STR 581 Wk 1 – Apply: Case Study Analysis

Read “Case 6: Fixer Upper: Expanding the Magnolia Brand” in your Connect textbook.

Evaluate Magnolia Brands’ sustainable competitive advantage by analyzing the case study and answering the following questions in 350 to 525 words:

• How will the components of the external environment impact Magnolia Brands’ ability to realize their vision?
• Who are Magnolia Brands’ major competitors?
• What other factors are affecting the growth of Magnolia Brands?
• What internal factors must be considered for Magnolia Brands to achieve its vision and mission?
• What are some of Magnolia Brands’ strengths and weaknesses?
• How does the new show represent an opportunity in the home remodeling industry?
• What challenges or threats might Magnolia Brand face?
• What measurements can be used to determine if the new show is successful?
• What is the feasibility of the ability of Magnolia Brands to continue to be successful? Why?

Submit your assignment.

STR 581 Wk 1 – Practice: Knowledge Check

Types of actions and approaches that often characterize a company’s strategy do not include actions to

Multiple Choice

• strengthen market standing and competitiveness by acquiring or merging with other companies.
• enter new product or geographic markets or to exit existing ones.
• upgrade, build, or acquire competitively important resources and capabilities.
• capture emerging market opportunities and defend against external threats to the company’s business prospects.
• improve ethical standards, ensure employees’ commitments, and continuously develop new talents.

A company’s strategy

Multiple Choice

• is mostly proactive and consists of strategy elements that are both planned and realized as planned.
• tends to be a combination of both proactive and reactive elements, with certain elements being abandoned because they have become obsolete or ineffective.
• consists of initial and developing approaches aiming to ensure long-term growth.
• is mainly affected by a reactive approach because uncertainty is high.
• generally consists of new strategy elements and strategic moves that emerge as changing conditions warrant.

Gerard’s Paella, a tapas bar and paella restaurant, offers healthy, sustainably sourced, as well as veggie and vegan, cuisine at higher prices than its competitors in the market and has a drive-through and indoor seating casual dining operation. What strategy is Gerard’s Paella using to gain competitive advantage?

Multiple Choice

• a focused low-cost strategy
• a low-cost provider strategy
• a focused differentiation strategy
• a broad differentiation strategy
• a best-cost provider strategy

Sustainability does not

Multiple Choice

• concern a firm’s relationship to the environment and its use of natural resources.
• serve to meet the needs of the present without compromising the world’s ability to meet future needs.
• consist of deliberate actions to protect the environment, provide for the longevity of natural resources, maintain ecological support systems for future generations, and guard against ultimate endangerment of the planet.
• have a close association with corporate social responsibility.
• require that shareholders be prepared to accept lower returns to support environmental protection.

Socially responsible strategies that create value for customers and lower costs

Multiple Choice

• can improve profits and shareholder value at the same time that they address other stakeholder concerns.
• are invariably difficult to achieve.
• are usually linked to a company’s production activities.
• support the moral case for socially responsible business practices.
• rarely benefit shareholders.

Which company in the list below is not noted as an example of firms that pursue sustainability strategies?

Multiple Choice

• Johnson & Johnson
• Keurig Green Mountain
• Staples
• Unilever
• Wells Fargo Bank

A commonly used and easily understood strategic objective is

Multiple Choice

• attaining an X percent increase in annual revenues.
• winning X percent of market share.
• increasing a company’s shareholder value—in the form of an upward-trending stock price.
• paying out an annual dividend increase of X percent.
• cutting costs to assure profit margins remain at or better than X percent.

Which are the primary components of a strategic plan?

Multiple Choice

• a vision of where it is headed, a set of core values, and a strategy to achieve it
• a set of performance targets, a balanced scorecard, and a strategy to implement both
• a strategy and management’s specific, detailed plans for implementing it
• a vision, a strategy, and a specific financial plan as to how to support the execution
• a vision of where it is headed, a set of performance targets, and a strategy to achieve them

An effectively worded strategic vision statement is?

