help with proj 2 due in 48 hours

Writing the Executive Summary

An executive summary is a brief document typically directed at top-level managers who sometimes make decisions based upon a reading of this summary alone. As a result, the executive summary must be concise but comprehensive, meaning that it must present in summary form all major sections of the main report, such as:

· purpose

· problem

· methods of analyzing the problem

· results of analysis

· recommendations

To repeat, because of the critical role it plays, the executive summary is often the first and only part read by key decision makers. Therefore, it must be designed so that it can be read independently of the main document. Typically, figures and tables are not referenced in the executive summary. Uncommon terminology, symbols and acronyms are avoided. If the executive summary is sufficiently persuasive, the entire proposal will then be read in full. Therefore, your summary is key to the success of your proposal and should reflect these characteristics: 

SAMPLE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Course Resource

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Using an Outside Organization

Requirement: Consult with your instructor

If you are not currently employed or believe your employer is not an appropriate choice for this project, you must contact your professor immediately and book a time to discuss the possible alternatives. If either of these situations apply, you must receive approval from your professor before proceeding with any steps in this project.

1. If you are not currently employed, it will be important to consult with your professor and obtain prior approval to complete this project for a specific organization you believe may be appropriate. Here are some guidelines to help you prepare for your discussion with your professor:

a. After reviewing the project requirements, find and select a possible alternative organization. Briefly describe the organization and your relationship with it.

b. Explain your rationale for believing the organization is a good choice.

c. Identify and make note of specific challenges you envisage encountering if the professor supports your suggested choice of organization for this project. Explain your plan for addressing these challenges.

2. If you are employed but believe you may not be able to use your organization for this project here are some guidelines to help you prepare for your discussion with your professor:

a. Review the project deliverables carefully and make note of those for which you expect you will not be able to get the needed information.

b. Identify an alternative organization you believe would work for this project and jot down the key points that support your conclusion.

c. Consider both the advantages and possible disadvantages of doing this assignment on an alternative organization. Note that this project requires no gathering or sharing of confidential or sensitive information so it is usually easy to address and resolve concerns .

Project 2: Situation Audit Template

Your situation audit report should include the following elements:

· cover page—not included in page limit

· executive summary—1 page; not included in page limit

· introduction—1 page

· fact sheet—1 page; see Step 2

· mission, vision, values and goals—1 page; see Step 3

· stragegy and objectives—1 page; see Step 4

· strategy types and competitive advantage—2 to 3 pages; see Step 5

· organizational size and structure—2 to 3 pages; see Step 6

· critical resources—2 to 3 pages; see Step 7

· leadership, governance, and management—2 to 3 pages; see Step 8

· strengths and weaknesses—1 to 2 pages; see Step 9

· learning and change—1 to 2 pages; see Step 10

· conclusions and recommendations—1 page; see Step 11

· references—not included in page limit

· addenda—if needed, is not included in page limit

· submit—see Step 12

Note: The Situation Audit Report is expected to be 18 to 22 pages, excluding the cover page, executive summary, and references. The page ranges listed above are guidelines. The student can decide how many pages to allocate to a given topic so long as the report does not exceed the maximum number of pages allowed. However, where the suggested page ranges are longer, the intent is to highlight the areas of the report deemed to require more analysis. These particular areas of the report go beyond a statement of organizational facts. They require significant academic readings and a grasp of relevant concepts, which are expected to be integrated into the student’s analysis. Please carefully read the Student Expectations section in Step 1, Organize Your Work.

In developing the report, students should follow the exact order of the template using the same headings to separate sections of the report. Each step is to be included in the final submission. APA format must be followed throughout. See Writing Skills under Grading in the Syllabus for writing expectations.  In Step 1, Organize Your Work, please read carefully the section entitled, Student Expectations.

Learning Topic

Creating an Organizational Fact Sheet

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Fact sheets vary depending upon the organization and intended audience. For the purposes of this project, your fact sheet should be a one-page overview of important information any new or prospective employee or board member would find helpful. You should adapt the fact sheet you create to fit your specific organization.

Organizations in the nonprofit sector use varyinglanguage and approaches to share similar important types of information. To see an example, you can look for the Facts section or About section on the website of the American Red Cross or United Way.

If you scan the Internet for organizational fact sheets, you will find many different templates and examples. You will also find that different types of organizations use different labels for the areas on their websites where they share information. Corporations sometimes use an About page to share information of general interest to all stakeholders and then create a one-page fact sheet targeted primarily at investors. To see examples, search the corporate website of companies like Exxon Mobil or IBM.

