College of Administrative and Financial Sciences
Assignment 2- Strategic Management
(MGT 401)
Deadline: 28/03/2020 @ 23:59
Course Name: Strategic Management
Student’s Name:
Course Code: MGT 401
Student’s ID Number:
Semester: II
CRN:
Academic Year: 1440/1441 H
For Instructor’s Use only
Instructor’s Name:
Students’ Grade: Marks Obtained/Out of
5
Level of Marks: High/Middle/Low
Instructions for the three assignments – PLEASE READ THEM CAREFULLY
• The Assignment must be submitted on Blackboard (WORD format only) via allocated
folder.
• Assignments submitted through email will not be accepted.
• Students are advised to make their work clear and well presented, marks may be
reduced for poor presentation. This includes filling your information on the cover page.
• Students must mention question number clearly in their answer.
• Late submission will NOT be accepted.
• Avoid plagiarism, the work should be in your own words, copying from students or
other resources without proper referencing will result in ZERO marks. No exceptions.
• All answered must be typed using Times New Roman (size 12, double-spaced) font.
No pictures containing text will be accepted and will be considered plagiarism).
• Submissions without this cover page will NOT be accepted.
Project:
Strategic Management of the company ‘X’
Structure of the project
This project aims to study the strategic management of your selected company ‘X’. It includes
three main parts:
- Part 1: Assignment 1= Environmental scanning & strategy formulation.
- Part 2: Assignment 2= Strategy implementation.
- Part 3: Assignment 3= Evaluation and control.
Description of the company ‘X’
-
It is a company from your choice;
From real national or international market;
-
It is publicly traded company;
-
Produces and commercializes more than one product;
Sufficient information about the strategies of the company, its functions, structures and
product lines are available;
This company should have at least one partnership with other company (es) (alliances, joint
venture, arrangement…).
-
Note.
If you face any ambiguity regarding the choice of the corporation, kindly feel free to ask more
clarification from your instructor.
Assignment 2: Part 2 of the project
Strategy implementation
Learning outcomes:
1. Understand the contribution of various functional areas e.g. production, marketing, purchasing and supply
management to the overall well-being of the organization (Lo 1.2.)
2. Gain insights into the strategy-making processes of different types of organizations (Lo 1.7)
3. Identify appropriate strategies for different situations (Lo 3.1).
Assignment Questions
(5 Marks)
Consider the same company ‘X’ that you have already used in assignment 1 and answer the following
questions
1. Describe the roles of directional, marketing, operations and human resource strategies in
the overall well-being of your selected company. (2 marks)
2. Classify the products of your selected company based on the BCG matrix. (fill out the table in
the answer sheet) (1 mark)
3. Describe at least one partnership that your selected corporation has with other company (es).
Is it successful? Justify. (1mark)
4. Describe the structure of your selected company. (1 mark)
Assignment Answers:
1. Describe the roles of directional, marketing, operations and human resource strategies in
the overall well-being of your selected company. (2 marks)
Answer:
………………
2. Classify the products of your selected company based on the BCG matrix. (fill out the following
table) (1 mark)
Answer:
Table 1. BCG matrix of the company ‘X’
Stars
Question Marks
1.
1.
Market Growth Rate
Cash Cow
1.
Dogs
1.
Relative market share
3. Describe at least one partnership that your selected corporation has with other company (es).
Is it successful? Justify. (1mark)
Answer:
………………
4. Describe the structure of your selected company. (1 mark)
Answer:
………………
College of Administrative and Financial Sciences
Assignment 1- Strategic Management
(MGT 401)
Deadline: 05/03/2020 @ 23:59
Course Name: Strategic Management
Student’s Name: Waleed Bubshait
Course Code: MGT 401
Student’s ID Number: 160128051
Semester: I
CRN: 20836
Academic Year: 1440/1441 H
For Instructor’s Use only
Instructor’s Name: Dr. Showkat Khalil Wani
Students’ Grade: 00 / 5
Level of Marks: High/Middle/Low
Instructions for the three assignments – PLEASE READ THEM CAREFULLY
• The Assignment must be submitted on Blackboard (WORD format only) via allocated
folder.
• Assignments submitted through email will not be accepted.
• Students are advised to make their work clear and well presented, marks may be
reduced for poor presentation. This includes filling your information on the cover page.
• Students must mention question number clearly in their answer.
• Late submission will NOT be accepted.
• Avoid plagiarism, the work should be in your own words, copying from students or
other resources without proper referencing will result in ZERO marks. No exceptions.
• All answered must be typed using Times New Roman (size 12, double-spaced) font.
No pictures containing text will be accepted and will be considered plagiarism).
• Submissions without this cover page will NOT be accepted.
Assignment Answers:
1. Briefly present your selected company (name, industry, nationality, location, size,
activities, products…) (Max 200 words).
(0.5 mark)
Apple is an American based Multinational Technology Company with its primary location in
Cupertino, California. The company is known for its technological prowess in several industries
including Financial technology, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, digital distribution,
Fabless silicon designs, and semi-conductors. The company’s primary activities include
designing, developing and selling of tech-based consumer products and services. Its range of
products and services range from its signature brands such as iPod, iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple
TV, and Apple Watch to professional software applications such as iOS, OS X Apple Pay, and
iCloud and accompanying services. Apple has solidified its position globally posting annual
revenue of $260.2 billion and market capital of $508 billion in 2019 and continues to foster its
growth through strategic partnerships with major players in related industries such as AT&T,
Verizon Communications, and Foxconn Technology Group among others (Yoffie & Baldwin,
2019).
