Strayer University bus499 Full Course – Discussions And Assignments – With Sample Answers

Below is a list of all the Strayer University bus499 Discussions And Assignments.  Need help on any of them? We are here for you.

discussions week 1

“Strategic Competitiveness” Please respond to the following:

• From the first e-Activity, determine which of the two primary drivers of the competitive landscape is more influential. Explain your rationale.
• Explain which model (I / O model or resource-based model) you believe will best help a firm in the industry you researched earn above-average returns.

“Management’s Responsibility” Please respond to the following:

• From the second e-Activity, determine the level of responsibility management had for the business failure you researched. Provide specific examples to support your response.
• Create a list of three best practices that not only would have helped the company you researched from failure but would also apply to the rest of the industry your company was part of. Explain your rationale for selecting these best practices.

week 2

week 2 discussion

“Union Pacific Corporation” Please respond to the following:

• Perform an analysis of the social/demographic, technological, economic, environmental/geographic, and political/legal/governmental segments to understand the general environment facing Union Pacific.
• Describe how Union Pacific will be affected by each of these external factors.

2

“Five Forces of Competition Model” Please respond to the following:

• From the e-Activity, analyze the industry you selected using the Five Forces of Competition Model to determine the impact of each of the five forces.
• Based on your analysis, determine if the industry is attractive or unattractive. Explain your rationale.

Week 3 Discussion

“Strong Brands” Please respond to the following:

• Several companies use their brand as a competitive advantage. Given your knowledge about the global economy, identify three brands you believe have the strongest likelihood of remaining a source of advantage in the 21st Century and explain why.
• Explain the effects you believe the Internet’s capabilities will have on the brands you identified in the previous discussion and what the owner of the brand should do in light of them.

2

“Internal Environment” Please respond to the following:

• From the e-Activity, analyze the internal environment of the company you researched to determine the company’s strengths and weaknesses.
• Based on the strengths and weaknesses you discovered, determine what steps the company could take to positively impact the company’s competitiveness. Explain your rationale.

Week 4 Discussion

“Business-Level Strategy” Please respond to the following:

• From the first e-Activity, assess your satisfaction with the company you researched and make recommendations about how that company could modify its business-level strategy to both increases your overall level of satisfaction and attract new customers. Provide specific examples to support your response.
• Analyze the five business-level strategies discussed in Chapter 4 to determine which strategy the company you researched most likely applies. Determine how your experience with that company might change if it switched to one of the other four strategies (your choice). Explain your rationale.

2

“Apple, Inc: Keeping the “I” in Innovation” Please respond to the following:

• From the second e-Activity and the case study, determine how market commonality and resource similarity impact Apple’s competitive standing in terms of its main rivals. Provide specific examples to support your response.
• Determine what additional steps Apple’s competitors are likely to take and how Apple will most likely respond. Explain your rationale.

week 5 discussions

“Diversification” Please respond to the following:

• From the e-Activity, suggest one way the company you researched could increase its level of value-creating diversification. Provide specific examples to support your response.
• Building on the topic above, determine how diversified the company you research could become before it created a negative impact on the company’s bottom line. Explain your rationale.

“Victory Motorcycles” Please respond to the following:

• From the e-Activity and the case study, evaluate the business-level strategy of Victory Motorcycles to determine whether you believe the strategy is appropriate to offset forces in the industry. Provide specific examples to support your response.
• Make recommendations for improving this strategy as well as describe any challenges you foresee in executing those recommendations. Provide specific examples to support your response.

week 6 discussions

“Executive Pay” Please respond to the following:

• Some evidence suggests that there is a direct and positive relationship between a firm’s size and its top-level managers’ compensation. Explain what inducement you think that relationship provides to upper-level executives.
• Recommend what can be done to influence the relationship so that it serves shareholders’ interests.

“Dr Pepper Snapple Group 2011: Fighting to Prosper in a Highly Competitive Market” Please respond to the following:

• The case study outlines six specific strategies that the firm has chosen to support its strategic direction. Determine which strategy is most likely to benefit the firm. Explain your rationale.
• Briefly outline at least one other strategy the firm could take to support its strategic direction. Illustrate why this new strategy would be successful.

week 7 discussions

“International Opportunities” Please respond to the following:

• Determine why, given the advantages of international diversification, some firms choose not to expand internationally. Provide specific examples to support your response.
• As firms attempt to internationalize, they may be tempted to locate their facilities where business regulation laws are lax. Discuss the advantages and potential risks of such an approach, using specific examples to support your response.

2

“Cooperative Strategy” Please respond to the following:

• From an ethical perspective, determine how much information a firm is obliged to tell a potential strategic alliance partner about what it expects to learn from the cooperative arrangement. Explain your rationale.
• From the e-Activity, determine which type of cooperative strategy would most benefit the two companies you researched. Provide specific examples to support your response.

week 8 discussion 1

“Corporate Governance” Please respond to the following:

• Analyze the three internal governance mechanisms (ownership concentration, boards of directors, and executive compensation) and recommend a possible fourth mechanism that would help align the interests of managerial agents with those of the firm’s owners. Provide specific examples to support your response.
• From the e-Activity, determine how U.S.-based corporations could incorporate elements of the corporate governance practices you researched to help top-level managers make better ethical decisions. Provide specific examples to support your response.