Those who work in large government departments may find many different fact sheets. For example , if you search the About section one the US State Department website, you will probably find yourself on a page intended as a starting place for people interested in a career. If you work for a small or new business that does not yet have a fact sheet, you might find the toolkit for small- and medium-size enterprises on the International Monetary Fund’s website helpful.

Fact sheets typically provide information that can be independently verified (i.e., facts), while About pages convey something about the organization’s intended purpose and areas of focus. In it's simpliest form, a fact sheet focuses primarily on presenting key facts about the organization, but it might also link to the organization’s mission, vision, values, and strategy.

Below are examples of information you may wish to include in a one-page fact sheet:

· name of organization

· location

· when organization was created

· legal status

· focus

· purpose, products, or services

· size (i.e., number of employees)

· leadership (i.e., CEO and members of the executive leadership team)

· mission and vision

· other important facts appropriate for your organizational type

Legal Forms of Organization

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An organization may operate in one of several sectors, which determines its legal form of organization. The following questions can help clarify what legal form of organization a company or initiative has.

Which sector is your organization operating in: private, public (i.e., government), or nonprofit?

· If private, review Law in Business (Varner, 2007), located in the Resources section below, to determine which of the following best describes your organization:

· proprietorship

· partnership

· corporation

· If public (government), which of the following best describes your organization:

· federal

· state

· local

· If a nonprofit organization see A Nonprofit Organization (Dicke, 2011), located in the Resources section below. This article provides some general information about the sector and can help you determine its tax status. Many organizations will likely qualify as a 501(c)(3), which is the most common type of nonprofit. If you have an interest in learning more, you might want to explore some of the websites that provide useful information about this sector. One example is the Urban Institute’s National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS), which provides information and research about the sector. Another potentially useful resource is the Charity Navigator, which helps contributors understand the different types of 501(c) organizations and their status for tax purposes. Of course, another very useful source is the IRS website. If, for example, you work for a trade or professional association—a 501(c)(6)—you could search the IRS site for the term  business leagues. 

Developing a Consultant's Perspective

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When examining an organization you know well, one of the challenges is achieving sufficient distance to ensure you are being as objective as possible. It can be helpful to think about what you would expect of an outside consultant if one were hired by your organization. Then imagine yourself in that role, assuming those same responsibilities and needing to meet the same expectations. This is what is meant by developing a consultant’s perspective.

We expect consultants to have the expert knowledge required to address a particular project or task. We also expect and need consultants to be skilled at recognizing how their own experiences, beliefs, and values, as well as those of others, can influence thinking and decisions. When thinking about situations at work, it is typical for us to have ideas about why they are as they are and, sometimes, how they might be made better. When a consultant is brought in to look at the same situation he or she may have some good preliminary ideas thanks to expert knowledge, but will need to conduct a careful investigation before reaching any conclusions or recommendations. This is what you will want to do for this project. In other words, you will need to develop the required expertise and make every effort to ensure your approach, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are sound and supportable.

To achieve sufficient distance it can be helpful to imagine that you are a consultant for another organization that is similar to yours but that you do not know. In addition, actually write down your beginning assumptions, ideas, and possible biases, and then figure out what you can do to avoid being influenced by them. Depending upon the situation, you might imagine what would happen if the organization accepted your initial hunches, analysis, or recommendations and the situation was made worse. In other words, take the time to imagine the harm you might do if your initial ideas are wrong, and then take the necessary steps to limit this possible outcome. Discussing any issues or concerns with your professor is also important.

Organizational Strategy

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The definition of organizational strategy often covers decisions about which opportunities an organization will pursue and the development of a long-term action plan for achieving a goal. Osinga (2006) defines the concept as "a mental tapestry of changing intentions for harmonizing and focusing our efforts as a basis for realizing some aim or purpose in an unfolding and often unforeseen world of many bewildering events and many contending interests" (p. 55).

Organizational strategies occur at four levels: global, corporate, business, and functional:

· Global-level strategies are decisions surrounding the methods of pursuing international markets. The most important question here is whether or not the firm can continue to use what it does better than any other competitor (such as a competitive advantage) in that foreign market, and whether or not it can financially meet the specific needs of consumers in that foreign market.