Multiple Choice

• achievable, profitable, and ethical
• realistic, customer-focused, and market-driven
• balanced, responsible, and rational
• challenging, competitive, and “set in concrete”
• flexible, focused, and directional

An effectively worded mission statement does not

Multiple Choice

• describe the company’s current business and purpose: who we are, what we do, and why we are here.
• express that making a profit is the company’s true business purpose.
• specify the buyer needs that the company seeks to satisfy and the customer groups or markets it serves.
• identify the company’s products and/or services.
• specifically mention the enterprise’s present business and purpose.

STR 581 Wk 2 – Apply: Case Study Analysis

Read “Case 12: Chipotle Mexican Grill’s Strategy in 2018: Will the New CEO Be Able to Rebuild Customer Trust and Revive Sales Growth?” in your Connect textbook.

Write a 350- to 700-word response that addresses the following questions:

• What factors contributed to the loss of confidence in the Chipotle brand?
• Do the actions taken to-date present a strategy that would improve consumer trust? Why or why not?
• Consider Chipotle’s competitors. How does Chipotle’s internal environment compare to the internal environment of one of its competitors? Based on this analysis, what is the probability that the strategic moves implemented by Chipotle would lead to a sustainable competitive advantage? Explain.
• What additional recommendations would you make for Chipotle to gain consumer trust and reclaim a leadership role in the fast-food industry? Provide justification for your response.
• Based on the information presented in this case study, what kind of business strategy would you suggest to help Chipotle achieve a competitive advantage?

Submit your assignment.

STR 581 Wk 2 – Practice: Knowledge Check

What is not considered to be among the major risks of outsourcing value chain activities presently performed in-house?

Multiple Choice

• A company may farm out the wrong types of activities and thereby hollow out its own capabilities.
• A company’s ability to lead the development of innovative new products may be weakened in the outsourcing process.
• A company’s loss of direct control may make it difficult to monitor and coordinate activities of outside suppliers.
• A company may be less flexible in accommodating shifting buyer preferences.
• Outside parties may not make investments specific to the needs of the outsourcing company’s value chain.

The mix of performing an activity internally, as well as outsourcing in any given stage of the vertical chain, refers to which vertical integration strategy?

Multiple Choice

• a tapered integration strategy
• a backward integration strategy
• a partial integration strategy
• a full integration strategy

Strategic offensives should be based on

Multiple Choice

• the creation of high profits and the reduction of costs.
• satisfying employees and creating a stable work environment to increase long-term profits and reduce turnover.
• sizing up an organization’s internal and external situation.
• those areas of strength where the company has its greatest competitive advantage over targeted rivals.
• implementing and executing chosen strategy efficiently and effectively.

Compared to vertical integration or horizontal mergers/acquisitions strategies, the principal advantages of joint venture partnerships and alliances include

Multiple Choice

• potential resource pooling and risk sharing, more adaptive response capabilities, and greater speed of deployment.
• potential facilitation of best practices, optimization of production capacity, and relevant synergistic savings.
• potential profitability of the alliance and related experience-curve economics.
• potential material additions to a company’s technological capabilities, strengthening of its competitive position, and boosting of its profitability.
• potential transactional and relational optimization of operating practices and competencies.

Imagine you have been asked to present a strategy implementation plan to the top management of Patagonia, a Los Angeles, California-based manufacturer and marketer of outdoor activewear and extreme adventure gear. Which implementation option would your presentation likely not include as a means of building and strengthening Patagonia’s competitively valuable resources and capabilities?

Multiple Choice

• Patagonia needs to shift from decentralized to centralized decision-making to give senior executives more authority and control in driving cultural change.
• Patagonia needs to engage in experience-building activities such as collaborative efforts in R&D engineering and design.
• Patagonia needs to select and assemble a team of people with the requisite skills and experience, upgrading or expanding individual abilities as needed, and then molding the efforts of those individuals into a collaborative effort to create an organizational ability.
• Patagonia needs to acquire capabilities through mergers and acquisitions.
• Patagonia needs to enter into collaborative partnerships with suppliers, competitors, or other companies that possess needed expertise.

Successful execution of Deloitte’s talent management strategy included all of the following elements except

Multiple Choice

• a clear path to partnership that served as a motivational tool for top performers, often leading to career acceleration.
• formal training programs, including mandatory training hours for all its employees to ensure that individuals continued to further their professional development.
• creation of special programs for high performers, such as its Global Fellows program and its Emerging Leaders Development Program.
• sanctions placed on employees for missed deadlines, misdirected or wasteful efforts, or managerial ineptness.
• sponsorship that helped rising leaders navigate the firm, develop new competencies, expand their networks, and hone the skills needed to accelerate their careers.

