industry)demonstrating your ability to identify the strategic approaches (corporate, business and functional levels) and apply the relevant strategic management frameworks (for example, Porter’s 5-forces, environmental analysis, Strengths and Weaknesses analysis) that have been covered in this course, with a view to generating feasible recommendations. In your report, you are required to cite at least 10 relevant references (excluding your textbook). 
Journal articles would be preferable. Some of the leading journals in management area are Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Business Strategy, Long Range Planning, Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Australian Journal of Management, British Journal of Management, California Management Review, Harvard Business Review, Journal of Management, Journal of Organisational Behaviour, Business Horizons, Organisation Studies, Technovation.
For completing the strategic management report, you will need to use the context provided here and on Blackboard and carry out more research on your chosen company, library catalogues, relevant web-sites, Google Scholar and electronic databases (e.g. Proquest) for journal articles.
Please note that your written assignment must include appropriate sources of the reference materials you have used in its preparation, i.e, in-text referencing and a listing of references at the end of the assignment - websites such as Wikipedia, answers.com, indianchild.com are not appropriate. AS a rule of thumb – recognized industry and company websites for applied industry information, and peer reviewed academic journal articles for course theory and frameworks. You will find Summers and Smith’s Communication Skills Handbook helpful for the Harvard style referencing formats (both in-text and list of references) that you are expected to use in your assignment. The length of this assignment should be approximately 2500 words - please note that marks will be deducted for assignments exceeding 3000 words.
The word count of the report does not include the executive summary, table of contents, figures, tables, references and appendices.
Please ensure that names of all group members, student numbers, tutor’s name and the tutorial you attend are clearly shown on the cover page of your group assignment. Late submission of the assignment will not be acceptable and marks will be deducted per day unless there are special circumstances.
The report could cover the following components (tentative structure):
·                     Title page of the report
·                     Executive summary
·                     Table of contents
·                     Introduction (purpose of the report, scope of the report, limitations if any, method you used in completing this study e.g. brief outline of the process, use of electronic databases such as Google Scholar, Proquest etc.)
·                     Body of the report
§     Identification of strategic approaches (corporate, business and functional levels)
§     Identification of the competitive advantage if any (possible application of VRINE)
§     Analysis of the external ‘PESTEL’ and internal  environment / Strengths and Weaknesses  analysis
§     Application of Porter’s five forces model to analyse the strength and nature of competition in the industry and to determine whether the industry is attractive.
§     Identification  of critical issues
·                     Conclusions and recommendations (with justifications) ‘Hint: Recommendations should discuss as to how the key issues identified in the report can be addressed and how strengths can be capitalized to grab the market opportunities’
·                     List of references (at least 10 references excluding your textbook, journal articles preferable)
·                     Appendices if any
 
Due Date: Week 12, Wednesday, 5:00pm AEST, Word Length: 2500 words, Weighting: 30%
Group size: 2 – 4  people
Marking guide presented below indicates the allocation of marks in different criteria. As this is a group assignment, everyone in the group will be expected to contribute equally in the assignment. The group members will be required to complete and attach the peer evaluation report with their assignment at the time of submission of the report if the group members feel that they have not contributed equally. 

Criteria			High Distinction (85% +)	Distinction (75%-84%)	Credit (65%-74%)	Pass (50%-64%)	Fail (49% or less)	Mark
Application of relevant strategic management concepts, frameworks and theory.	50 Marks	LO4	Demonstrated an excellent application of relevant strategic management concepts, frameworks and theory.	Demonstrated a very good application of relevant strategic management concepts, frameworks and theory.	Demonstrated a clear application of relevant strategic management concepts, frameworks and theory.	Demonstrated an adequate application of relevant strategic management concepts, frameworks and theory.	Inadequate application of relevant strategic management concepts, frameworks and theory.	50 marks X         % = ___ marks
Critical evaluation and logical development of arguments.	20 Marks	LO4	Demonstrated an excellent capacity for critical evaluation and logical development of arguments.	Demonstrated a very good capacity for critical evaluation and logical development of arguments.	Demonstrated a capacity for critical evaluation and logical development of arguments	Demonstrated an adequate capacity for critical evaluation and logical development of arguments	Inadequate capacity for critical evaluation and logical development of arguments	20 marks X        % = ___ marks
Identification of critical issues and the generation of recommendations.	15 Marks	LO1	Rigorous and insightful identification of critical issues and the generation of creative and feasible recommendations.	Very clear identification of major critical issues and the generation of reasonably creative and feasible recommendations.	Clear identification of critical issues and the generation of feasible recommendations.	Adequate identification of some critical issues and the generation of reasonable recommendations.	Inadequate identification of critical issues and the generation of recommendations.	15 marks X       % = ___ marks
Error free writing with appropriate formatting, use of relevant credible sources and appropriate referencing style	15 Marks	LO1	Demonstrated an excellent capacity for error free writing with the use of relevant credible sources/ref style.	Demonstrated a very good capacity for error free writing with the use of relevant credible sources/ref style.	Demonstrated a capacity for error free writing with the use of some relevant credible sources/ref style.	Demonstrated an adequate capacity for error free writing with the use of few relevant credible sources/ref style.	Inadequate capacity for error free writing and the use of relevant credible sources / ref style.	15 marks X          % = ___ marks

