Case Scenario:
Complete the external environmental scan for your organization.
Perform an internal, competitive environmental scan for your organization.
Write a summary that does the following:
Q1. Identifies and analyzes the most important external environmental factor in the remote, industry, and external operating environments
Q2. Identifies and analyzes the most important internal strengths and weaknesses of your organization: Include an assessment of the organization's resources.
Q3. Assesses the organization's competitive position and possibilities
Introduction:
Orbitz is a company that specializes in online travel. The company uses moderntechnology to allow travelers of all types to explore, arrange, and reserve a wide span of products. In 1999 a group of airline companies including Delta, United, and American Airlines formed the company. Orbitz was the airlines’ initial response to the popular and growing online travel sites like Travelocity. Presently Cendant owns Orbitz and has several associated brands including Cheap Tickets, the Away Network, and the Hotel Club.
To write an effective strategic plan for Orbitz Worldwide a student must outline his or her research approach and consider the appropriate sources. Outlining the approach and explaining the sources will assist the student in writing a clear and concise plan.In this paper, the subject will explain how the student intends to validate the company’s vision, mission, and value statements, and explain the sources the student will use to perform an external and internal environmental analysis.
Validation of Vision, Mission, and Values Statements
By examining the company’s vision, mission, and values statements, the student will have an indicationof the organization’s plans and goals.By examining, the company’s annual statements of the previous years this will show if the organization is successful in implementing and following their vision. The vision and mission statements of an organization express the company’s basic objectives and the approach to achieving those objectives. The capability of anorganization topursue the mission and vision statements is vital to a business.Management and employees must share the vision, and the statement must beunderstandable, brief, andadaptable. The mission and visionstatementsprovide everyone within an outside the organization an indication of where management envisions the organization's future.
The value statement of the company isfactors that bind the organization and staffin a substantialand noticeableway. The student must review online any concerns with the company that involves the staff, the community, or customers who impedes the organization’s image. The student must also review online any unfair labor practices, sudden layoffs, and auditing issues that maytarnish the organization’s image and provide evidence that the company may not be meeting its value standards. After analyzing the vision, mission, and values statements, the student will perform an external and internal environmental analysis.
External Environmental Analysis
The student must examine the many factors that relate to the external environment of the company. The external factors will include remote factors such as the economy and technology; industry factors such as barriers of entry and available substitutes, and operating factors that will include competitive position, creditors, and customers. To perform a thorough assessment the student will have to examine the company’s competition, annual statements, industry websites, and company news from the university library and Internet. Information from each source will provide the student enough data to judge the position of the company and the health of the travel industry.Information from these sources will also assist the student in identifying the company’s opportunities, threats, competition, and substitutes within the travel industry.
Internal Environmental Analysis
To performan internal environmental analysis on the organization the student can examine its strengths and weaknesses through a SWOT analysis. The student may find a SWOT analysis on the company from the university library and Internet articles or reports. A SWOT analysis is an effective tool to examine the internal environment of a company as it establishes the organization’s position in the market on the foundation of its strengths and weaknesses in the marketplace. Additionally organizations use a SWOT analysis to find its place in the market, meet the demands of customers, and determine inefficient areas within the company. In addition to analyzing the SWOT analysis, the student will use the university library and Internet to examine the company’s internal policies relating to government regulations and human resources.
Conclusion
In conclusion, outlining the research approach and considering the appropriate sources to use in writing the strategic plan is essential in writing an effective paper. The student must consider validating the vision, mission, and value statements of the company. Validating these statements will ensure the future success of the company. Performing an external and internal environmental analysis will direct the path the strategic plan will take. Once the student performs an outline of the research plan and uses the proper sources, he or she can write an effective strategic plan.