Which of the following best describes the multidivisional structure?

Multiple Choice

• It is a structure that combines two or more organizational forms, with multiple reporting relationships.
• It is a decentralized structure consisting of a set of operating divisions organized along business, customer, product, or geographic lines, and central corporate headquarters.
• It is organized along functional lines, where a function represents a major step in the firm’s value chain.
• It consists of a central executive who handles major decisions and oversees all operations with the help of a small staff.
• It is a highly centralized organizational structure, where top executives retain authority for most strategic and operating decisions and keep a tight rein on business-unit heads.

To win employees’ sustained, energetic commitment to the strategy execution process, management must

Multiple Choice

• create a corporate culture that fosters dedication and loyalty.
• comply with ethical standards and become good corporate citizens.
• provide job variety and promotion opportunities.
• provide attractive perks and fringe benefits.
• be resourceful in designing and using motivational incentives.

Why does a company’s budget need to be closely linked to the needs of good strategy execution?

Multiple Choice

• Organizational units always need the proper funding to carry out their part of the strategic plan effectively and efficiently.
• Scarce funding slows progress and impedes the efforts of organizational units to execute their pieces of the strategic plan proficiently.
• If internal cash flows prove insufficient to fund the planned strategic initiatives, then management must raise additional funds through borrowing or selling additional shares.
• Excess funding wastes organizational resources and reduces financial performance.
• Tight budget control that involve reallocations and resource shifting is management’s most powerful tool for first-rate strategy execution.

One of the most widely used and effective tools for gauging how well a company is executing pieces of its strategy entails

Multiple Choice

• benchmarking the company’s performance of activities and business processes against “best-in-industry” performers.
• using process management tools to drive continuous improvement in how internal operations are conducted.
• calculating competitive strength scores for each business.
• checking the competitive advantage potential of cross-business strategic fit.
• using a nine-cell matrix to simultaneously portray industry attractiveness and competitive strength.

STR 581 Wk 3 – Apply: Signature Assignment: Modified SWOT Analysis

Successful businesses regularly analyze their processes to ensure they’re operating as efficiently as possible and maintaining their competitive advantages. Although you can assess a company in many ways, a common technique is the SWOT analysis. In this assignment, you will practice using a SWOT analysis to better understand the factors involved in making business decisions that promote sustainable competitive advantage.

Select and research a company from the 2019 Fortune 500 list that demonstrates a sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Evaluate the selected company’s sustainable competitive advantage using the SWOT analysis technique.

Write a 700- to 1,050-word modified SWOT analysis that includes the following:

• An introduction with a detailed description of the company
• A SWOT analysis diagram that includes strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
• An evaluation of how specific internal factors (strengths and/or weaknesses) support and/or promote a competitive advantage; examples may include:
• Financial, physical, or human resources
• Access to natural resources, trademarks, patents, or copyrights
• Current processes (employee programs or software systems)
• An evaluation of how specific external factors (opportunities and/or threats) support and/or promote a competitive advantage; examples may include:
• Market trends (new products or technology advancements)
• Economic trends (local and/or global)
• Demographics
• Regulations (political, environmental, or economic)
• Conclusion with an evaluation of how the company has retained its competitive advantage

Include APA-formatted in-text citations and a reference page with at least 2 sources. Note: You may include your textbook as 1 of the sources.

Note: You can view sample SWOT Analyses by visiting the University Library > Databases > B > Business Source Complete: SWOT Analyses.

Submit your assignment.

STR 581 Wk 3 – Practice: Knowledge Check

The most widely encountered barriers entry candidates must overcome include all of the following, except

Multiple Choice

• restrictive government policies.
• the difficulties of building a network of distributors.
• strong buyer loyalty to existing brands.
• sizable economies of scale in production.
• small market size and special customer requirements.

Good competitive intelligence

Multiple Choice

• entails drawing the conclusion that companies seem destined to struggle because of their position.
• helps in determining whether a rival is gaining or losing market share.
• points to those things that every firm in the industry needs to attend to in order to retain customers and weather the competition.
• helps managers construct up-to-date strategic profiles of rivals.
• enables more accurate predictions about how long it will take a rival to copy most of what the strategy leader is doing.

