management assignment

BUSI 4940 – Business Policy

Analyzing the Internal Environment

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Individual Assignment #2 - 125 points

Assignment Overview:

Answer the following prompts in the template on the assigned firm (PepsiCo) using resources from class discussions, the text (Chapters 1, 3, 4 and 5, Appendices A and B in the text), and research conducted through the UNT library (http://guides.library.unt.edu/c.php?g=69756&p=452408). You may also use other internet sources, but they should be reputable business news or industry-specific outlets. For this assignment, make sure to go to the firm’s website and that you include 10K reports for public firms in your sources.

You should submit your assignment via Blackboard. You MUST cite sources of information in APA format include a reference list at the end of your submission). Be sure to put information in your own words to avoid plagiarism. In other words, information taken from sources should never be verbatim unless it is in quotes and effective business writing keeps quotes to a minimum.

This is an individual assignment. You should develop the analyses and answers on your own without help from classmates, things posted online, people from previous semesters, etc. In other words, you should not copy work, in part or completely, from anyone else. Remember, there may be no one “right” answer, as this assignment (and class) is about critical thinking. What matters is that you present data-supported and logical answers based in your own research.

Grading Rubric Individual Assignment #2 (125 points)	Not Completed (0%)	Severely Deficient (50%)	Somewhat Acceptable (65%)	Acceptable (75%)	Good (85%)	Excellent (95%)	Top of Class (100%)
1. Section A – Firm’s Health (25 points)
2. Section B – Key components of the Firm’s Strategy (25 points)
3. Section C – Firm’s Competitive Advantage (25 points)
4. Section D – Executive Summary (50 Points)

SECTION A – Analyze the Firm’s Health (include references in this section) (25 points)

(Chapters 1,3, and Appendix B)

1	Operating/Financial Health of Firm - Firm revenues, profit margins, key ratios (debt/equity, ROA, ROCE) versus prior years (trend), versus the industry average (from Individual Assignment 1), versus key competitors in the strategic group from Assignment 1 (note all three are important benchmarks)
2	Market Performance of Firm - Is the firm gaining or losing market share? Is the market growing or contracting? How satisfied are the firm’s customers? Is the company introducing new products?
3	Firm Organizational Health - Are employees of the firm happy? What are the indicators of org. health?
4	Create an Organizational performance -matrix - In which quadrant did you place the firm and why?

Place Graphic of Organizational Performance Matrix Here

SECTION B – Determine the Key components of the firm’s strategy (25 points)

(Chapters 1 and 3, include references)

1	Mission of the Firm
2	Vision of the Firm
3	Stated Goals of the Firm
4	Product/Market Focus of the Firm Does the company provide broad or narrow product range? Does the company focus across a broad market (national/international) or narrow (local/regional)?
5	Resources/Capabilities What are the critical resources and capabilities that enable the firm’s value proposition? Are they VRIN?
6	Value Chain What is the company’s business model and what are the components of the value chain that are most critical to the firm?

SECTION C – Use the Diamond Tool to Describe the Firm’s Competitive Advantage/ Value Proposition: (25 points)

Include a graphic of your analysis of firm using the Diamond Tool

Place Graphic Here

1	Cost or Differentiation Strategy Clarify the firm’s strategy
2	Value Proposition- Define what a value proposition is, then describe the firm’s value proposition
3	Strengths of Firm versus competition From Diamond Tool
4	Weaknesses of Firm versus competition From Diamond Tool
5	Key Sources of Competitive Advantage Consider resources and capabilities that create advantage for the firm
6	Insulation of Advantage How protected are the sources of the firm’s advantage? What prevents other companies from imitation?

SECTION D: Summary Assessment of the Firm’s Health and Competitive Position in the Industry (50 points)

Using insights from your analysis, to provide your assessments of the strength of the firm’s competitive position now and in the future. Be specific and clear. Summarize your findings into a professionally written summary appropriate for your boss or a client (no more than one page single spaced, 12-point font, 1” margins). Please note that summary is not a description of the process you followed, but rather a high-level review of key findings.

Answer the questions:

Does the Firm have a strong position today? Is it likely to remain strong in the future?

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