Instruction
(First Assignment) Company Analysis
In this activity, you will research the New Balance Company and write an essay (Links to an external site.) based on the concepts learned this week. Your essay should be double-spaced, at least 250 words and adhere to APA guidelines. Ensure you have a cover page, introduction, body, and conclusion for your essay.Magnifyer on a Research Notebook with partial keyboard and 2 pencils.
Visit the New Balance website: www.newbalance.com (Links to an external site.) and review the company’s information.
Answer the following questions in an essay format below.
From your assessment of New Balance, identify and describe in detail at least one of Porter's generic competitive strategies New Balance has been using. From your evaluation, what are some of your recommendations for New Balance to be more competitive in a global market?
Assess New Balance’s opportunities and threats; provide a plan for implementing at least two opportunity strategies and addressing two current threats you’ve identified. Explain how those opportunities and threat strategies will positively affect New Balance’s business operations.
Note on Academic Integrity
For all essay activities, upon submission, your assignment will automatically be evaluated through Turnitin, a plagiarism detection tool. Your paper will be checked against a database of millions of written works and provide feedback on originality. You may view your originality report; however, you will not be permitted to submit your paper a second time. A score of 30% matching or lower is allowed, anything higher is not acceptable for any of the Turnitin assignments in this course. When answering questions, do not repeat the question in your essay. Ensure your work is entirely your own and cite your sources, if applicable! (First Assignment)
(Second Assignment) Competitive Advantage, Strategic-Management, and Groupthink
Do some research and answer the following critical thinking questions from this week’s readings. In your analysis, cite a minimum of three (3) references from different sources (the textbook can be one source).Woman holding a pencil looking at computer monitor.
Apply the VRIO framework to assess whether your current employer or a previous one has a sustainable source of competitive advantage.
Describe the five steps of the strategic-management process. Which step of the strategic-management process do you believe is the most important? Defend your position.
Discuss why groupthink is dangerous and from your experiences identify some best practices you witnessed or used to help employees or colleagues avoid falling victim to groupthink. In the workplace, how does groupthink affect how decisions are made and the outcomes from those decisions in the organization?
Your submission should be a minimum of two (2), double-spaced, full pages of analysis with proper reference citation per current APA guidelines.
Academic Integrity
Upon submission, your assignment will automatically be evaluated through Turnitin. Your paper will be checked against a database of millions of written works and provide feedback on originality. You may view your originality report; however, you will not be permitted to submit your paper a second time. Ensure your work is entirely your own and cite your sources, if applicable! (Second assignment)