2

“Finding the Best Buy” Please respond to the following:

• Corporate governance has become a hot issue in the U.S. over the past two decades. From your analysis of the case study, determine two possible corporate governance challenges that might be faced by Best Buy as a result of its rapid growth and why they could become corporate governance issues.
• Make recommendations for how Best Buy can overcome these challenges. Provide specific examples to support your response.

week 9 discussions

“Domino’s Pizza” Please respond to the following:

• Determine whether the current organizational structure at Domino’s is a good match for its corporate strategies. Explain your rationale.
• Evaluate alternative structures to determine which one would be most appropriate for Domino’s to consider and discuss likely benefits Domino’s would realize from adopting that structure. Provide specific examples to support your response.

“Strategic Leadership” Please respond to the following:

• Compare and contrast strategic controls and financial controls. Provide specific examples of how each may be used to best serve a corporation.
• As a strategic leader, determine if you would feel ethically responsible for developing your firm’s human capital and state why. Discuss whether or not you believe your position is consistent with the majority or minority of today’s strategic leaders.

week 10 discussions

“Strategic Entrepreneurship” Please respond to the following:

• From the e-Activity, evaluate the lessons learned in this chapter to determine which single lesson would be most beneficial to the company you researched. Provide specific examples to support your response.
• From the e-Activity, identify one firm that you think would make a good strategic partner for the company you researched. Provide specific examples of why you think this firm would be a good partner.

2

“Innovation Applied” Please respond to the following:

• Analyze the different approaches to innovation discussed in this chapter to determine which approach you think would be of the greatest value to the greatest number of organizations. Explain your rationale.
• Create one innovative approach that is not discussed in the textbook for increasing the amount of innovation within a large company. Describe this approach in detail and explain how companies could benefit from it.

week 11 discussions

“Summation” Please respond to the following:

• Create a metaphor or analogy that captures the essence of the major lessons learned in the BBA program (e.g., business administration is like . . .).
• Discuss the single most interesting or surprising thing you learned in the BBA program, as well as what made it so.

2

“Looking Ahead” Please respond to the following:

• Discuss how you will use the lessons learned in your BBA program to be more productive in your current (or future) career. Provide specific examples to support your response.
• Predict what major issues this program will be addressing 10 years from now. Explain your rationale.

Assignment 1: Strategic Management and Strategic Competitiveness

Choose one (1) public corporation in an industry with which you are familiar. Research the company on its own Website, the public filings on the Securities and Exchange Commission EDGAR database (http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml), in the University’s online databases, and any other sources you can find. The annual report will often provide insights that can help address some of these questions.

Write a four to six (4-6) page paper in which you:

1. Assess how globalization and technology changes have impacted the corporation you researched.
2. Apply the industrial organization model and the resource-based model to determine how your corporation could earn above-average returns.
3. Assess how the vision statement and mission statement of the corporation influence its overall success.
4. Evaluate how each category of stakeholder impacts the overall success of this corporation.
5. Use at least two (2) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not quality as academic resources.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Determine ways in which the vision, mission, and stakeholders of a firm impact that firm’s overall success.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in business administration.
• Write clearly and concisely about business administration using proper writing mechanics.

Download a sample answer to this assignment or order a plagiarism-free answer at an affordable price. 

Assignment 2: External and Internal Environments

Choose an industry you have not yet written about in this course, and one publicly traded corporation within that industry. Research the company on its own Website, the public filings on the Securities and Exchange Commission EDGAR database (http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml), in the University’s online databases, and any other sources you can find. The annual report will often provide insights that can help address some of these questions.

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

1. Choose the two (2) segments of the general environment that would rank highest in their influence on the corporation you chose. Assess how these segments affect the corporation you chose and the industry in which it operates.
2. Considering the five (5) forces of competition, choose the two (2) that you estimate are the most significant for the corporation you chose. Evaluate how well the company has addressed these two (2) forces in the recent past.
3. With the same two (2) forces in mind, predict what the company might do to improve its ability to address these forces in the near future.
4. Assess the external threats affecting this corporation and the opportunities available to the corporation. Give your opinions on how the corporation should deal with the most serious threat and the greatest opportunity. Justify your answer.
5. Give your opinion on the corporation’s greatest strengths and most significant weaknesses. Choose the strategy or tactic the corporation should select to take maximum advantage of its strengths, and the strategy or tactic the corporation should select to fix its most significant weakness. Justify your choices.
6. Determine the company’s resources, capabilities, and core competencies.
7. Analyze the company’s value chain to determine where it can create value using the resources, capabilities, and core competencies discussed above.
8. Use at least three (3) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not quality as academic resources.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Identify how the six segments of the general environment affect an industry and its firms.
• Identify the five forces of competition.
• Analyze the external environment for opportunities and threats that impact the firm.
• Analyze the internal environment of a company for strengths and weaknesses that impact the firm’s competitiveness.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in business administration.
• Write clearly and concisely about business administration using proper writing mechanics.