_____/100 marks   ð       minus penalties _____     ð      FINAL MARK _____/30            HD          DN          CR           PS           FL       
Names of Team Members:
Comments:
 

Assessment Task 2c: Assignment ‘Strategic Management Report’ - Component 3 ‘Group’: In-class Presentation (10 marks worth)

Goal:	The purpose of this task is to enable you to develop your presentation skills – a key skill in business.
Product:	In-class presentation (group)
Format:	15 minutes presentation of what you did, how you did, what you found in your project and what your recommendations are
Criteria	The following criteria will be used for marking your presentation: ·         Introduction of group members, their roles, project objectives, and the method used in collecting information ·         Professional disposition ·         Application of relevant strategic management concepts, frameworks and theory ·         Key findings from your study ·         Conclusions and recommendations

 

Goal:	This exam will allow you to demonstrate your understanding of the strategic management concepts developed in this course.
Product:	Exam
Format:	This is an individual assessment.
Criteria	The marks for each question will be indicated in your exam paper. For marking consistency, a marks moderation meeting will be held with all markers.  The following criteria will be used for assessment: ·         Demonstration of good understanding of the key strategic management concepts covered in the course ·         Ability to apply relevant strategic management concepts in addressing the case issues/problems ·         Ability to think critically about the question and to convey this in the written answer

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Peer Evaluation: Assignment Component 2b – Strategic Management Report[1]
Please assess yourself and each of your colleagues by using the following five-point scale for the performance criteria listed in the table below.
1 = very poor, 2 = poor, 3 = average, 4 = good, 5 = very good.
If you think, your colleague performed very well for example, in criterion - 'attendance at meetings', simply place a '5' in the appropriate box.

Team performance criteria

 

Surname	First name	Attendance at meetings	Initiative	Ability to work as team member	Ability to complete assigned tasks	Ability to work to a deadline

 
Comments (if any): ____________________________________________________________________________________________
 
 
 
__________________________
Name of the student
completing this evaluation
 
 
_____________
Signature
 
Tutorial program from week 1 to week 13
 
No tutorial week 1
Please note that you need to bring the following resource(s) in the tutorials regularly:

Author	Year	Title	Publisher
Hill, C.W.L., Jones, G.R.,  and Schilling, M.A.	11th edition of Hill and Jones (2015)	Strategic Management - Theory	Cengage Learning, Stamford.

·           A list of selected readings in strategic management - available on Blackboard.
·           The weekly tutorial tasks (workbook) - available on Blackboard.
 
Introduction
Course outline
What is case study analysis? How do we analyse a case study? (Read pages C2 to C14, your textbook)
 

Learning objectives

1.     Specify the strategic role of managers at different levels in an organization
2.     Identify the main steps in a strategic planning process
2.     Identify the main pitfalls of planning and how those pitfalls can be avoided
3.     Outline the cognitive biases that might lead to poor strategic decisions and explain how these biases can be overcome
4.       Explain the role played by strategic leaders in the strategy-making process
 
 
Read Opening Case Wal-Mart’s Competitive Advantage (pp. 1-3, your textbook) and discuss what we can learn from this story.
 

