Internal Analysis
All assignments are linked together from assessment 1 to assessment 6
objective review of the internal strengths and weaknesses of your selected firm that the firm's
leaders can use to plan for the future direction of the organization.
As a business professional, you may need to create executive briefing reports. Such reports are
likely to focus on such topics as: how a firm leverages its resources and capabilities to execute
the business strategy; the effectiveness of the organizational structure and management system;
or ethical dilemmas and governance issues. This assessment allows you to practice creating an
executive briefing report on these topics in relation to a specific firm.
Overview
The vice president of strategy for your selected firm (Ford, Proctor and Gamble, Virgin Group,
or another firm you have selected) has asked you to prepare an objective review of the internal
strengths and weaknesses of the firm. Your leaders are hoping to use this understanding to plan
for the future direction of the organization.
Preparation
Use the Capella University Library, the Internet, or resources provided in the Firm Research
Information document (in the Suggested Resources) to find at least four current, scholarly, or
professional resources that provide the information you need for this assessment.
Requirements
Prepare a 4–6-page executive briefing report identifying not only internal strengths and
weaknesses, but also a rationale that addresses why your analysis pointed to a particular strength
or a weakness. Also be sure to focus on strategic elements (capabilities) of the firm and on how
the strategic elements fit into the strategic position of the company.
Use the Executive Briefing Report template available in the Required Resources. Use headings
and subheadings to help organize the key points of your 4–6-page executive briefing report and
include the following:
• Evaluate how the selected firm leverages its resources and capabilities to execute the
business strategy. Are the firm's capabilities found in its functions or the value chain, or
both? Does the strategy give coherence to decisions about allocation of resources?
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the organizational structure and management system design.
Include the firm's ability to support the key resources and capabilities that execute the
business strategy. Is the organizational structure suited for the particular tasks and
particular business environment of the firm?
• Explain possible ethical dilemmas and governance issues. These issues may include
shareholders and stakeholders, distribution of excess profits, and top management's pay.
Use clear headings and subheadings to organize the key points of your report.
Your report should be clearly written and communicate effectively to organizational leadership;
use correct grammar, spelling and mechanics as expected of a business professional. Cite and
reference all sources using current APA style.
Additional Requirements
• References: Support your executive briefing report with at least four academic resources
from the Capella University Library.
• APA Style: Use proper APA style for all citations and references.
• Length: The body of the report must be 4–6 double-spaced, typed pages, not including
the references list.
• Written communication: Demonstrate graduate-level writing skills through accurate
communication of thoughts that convey the overall goals of the analysis and do not
detract from the message.
• Font: Times New Roman, 12 point.
• All papers must have abstract, introduction, conclusion
Internal Analysis Scoring Guide
Criteria
Evaluate how the selected firm
leverages its resources and
capabilities to execute the
business strategy.
Evaluate the effectiveness of the
organizational structure and
management system design.
Proficient
Distinguished
Evaluates how the
selected firm leverages
Evaluates how the selected firm
its resources and
leverages its resources and
capabilities to execute
capabilities to execute the
the business strategy
business strategy.
and summarizes
findings.
Evaluates the effectiveness of
the organizational structure and
management system design.
Evaluates the
effectiveness of the
organizational
structure and
management system
design and
summarizes findings.
Explains possible ethical
Explain possible ethical dilemmas
dilemmas and governance
and governance issues.
issues.
Analyzes possible
ethical dilemmas and
governance issues.
Write coherently to support a
central idea (in appropriate APA
format) with correct grammar,
usage, and mechanics as expected
Writing is coherent,
using evidence to
support a central idea
in a consistently
Writing coherently supports a
central idea in appropriate APA
format, with few errors of
grammar, usage, and mechanics.
Criteria
of a business professional.
Proficient
Distinguished
appropriate APA
format with correct
grammar, usage, and
mechanics as expected
of a business
professional.
Executive Briefing Report (Create a Title Here)
Summary/Introduction
Clearly explain your analysis using understandable terms for your selected firm; focus on
strategic elements (capabilities) of the firm and on how the strategic elements fit into the
strategic position of the company.
Internal Strengths and Weaknesses Analysis
Present your analysis so that it effectively addresses the problem; Write clearly; you may use
graphics, bullets and headings to deliver the analysis in an organized easily read format; you
may have several sub-headings to address the assessment’s scoring criteria:
•
Evaluate how the selected firm leverages its resources and capabilities to execute the
business strategy.
•
Evaluate the effectiveness of the organizational structure and management system
design.
•
Explain possible ethical dilemmas and governance issues.
Provide supporting evidence
Use at least four current, scholarly, or professional resources to support your analysis.