You are considering starting a business to provide high-quality bookkeeping services targeted to restaurants and other food service providers in your region. Which factors would you evaluate to determine whether or not the food service industry offers good prospects for attractive profits?

Multiple Choice

• the industry’s growth potential, whether competition appears destined to become stronger or weaker, how the industry’s driving forces might affect overall industry profitability, the company’s competitive position relative to rivals, and the company’s proficiency in performing industry key success factors
• an assessment of which firms in the industry have the best and worst competitive strategies, whether the number of strategic groups in the industry is increasing or decreasing, and whether economies of scale and experience curve effects are a key success factor
• whether there are more than five key success factors, more than five barriers to entry, and more than five industry drivers
• whether the market leaders enjoy competitive advantages and how difficult it is to promote innovation to develop a strongly differentiated product or service for which a price premium may be charged
• constructing a strategic group map and assessing the attractiveness of the competitive position of each strategic group

An analysis of driving forces does not normally involve

Multiple Choice

• evaluating increasing efforts on the part of industry members to collaborate closely with their suppliers.
• assessing technological change and manufacturing process innovation.
• understanding diffusion of technical know-how across more companies and more countries.
• monitoring changing societal concerns, attitudes, and lifestyles.
• observing the entry or exit of major firms.

A potential market opportunity for a company does NOT include

Multiple Choice

• sharply rising buyer demand for the industry’s product.
• acquiring rival firms or companies with attractive technological expertise or capabilities.
• expanding into new geographic markets.
• expanding the company’s product line to meet a broader range of customer needs.
• increased trade barriers in attractive foreign markets

Company managers need to address and resolve a comprehensive set of strategy-related issues and problems EXCEPT

Multiple Choice

• evaluations of the company’s own resources, internal circumstances, value chain, and competitiveness.
• diversification moves of corporations competing in similar industries.
• a “worry list” of “how to…,” “whether to…,” and “what to do about…”
• what was learned from analyses of the company’s industry and competitive environment.
• challenges the company has to overcome in order to be financially and competitively successful in the short-run.

Angie, CEO of a local alternative energy company that provides power for residential and commercial customers in your community, is engaged in the process of developing a list of questions to evaluate her company’s internal situation. Which question would Angie NOT raise to complete the task of her company’s resources and competitive position?

Multiple Choice

• How do our value chain activities impact our company’s cost structure and customer value proposition?
• Which are our least and most profitable geographic market segments?
• How well is our present strategy working?
• Is our company competitively stronger or weaker than key rivals?
• What strategic issues and problems merit front-burner managerial attention?

Which of the following strategic approaches becomes most appealing when a market is not important to industry leaders?

Multiple Choice

• a broad differentiation strategy
• a best-cost provider strategy
• a low-cost provider strategy
• an offensive strategy
• a focused strategy

From the list below, identify the company that is NOT the lowest-cost provider in its industry

Multiple Choice

• Southwest Airlines
• CNN
• Walmart
• Amazon
• Nucor Steel

What are the two ways a company can translate its low-cost advantage over rivals into attractive profit performance?

Multiple Choice

• either going beyond the segment of price-sensitive buyers or increasing production to achieve greater economies of scale and even lower costs
• either using the cost advantage to add a few inexpensive differentiating features or cutting its price to levels significantly below the prices of rivals
• either entering other market segments where price is an important competitive weapon or using its cost advantage to add other products to widen market appeal
• either using its cost advantage to spend heavily on advertising or increasing price to earn the biggest possible profit margin on each unit sold
• either using its low-cost edge to underprice competitors and attract price-sensitive buyers in large enough numbers to increase total profits or refraining from price cutting and using the low-cost advantage to earn a bigger profit margin on each unit sold

STR 581 Wk 4 – Apply: Case Study Analysis

Read “Case 2: Airbnb in 2018” in your Connect textbook.

In the accommodations market, Airbnb appears to have a significant advantage over its competitors as it relates to regulations affecting the operations of its business.