2. Determine the opportunities, threats, strengths and weaknesses of your selected company
by completing the SWOT matrix in the answer sheet. (1 mark)
Opportunities
Threats
•
•
•
•
Their smart ideas can be
The buyer of Apple products takes
regenerated- the invention of
pride in it. They always come back
touchscreen has been copied and is
for more with referrals because of
now being used in other
its perfection.
smartphones and computer world.
Well-designed products with
•
Apple products are expensive and
impeccable features and
yet there are other generic
functionalities.
products in the market which are
Apple is considering venturing to
cheap.
other media industry.
•
The Company has designed a new
•
Apple TV which is appropriate for
Google will soon take over some
today’s world.
of the Apple’s market space.
Strengths
•
•
Product development-Apple
Weaknesses
•
Very proprietary and controlling-
products are of high standards
The Company is fixed on its
hence they are easy to market.
information in that they don’t
Design and utility-the products
show their hardware functionality
have been designed in manner that
information to anybody.
allows the end user to have several
•
components in a single system.
•
The emerging companies such as
Marketing- The software and
A Steve job is a control freak and
demanding person.
•
Not shareholder-friendly-
hardware have special features
Shareholder have reported a
which answers client’s need and
number of incidence where the
are quite durable.
firm has failed to honor its
responsibility to pay dividends
regardless of the thriving business.
3. Does your selected company have social responsibility? If yes, discuss its impact on
competitive advantage of the corporation. (Max 400 words) (1 mark)
Apple has been described as a global leader in manufacturing of computer, mobile phones and their
accessories. Its own the largest market shares with huge capital. Their contribution to the world
economy can't be neglected since it has led to the creation of an absolutely new industry with new
products as well as services. Apple has set a great foundation for economic development; in that it
has solely created over 500 jobs in the United States. The main material things for Apple can be
categorized into two namely: environmental impact and supply chain management (Finkle & Mallin,
2010).
The environmental impact of the product in Apple Company can be managed, measured and
documented. Apple employs the use of carbon footprint to determine the source of carbon emissions
in the product life cycle and what should be done to eradicate the negative effects and maintain the
cost-efficiency. Furthermore, the company has designed the products in a manner that can minimize
the negative effects on the environment.
In supply chain management Apple Company is experiencing an immense challenge despite its
extensive policies framework. This is because there is a gap in good governance and staunch
institutions in where they operate, in addition to the difficulty in controlling supplies posing a great
risk for Apple in terms of non-compliance with regulations as well as bad labor practices. In an
attempt to curb the mess Apple Company, take actions such as; training and audit which was done by
the Fair Labor Association.
Apple has the framework, the fact, and understanding about the effects on society. The problem lies
in the management of that impact. "Apple has succinct responsive corporate social responsibilityporter's definition".
4. Based on the figure 4.3 (Ch4-slide no 18) and the textbook text relative to Porter’s Five
forces of competition framework, assess the power of the buyers, suppliers and
substitutes of your chosen company. How formidable are the barriers to entry and how
intense is the rivalry among existing firms? ( 2 marks)
Bargaining power of buyers: Customers easily change their brand, as well as buyers, who can
procure a few products as compared to the company's total revenue. According to Porter's Five
Forces framework, this state will make the customer weak at its level. It is thus advisable that the
Apple Company included its buyer as one of its significance strategies
Bargaining power of Apple’s Suppliers: Due to its large size the company can access thousands of
suppliers around the globe. From porter's Five Forces analysis this external factor weakens the
company's ability to moderate its number of suppliers.
The threat of substitutes: Other products in the market can substitute Apple's products. For, instance,
people can use cameras to take photos instead of the iPhone. However, substitute exhibit low
performance due to its limited feature. According to porter's Five Forces of the framework, Apple
doesn't need to prioritize against this threat.
It is evidently clear that Apple Company is experiencing a lot of competition from an existing firm
such as Samsung which is currently doing a lot of advertisement, branding, etc. Also, in line with
product differentiation there several apps such as Android and IOS devices (Lashinsky, 2012). This
creates a loophole for its customers to switch to other companies. Apple Company is likely to face
stiff competition from new entrants such as Google which are already established firms. From
porter's Five Forces analysis Apple should thus maintain its competitive ability via innovation as
well as marketing.
5. What is the competitive strategy used by your selected company? Justify. (0.5 mark)
Apple Company employs the use of two competitive strategies namely:
i.
Apple’s generic strategy & objective- It applies the rule of wide differentiation. The strategy
is keen on highlighting the fundamental structures that differentiates the firm and its products
from peers in the industry. From this strategy, Apple can stand out in the market because its
products are different from those produced by other companies.
ii.
Apple intensive growth strategy-this strategy is categorized into two namely:
Product development: Apple employs the use of innovation, for example, the development of iPhone,
apple watch, etc. In this type of strategy, the company grows because of its new product that is
unique and distinct in the market.
Market penetration: Currently, Apple sells more iPhone and iPad to its market in North America.
The company also adds more authorized sales agents to its market to boost its sales.
References
Finkle, T. A., & Mallin, M. L. (2010). Steve Jobs and Apple, Inc. Journal of the International
Academy for Case Studies, 16(7), 31.
Khan, U. A., Alam, M. N., & Alam, S. (2015). A critical analysis of internal and external
environment of Apple Inc. International Journal of Economics, Commerce and
Management, 3(6), 955-961.
Lashinsky, A. (2012). Inside Apple: How America's most admired--and secretive--company really
works. Hachette UK.
Schultz, P. L., & Helleloid, D. (2010). APPLE, INC., AND GREENPEACE IN 2008. Journal of
Critical Incidents, 3.
Yoffie, D. B., & Baldwin, E. (2019). Apple Inc. in 2019.
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