Starting an External Environmental Analysis

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BMGT 495 – Project 1:  Starting an External Environmental Analysis (Week 2)

NOTE:  All  submitted work is to be your original work (only your work). You may  not use any work from another student, the Internet or an online  clearinghouse.  You are expected to understand the Academic Integrity  Policy, and know that it is your responsibility to learn about  instructor and general academic expectations with regard to proper  citation of sources as specified in the APA Publication Manual, 7th Ed.  (You are held accountable for in-text citations and an associated  reference list only).

Project 1 is due Tuesday by 11:59 p.m. eastern time of week 2 unless otherwise changed by the instructor.

Purpose: 

This  project is the first of four projects.  This project provides the first  steps in completing an external environmental analysis of your focal  company’s strategic management plan.   You will use tools and apply  concepts learned in this and previous business courses to demonstrate an  understanding of how organizations develop and manage strategies to  establish, safeguard and sustain their competitive positions in the 21st century’s (rapidly evolving/shifting/changing), uncertain hyper-competitive business environment.

Completing  a company overview and assessing the general environment is a key  aspect of performing an external environment analysis.  This project  provides you with the opportunity to evaluate the competitive position  of one of the organizations listed below and integrate that information  in the beginnings of an external environmental analysis.

The  company you will be analyzing operates within the global market.  You  will assess the company in terms of the global industry.  Industries  differ widely in their economic characteristics, competitive situation  and future profit potential.

In  this project, you are presenting a report document.  The expectation is  that the report provides the level of details to help the audience  grasp the main topics and to understand the General Environment.

Analysis  is the operative word.  In analyzing the external environment, you are  expected to thoroughly research and take that research and break it into  small parts to gain a better understanding of what is happening in the  external environment of the business.  In researching an industry, it is  important to understand that every company within an industry is  different so gathering information on one company does not mean that the  collected information is relevant to other companies within that  industry.  When researching, parsing the material is critical to an  accurate analysis.  Avoid presenting just any information as that may  lead to using irrelevant information.

You  will then write the report in your own words to share the external  analysis.  You are expected to present information and support the ideas  and reasoning using the course material and your research.  You will  not lift any information from source documents without properly citing  and referencing.  For the technical analysis aspect of the project, you  are required to create the technique on your own and may not use from  any source material that you happen to find.  No work from a  clearinghouse or similar website may be used or cited as a credible  source.

Outcomes Met With This Project:

  • utilize a set of useful analytical skills, tools, and techniques for analyzing a company strategically;
  • integrate  ideas, concepts, and theories from previously taken functional courses  including accounting, finance, market, business and human resource  management;

Instructions:

In  completing the report, you will use the chapters in the eBook and other  course material. Moreover, you will perform research on the company and  its industry before responding, in narrative form, to the information  provided in the steps (see below).

Step 1:  Specific Company for All Four Projects

Discuss Cross-Cultural Differences In Leadership

 

Business Report: Cross-Cultural Differences in Leadership

Assume that your boss has asked you to prepare a formal Business Report on Cross-Cultural Differences in Leadership which will be shared at the next executive meeting.

In this report they want to see well-documented information on the ways cross-cultural differences affect leadership in the 21st century.

Your report should contain two main parts:

1) general part, which evaluates current trends in cross-cultural communication and describes most relevant frameworks dealing with cross-cultural differences;

2) specific part, which evaluates how cross-cultural differences influence the performance of the chosen company with specific examples; this part should be written in a problem-solution format and end up with set of recommendations relevant for the company.

In order to get A and B level grades, you must demonstrate knowledge of frameworks and studies beyond the content of the textbook and in-class explanations in your report and provide a relevant set of recommendations, precisely targeting specific problems you identified in the chosen company. Avoid general recommendations which could be applied to almost any company.

 

Business Report: Cross-Cultural Differences in Leadership

Assume that your boss has asked you to prepare a formal Business Report on Cross-Cultural Differences in Leadership which will be shared at the next executive meeting.

In this report they want to see well-documented information on the ways cross-cultural differences affect leadership in the 21st century.

