MGT 498

Strategic Management

 

Week 1: Individual Assignment - Strategic Management Process Paper

 

Write a 350- to 500-word paper in which you complete the following:

 

· Describe the primary components of a strategic management process, and indicate why a strategic management process is needed for a company.

· Research at least one company and describe the strategic management process that the company uses.

 

Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

Week 2 Individual Assignment - Ethics Paper

 

Write a 700- to 900-word paper in which you do the following:

 

· Explain the role of ethics and social responsibility in developing a strategic plan while considering stakeholder needs and agendas.

Include at least one example of a company overstepping ethical boundaries for stakeholder agendas, and what types of preventative measures could be taken to avoid this type of situation.

 

Week 3 Individual Assignment - Environmental Scan Paper

 

Write a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper in which you complete the following:

 

· Research and describe the internal and external environments of 2 to 3 real-world companies using an environmental scan.

· Determine what competitive advantages each company has and what strategies each company is using.

 

o How does each company create value and sustain competitive advantage through business strategy?

o What measurement guidelines is each company using to verify its strategic effectiveness?

How effective are the measurement guidelines that each company is using?

 

Week 4 Team Assignment Competitive Advantages Paper

Resources:Riordan Virtual Organization and Environmental Scan Paper

Usethe Riordan Virtual Organization and research from last week’s Environmental Scan Paper for this assignment.

 

• Decide which competitive advantages Riordan has in common with the companies researched last week, and estimate which competitive strategies Riordan could use to improve innovation and sustainability of business operations both in the United States and in the global market.
  
  
• Explain why you chose these competitive strategies and estimate how they might affect sustainability of long-term organizational performance.
  
  
• Explain how the global market would affect the business strategy of Riordan.

 

Summarize your findings in a 700- to 1,050-word paper.

Formatyour paper consistent with APA guidelines.

 

Week 5 Team Assignment - Strategic Plan Paper & Presentation

 

The board of directors for Riordan Manufacturing has asked your team to create a strategic plan for the organization.

 

Create a 2,500- to 3,500-word strategic plan for Riordan Manufacturing starting from what you learned in Week One and using a similar strategic management process as Concepts in Strategic Management and Business Policy by Wheelen and Hunger. You may also use information from the team project you completed for Riordan Manufacturing in Week Four to create the strategic plan.

Cover thoroughly the areas of environmental scanning, strategy formulation, strategy implementation, and evaluation and control.

Address the following questions in your strategic plan:

 

• Why does Riordan need a strategic plan?
  
  
• What role should ethical and social responsibility considerations have in Riordan’s strategic management plan?
  
  
• What competitive advantages does Riordan have, and which competitive strategies should Riordan utilize to improve innovation and sustainability in both domestic and international applications?
  
  
• What measurement guidelines should be used to verify strategy effectiveness?
  
  
• What internal dynamics along with cultural and structural leadership considerations should be used in implementing business strategy for Riordan?
  
  
• How do they influence business continuity?
  
  
• What assessment and feedback controls should be used to determine the direction to take Riordan? If the strategy of Riordan does not go according to plan, at what point would you consider altering the strategic plan you have suggested?

 

Explain and justify all of the decisions you have made for your strategic plan, using research and understanding learned from the reading material.

Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

 

Present a completed strategic plan to the board of directors for Riordan Manufacturing.

Outline your strategic plan for Riordan Virtual Organization in a 20- to 30-slide presentation using Microsoft^® PowerPoint^®.

Describe why Riordan needs a plan, and walk the audience through every step in the strategic management process.

Include ethical considerations, environmental scanning for competitive advantages, innovation and sustainability considerations, measurement guidelines, internal dynamic and resource considerations for strategy implementation, and what feedback considerations Riordan should put into place to ensure the success of the company.

Keep your audience in mind and make your strategic plan convincing.

 

Discussion Questions:

 

• Why is it important to use a process such as the strategic management model? Explain.
• How does a leader develop and articulate a compelling vision? Explain.
• What is the relationship between strategy and tactics? Explain.
• What are two major environmental changes that you expect to have an impact on your organization over the next 5-10 years?
• What models, tools, and techniques would you use in performing an environmental analysis of an organization?
• What is the role of strategic planning in creating value for the organization? Provide an example of how a company uses strategic planning to create value for the organization. What are the key success factors for achieving objectives?
• Describe at least four sustainability strategies. Review the Virtual Organization Riordan Manufacturing, which can be accessed through this course’s reading from University of Phoenix student Web site. Which sustainability strategies would be most appropriate for Riordan Manufacturing and why?
• Based upon plan preparation, how would one assess the impacts of organizational strengths and weaknesses related to the development of long-term objectives?
• Assume that you are a risk adverse manager in an industry experiencing rapid technological innovations. Which of the generic strategies would you be inclined to favor to mitigate risk? Why?
• What are the attributes of Critical Success Factors in general? Are these attributes in your industry?
• How are the tactical plan and the goals related to long-term objectives (LTO) and Critical Success Factors in your experience?
• What steps need to be taken before we implement an organizational strategy? Why are time frames so important to the implementation of an organization's strategy? What role does the sequence of execution play?
• What are some structural, leadership, and cultural considerations that need to be included in the strategy implementation for the virtual organization Riordan Manufacturing?