Discussion questions (p. 33, Chapter 1)

1.       What do we mean by strategy? How is a business model different from a strategy?
 
 
 
 
 
 
2.       What do you think are the sources of sustained superior profitability?
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.       What are the strengths of formal strategic planning? What are its weaknesses?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.            To what extent do you think that cognitive biases may have contributed to the global financial crisis that gripped financial markets in 2008-2009?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.       Discuss the accuracy of the following statement: Formal strategic planning systems are irrelevant for firms competing in high-technology industries where the pace of change is so rapid that plans are routinely made obsolete by unforeseen events.
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.       Pick the current or a past prime minister of Australia and evaluate his/her performance against the leadership characteristics discussed in the text. On the basis of this comparison, do you think that the prime minister was/is a good strategic leader? Why?
 

Closing Case: General Electric’s Ecomagination Strategy (P.36, Chapter 1)

Case discussion questions

1.                   Where did the original impetus for GE’s ecomagination strategy come from? What does this tell you about strategy making?
 
 
 
 
 
 
2.                   To what extent did GE follow a classic SWOT model when formulating its ecomagination strategy?
        
 
 
 
 
 
3.                   GE’s CEO Jeff Immelt often states that “green is green.” What does he mean by this? Is the ecomagination strategy in the best interests of GE’s stockholders?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.                  By most reports, GE’s ecomagination strategy has been successfully implemented. Why do you think this is the case? What did GE do correctly? What are the key lessons here?       
 
 
 
        
 
 
 
5.                   If GE had not pursued an ecomagination strategy, where do you think it would be today? Where might it be 10 years from now?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Small-Group Exercise: Designing A Planning System (P.34, Chapter 1)

 

 

Read strategy in action boxes from Chapter 1: Strategic analysis at Time Inc., Starbucks’ Music Business, A strategic shift at charles schwab.

 

Learning objectives

1.     Discuss the main technique used to analyze competition in an industry environment-the five forces model
2.     Describe the concept of strategic groups and illustrate its implications for industry analysis
3.     Discuss how industries evolve over time, with reference to the industry life cycle model
4.     Show how trends in the macro-environment can shape the nature of competition in an industry
 

Opening Case: The Market for Large Commercial Jet Aircraft (P. 43, Chapter 2)

Questions for discussion: Are the two main incumbents, Boeing and Airbus, set to dominate the market? What are the opportunities for the new entrants? Can you suggest ways the new entrants could compete with Boeing and Airbus.
 
 

Closing Case: The United States Airline Industry (P.76, Chapter 2)

Case discussion questions

1.       Using the information in the case, conduct a five-forces analysis of the US airline industry. What does this analysis tell you about the causes of low profitability in this industry?
        
 
 
 
 
 
2.       Do you think there are any strategic groups in the U.S. airline industry? If so, what might they be? How might the nature of competition vary from group to group?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.         The economic performance of the airline industry seems to be very cyclical. Why do you think this is the case?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.      Given your analysis, what strategies do you think an airline should adopt in order to improve its chances of being persistently profitable?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Discussion questions (p. 74, Chapter 2)

1.       Under what environmental conditions are price wars most likely to occur in an industry? What are the implications of price wars for a company? How should a company try to deal with the threat of a price war?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2.       Discuss the Competitive Forces model with reference to what you know about the global market for commercial jet aircraft (opening case). What does the model tell you about the level of competition in this industry?
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.         Identify a growth industry, a mature industry, and a declining industry. For each industry, identify the following: (a) the number and size distribution of companies; (b) the nature of barriers to entry; (c) the height of barriers to entry; and (d) the extent of product differentiation. What do these factors tell you about the nature of competition in each industry? What are the implications for the company in terms of opportunities and threats?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.         Assess the impact of macroenvironmental factors on the likely level of enrollment at your university over the next decade. What are the implications of these factors for the job security and salary level of your professors?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Read strategy in action boxes: circumventing entry barriers into the soft drink industry, p. 51, and price wars in the breakfast cereal industry, p. 53

 

Learning objectives

1.     Explain the source of competitive advantage
2.     Identify and explain the role of efficiency, quality, innovation, and customer responsiveness in building and maintaining a competitive advantage
3.     Explain the concept of the value chain
4.     Explain the link between competitive advantage and profitability
5.     Identify the factors that influence the durability of a company’s competitive advantage
 

Opening Case: Verizon Wireless (P.80, Chapter 3)

Read the above case and answer the following questions:

1. What is the link between Verizon Wireless’ business model, strategy, competitive advantage, and profitability?

 
 