Your report should contain two main parts:

1) general part, which evaluates current trends in cross-cultural communication and describes most relevant frameworks dealing with cross-cultural differences;

2) specific part, which evaluates how cross-cultural differences influence the performance of the chosen company with specific examples; this part should be written in a problem-solution format and end up with set of recommendations relevant for the company.

In order to get A and B level grades, you must demonstrate knowledge of frameworks and studies beyond the content of the textbook and in-class explanations in your report and provide a relevant set of recommendations, precisely targeting specific problems you identified in the chosen company. Avoid general recommendations which could be applied to almost any company.

Examining current practices

Southwest Airlines is a well-known company featured in our textbook. Throughout the course, you will take on the fictional role of an intern at Southwest Airlines Human Resources. You will utilize the textbook and other professional resources to complete your assessments.

Your first weeks on the job are filled with learning the ins and outs of Human Resources and the industry. Your manager informs you that one of your projects is to assist with a new HR strategy for the company. This strategy is broken down into 3 parts that you’ll work on throughout the course. They are:

  • Examining current practices
  • Talent recruitment and selection
  • Strategy recommendation

Your first task for this competency assessment is to examine Southwest’s current HR practices, as reported in public sources.

Download and Review the Rubric!

Download and save the Competency 1 Assessment Rubric and use it as a guide when completing your assessment.

Assessment Directions

Examine Southwest’s current HR practices, as reported in public sources. Download the HR Design Decisions worksheet. Complete the worksheet with your review and rationale of the elements listed below to decide where Southwest Airlines’ HR practices fall.

  • Employees as expenses vs. employees as assets
  • Compensation below market, above market, or competitive
  • Spontaneous training and development or planned training and development
  • Specific job descriptions or general job descriptions
  • External or internal recruitment, or both
  • Limited socialization of new employees or extensive socialization
  • Collective bargaining or individual bargaining

Support the analysis with evidence from sources on the web. Possible sources for information include but are not limited to:

  • Organization website and associated websites
  • Vault Campus includes detailed reviews and survey information about what it’s like to work at Southwest. To access Vault Campus, visit eCampus and click PhoenixLink.
  • Websites that specialize in company reviews and job postings
  • Magazine and journal articles from the Internet or University Library

Submit  your assignment.

Southwest Airlines is a well-known company featured in our textbook. Throughout the course, you will take on the fictional role of an intern at Southwest Airlines Human Resources. You will utilize the textbook and other professional resources to complete your assessments.

Your first weeks on the job are filled with learning the ins and outs of Human Resources and the industry. Your manager informs you that one of your projects is to assist with a new HR strategy for the company. This strategy is broken down into 3 parts that you’ll work on throughout the course. They are:

  • Examining current practices
  • Talent recruitment and selection
  • Strategy recommendation

Your first task for this competency assessment is to examine Southwest’s current HR practices, as reported in public sources.

Download and Review the Rubric!

Download and save the Competency 1 Assessment Rubric and use it as a guide when completing your assessment.

Assessment Directions

Examine Southwest’s current HR practices, as reported in public sources. Download the HR Design Decisions worksheet. Complete the worksheet with your review and rationale of the elements listed below to decide where Southwest Airlines’ HR practices fall.

  • Employees as expenses vs. employees as assets
  • Compensation below market, above market, or competitive
  • Spontaneous training and development or planned training and development
  • Specific job descriptions or general job descriptions
  • External or internal recruitment, or both
  • Limited socialization of new employees or extensive socialization
  • Collective bargaining or individual bargaining

Support the analysis with evidence from sources on the web. Possible sources for information include but are not limited to:

  • Organization website and associated websites
  • Vault Campus includes detailed reviews and survey information about what it’s like to work at Southwest. To access Vault Campus, visit eCampus and click PhoenixLink.
  • Websites that specialize in company reviews and job postings
  • Magazine and journal articles from the Internet or University Library

Submit  your assignment.

Evaluating A Corporate-Societal Relationship

Evaluating a Corporate-Societal Relationship

Preparation

According to the textbook, the current world economy is increasingly becoming integrated and interdependent; as a result, the relationship between business and society is becoming more complex. In this assignment, you will be researching a Fortune 500 company from an approved company list provided by your professor.