Conclusion
Succinctly summarize the key findings of your internal analysis for your selected firm.
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Research Information
Review the following resources to further your understanding of a selected firm to use in your
coursework. Use additional resources from the Capella University Library, Internet, your text
case studies, or your own research, as needed, for completing the course assessments.
Ford
Ford is a complex multinational organization that has recently focused on strategic initiatives to
address production capacity, supply chain reliability, sustainability, and technological innovation
in order to remain competitive in the rapidly changing automotive industry.
Grant, R. M., and Jordan, J. (2012). Ford and the world automobile industry in 2012. Hoboken,
NJ: Wiley and Sons.
Currie, A., Larsen, P. T. (2011, Jun 7). Ambitious goals for Ford. The New York Times.
Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/08/business/08views.html?_r=0
Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative. (n.d). Ford Motor Company manages ethics and social
responsibility [PDF]. Retrieved from: https://danielsethics.mgt.unm.edu/pdf/ford-motorcase.pdf
Henry, J. (2015). One Ford, part two; Tweaking The master plan. Forbes. Retrieved from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimhenry/2015/08/30/one-ford-part-two-tweaking-the-masterplan/#3d15b7147333
Miller, D. (2016, April 9). Dispelling 3 Ford Motor Company shareholder concerns. The Motley
Fool. Retrieved from http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/04/09/dispelling-3-fordmotor-company-concerns.aspx
Procter and Gamble
This is a huge multinational firm with products you probably buy every day. This business is
interesting because the company is focusing on science and technology to help it revise many
of its business strategies and contribute to overall company goals for sustainability and
corporate social responsibility. Search for the articles by following the instructions in the Library
Guide:
•
Brown, B., & Anthony, S. D. (2011). How P&G tripled its innovation success rate.
Harvard Business Review, 89(6), 64–72.
•
Dillon, K. (2011). I think of my failures as a gift. Harvard Business Review, 89(4), 86–89.
•
Lafley, A. G., Martin, R. L., Rivkin, J. W., & Siggelkow, N. (2012). Bringing science to the
art of strategy. Harvard Business Review, 90(9), 56–66.
•
Lafley, A. G., & Tichy, N. M. (2011). The art and science of finding the right CEO.
Harvard Business Review, 89(10), 66–74.
Virgin Group
A multinational conglomerate with more than two dozen Virgin-branded companies, Virgin
operates in at least 13 regions around the globe, in seven industries (Virgin, n.d.).
It becomes apparent that Virgin’s corporate strategies include diversification and globalization,
and some argue there are opportunities for Virgin to vertically integrate companies within certain
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market segments-travel and lifestyle markets, for example. Yet, however Virgin’s corporate
strategies are labeled, the brand is the dominant resource that Richard Branson leverages to
acquire and develop new business that differentiates Virgin from the competition (Ankeny,
2012).
Branson’s philosophy toward management of Virgin companies includes keeping intact the
entrepreneurial spirit of firms acquired or merged. He defends his approach to keeping a
multitude of individual entrepreneurial companies with the Virgin brand as follows: “Often,
owning a number of individual stand-alone companies run by different people can be more
effective than having one giant company with lots of people working together” (Maxwell, 2014,
And what about making the difficult decisions concerning people heading, para. 2).
A strategic assessment of Virgin is an assessment of how well an individual Virgin company fits
the Virgin business model. Prahalad and Bettis (1986) might define the business model of Virgin
as the dominant logic that describes the rationale for Virgin’s diversification strategy.
Choose one of the following Virgin companies to conduct a comprehensive organizational
strategic assessment:
•
Virgin Atlantic.
•
Virgin Galactic.
•
Virgin Media.
•
Virgin Records.
References
Ankeny, J. (2012, June). Richard Branson on building and empire. Entrepreneur, 40(6), 30–38.
Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/223639
Maxwell, C. (2014). Sir Richard Branson. Retrieved from http://www.director.co.uk/sir-richardbranson/
Prahalad, C. K., & Bettis, A. (1986). The dominant logic: A new linkage between diversity and
performance. Strategic Management Journal, 7(6), 485–501.
Virgin. (n.d.). Find a Virgin company. Retrieved from http://www.virgin.com/company
Additional Resources
Hunter, M. (2013). Typologies and sources of entrepreneurial opportunity (II). Economics,
Management & Financial Markets, 8(4), 69–141.
Altman, W. (2009). Branson: The global brand builder. Engineering & Technology, 4(2), 80–81.
Rubin, E. N. (2013). Assessing your leadership style to achieve organizational objectives.
Global Business & Organizational Excellence, 32(6), 55–66.
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