· Corporate-level strategies are long-term actions designed to select the appropriate industry or industries in which to operate. The following questions can serve as guidelines for corporate-level strategies:

· Should we compete in areas similar to our current products?

· Should we purchase one of our suppliers so that we can buy our component parts cheaper?

· Should we buy a business unrelated to what we do now to spread out the economic risks we face?

· Business-level strategies are long-term actions designed to confer competitive advantage over industry rivals. Business-level strategies are concerned with, identifying consumers, meeting consumer needs, and defining the competencies needed to meet those needs.

· Functional-level strategies are the most specific of the levels of strategy, and are concerned with the actions of each function in a company. These must support the business-level strategies and involve the actual implementation of strategy. Generally, the lower levels of management are the executors of functional-level strategy.

Global-Level Strategy

Many organizations make the mistake of taking their existing domestic marketing model and simply dropping it into another location without forethought regarding the many cultural, social, economic, technological, and legal factors that are at play—and without deeply analyzing the conditions that may or may not be conducive to their business.

Sound global-level strategies identify opportunities that allow the firm to build on its competitive advantages, yet are customized to the local market conditions and realities. Of course, the very definition of a competitive advantage is market-specific; when moving into a different market, the competitive advantage may be put at risk. Strategists must be very careful that the competitive advantage can be protected and used, as opposed to being copied or stolen in other markets.

Poor global-level strategies are those that can be realized only by doing something the organization cannot currently do well. For instance, a US chocolate company entering the European chocolate market is not a good strategy if the organization does not have the brand recognition required to overtake many centuries-old brands already present in Europe.

Corporate-Level Strategy

Corporate-level strategy, considered from a single-market perspective (eliminating the global, in other words) requires the firm to think about itself at the highest level. Corporate-level strategy dictates where and how the organization aspires to improve, or to identify other opportunities it wishes to develop. A central aspect of corporate-level strategy is the idea of competitive advantage—an offering or competency the firm does better than anyone else that can it protect from being copied.

A firm that makes shoes may not have a competitive advantage in the shoes themselves (especially if they are considered by the consumer to be relatively generic), but it can develop such an advantage in the manufacturing and supply chain behind the distribution of the shoes. In this case, a good corporate-level strategy allows the company to use this same supply chain and distribution capability in an industry that does not have good supply chain utilization. This practice may seem counterintuitive, but think about the example. Say, for instance, that the electronics industry currently has terrible supply chain management. This firm could use its mastery of supply chain and distribution to improve that industry and meet organizational growth goals. It has nothing to do with shoes—only with opportunity.

Business-Level Strategy

Business-level strategy is concerned primarily with determining whether the organization’s existing set of products (determined in the global- and corporate-level strategies) are taking full advantage of the market opportunities available. For instance, are the products fully meeting the needs of the consumers? Of all segments of consumers? Are there opportunities to more fully meet the needs of the consumer—thereby creating more value, for which consumers are willing to pay more?

This part of organizational strategy is where the firm makes sure it is fully aligned with the needs of the consumer (whatever segment is in focus) in every way possible. It may find it needs to change product attributes, think of different segments to pursue, or engineer better products.

Functional-Level Strategy

Functional-level strategy is all about implementing the strategies determined at the global, corporate, and business levels. Here’s where the individual departments and units get their marching orders to fulfill the higher-level strategies. The product development office, for example, may get instructions to redesign the product for a foreign market; the marketing office may get directions to identify whether a new product offering would meet the needs of a specific segment. The production unit may get instructions to take over the operations of a subsidiary that was purchased; HR may be assigned to bring two workforces together. Only where the strategies are handed to the functional units do any of the higher-level strategies get accomplished.

It should be apparent that all four levels of strategy must be aligned and be complementary. The CEO’s office—the leaders most likely to approve global- and corporate-level strategies—can do nothing to realize a strategy without the functional-level units. All four must be directly aligned with overall organizational strategy, and all strategies must have specific time frames attached to them to ensure each part is accomplished in the appropriate time frame. Planning is a critical component to organizational strategy.

Strategy Frameworks

Low-Cost Producer versus Differentiation

The first dimension of business-level strategy relates to the approach a company takes to satisfy its customers. The concepts of low-cost producer and differentiation are essential for understanding business-level strategy because they define the two fundamental options a firm must consider when formulating its business-level strategy. The concept of low-cost producer refers to a strategy where the business concentrates on keeping its costs of operations at the lowest possible level. This means that significant effort is directed toward keeping costs for raw materials, labor, manufacturing, etc. as low as possible. Frequently, low-cost producers will also have fewer products with fewer options, which further aids in keeping costs low. 