Instructions

Write a 4–5 page evaluation of your chosen company’s performance with respect to its stated values. Do the following:

  • Summarize the company’s primary products and or services.
  • Suggest three ways in which the primary stakeholders can influence the organization’s financial performance. Provide support for your response.
  • Describe two critical factors in the organization’s external environment that can affect its success. Support your assertions.
  • Assess the company’s biggest success or missed opportunity to respond to a recent or current social issue. How did it impact company performance?

Integrate at least two supporting resources from the Strayer University Library or other reputable sources.

This course requires the use of Strayer Writing Standards. For assistance and information, please refer to the Strayer Writing Standards link in the left-hand menu of your course. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.

The specific course learning outcome associated with this assignment is:
• Evaluate the relationship between a business and society based on external environmental factors, stakeholders, and corporate social responsibility issues.

Discuss ways to Rebuild And Improve The Culture At UBER

While Uber technologies (Uber) had tasted great success in the run-up to its planned IPO in 2019, its journey had been a bumpy one. On June 21, 2017, co-founder Travis Kalanick stepped down as CEO of Uber in the face of a shareholder revolt that made it untenable for him to stay on in that position. Kalanick’s resignation came after a review of practices at Uber that included allegations of sexual harassment, a corporate theft lawsuit, defiance of government regulations, reports of misbehavior, and a toxic corporate culture, leading to the departure of some key executives.

In early 2018 Dara Khosrowshahi, the newly appointed CEO of Uber, faced numerous obstacles in the path of reaching Uber’s 2019 IPO objective: fixing Uber’s culture and helping it evolve some of its own core cultural practices to foster growth and improve stakeholder relationships; contending with lawsuits over a massive data security breach; working with a splintered board and ushering in corporate governance reforms; and regaining the confidence of Uber’s investors, employees, and customers. There are 2 accompanying videos suggested by the case writers.

Assignment Question:

Dara Khosrowshahi, the newly appointed Uber CEO, has hired you as a strategic management consultant and asked you to prepare a report for him that focuses on the following items:

• An assessment and analysis of Uber’s corporate culture prior to his arrival inclusive of the key features of the culture;

• An analysis if what issues and/or problems need to be prioritized prioritize in order to rebuild and improve the culture at UBER;

• An analysis of what he has completed thus far; and,

• What additional actions he could take that would make an even greater contribution toward turning things around at UBER.

Prepare a report for CEO Khosrowshahi focusing on these findings

Evaluate the effects of mass layoffs

You work as a communication specialist at Estee Lauder Companies. Think about the economic and social challenges we have experienced in the last few months. What adjustments should your organization make to be sustainable during these challenging times?

In groups 5-7 students, write a 3-4 page (single-spaced) internal proposal to address these concerns. Decide on your target audience and orient your proposal towards them. Use a memo format. Remember to include headings such as the introduction, background, solution, and recommendation. Use subheadings if applicable. Be creative in your response. If your group prefers, you are welcomed to change the name of the company.

student

I have 3 potential points we can use in the paper; it must be 5-7 pages long so might need some more points.

So basically, for our organization the prompt says we need to address the changes and adjust to help deal with the changes due to these economic changes and stuff.

My first point was the problem of covid spread within the organization and to combat it I was thinking the organization can do regular covid tests and making vaccines mandatory (this is just for the assignment, not forcing vaccines on anybody).

My second point was investors possibly pulling away from the company due to the financial crisis and funds being pulled away due to lack of trust with our investors. A possible way to combat this problem is to try and build our trust with investors and let them feel safe putting their money into us by showing them we are a good organization to invest in.

Lastly, mass layoffs which also results in distrust amongst the employees. To combat this, we can again reach out to our investors and into our money reserves. investors must be shown that investing in us and retaining our employees will result in better returns for them. To combat this, we must mainly focus on employee retention. Employees and other companies will see our great employee retention which will lead to positive sales numbers.