Assignment 3: Business-Level and Corporate-Level Strategies
Due Week 6 and worth 300 points

Choose an industry you have not yet written about in this course, and one publicly traded corporation within that industry. Research the company on its own Website, the public filings on the Securities and Exchange Commission EDGAR database (http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml), in the University’s online databases, and any other sources you can find. The annual report will often provide insights that can help address some of these questions.

Write a six to eight (6-8) page paper in which you:

1. Analyze the business-level strategies for the corporation you chose to determine the business-level strategy you think is most important to the long-term success of the firm and whether or not you judge this to be a good choice. Justify your opinion.
2. Analyze the corporate-level strategies for the corporation you chose to determine the corporate-level strategy you think is most important to the long-term success of the firm and whether or not you judge this to be a good choice. Justify your opinion.
3. Analyze the competitive environment to determine the corporation’s most significant competitor. Compare their strategies at each level and evaluate which company you think is most likely to be successful in the long term. Justify your choice.
4. Determine whether your choice from Question 3 would differ in slow-cycle and fast-cycle markets.
5. Use at least three (3) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not quality as academic resources.

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; references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• 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 page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Identify various levels and types of strategy in a firm.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in business administration.
• Write clearly and concisely about business administration using proper writing mechanics.

Assignment 4: Merger, Acquisition, and International Strategies

Choose two (2) public corporations in an industry with which you are familiar – one (1) that has acquired another company and operates internationally and one (1) that does not have a history of mergers and acquisitions and operates solely within the U.S. Research each company on its own Website, the public filings on the Securities and Exchange Commission EDGAR database (http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml), in the University’s online databases, and any other sources you can find. The annual report will often provide insights that can help address some of these questions.

Write a six to eight (6-8) page paper in which you:

1. For the corporation that has acquired another company, merged with another company, or been acquired by another company, evaluate the strategy that led to the merger or acquisition to determine whether or not this merger or acquisition was a wise choice. Justify your opinion.
2. For the corporation that has not been involved in any mergers or acquisitions, identify one (1) company that would be a profitable candidate for the corporation to acquire or merge with and explain why this company would be a profitable target.
3. For the corporation that operates internationally, briefly evaluate its international business-level strategy and international corporate-level strategy and make recommendations for improvement.
4. For the corporation that does not operate internationally, propose one business-level strategy and one corporate-level strategy that you would suggest the corporation consider. Justify your proposals.
5. Use at least three (3) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not quality as academic resources.

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; references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• 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 page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Identify various levels and types of strategy in a firm.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in business administration.
• Write clearly and concisely about business administration using proper writing mechanics.

View a Sample Answer to this assignment based on  P & G And Gillette or order a unique answer based on companies of your choice at an affordable price. 

Assignment 5: Capstone

Select a publicly traded corporation for which you would like to work or are currently working. Research the corporation on its own Website, the public filings on the Securities and Exchange Commission EDGAR database (http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml), in the University’s online databases, and any other sources you can find. The annual report will often provide insights that can help address some of these questions.

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

1. Determine the impact of the company’s mission, vision, and primary stakeholders on its overall success.
2. Analyze the five (5) forces of competition to determine how they impact the company.
3. Create a SWOT analysis for the company to determine its major strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
4. Based on the SWOT analysis, outline a strategy for the company to capitalize on its strengths and opportunities, and minimize its weaknesses and threats.
5. Discuss the various levels and types of strategies the firm may use to maximize its competitiveness and profitability.
6. Outline a communications plan the company could use to make the strategies you recommend above known to all stakeholders.
7. Select two (2) corporate governance mechanisms used by this corporation and evaluate how effective they are at controlling managerial actions.
8. Evaluate the effectiveness of leadership within this corporation and make at least one (1) recommendation for improvement.
9. Assess efforts by this corporation to be a responsible (ethical) corporate citizen and determine the impact these efforts (or lack thereof) have on the company’s bottom line. Provide specific examples to support your response.
10. Use at least five (5) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not quality as academic resources.

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; references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• 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 page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Determine ways in which the vision, mission, and stakeholders of a firm impact that firm’s overall success.
• Identify how the six segments of the general environment affect an industry and its firms.
• Identify the five forces of competition.
• Analyze the external environment for opportunities and threats that impact the firm.
• Analyze the internal environment of a company for strengths and weaknesses that impact the firm’s competitiveness.
• Identify various levels and types of strategy in a firm.
• Predict ways in which corporate governance will affect strategic decisions.
• Assess the relationship between strategy and organizational structure.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in business administration.
• Write clearly and concisely about business administration using proper writing mechanics.
• Download Sample Answer

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