An example of a low-cost producer is Payless ShoeSource. If you visit a Payless shoe store, you will notice that there are few employees. Usually there is a cashier and a stockperson. The store décor is not expensive. The flooring is industrial strength, solid-color carpet, and the shelves are very functional, but made of metal and similar in design to what you would find in a warehouse. The shoes themselves are made from lower-quality materials. All of these characteristics are indicators of a low-cost producer. 

A common area of confusion regarding low-cost producers is that low cost means low price. Usually, low-cost producers compete by selling for a lower price, but this is not always true. For example, Nike sells some athletic shoes for over $150 even though the cost to make that shoe is under $30. The point to remember is that the term "low-cost producer" refers to the cost of manufacturing, not the cost (price) to the customer.

The low-cost producer strategy has two primary advantages. Due to the lower costs involved, the company can better survive price wars with competitors because it can still make money when other higher cost competitors may actually lose money on a sale. A second advantage is that a low-cost producer makes it more difficult for a new entry into the market because newcomers can’t realize the same cost economies of the more experienced firm. 

There are also two disadvantages of this strategy. The first is that competitors can usually imitate the processes that produce the cost reductions, so the advantage may be relatively short term. Second, the company might focus so much on cost reduction that the its products and services become inferior enough to lose business to the higher-priced competitors’ products.

Differentiation refers to the methods companies use to set their products and services apart from the competition. There are many ways a company may differentiate its products or services, including the features offered, the expected life of the product, the way it advertises, the technology incorporated into the product, the level of customer service, and the convenience of the company’s location (Grant, 2008). When a company is able to differentiate itself effectively in one of these areas, it is called a distinctive competency. The best distinctive competencies are difficult to imitate.

There are several advantages to the differentiation strategy. First, differentiation tends to develop customer loyalty that protects the company from the competition. It is also possible to pass increases in the cost of operations on to the consumer. The difficulty in sustaining the differentiation strategy is that it may be easy to imitate, which erodes the product’s distinctiveness. A second threat to differentiation is the introduction of a substitute product that makes an older product obsolete. For example, the introduction of the miniaturized cell phone has negatively affected not only the sales of traditional landline phones, but also the sales of personal computers.

The final lesson concerning the low-cost producer and differentiation strategy concepts is that is takes an attitude of continuous improvement and adaptability to sustain any advantage gained by either approach.

Broad Market versus Focus Market

A second dimension of business-level strategy is the number of industry market segments a company chooses to compete in. The concept of a market segment refers to a subset of the products and services that constitute an industry. For example, the automobile industry has market segments: sedans, coupes, sports cars, sport utility vehicles, light trucks, vans, etc. If a company competes in virtually all of the market segments, it is said to have a broad market strategy. General Motors and Toyota, for example, compete in virtually all the market segments.

Companies that compete in only one market segment or just a few market segments are pursuing a focus market strategy. A focus company generally has a narrow product line. Ferrari persues a focus strategy, in that it makes only sports cars. (Actually, Ferrari is an extreme example of the focus strategy because it makes only high-priced, high-performance sports cars.) It is common for companies that begin with a focus strategy to expand into other segments of the market. Toyota began as a company focused on producing small, economy cars, but has evolved into a company that follows a broad strategy. Companies expand into new segments to spur growth.

Both the broad and focus strategies can be paired with either the differentiation or low-cost producer strategies, creating four possible business-level strategy choices, according to the marketing strategist, Michael Porter. Years after popularizing his original four-strategy concept, Porter added a fifth strategy option. These five types of business-level strategy are discussed in the next section.

Porter’s Five Business-Level Strategies

Porter’s business level strategies are sometimes referred to as generic because they apply to any type of business such as manufacturing, services, or nonprofit (Hill & Jones, 1994). Choosing a generic strategy is an important strategic planning step because each of the five strategies significantly influences the way company decisions are made. For example, decisions involving the differentiation approach are quite different from decisions involving the low-cost producer approach. To help you better understand these generic strategies, they are illustrated in the figure below, followed by a description of each of the five strategies.