Individual Assignment – Mastercard Ratios

· Place your ratio calculations in the MS Excel table template for Mastercard for 2017 -2019.

· Provide the formula used to calculate each ratio in the column to the right of your calculations.  For example, for calculating the Gross Margin for a company, you would enter Gross Profit / Sales (gross profit divided by sales).

· When calculating values, you should use the SUM function in MS Excel and reference the values directly from the accounting statements provided.  Attached you will find an example for PayPal and the calculations for Gross Margin and Operating Margin using MS Excel SUM function.

· Place your ratio calculations in the MS Excel table template for Mastercard for 2017 -2019.

· Provide the formula used to calculate each ratio in the column to the right of your calculations.  For example, for calculating the Gross Margin for a company, you would enter Gross Profit / Sales (gross profit divided by sales).

· When calculating values, you should use the SUM function in MS Excel and reference the values directly from the accounting statements provided.  Attached you will find an example for PayPal and the calculations for Gross Margin and Operating Margin using MS Excel SUM function.

Identify and describe the key components of the strategic management process and how they can be applied in organisations.

Overview

You are required to work individually to conduct a strategic analysis and write a report on a real-life business. Please note that this report will focus on business-level strategy.

The purpose of this assessment is not only to test your understanding of the content but also to build your lifelong learning skills. These valuable employment skills include cognitive conceptualisation, critical thinking and analysis, and creative application. How well you are able to demonstrate these skills and bits of knowledge will impact not only you (in terms of a mark) but also has the potential to influence the future of the case study organisation. Your work matters.

Specifically, completing this assignment can help you develop your capabilities in the following areas:

  • Understanding of the key concepts, models, theories, and analytical concepts covered from the relevant Modules (1-3) in this Course;
  • Developing your ability to apply strategic management concepts and theories to the organisation selected, particularly in analysing its strategic position;
  • Enhancing your capability in critical thinking through evaluating existing strategic concepts, analytical frameworks, and theories; and
  • Developing your generic skills for pursuing your professional career in the areas of communication and report writing.

Learning Outcomes

The targeted Course Learning Outcomes for this assessment are:

  • CLO1: Identify and describe the key components of the strategic management process and how they can be applied in organisations.
  • CLO2: Assess and judge strategic inputs, including the external and internal environment, strategic mission and strategic intent.
  • CLO3: Create a strategy including synthesising appropriate elements of business-level strategy, competitive dynamics, corporate-level strategy, cooperative strategies and international strategies
  • CLO4: Examine the relationship between strategic inputs, strategic actions (formulation, implementation and evaluation) and strategic outcomes to design a strategic plan.

Assessment details

In this assignment, you are required to undertake an analysis of the strategic operating environment for our case study organisation: Bonza Airlines.

You are expected to use theory and concepts covered in the course and to apply these when conducting an analysis of the strategic positioning of our case study organisation.

What you are expected to do:

  1. Conduct a macro-level analysis (utilising PESTEL, VUCA and Confrontation Matrix frameworks) to identify and analyse the main macro-level elements and their potential impact on the organisation.
  2. Conduct an industry-level analysis incorporating the use of Porter’s Five Forces model, and identifying the Key Success Factors of the industry to determine the attractiveness of the industry.
  3. Identify and classify resources and capabilities in terms of threshold and distinctive capabilities required at the operating level for Bonza to compete successfully in the industry.

References should be utilised within this Report to validate the information presented and should be drawn from academic sources and organisational information such as the website and annual reports. The business press may be used to identify relevant issues.

Advisory notes for this assignment  

  • You should conduct an extensive information search on the organisation selected.
  • Company websites, annual reports, and media reports are important sources of such information, but their objectives, and thus credibility, should be carefully analysed and evaluated.
  • You should use appropriate concepts and analytical tools in your report.
  • The report should be written in prose; however limited use of dot points is acceptable.
  • This advice should be read in conjunction with RMIT assessment policy and the course guide.
  • Written assignments must be presented in a professional format. Quality of presentation, especially literacy, will be considered in the marking criteria. Written communication skills are an essential component of RMIT University’s courses.
  • The assignment should be in report format and use Arial font size 12, 1.5 line spacing.