 
 
 

2. What are Verizon Wireless’ distinctive competencies and resources and capabilities to make it happen?

 
 
 

3. What does the value chain look like within Verizon Wireless’?

 
 
 
 

4. How will the Verizon Wireless’ competitive advantage be maintained in the future?

 
 
 

Discussion questions (p. 111, Chapter 3)

1.       What are the main implications of the material discussed in chapter 3 for strategy formulation?
 
 
 
 
 
2.       When is a company’s competitive advantage most likely to endure over time?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.       Is it possible for a company to be the lowest cost producer in its industry and simultaneously have an output that is most valued by customers? Discuss this statement.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.       Why is it important to understand the drivers of profitability, as measured by the return on invested capital?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5.       Which is more important in explaining the success and failure of companies: strategizing or luck?
 
 
 
 
 

Closing Case: Competitive Advantage at Starbucks (P.113, Chapter 3)

Case discussion questions

 

 
1.       What is the value that Starbucks creates for its customers? How does the company create this value?
 
 
 
 
 
2.       How important have innovation, efficiency, quality, and customer responsiveness been to Starbucks’ competitive position?
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.        Does Starbucks have any distinctive competencies? If so, how do they affect the business?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.         Why do you think the performance of Starbucks started to decline after 2005? What was Schultz trying to do with the changes he made after 2008?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Small Group Exercise: Analyzing Competitive Advantage (p. 111, Chapter 3)
 
 
Read Strategy in Action Boxes: Value Creation at Burberry, p. 91 and Competitive Advantage at Zara, p. 92.
Focus on: Wal-Mart, p. 101, Chapter 3.
 
Ethical Dilemma (p. 112, Chapter 3)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Learning objectives

1.     Discuss how a company can build and maintain a competitive advantage through its choice of functional strategies
2.     Identify the different steps that can be taken at the functional level to improve a company’s efficiency
3.     Identify the different steps that can be taken at the functional level to improve the quality of the company’s product
4.     Identify the different steps that can be taken at the functional level to improve a company’s ability to innovate
5.     Identify the different steps that can be taken at the functional level to improve a company’s responsiveness to its customers
 

Opening Case: Amazon.Com (P.116, Chapter 4)

Question 1. Discuss how Amazon.Com increased efficiency, quality, and responsiveness to customers.
 
 
 

Discussion questions (p. 148, Chapter 4)

1.       How are the four generic building blocks of competitive advantage related to each other?
 
 
 
 
 
 
2.       What role can top management play in helping a company achieve superior efficiency, quality, innovation, and responsiveness to customers?
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.      Over time, will the adoption of Six Sigma quality improvement processes give a company  competitive advantage, or will it be required just to achieve parity with competitors?
 
 
 
 
 
4.       In what sense might innovation be called the single most important building block of competitive advantage?
 
 
 
 

Small-Group Exercise: Identifying Excellence (P. 148, Chapter 4)

 

Closing Case: lean production at virginia mason (P. 149, Chapter 4)

 

Case discussion questions

 
1.        What do you think were the underlying reasons for the performance problems that Virginia Mason Hospital was encountering in the early 2000s?
 
 
 
 
 
 
2.       Which of the four building blocks of competitive advantage did lean production techniques help improve at Virginia Mason?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.       What do you think was the key to the apparently successful implementation of lean production techniques at Virginia Mason?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.    Lean production was developed at a manufacturing firm, Toyota, yet it is being applied in this case at a hospital. What does that tell you about the nature of the lean production philosophy for performance improvement?   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Read Strategy in Action Boxes:  Learning effects in cardiac surgery, p. 122, Pandora: Mass customizing internet radio, p. 126, Chapter 4
 
Focus 0n: Wal-Mart - Human resource strategy and productivity at Wal-Mart, p. 131, Chapter 4.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Learning objectives

1.     Explain why a company must define its business, and how managers do this through choices about which customer groups, customer needs, and distinctive competencies to pursue
2.     Define competitive positioning and explain the tradeoffs between differentiation, cost, and pricing options
3.     Identify the choices managers make to pursue a business model based on a combination of the primary generic business-level strategies: cost leadership, differentiation, and focus
4.     Explain why each business model allows a company to outperform its rivals, reach the value-creation frontier, and obtain above average profitability
5.     Discuss why some companies can successfully make the competitive positioning decisions that allow them to sustain their competitive advantage over time while others cannot

 

Opening Case: Nordstrom (P. 153, Chapter 5)

 
Question 1: What do we learn from this story? Is there similar story in Australia?