Five Business-Level Strategies

Broad Differentiation Strategy

Broad differentiation strategy describes actions taken by a company to compete in all or most of an industry’s market segments by differentiating its products from those of competitors. Once again, differentiation may be accomplished in the areas described in the previous section. Another way to think of differentiation is to use the categories of quality, customer service, and innovation. A product or service may be perceived as better than the competition because its quality, customer service, or innovation is better than the competition. Generally, companies that pursue the broad differentiation strategy will charge higher prices for their differentiation. Some well-known companies that pursue this strategy are Sony (consumer electronics), Nordstrom (retail clothing, etc.), and McGraw Hill (publishing).

Focused Differentiation Strategy

Focused differentiation strategy is similar to the broad differentiation strategy, except that a company pursuing this strategy only competes in a single market segment or just a few of the market segments in the industry. Companies using this strategy seek to set themselves apart from the competition through differentiation. Generally speaking, these companies offer products in the higher end of the price range. Ethan Allen Furniture pursues this strategy, and its products are usually significantly higher priced than the competition because the company believes the value added or level of differentiation (primarily due to quality or innovation) justifies the higher price. Some other companies that pursue this strategy are Ferrari (sports cars), Rolex (watches), and Apple (select consumer electronics).

Broad Low-Cost Producer Strategy

This strategy describes actions taken by a company to keep its costs of operations as low as possible. Every aspect of the business is analyzed to identify a cheaper way to perform a given task. A broad low-cost producer strategy also means that the company offers products or services in virtually every market segment of the industry. A good example of a company pursuing this strategy is Payless Shoes, whose cost-cutting measures were described earlier. The advantage of this approach is that a lower price to consumers can be charged and the company can still make a profit. 

Wal-Mart may be the most famous company that pursues the broad low-cost producer strategy. Wal-Mart’s particular strength is its supply chain. Although the stores may not appear to be high-tech, the company’s ordering and delivery systems are highly automated, and the organization has spent years finding the cheapest way to supply its stores with merchandise. Wal-Mart's strategy is considered to be broad, because the company offers thousands of products in its stores.

Focused Low-Cost Producer Strategy

The focused low-cost producer strategy also seeks to keep the costs of operations as low as possible, but the company competes only in one or a few market segments. Companies pursuing this strategy select the market segment or segments where they believe there is the best opportunity to make a profit. McDonald's is a well-known focused low-cost producer. The company seeks to compete by having efficient processes to prepare a limited menu. Its menu items require relatively few ingredients, and most of the items are delivered in single serving–size portions to make food preparation faster and easier. Companies pursuing the focused low-cost producer strategy (as well as those applying the broad low-cost producer strategy) make their profit through the volume of their sales. 

Best-Cost Strategy

This strategy was added to Porter's framework to recognize the feasibility of simultaneously pursuing both a differentiation strategy  and a low-cost strategy. When Porter first published his typology of business-level strategies, he stated that pursuing both the differentiation strategy and the low-cost producer strategy wouldn’t work. His reasoning was that a company would be trying to do too many things at once, resulting in poor performance in both differentiation and low-cost approaches. He referred to this type of effort as  stuck-in-the-middle.

Years later, Porter had to recognize that pursuing both the differentiation and low-cost producer strategies was possible due to major changes in technology. More specifically, technology related to manufacturing had evolved so companies could produce custom ordered products at virtually the same cost they incurred for mass-produced items. 

One of the early pioneers of this strategy was Dell Computers. The Dell business model allowed customers to design the computer they wanted. Dell would build it, then charge a lower price than the other computer companies. Dell’s cost savings were in lower costs for component part inventories and a flexible manufacturing process that allowed different computers to be made with very little time spent adjusting the production line. Another way to think of the best cost strategy is that it attempts to offer the best value for the products. This means that you will get a product closer to your specific needs for a price that is probably lower than the competition’s. Many companies have grown into this strategy over a period of years. Toyota and BMW have evolved in their manufacturing processes so that they allow customers to make many custom-feature choices on their automobiles without any significant production cost increases.

Application of Business-Level Strategy

The descriptions of low cost and differentiation should provide you with the ability to determine if a company is pursuing one or both of these approaches. Whether the company is pursuing a broad or a focused strategy is determined by looking at the number of products or services offered compared to the total number of market segments in the industry. Due to technological advances, identifying a specific strategy has become more complicated, but the descriptions provided here should help you to determine the business-level strategy being pursued by any company.