Assessment Criteria 

This assessment will measure the following components:

  • Background of firm
  • Macro environment analysis
  • Industry analysis
  • Internal Analysis and KSF
  • Summary, and key opportunities and threats for Bonza
  • Presentation and quality, access and use information professionally and referencing

Referencing guidelines 

In line with RMIT policy, all sources of information must be fully referenced using the RMIT Harvard referencing systems. You are encouraged to use referencing software such as Endnote for referencing and formatting. You must acknowledge all the courses of information you have used in your assessments.

Risk Management Plan

 

Assignment 2: Risk Management Plan

Due Week 4 and worth 240 points

Note: The  assignments are a series of papers that are based on the same case,  which is located in the Student Center of the course shell. The  assignments are dependent upon one another.

In this assignment, you  will create a risk management plan. You have a budget of $100,000 and a  timeline of six (6) months for the plan. Please refer to Figure A-1,  Risk Management Plan Template, from Appendix A of the Hillson and Simon  text to create the plan.

Write an eight to ten (8-10) page Risk Management Plan Component paper in which you:

  1. Prepare  the Scope and Objectives of the Risk Management Process section of the  Risk Management Plan based on the facts presented in the case study.
  2. Determine  the project size, based on the facts presented in the case study, and  provide justification based on Figure 3-4, Example Project Sizing Tool  (Chapter 3 of the Hillson and Simon text).
  3. Select  the risk tools and techniques, and complete the Risk Tools and  Techniques section of the Risk Management Plan for both the qualitative  and quantitative aspects of the project. Provide a rationale for the  selection.
  4. Develop the Risk Reviews and Reporting section of the Risk Management Plan based on the project size previously determined.
  5. Define the Probability and Impacts section of the Risk Management Plan and justify the values assigned.
  6. Define the Risk Thresholds section of the Risk Management Plan and justify the values assigned.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

  • Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
  • Include  a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s  name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover  page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment  page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

  • Apply  the concepts of risk management in a project context to develop an  appropriate risk management plan as a key element of the project  management process.
  • Survey  the project sponsor, stakeholders, team membership and key decision  influencers to develop a qualitative assessment of the project risks and  apply the results to further refine the project risk management plan.
  • Create  a schedule of project risk reviews appropriate to the organization and  risk including major, minor, and post-project threats and opportunities,  including archiving the results of the project risk plan is  incorporated into this schedule.
  • Use technology and information resources to research issues in project risk management
  • Write clearly and concisely about project risk management using proper writing mechanics.

Click here to view the grading rubric.

Access XanEdu Case Pack via the Student Center or the XanEdu link in the course menu

Your instructor will let you know which case to use. (Trouble accessing? Check Student Center for Detailed Instructions on XanEdu)

Discuss on confidentiality and social responsibility

Please read Bloomberg Case in the News, Can a Bunch of Doctors Keep an $8 Billion Secret? Not on Twitter, page 127 in the textbook, and answer the corresponding questions (1-3) that follow it.

1. Do you think it was unethical that the attendees tweeted out information about the new drug and results of the study?  Why or Why not?
2. How have social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook changed the discussion about confidentiality and social responsibility?  Explain.
3. Suppose you were the marketing director at a pharmaceutical company that had just received promising results about a new drug still in the development stage.  What ethical responsibilities do you have to keep the information confidential?

Type all answers in a Word Document set up in APA format,

Please read Bloomberg Case in the News, Can a Bunch of Doctors Keep an $8 Billion Secret? Not on Twitter, page 127 in the textbook, and answer the corresponding questions (1-3) that follow it.

1. Do you think it was unethical that the attendees tweeted out information about the new drug and results of the study?  Why or Why not?
2. How have social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook changed the discussion about confidentiality and social responsibility?  Explain.
3. Suppose you were the marketing director at a pharmaceutical company that had just received promising results about a new drug still in the development stage.  What ethical responsibilities do you have to keep the information confidential?

Type all answers in a Word Document set up in APA format,