Assignment
Part I Essay
Each company has a different culture that dictates how it is governed or operated by its leaders. Given the differences in cultures, even companies with similar models of governance can operate in very distinct and different ways. Exploring the theory on governance can give insight into your company.
For this essay, you will conduct research in order to contrast agency theory and stewardship theory in corporate governance. In your essay, be sure to address the following comments:
• What are the responsibilities of top management and leaders in relation to corporate governance and strategic planning? What are the benefits of strategic management?
• What are the roles and responsibilities of the board of directors? Please provide an example of a board of directors that did, or did not meet its responsibilities to the company.
• Explain the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and its impact on corporate governance. How has it changed the way leaders do business in the Parted States?
• Conclude with a discussion of the ways the strategic audit helps corporate governance.
Your essay should be at least two pages in length, double-spaced, and in 12 pt. Times New Roman font. The title and reference pages do not count towards the minimum page length. To complete this assignment, a minimum of three reputable sources must be used, cited, and referenced.
Part II Mini Project
SWOT Analysis
Based on your research, and after reading the Part lesson, create a strengths, weaknesses, opportParties, and threats (SWOT) analysis for the company you chose to research for this assignment. Please note the importance of picking acompany with enough information and sources to support your analysis. Your chosen company can be used throughout the assignments in this course, with the exception of the case study in Part VII, or you may choose different companies. These assignments allow for a truly comprehensive business analysis, similar to what you would conduct when working for a major company.
Your analysis must identify the company's strengths, weaknesses, opportParties, and threats. Use Microsoft Word and create four sections for your paper using the SWOT categories as your headings. Additional headers, such as an introduction, company background, and conclusion, are acceptable. Add a title page and references page.
Each SWOT category should have approximately 200-300 words describing the issues and the company's strategic philosophy that fall within that area. The total length should be at least three pages. The opportParties and threats should each have at least ten items identified.
Format your SWOT Analysis using APA Style. Use your own words, and include citations and references as needed to avoid plagiarism. The title and reference page do not count towards the minimum page requirements.
Template for this assignment is attached
Part II Essay
This essay is a short introduction to the importance of the triple bottom line.
Based on your research, and after creating the SWOT analysis for the company of your choice, respond to the questions below.
• What are the three frameworks of the triple bottom line?
• What does the triple bottom line mean for a company?
• How does your company specifically address the triple bottom line?
Your essay should be at least two pages in length, double-spaced, and in 12 pt. Times New Roman font. The title and reference pages do not count towards the minimum page length. To complete this assignment, a minimum of two reputable sources must be used, cited, and referenced. Use APA style guidelines.
Part III PowerPoint Presentation
In 1970, Milton Friedman wrote an article titled "The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits" that sparked a debate about corporate responsibility that remains heated to this day. Read the Schwartz and Saiia article, "Should Firms Go 'Beyond Profits'? Milton Friedman versus broad CSR1," pages 1-10, in order to gain a perspective on Mr. Friedman's views on corporate responsibility.
In addition to the Schwartz and Saiia article, read Archie Carroll's "The Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility: Toward the Moral Management of Organizational Stakeholders."
Both articles are available in the Business Source Complete database in the CSU Online Library.
These articles will help you develop an understanding of their business and ethical principles. You are encouraged to conduct additional research about Friedman and Carroll using outside sources.
Compare the theories of Freidman and Carroll, and create a PowerPoint presentation on your comparative study. Your PowerPoint presentation should include the following elements:
• Slide 1: Title page
• Slide 2: Table of content or objective slide
• Slide 3: A summary of Milton Friedman's main points
• Slide 4: A summary of Archie Carroll's main points
• Slide 5: The principles you would like implemented at your current place of work (or where you wish to work in the future), and why you would include them
Slides 6-7: Two detailed examples of organizations where Friedman's theories are applied
• Slides 8-9: Two detailed examples of organizations where Carroll's theories are applied
• Slide 10: Conclusion
• Slide 11: References in proper APA format
Please ensure that every slide has a title at the top explaining what the slide covers. Add citations in proper APA format, use applicable pictures or graphics (with citations), use a slide template, and avoid wordy slides by focusing on bullet points. Remember, this is an academic presentation.
Part IV Mini Project
EFAS Table
Using the information gathered from your SWOT analysis conducted in Part II, create an external factor analysis (EFAS) table for the company you researched. Use Microsoft Word, or a similar program, to create your table. It should have five columns. The first column heading should be titled External Factors, the second column should be titled Weight, the third column should be titled Rating, the fourth column should be titled Weighted Score, and the fifth column should be titled Comments.
1. In the External Factors column, list at least six opportParties you saw in the company you researched. Underneath the opportParties, list at least six threats you saw in the company you researched.
2. In the Weight column, assign an importance factor to each of these issues from 0.0-1.0 (1.0 is most important; 0.0 is least important). These ratings are based on the probable impact on a particular company's current strategic position. The higher the weight, the more important the factor to the current and future success of the company. You may not be privy to the exact information for this company, so in some cases you will need to use your best judgment. (You will justify your weighting in column five.)
3. In the Rating column, assign a rating factor from 5.0-1.0 (5.0 is Outstanding; 1.0 is poor). These ratings are based on the company's response to that particular factor. It is your judgment call on how the company is currently dealing with each specific factor. Once again, you may need to make an estimate in this area if you are not privy to all of the information. (You will justify your weighting in column five.)
4. In the Weighted Score column, multiply the weight from column 2 by the rating in column 3 to get the factor's weighted score.
5. In the Comments column, explain why a particular factor was selected and how its weight and rating were estimated.
6. At the bottom of column 4, add the weighted scores for the external factors. Is the company doing better or worse than others in the same industry? Complete this answer underneath your table.