Conclusion

Business-level strategy choices determine how a company chooses to compete in its industry. The strategy types are based on two concept pairs: differentiation vs. low-cost producer, and broad vs. focused market segments. Success by one company using a specific business-level strategy will draw the attention of competitors, who will try to imitate the competency or competencies of that successful company. The more complex the mix of competencies that create a company’s competitive advantage, the longer it will take competitors to copy it. It took the other personal computer manufacturers almost twenty years to imitate Dell’s supply chain and manufacturing competencies. Generally speaking, however, distinctive competencies in pursuing a business-level strategy are becoming more and more short lived. This trend puts a lot of pressure on companies in competitive industries to continuously seek to improve and adapt their business-level strategies.

References

Grant, R. M. (2008).  Contemporary strategy analysis (6th ed.). Malden, MA: Blackwell.

Hill, C. W. L., & Jones, G. R. (1994).  Strategic management: An integrated approach (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.

Osinga, F. (2006).  A discourse on winning and losing: Core ideas & themes of Boyd’s ‘Theory of intellectual evolution and growth’. Retrieved from http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/boyd/osinga_boyd_ooda_copyright2007.pdf

SWOT Analysis

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Porter's five forces analysis examines the situation faced by the competitors in an industry. Strategic groups analysis narrows the focus by centering on subsets of these competitors whose strategies are similar. SWOT analysis takes an even narrower focus by centering on an individual firm. Specifically, SWOT analysis is a tool that considers a firm’s strengths and weaknesses along with the opportunities and threats that exist in the firm’s environment, as represented in the table below.

Executives using SWOT analysis compare these internal and external factors to generate ideas about how their firm might become more successful. In general, it is wise to focus on ideas that allow a firm to leverage its strengths, steer clear of or resolve its weaknesses, capitalize on opportunities, and protect itself against threats. For example, untapped overseas markets have presented potentially lucrative opportunities to Subway and other restaurant chains such as McDonald’s and KFC. Meanwhile, Subway’s strengths include a well-established brand name and a simple business format that can easily be adapted to other cultures. In considering the opportunities offered by overseas markets and Subway’s strengths, it is not surprising that entering and expanding in different countries has been a key element of Subway’s strategy in recent years. Indeed, Subway currently has operations in nearly 100 nations.

SWOT Analysis

SWOT analysis is helpful to executives and is used within most organizations. Important cautions need to be offered about SWOT analysis, however. First, in laying out each of the four elements of SWOT, internal and external factors should not be confused with each other. It is important not to list strengths as opportunities, for example, if executives are to succeed at matching internal and external concerns during the idea generation process.

Second, opportunities should not be confused with strategic moves designed to capitalize on these opportunities. In the case of Subway, it would be a mistake to list “entering new countries” as an opportunity. Instead, untapped markets are the opportunity presented to Subway, and entering those markets is a way for Subway to exploit the opportunity. Finally, and perhaps most important, the results of a SWOT analysis should not be overemphasized. SWOT analysis is a relatively simple tool for understanding a firm’s situation. As a result, SWOT is best viewed as a brainstorming technique for generating creative ideas, not as a rigorous method for selecting strategies. Thus the ideas produced by SWOT analysis offer a starting point for executives’ efforts to craft strategies for their organization, not an ending point.

In addition to organizations, individuals can benefit from applying SWOT analysis to their personal situation. A college student who is approaching graduation, for example, could lay out her main strengths and weaknesses and the opportunities and threats presented by the environment. Suppose, for instance, that this person enjoys and is good at helping others (a strength) but also has a rather short attention span (a weakness). Meanwhile, opportunities to work at a rehabilitation center or to pursue an advanced degree are available. Our hypothetical student might be wise to pursue a job at the rehabilitation center (where her strength at helping others would be a powerful asset) rather than entering graduate school (where a lot of reading is required and her short attention span could undermine her studies).

Key Takeaway

Now that you have an understanding of how SWOT analysis can play a role in strategic planning, review the quick walkthrough of how to apply SWOT analysis in the resources section below.

Executives using SWOT analysis compare internal strengths and weaknesses with external opportunities and threats to generate ideas about how their firm might become more successful. Ideas that allow a firm to leverage its strengths, steer clear of or resolve its weaknesses, capitalize on opportunities, and protect itself against threats are particularly helpful.

Announcements Weekly Update #2

Weekly Update #2

Posted Jul 25, 2023 7:02 AM

Leadership: Quote of the week. "A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.* (1929- 1968).  A comment made in a church sermon 4 years after the Civil Rights Act was passed and Dr. King received the Nobel Peace Prize.  Phillips, C. (2018) Leadership. New York, NY: Metro Books.  