Develop a business strategy that will allow Airbnb to meet local, state, and international regulatory requirements and motivate individuals to benefit from participating in this space of the accommodations market. Address the following questions:

• How can Airbnb ensure the ethical treatment of consumers?
• Should there be a separate strategy for the international component of their business model?

Submit your assignment.

STR 581 Wk 4 – Apply: Business Plan Assessment: Part 1 – Strategic Improvements

Using your analysis of the strategic plan from the Wk 2- Strategic Plan Research assignment, complete the following:

Analyze in 350 to 525 words the:

• Purpose of the strategic plan
• Key objectives:
• Market development and how your ideas fit
• Process improvement
• Development of people
• Product/service – How do you deliver? Is there a way to improve quality over time to differentiate?
• Key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure performance over time

Recommend initiatives to support your objectives to improve the strategic plan.

Identify ways to adapt to the changing business environment.

Submit your assignment.

STR 581 Wk 4 – Practice: Knowledge Check

Relative market share as a measure of competitive strength is calculated by

Multiple Choice

• subtracting the industry-average market share (based on dollar volume) from a company’s market share to determine how much a company’s market share is above/below the industry average—this amount is a better indicator of a business’s competitive strength than is just looking at the firm’s market share percentage.
• dividing the business’s percentage share of total industry sales volume by the percentage share held by its largest rival—it is a better indicator of a business’s competitive strength than is a simple percentage measure of market share.
• subtracting the company’s market share (based on dollar volume) from the industry-average market share and comparing it to the main competitors.
• dividing the total market volume by the company’s sales to determine its relative market share.
• dividing the business’s percentage share of total industry sales volume by the percentage share held by its five largest rivals.

Related diversification strategies are strong when built upon sharing

Multiple Choice

• competitively valuable resources.
• generalized resources and capabilities.
• general management capabilities.
• human resource management capabilities.
• resources that have a broad utility and application outside a diversified company’s core industry.

Unrelated diversification requires that company managers spend much time and effort screening acquisition candidates using all of the following criteria except

Multiple Choice

• whether the business can meet corporate targets for profitability.
• whether the business is in an industry with attractive growth potential.
• whether the business is big enough to contribute significantly to the parent firm’s bottom line.
• whether the business can meet corporate targets for return on investment.
• whether the business has a cross-business strategic fit.

Corporate strategic options for diversified companies would not normally entail

Multiple Choice

• sticking closely with the existing business line when the current business line offers attractive growth opportunities.
• divesting weak-performing businesses and retrenching to a narrower base of business operations.
• broadening the diversification base by adding and acquiring more businesses.
• repurchasing shares of the company’s common stock and building cash reserves by investing in short-term securities.
• restructuring the company’s business lineup through a mix of divestitures and new acquisitions.

The major benefit of a related diversification strategy is

Multiple Choice

• that it can propel the company’s business forward and help it gain ground over its market rivals.
• that this strategy is less capital intensive and usually less risky than unrelated diversification.
• that it offers potential 1 + 1 = 3 or “synergy” benefits because of valuable cross-business relationships among the value chains of the corporation’s different businesses.
• that this strategy leads to competitive advantage and increased profitability.
• that this strategy passes not only the industry attractiveness test but also offers the best route to 2 + 2 = 4 benefits.

A company expands outside its home market to

Multiple Choice

• strengthen its capability to employ vertical integration strategies.
• gain economic incentives offered by governments of developing countries.
• increase the bargaining power of alliance members over suppliers or buyers.
• gain access to new customers for the company’s products/services.
• take advantage of potential shifts in currency exchange rates.

Using domestic plants as a production base for exporting goods to selected foreign country markets

Multiple Choice

• can be an excellent initial strategy to pursue international sales.
• can be a successful strategy when a company is focusing on vacant market niches in each market.
• works well when exchange rate fluctuations prevent the adoption of a transnational strategy.
• is usually a weak strategy when competitors are pursuing multi-domestic strategies.
• can be a powerful strategy because the company is not vulnerable to fluctuating exchange rates.

Which of the following is an example of a multidomestic strategy?

Multiple Choice

• Mattel’s black Barbie is popular in Africa.
• Microsoft offers the same software programs around the world.
• Red Bull products are packaged differently for the Chinese market.
• BMW designed its 3 Series cars for multiple markets.
• Heinz ketchup in India does not have garlic and onion.