Format your assignment using APA Style. Use your own words, and include citations and references as needed to avoid plagiarism. Remember to use proper APA formatting and include a reference page.
Part IV Essay
Companies are always responding to inside and outside forces. There are pressures from customers, the marketplace, governments, suppliers, and many other factors connected to the business. Some of these factors impact how leaders of a company respond with strategies and their implementation.
For this essay, you will conduct research on how internal and external forces impact a corporation's strategy and implementation. You may use the same company or organization you have used for the SWOT and EFAS table, or you may choose a new one. You must use at least three sources, one of which must be from the CSU Online Library. In your essay, address the following questions:
• Describe the general forces of sociocultural, technological, economic, environmental, and political-legal, in the societal environment. How does your company address each of these?
• Distinguish between a fragmented and consolidated industry, and describe examples of each. Given the business area of your company, does the company exist in a fragmented or consolidated industry? Within this industry type, is the company more consolidated or fragmented?
• In what ways may a corporation's structure and culture be internal strengths or weaknesses? Look at your organization, and analyze its structural and cultural strengths and weaknesses. How can the weaknesses be improved? How would an IFAS Table help in this situation?
Your essay should be at least two pages in length, double-spaced, and in 12 pt. Times New Roman font. The title and reference pages do not count towards the minimum page length. To complete this assignment, a minimum of three reputable sources must be used, cited, and referenced.
Part V Essay
For this essay, you will conduct research on corporate strategies and the affect they have on the decision process. You may use the same company or organization you have previously used, or select a different company that is going through, or has gone through a decision-making process on a given business issue within the company. As you explore the decision process, consider how corporate strategies influence these decisions. In your essay, address the following questions:
1. What is a functional strategy?
2. What are stability strategies in business? What are the pros and cons of these strategies?
3. What are competitive and cooperative strategies?
4. What are the tradeoffs (pros and cons) between an internal and an external growth strategy? Which approach is best as an international strategy? Why? What about retrenchment?
5. In which ways does policy impact corporate strategy implementation and achievement of organizational goals and objectives?
6. How does a company's portfolio guide decisions?
Your essay should be at least two pages in length, double-spaced, and in 12 pt. Times New Roman font. The title and reference pages do not count towards the minimum page length. To complete this assignment, a minimum of three reputable sources must be used, cited, and referenced.
Part VI Essay
For this essay, you may use the same company you have previously used, or select a different company for your analysis on how a company has implemented a corporate strategy or a future policy rollout. Consider a company that has done a strategy development, and is in the implementation phase, or has been through the implementation phase. In your essay, address the following questions.
• What are the stages of a corporation's life cycle? How can a corporation's life cycle be extended?
• What is strategy implementation? What questions must strategy makers consider to begin the implementation process?
• What are some of the approaches a company can take to identify and prepare its people for important positions?
• It is important to assess the strategy-culture compatibility when implementing a new strategy. Do you think that culture follows strategy, or does strategy follow culture? In your response, use the company to illustrate your points. Justify your answer.
• What is Six Sigma? Why would a company want to implement it?
Your essay should be at least two pages in length, double-spaced, and in 12 pt. Times New Roman font. The title and reference pages do not count towards the minimum page length. To complete this assignment, a minimum of three reputable sources must be used, cited, and referenced.
Part VII Case Study
You should pick a new company for this case study, one that is different from the other assignments. In order to thoroughly research the company you have chosen, you should work on this case study throughout the course. Do not wait until Part VII to begin your work. Work on this assignment in each Part until it is completed.
Research the company of your choosing, or you can pick one of the following companies:
1. Apple
2. Google
3. Coca Cola
4. American Airlines
5. Amazon.com
Respond to the four writing prompts below. Your responses must include information from academic and scholarly research, including at least three resources from the CSU Online Library and at least three online sources.
1. Create a case study summary of the company you have chosen, including a general overview of the company, its external environment, and a list of its current strategies and objectives.
2. If the company continues with its present strategies and objectives, where will it be in five years?
3. If you were the CEO of the company, what strategies would you recommend, and why?
4. Describe the competitive strategies used by the company's main competitors. Which of these strategies are the most effective? How can your company combat these strategies? Support your answers.
If you paraphrase, quote, or use ideas from any source, you should cite your sources using APA guidelines. Your case study should be at least five pages in length, excluding a cover page and references page
Part VIII PowerPoint Presentation
Review the processes of invention and innovation. Then, select a new product that you have been introduced to in the past 12 months. You are encouraged to research this new product using outside sources. You can use the same company you have been researching, or pick a new one.
You are to create a PowerPoint presentation about future inventions this new product could help to inspire and what innovations could be developed to enhance and improve this product. Analyze how these two areas could impact the company. Perform an analysis or SWOT on potential impact of inventions or innovations. Your PowerPoint presentation should include the following elements:
• Slide 1: Title page
• Slide 2: Objective or table of contents
• Slide 3: Description of the new product
• Slide 4: Description of the importance of R&D to include lead users and market research
• Slide 5: Discussion of appropriate structure and culture necessary to support innovative ideas and products
• Slide 6: Exploration of future inventions inspired by the product
• Slide 7: Analysis of future innovations of this product (Was this a successful invention leading to innovation?)
Slide 8: ROI, shareholder value, economic value added analysis, or a SWOT, on innovation
• Slide 9: ROI, shareholder value, economic value added analysis or a SWOT, on invention
• Slide 10: Brief description of the benchmarking process as applied to this company (What problems with performance measuring can be encountered?)
• Slide 11: Prediction of product demand in five years
• Slide 12: Conclusion
• Slide 13: List of sources using APA guidelines
Please ensure that every slide has a title at the top explaining what the slide covers. Add citations in proper APA format, use applicable pictures or graphics, use a slide template, and avoid wordy slides by focusing on bullet points.