Discussion questions (p. 187, Chapter 5)

1.       What are the main differences between a low cost strategy and a differentiation strategy?
 
 
 
 
 
2.       Why is market segmentation such an important step in the process of formulating a business level strategy?
 
 
 
 
 
3.        How can a business-level strategy of (a) low cost and (b) differentiation offer some protection against competitive forces in a company’s industry?
 
 
 
4.       What is required to transform a business-level strategy from an idea into reality?
 
 
 
 
5.        What do we mean by the term value innovation? Can you identify a company not discussed in the text that has established a strong competitive position through value innovation?
 
 
 

 

Closing Case: Lululemon (P. 175, Chapter 5)

Case discussion questions

1.       How would you describe Lululemon’s market segmentation strategy? Who do you think are Lululemon’s typical customers?
 
 
 
 
 
 
2.      What generic business-level strategy is Lululemon pursuing? Does this strategy give it an advantage over its rivals in the athletic clothing business? If so, how?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3        In order to successfully implement its business level strategy; what does Lululemon need to do at the functional level? Has the company done these things?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4        How might the marketing and product missteps cited in the case impact upon Lululemon’s ability to successfully execute its business-level strategy? What should Lululemon do to make sure that it does not make similar mistakes going forward?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Small Group Exercise (p. 174, Chapter 5)
 
Read Strategy in Action Boxes: Low costs at Southwest airlines, p. 156; Microsoft Office versus Google Apps, p. 167.

Learning objectives

1.     Familiarize students with the importance of tailoring their business models to existing conditions and different industry environments
2.     Identify the strategies necessary to increase profitability in fragmented industries
3.     Discuss the problems in embryonic and growth industries and the necessary business models for competing effectively
4.     Examine the main kinds of competitive strategies necessary to increase profitability in intense mature industries
5.     Familiarize students with the main strategies necessary for companies in declining industries to use to coincide with their business models and profitability
6.        Examine strategies that can be used by first movers and existing firms to manage during a time of technological paradigm shift.

 

Opening case: How to make money in newspaper advertising (p.178, Chapter 6)

 
Question for discussion: How and why strategies may need to change according to industry and competitive moves?
 
Closing case: Consolidating dry cleaning (p.207, Chapter 6)
 
Case discussion questions:
1.                   Why do you think that the dry-cleaning industry has a fragmented structure?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2.              The larger enterprises in the industry seem to serve large customers with standardized needs, such as hotels and hospitals. Why do you think this is the case?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.                   Why do you think that Zoots was unable to consolidate the dry-cleaning industry, despite adequate capital and the managerial talent that created Staples?
 
 
 
 
 
4.                   If you were to try to consolidate the dry-cleaning industry, what strategy would you pursue and why?

 

 
 
 
 

Discussion questions (p. 223, Chapter 6)

1.       Why are industries fragmented? What are the main ways in which companies can turn a fragmented industry into a consolidated one?
 
 
 
 
 
 
2.       What are the key problems involved in maintaining a competitive advantage in embryonic and growth industry environments? What are the dangers associated with being the leader in an industry?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.       Discuss how companies can use (a) product differentiation and (b) capacity control to manage rivalry and increase an industry’s profitability.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.         What kinds of strategies might a (a) small pizza place operating in a crowded college market and (b) detergent manufacturer seeking to bring out new products in established markets use to strengthen their business models?
 
 
 
 
 
 
Read Strategy in Action Boxes:
Crossing the chasm in the smartphone market, p. 189
TOYOTA uses market development to become the global leader, p. 198
Non-price competition at Nike, p. 199

Week 8 (beginning April 25)

Week 9 (beginning May 2)

Case Discussion Questions

Week 10 (beginning May 9)

In-class Presentations (Maximum 2) - Component 3 of your Group Assignment

Week 11 (beginning May 16)

In-class Presentations (Maximum 2) - Component 3 of your Group Assignment

Week 12 (beginning May 23)

Submission of Component 2 of your Group Assignment ‘Strategic Management Project’

In-class Presentations (Maximum 2) - Component 3 of your Group Assignment

Week 13 (beginning May 30)