1. Week 2 Overview:

Tuesday at 11:59 PM Week 2 closes

If you have not completed the following assignments to date, you run the risk of falling behind the desired project completion stages:

Project 1, Steps 1-3.

Project 2. Steps 1-3.  

You will find helpful hints and the  Project 2 Situation Audit Template (SAT), which is accessed through the link in Step 1. Using the SAT is an effective way to develop your paper.  See Weekly Update 1 for further elaboration on the value of following the SAT.    

2. Instructor Week 2 Assignment Summary:

A. Clifton Strengths:

The assessment was very well received by those who took the assessment and participated in last week’s discussion. The consensus of the class was that most strengths identified for each student was very accurate. I found all your insights in the discussion of interest. I have commented to everyone who took the assessment and participated in the discussion. I will continue to comment to those who take the assessment and contribute to the class discussion. 

The purpose of the assessment in this class is twofold: (1) it provides us information that may be of value in one’s own career; (2) it demonstrates the value of such tools in building a diverse team that has a variety of strengths such that members of the team supplement and complement each other.  In Project 4, each team will complete a Team Member Grid based on the individual results reported this week.  You are encouraged to read and view the additional videos and strengths information in the My Reports and the More Activities Resources sections associated with your individual Account.    

Assessments are very expensive to develop. To be reliable and produce accurate results very large populations need to be tested and retested. Clifton Strengths, which have been in existence for decades, published in numerous languages and taken by 16 million individuals (coaching.gallup.com/2018/01/a-comparison-of-cliftonstrengths-and.htm) has very high test-retest reliability.

In psychological testing or assessment "reliability" is essential. It means the same result is attained upon re-testing. It may not be an identical result but statistically reliability means that the correlation among the same groups of people taking and retaking the assessment should be very high; for example, one standard deviation or less from the original results. Each assessment or standardized test (i.e., SAT) s has its own standard deviation based on a normal distribution of results. If an assessment fails the reliability criterion, it should not and probably would not be marketed.  

Validity is a different standard of psychological rigor and measurement than reliability. It is more difficult to establish validity than reliability. To establish validity, it must be demonstrated that what is intended to be measured or predicted is what is actually measured or predicted. Construct validity is the largest issue in assessments; for example, if an assessment purports to measure "honesty," it must be statistically established that it is "honesty" and not some other factors that are being measured. And, to validate that a statistically significant portion of the sample would need to be hired (as one way of establishing validity) and determined to be either honest of dishonest. It is extraordinary expense and difficult to establish content validity. The issue of the establishment of content validity for the CS assessment is not just sorting the strengths to identify each individual's profile but whether are the strengths are predictive of the behaviors identified. The validity for CS is compounded, as the order of the strengths in addition to the characteristics of that strength must be validated as well.              

Suggested terms to research: standard deviation; normal distribution; statistically significant; construct validity; face validity. These are all terms that an MBA student should be conversant with to assess the value of assessments, tests, statistical reports or claims made from any similar sources that are to be used as a basis for various decisions.     

There are many articles and sources on the CS website (Gallup Research) that discuss the CS assessments validity and reliability of the CS.      

B. Project 2

A reminder is that PROJECT 2’s PAGE LENGTH IS 15 – 20 PAGES. The Situation Audit Template discussed above is designed for a paper in this page range.

Step 2 required a fact sheet that is described in Step 2. Essentially the fact sheet requests the following information: when it was established; by whom; its legal form (corporation, publicly traded; privately held, non-profit, government, military); its current CEO (or head); its industry or industries; its size (employees and assets); and its purpose. Some students presented this information as a narrative; others presented it in outline format. Either method is fine. See the APA heading below.  

Step 3 requires a definition and analysis of the following:  mission; vision; values; goals. Keep in mind the application of MVVG (sometimes seen as MVVO --- where O = Objectives) can pertain to your organization or your unit or a department within your organization --- public, private, non-profit, or military.  At times, depending on the focus of your Project, you could be dealing with MVVG’s at the organizational level as they affect or are adapted to the unit or department level. See APA heading below.  

For Step 3, some key questions to think about for addressing the issues Step 3 follow: 

Is the mission well understood? Does management communicate the mission with publications, employee meetings, and so forth? Is mission discussed in initial training for new employees.

Does your organization’s mission affect the key decisions of the organization? Can you (or employees in your unit or department or across the organization) see and understand how decisions are in alignment with mission? In general, the mission would need to be known and understood among employees to analyze this question from a “yes” perspective.

