Discussion Assignment

Please number your responses to align with the questions below. Thank you.

Remember these responses are to be in-depth, showing a comprehensive understanding of the material. To use one to three sentences to respond typically will not be adequate.

1. Review section 5.2a Organizational Mission. Reflect on the examples provided in the book and then find a mission statement from a company’s website. Provide the name of the company and its mission statement. Then tell the reader how the mission statement communicates the company’s purpose, values, and/or aspirations and what you think those are based on the mission statement (not what you know based on experience.)

2. Section 5.9b explains SWOT analysis. Explain (in your own words) a SWOT analysis and why an organization needs to use the tool. If the results show a company’s workforce is under-skilled, what might a company do? Provide several options as if you were a high-paid consultant.

3. Section 5.10 discusses the BCG Matrix. It seems pretty basic, but it is rather involved. How are cows developed and why are they important to creating questions marks and starts? Why might I decided to keep a question mark versus divest of it? Reference the X and Y axes when answering these questions.

4. In Section 5.11, Formulating Business-Level Strategy, the authors introduce Michael Porter’s Competitive Strategies. Porter describes differentiation and cost strategies. Let’s look at In-n-Out and its strategy. Please read this section of the chapter and the information in Exhibit 5.10 as well as the In-n-Out case included in the CPA file.

Question: In-n-Out’s strategy is not low cost because of the prices for its items. Describe in detail (use examples of other establishments) how it differentiates itself from other fast food establishments and why its customers find “value” in this offering (see “deliver value” in section 5.9a Purpose of a Strategy.) This is one of those times you may be uncomfortable with the concept so read carefully and do your best at trying to answer the question.

Attachments are In-n-Out case and all the sections included in the question.

DO NOT ANSWER THE QUESTIONS IN THE CASE.