Dispersing activities to many locations is competitively advantageous when

Multiple Choice

• technical after-sale services are unimportant to buyers.
• a multidomestic strategy is better than a global strategy.
• host governments offer less restrictive trade barriers and regulatory requirements to companies that conform to local business practices.
• economies of scale and scope in materials procurement, parts manufacture, finished-goods assembly, technology research, and new product development can frequently be decoupled from buyer locations and performed wherever advantage lies.
• high transportation costs, diseconomies of large size, and trade barriers combine to make it too expensive to operate from a central location.

The primary reason that Facebook Inc. decided to expand outside its United States home market was to

Multiple Choice

• identify new and stronger resources and capabilities in its home market
• increase its business risk by competing with local social media providers such as WeChat.
• match its core competencies and capabilities with rival social media companies such as Snapchat and Instagram.
• achieve differentiation through economies of scale, experience, and increased purchasing power.
• gain access to new customers for the company’s products/services.

STR 581 Wk 5 – Apply: Signature Assignment: Strategic Analysis

In Wk 2, you completed a SWOT analysis on a successful company that demonstrated a sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace. Now, you will shift your focus to look at a company that is failing or experiencing challenges in the area of financial performance.

Select and research a company that is having financial difficulties or is on the brink of bankruptcy.

Review “Where Can I Find a Company’s Annual Report and Its SEC Filings?” from Investopedia.

You can also access specific information about a variety of businesses in the University Library by searching the following databases:

• University Library > Databases > B > Business Source Complete
• University Library > Databases > E > EDGAR
• University Library > Databases > P > Plunkett Research Online

Conduct a strategic analysis of the company’s current financial operations. Determine strategies for achieving a sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace and increasing financial performance.

Write a 1,050- to 1,400-word analysis. When writing your analysis, complete the following:

• Evaluate the company’s current financial plan, including charts and/or graphs showing financial data from the struggling company, and make recommendations for improvement.
• Determine strategies for achieving a sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace and increasing financial performance.
• Create a plan to implement the strategies you selected.

Include APA-formatted, in-text citations, and a reference page with at least 3 sources.

Submit your assignment.

STR 581 Wk 5 – Apply: Business Plan Assessment: Part 2 – Pitching the Plan

Using your approved strategic plan from the Wk 2 – Strategic Plan Research assignment, complete the following:

Create a 5- to 7- slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation, with speaker notes and visuals on each slide, that will sell your identified improvements to the strategic plan, based on your Wk 4 analysis.

Include the following:

• Summarize the threats and challenges you have identified within the current strategic plan.
• Determine how to execute the strategic initiatives in order to address the threats and challenges.
• Explain proposed process improvements.
• Assess whether additional resources are needed.
• Describe how resources should be used in the application of the strategic plan.
• Utilize KPIs to justify the financial investment and to measure the success of the proposed improvements to the strategic plan.
• Justify your recommendations based on anticipated Return on Investment (ROI).

Submit your assignment.

STR 581 Wk 5 – Practice: Knowledge Check

For an enterprise to execute its strategy in truly proficient fashion and approach operating excellence

Multiple Choice

• mid-level executives must be charismatic, be decisive decision makers, and make inspiring speeches at company events.
• all employees must be very personable, effective communicators, and be skilled in the empowerment of company personnel.
• the management must be creative in establishing policies and procedures that will instill high standards of operating excellence.
• top executives must take the lead in the implementation/execution process and personally drive the pace of progress.
• the CEO must gather information firsthand and demand progress from mid-level managers.

Enron, Wells Fargo Bank, and JPMorgan Chase are examples of companies whose culture became

Multiple Choice

• change-resistant.
• politicized.
• insular and inwardly focused.
• unethical and greed-driven.
• an incompatible subculture.

You are considering employment opportunities after graduation. What would you look for in identifying a prospective employer’s company’s culture?