 Are vision and core values well understood as they relate to mission? If so, how do they affect what is done? Here again mission, vision, and values would need to be understood to analyze this question from a “yes” perspective. 

The information for Step 2 and 3 of Project 2 should be readily available for large public sector or private sector entities, as published on their websites, detailed in their publications, or reported in various government reports, including stock related tax filings. For smaller entities, some or all the above information may need to be created. Step 3 has many aids embedded as links in Step 3 to guide you in developing the information requested.  See APA heading below.   

3. Week 3 Guidance:

Week 3 requires you to complete Project 2’s Steps 4, 5, 6.

Step 4:  Organizational Strategy and Objectives. This step begins the analysis or assessment of your organization’s performance. Strategy is defined within Step 4’s organizational strategy link. Of relevance to how an organization measures its mission, values and goal achievement, are the links entitled balanced scorecard and key performance indicators. The quality of an organization’s measures of its achievements is an indication of the degree to which the organization’s leadership is effective. Ineffective measures of performance are usually signs of ineffective leadership. 

Step 5: Strategy Types and Competitive Advantage details various level of strategies for any organization. In my view, aside from the obvious importance of understanding your organization’s competitive advantage, a most critical reading for the assessment of an organization has to do with core competencies.  Essentially, the core competency reading (see in-step link) is asking you to determine what competencies your organization needs to carry out its mission. Core competency raises a variety of issues to consider in your writing: How does your organization sustain its core competencies?  What are the threats to the organization’s core competencies? Later in the paper when you are analyzing Critical Resources (Step 7) your readings on core competencies will help you determine if sufficient resources are being allocated in support of core competencies. An associated reading (see in-step link) discusses how to access your organizations competitive advantage. Without a competitive advantage how can an organization survive?

Step 6: Organization Size and Structure: The key issue in this step is the impact of size and structure on performance. Is your organizational agile enough to respond quickly to various demands? If your organization is growing or shrinking? What impact does that have on meeting mission, goals, vision and objectives?  Alfred Chandler, in his 1962 classic, My Years at General Motors (then the largest company in the world), observed “structure follows strategy.” In other words, an organization must develop strategies for meeting it mission, vision, values and goals before it considers which structure will best serve meeting MVVG. Is your organization structured in a manner that maximizes its chances for meeting its MVVG?               

4. APA Citation Requirement:

The inability to meet the Graduate School’s Writing Skills Requirement, as specified in the Syllabus Grading Section, can prevent a project from passing. That matter was discussed in Weekly Update 1.

The point I want to emphasize here is that proper APA citation is a critical part of effective writing in the MBA program (and that holds for most graduate schools nationally).  Proper APA citation is expected and required before a paper can be accepted for a passing grade.

The number one issue I see in reviewing student work to date on the Situation Audit for Project 2 is the failure to cite both in-text, as needed, and to show the relevant References in APA format.  When facts or statements (e.g., mission, vision, values) are cited in a paper an in-text citation is required. The in-text citation directs the reader to the Reference so that the reader, if so desired, can find the exact location of the information used in the paper. Both in-text citations and references have precise APA formats specified for them.

There are many excellent on-line sources to ascertain this information. Both Purdue’s and Michigan’s Writing Centers have easily accessible APA formatting guides that detail by example almost every conceivable citation requirement. The UMUC Writing Center has excellent APA references for your use and the staff there will provide both sources and assistance with APA formatting, as will the UMUC library staff.      

Other services are available from the UMUC Writing Center (see link from classroom Homepage) include editing help prior to a written submission for grading.  UMUC also offer an excellent writing course (see attached). 

5. Cautionary Note:

A cautionary note is that Project 2 culminates in a 15-20-page paper (Situation Audit) due at the end of Week 5. Many weeks between now and then require the completion of several of Project's 2 steps; accordingly, students are forewarned that falling behind week-to-week may create an insurmountable block to a successful final product being submitted. Trying to finish Project 2 in a catch-up mode will prove to be very difficult while trying to complete the other course projects at the same time.

6. Project Milestones:

Milestone submissions, while optional, are strongly encouraged their usage.  If a milestone is not submitted on the date it is due, the opportunity to submit the milestone passes and is lost. While there is no direct grade penalty for missing milestone submissions, the student losses instructor feedback opportunities, which could have an impact on project grades.