Research and select a news item that is affecting the company and posing a challenge to its strategy.

The Week 1 written assignment is Section 1 of the Capstone Paper for the course. The full description and instructions for the Capstone Paper can be found in the Week 5 – Final Paper page of the course.

Below is a list of five large and significant organizations. Research each organization and select one as the topic for the final paper:

CSX – Transportation industry
JBS – Food industry
University of Arizona Global Campus (formerly known as Ashford University) – Higher education
Nokia – Technology industry
Simon Properties Group – Real Estate and Retail
Each organization is unique and has important strategic challenges. Once you select an organization, begin a detailed search to identify the history, industry, mission and vision, values and purpose, the leadership within, and potential competition.

Also, research and select a news item (within the last 12 to 24 months) that is affecting the company and posing a challenge to the strategy of the company. Challenges come in many different forms and could be positive or negative. You may discover leadership issues, legal or legislative issues, environmental challenges, human resource concerns, product design and research challenges, growth challenges, or possibly financial issues. Keep in mind that the identified challenge will be the core of the strategic review and recommendations developed throughout the paper.

Once your research is complete, prepare Section 1 of the paper. Section 1 must have at a minimum three full pages of content (excluding the cover and reference pages). You must include at a minimum three resources in addition to the course text that provide qualified information related to the organization. Wikipedia is not a qualified resource. Use the Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) document for additional guidance. Include the text as a scholarly resource to support theory and concepts related to strategy. During the construction of Section 1, be specific and refrain from making assumptions.

To complete this assignment, you must address the following:

Select an organization.
Identify the history, the industry, the mission and vision, the values and purpose, the leadership within, and potential competition.
Research and select a news item that is affecting the company and posing a challenge to its strategy.
The Section 1 of the Capstone Paper

Must be at least three double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA Style (Links to an external site.) as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s APA Formatting for Word 2013. (Links to an external site.)
Must include a separate title page with the following:
Title of paper
Student’s name
Course name and number
Instructor’s name
Date submitted
Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice (Links to an external site.) resource for additional guidance.
Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper. For assistance on writing Introductions & Conclusions (Links to an external site.) as well as Writing a Thesis Statement (Links to an external site.), refer to the Ashford Writing Center resources.
Must use at least three scholarly, peer-reviewed credible sources in addition to the course text.
The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for his assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
Must document any information used from sources in APA Style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s APA: Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) guide.
Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. See the APA: Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) resource in the Ashford Writing Center for specifications.
Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.) for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.