Discussion 5-8 DR. Rick

Discussion 5-8 DR. Rick

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
Required Resources
Grant, R. (2013). Contemporary strategy analysis: text and cases (8th ed.). Chichester, U.K.: Wiley.

MUST HAVE REFERENCES FOR EACH WEEK. (APA)
250 WORDS FOR EACH WEEK TOTAL

Week 5 Discussion
“Competitive Advantages” Please respond to the following:
1. One staple of consulting is to advise clients to so-called “re-invent” themselves. Suggest the fundamental ways in which innovation matures a company. Provide a rationale and a real-world example to support your response.
2. It is well known that Apple has successfully established itself as the market leader in smartphones with its iPhone. Use the two primary dimensions (i.e., cost advantage and differentiation advantage) to recommend a strategy for Apple to sustain its competitive advantage in this market. Provide a rationale for your response.
3. Provide references when quoting and/or paraphrasing.

Week 6 Discussion
“Change Management” Please respond to the following:
1. Read the article titled “10 Principles of Change Management” at http://www.strategy-business.com/media/file/resilience-04-15-04-rebrand.pdf. In the article, the authors advocated for diagnosing an organization’s culture (i.e., 8. Address culture explicitly), often considered the most difficult aspect to evaluate when diagnosing organizations. Speculate on at least two (2) challenges that business leaders might face when diagnosing organizational culture during substantial business transition within a company. Propose key strategies to mitigate the challenges in question and support your response.
2. From the article, select one (1) principle that you mostly agree with and examine its fundamental strengths and weaknesses. Include one (1) example or scenario in which you could apply the chosen principle to support your response.
3. Provide references when quoting and/or paraphrasing.
Week 7 Discussion
“Competitive Advantage” Please respond to the following:
1. Per the textbook, technology is a key driver of change and an important source of competitive advantage in business environments. Examine the overall manner in which an enterprise could exploit the opportunities that technology offers in order to establish or sustain a competitive advantage. Include a real-world example to support your response.
2. Use the Internet or Strayer Library to research articles on soda wars among American soft drink manufacturers, primarily between Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Next, propose a strategy that one (1) of the soft drink manufacturers could use to increase its competitive advantage. Provide a rationale for your response.
3. Provide references when quoting and/or paraphrasing.
Week 8 Discussion
“Vertical Integration” Please respond to the following:
• Use the Internet or Strayer Library to research two to three (2-3) articles on Standard Oil Co. Inc. and the related vertical integration. Analyze the rationale for the so called “Trust-busting” Standard Oil apart. Examine the main advantages and disadvantages of “Trust-busting”. Support your response.
• Use the Internet or Strayer Library to research two to three (2-3) articles on organizations which experienced vertical integration. Select at least two (2) vertical integration examples in addition to the one on standard oil that we discussed on Part 1 of this discussion. Next, assess the value that the vertical integration might have created or will create for the organizations you selected. Support your response.
• Provide references when quoting and/or paraphrasing.

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