Running head: INDIVIDUAL ASSURANCE 1
Individual Assurance
Name
Institution Affiliation
Instructor’s Name
Course Code
Date
INDIVIDUAL ASSURANCE 2
Individual Assurance
Assurance of Learning Exercise 1B, Step 4
The Hershey Company is an American company and remain to be one of the largest
manufacturers of chocolate across the world. The purpose of assurance of learning exercise 1B,
step 4 is to be familiar with strategic terms defined in the chapter (Brenner, 2006).
The major strengths capitalized by the company includes market share, increased value of
shareholders, food quality and safety regulations as well as effective employees in the
organization. Firstly, Hershey Company has been in a position of enduring thirty seven
percentage of the United States of America market share in the chocolate industry. Additionally,
in relation with Hershey Company 10-k, there is the prospect of increased shareholders’ value.
Hershey Company $ 100 $134 $221
500 Index $100 $102 $157
500 Packaged Food
Index.
$100 $117 $169
Moreover, the company has emphasized on food quality and safety regulation during the
manufacture and sales of products related to consumers. This has been involved due to the
existence of government agencies related with food and drugs. Furthermore, due to effective
relations with employees, they have been able to utilize their skills and ability in realization the
goals and objectives of the company. The company has more than nineteen thousand employees
and effective relationship has been realized through collective bargaining agreements.
The major weaknesses in the organization includes. Firstly, the financial performance of Hershey
Company has been affected by increased slow-down retail take away.
Years 2015 2014 2013
Consumer takeaway 2.4% 2.7% 6.3%
Additionally, the foreign exchange rate globally have reduced reading to reduced net
sales growth of the products. Moreover, the company has endured increased charges representing
employees’ benefits, pension settlement and increased cost of the third party. Through this
increment, there is the likelihood that the income of the company is reduced.
The major opportunities for the company include. Firstly, the management has realized
the need of simplifying the structure of the organization in order to augment the ability to
respond to changing demands of the customer worldwide. Additionally, the company has
exploited in investing in the core brands across the United States of America as well as major
market internally. This is vital since it will help the company in building on effective strategies
for the benefits of the company. Furthermore, the company has started a new product initiative
INDIVIDUAL ASSURANCE 3
with the intention of bringing decision making near to the customer in order to enable an
increased enterprise approach. This initiative is paramount since it ensures that there is a more
efficient cost structure and ensuring that there is the allocation of resources for the future growth
of the company. Moreover, the company has strategized on the incorporation of newly acquired
companies with the intention of lowering or decreasing the costs of acquisition.
The major threats surrounding Hershey Company includes. Firstly, there is the adverse
weather, political unrest, and crop disease have reduced the production of cocoa thus reduced
income. Additionally, there are the increased costs of raw materials and energy thus depleting the
likelihood of adequate supplies of raw materials. Moreover, there is the reduction of market
demand for the existing products due to increased competition. Furthermore, due to increased
innovation across the world, companies have realized new products, which can satisfy the needs
of customers with reduced costs. Therefore, with these threats, there is the possibility that the
expanding international operations of the company in the achievement of growth objectives will
be affected impacting the overall company (David, 2011).
It is the role of the management to ensure that it is capitalizing on its strengths and
opportunities in order to outweigh the prospect weaknesses and threats surrounding the
company. Through this, there is the probability that the organization will be in a position of
achieving its goals and objectives both in short and long run.
Exercise 10C. The Ethics of Spying on Competitors
Ethical (E)/ Unethical (U) Legal (L) / Illegal (I)
Buying competitors’ garbage U L
Dissecting competitors’
product
E L
Taking competitors’ plant
tour anonymously
E L
Counting tractor-trailer trucks
leaving competitors’ loading
bays
E L
Studying aerial photographs
of competitors’ facilities
E L
Analyzing competitors’ labor
contracts
E L
Analyzing competitors’ help-
wanted ads
E L
Quizzing customers and
buyers about the sales of
competitors’ products
E L
Infiltrating customers’ and
competitors’ business
U L
INDIVIDUAL ASSURANCE 4
operations
Quizzing suppliers about
competitors’ level of
manufacturing
E L
Using customers to buy out
phony bids
U I
Encouraging key customers
to reveal competitive
information
E L
Quizzing competitors’ former
employees
E L
Interviewing consultants who
may have worked with
competitors
E L
Hiring key managers away
from competitors
E L
Conducting phony job
interviews to get competitors’
employees to reveal
information
U I
Sending engineers to trade
meetings to quiz competitors
technical employees
E L
Quizzing potential employees
who worked for or with
competitors.
E L
Exercise 1D. Strategic Planning for Your University
Some of the external opportunities include. Firstly, the university provides the students
with the fortuitous of advancing their education. Besides, the university has the capability of
increasing the relationship of all the classmate globally. Moreover, there is the prospect that the
students are provided with a degree and they can be in a position of acquiring effective paying
jobs in future.
The external threats realized by strategic planning for the university includes. Firstly,
there is the possibility that other universities are able to offer similar education cheaply.
Additionally, due to the decreased number of online students enrolling for degrees, there is equal
less number of classes offered by the university. Additionally, the university may send a wrong
political message to the individuals who do not support the president (Hosmer, 2004).
Some of the internal strengths related to the university include. Firstly, after the students
complete their studies, there is the probability that they can be employed by the university.
Moreover, the university has realized an inclusive Christian foundation, which has been
incorporated both the students and staff members. Furthermore, the students in the university
INDIVIDUAL ASSURANCE 5
have been able to receive financial aids from different organizations. However, some of the
internal weaknesses realized in the university includes (Hosmer, 2004). Firstly, secular students
in the university are declining to adhere to the doctrines practiced in the university. Moreover,
the university is not in a position of offering all the programs stipulated both in residential and
online.
Exercise 1F Get Familiar with the Strategy Club Website
Strategic planning and business policy plays a vital role on the perception of
www.strategyclub website. Some of the items, which are offered by the website include sample
case, excel student template and analysis of power points. Through the analysis of these
resources, there is the prospect that the students will be in a position of comprehending the
effective methods involved in understanding techniques used in the subject. The template related
with excel student is effective in offering assistance to students in examining data that requires
excel formats (Hernandez, Jiménez & Martín, 2009). Even though it does not provide answers, it
assimilate essential information for the realization of answers to the issues. Moreover, in relation
with power points, there is the presentation of each case in an acceptable and fashionable
manner. Furthermore, the updates of the sample case is vital for students since it keeps the
students informed on matters relating to coursework and be able to present factual information.
In general, the website supports the students in comprehending vital resources capitalized in the
entire course.
References
INDIVIDUAL ASSURANCE 6
Brenner, J. G. (2006). The emperors of chocolate: Inside the secret world of Hershey and Mars
(No. 633.7489 B838). : Broadway Books.
David, F. R. (2011). Strategic management: Concepts and cases. Peaeson/Prentice Hall.
Hernandez, B., Jiménez, J., & Martín, M. J. (2009). Key website factors strategy. International
Journal of information management, 29(5), 362-371.
Hosmer, L. T. (2004). Strategic planning as if ethics mattered. Strategic Management Journal,
15(S2), 17-34.