Multiple Choice

• the company’s atmosphere, spirit and character that constitutes the work climate and the values, business principles, and ethical standards that company management preaches and practices
• the company’s track record in meeting or beating its financial and strategic performance targets
• the intensity and makeup of the company’s value chain
• the strategic intent and competitive strategy inherent within the company’s efforts for successful strategy execution
• the resource strengths, core competencies, and competitive capabilities that permeate the organization

All the following are necessary in the creation of high-performance cultures, except

Multiple Choice

• managers must follow a disciplined, performance-focused approach to managing the organization.
• managers must take pains to reinforce constructive behavior, reward top performers, and purge habits and behaviors that stand in the way of high productivity and good results.
• managers must energize employees to put forth their very best efforts to do the right things right.
• managers must inspire high loyalty and dedication on the part of employees, so they are energized to put forth their very best to do things right and be unusually productive.
• managers must restrict collaboration with other organizational units to reduce the power of influential executives and/or coalitions among departments.

Long-term industry success can give rise to a(n)

Multiple Choice

• high-performance culture.
• politicized culture.
• insular, inwardly focused culture.
• unethical and greed-driven culture.
• incompatible subculture.

Technology companies, software companies, and Internet-based companies are good illustrations of organizations with

Multiple Choice

• achievement-oriented cultures.
• integrative cultures.
• diverse cultures.
• adaptive cultures.
• inwardly focused cultures.

The emergence and sustainability of a high-performance culture like that of Epic Systems has been fostered by

Multiple Choice

• senior executives that walk the talk of high ethical standards.
• centralized decision-making and strict enforcement of company policies.
• a strong emphasis on developing innovative core competencies and competitive capabilities.
• a commitment to operating the business according to established traditions.
• a long-standing commitment to strict enforcement of established policies and procedures and steadfast unwillingness to change these policies and procedures.

A company’s corporate culture is not defined by its

Multiple Choice

• values, business principles, and ethical standards that management preaches and practices.
• atmosphere and the spirit that pervades the work climate.
• intensity of peer pressure that exists to do things in particular ways and conform to expected norms.
• manner of dealing with external shareholders.
• industry’s attractiveness as well as its competitive strength relative to that industry.

In high-performance cultures

Multiple Choice

• the work climate focuses on not tolerating any mistakes.
• there is a strong sense of involvement on the part of company personnel and an emphasis on individual initiative and effort.
• company personnel share a feeling of impending doom if they don’t deal with whatever threats are posed by competitors.
• there is a clear and unyielding expectation that all company personnel will strictly follow company policies and procedures.
• there is willingness on the part of organization members to accept discipline and subordination.

Due to the retirement of the KombuchaCo’s founder and CEO, Robin, a long-time employee, has recently been promoted to CEO. KombuchaCo has recently experienced declining sales, missed deadlines, increasing costs, and the departures of many fellow long-term employees. What step would Robin not take to change a culture that is already out of step with the company’s strategy?

Multiple Choice

• promoting those individuals who have stepped forward to advocate the shift to a different culture and who can serve as role models for the desired culture
• appointing only insiders to high-profile positions
• screening all candidates for new positions and carefully hiring only those who appear to fit in with the new culture
• replacing key executives who are stonewalling needed organizational and cultural changes
• revising policies and procedures in ways that will help drive cultural change

STR 581 Wk 6 – Apply: Signature Assignment: Strategic Plan

Throughout this course, you have been using different analysis strategies to determine best practices for developing your business plan. It’s time to develop a strategic plan that will help you determine where your business is now, where you want to take it, and how you will get there. Your strategic plan will help you implement and manage the strategic direction of your company. Additionally, you will communicate the direction of your company to stakeholders.

Develop a strategic plan for the company you have used throughout this course and share it with stakeholders.

Create a 10- to 15-slide presentation for key stakeholders to solicit their approval of your strategic plan. Address the following in your presentation:

• An introduction with mission and vision statements
• Core values, ethics, and social responsibility principles
• Analysis of the company’s:
• Internal environment (e.g. strengths and weaknesses related to resources, trademarks, patents, copyrights, or current processes)
• External environment (e.g. opportunities and threats related to market trends, economic trends, demographics, or regulations)
• An evaluation of the internal and external environment’s impact on achieving the company strategy
• Create a strategic objective for the company.
• Create short- and long-term goals for achieving the company’s strategic plan.
• Determine methods for collecting data and measuring the success of the strategic plan.

Include APA-formatted in-text citations and a reference page.

Cite at least 3 peer-reviewed documents. Note: You may include your textbook as 1 of the sources.

Submit your assignment.