Philosophy and Management paper Phyll

Individual Case Analysis Assignment - Due Week 4

Assignment Directions

Select a company of your choice to prepare an individual case analysis.  Based on the research on your selected company, complete this individual case analysis assignment by addressing the following components and requirements:

Using the readings and resources above, other readings from the course, and any outside research you do on your own, submit an analysis paper 3 to 5 pages in length (double-spaced not including references).  The analysis paper should be completed using proper APA formatting using the 6th edition of the APA Publication Manual.  For assistance with APA formatting, please utilize the following resources:

· King’s Online Writing Lab – http://owl.king.edu/putting-it-all-together/citationguide/

· The King Library Subject Guide for Business – http://king.libguides.com/content.php?pid=216591&sid=1949773

Introduction (1 – 2 paragraphs)

The introduction should provide an overview of the company's situation, its strategy, and the significant issues and challenges that confront management.  This section should demonstrate that you have a firm grasp of the company’s present situation.  Unless completely necessary to present a strong introduction, do not simply recall facts and history about the company.  You may assume your instructor has read the readings related to this assignment and is familiar with the organization.

Strategy Analysis (1 – 2 paragraphs)

This section should address the key question that is central to a company’s strategy: What business is the company in?  Additionally, this section should address how the company is choosing to compete in the business they are in and should identify the company’s competitors.  In our modern age of innovation, sometimes it may be difficult to identify ‘clear cut’ competitors.  But keep in mind these points are critical in forming corporate-level strategies; therefore, managers must be able to effectively answer these questions with certainty. 

Competitive Analysis (1 – 2 pages)

Based on what you have learned from the assignment’s readings and other information you have gathered from your own research, provide a brief SWOT analysis of the company.  Additionally, you should present an analysis of the company’s competitive position in the industry using Michael Porter’s Five Industry Forces model.  These analyses do not need to be exhaustive but should demonstrate your understanding of the company’s position.  Finally, this section should identify the company’s positioning strategies and its adaptive strategies.  Integrate facts from this case as well as concepts from the course readings and resources to substantiate your analysis.

Organizational Culture Assessment (1 – 2 paragraphs)

The culture of an organization is a critical factor in an organization’s internal environment and often impacts its strategy formation and implementation.  For this section, refer to the company’s web site for information on the company and any outside research you may have done on your own.  Describe the organization’s culture and provide an evaluation of the culture.  Provide insight into how the culture may help or hurt its competitive position and strategic initiatives.    

Conclusion (1 – 2 paragraphs)

For this section, provide an assessment of the company’s strategic intentions and how well you think the company can compete and how successful it will be.  Determine whether the company has the necessary resources and competencies to gain and sustain competitive advantage and what the company could do to capitalize on them.  Determine whether the company’s competitive position will become weaker or stronger.  Also, if you have recommendations on how the company should best proceed, certainly include those with specifics.  Avoid general statements such as “The company should be more aggressive” but instead state exactly how the company should go about this.  Recommendations are not required for this section but including them is an opportunity to demonstrate your critical thinking and analysis skills and thus a good opportunity to increase the number of points you earn.   

Remember….

As with case studies, there are no “correct” answers.  Instead a case study analysis is an opportunity to demonstrate your critical insights and analysis into the management issues of a given organization or situation.  To receive the highest number of points for the assignment, support your insights and analysis with case facts and evidence, sound logic and analysis, and integration of course readings and resources.  Additionally, make sure to demonstrate appropriate use of analytical and strategic concepts, demonstrate consistency between analysis and conclusions, and provide sufficient detail to complete the assignment requirements.  Consequently, avoid using phrases such as “I think” or “I believe” and instead use a phrase such as “My analysis shows….”     

This assignment will be evaluated using a rubric. Please use the rubric as a checklist to ensure that you’ve addressed all expectations for the assignment.