Reference no: EM133256402

The purpose of Assignment  is to introduce the reader to the initial steps necessary to develop strategy in support of a vision or goal:

1. Identify the industry and business process, vision, or goal of interest,
2. Collect Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, Legal etc. data that has or can have an impact on you goal / vision,
3. Conduct an initial analysis of that data from the perspective of your vision / goal to identify the factors that detract or support your project.
4. Document Data, analysis, findings, and conclusions in a manner that supports an ongoing and a collaborative approach to strategic planning and development.

In its simplest terms, every business can be described as an investment alternative. It is a deliberate decision. The purpose of all investments is to gain a desired return on that investment (ROI). In the business case, like any investment, there are instruments that come with certain risk / reward profiles and businesses are no different. Similarly, we are each free to define what "ROI" means and includes, even beyond monetary terms. Regardless of the definition selected and the exact ROI goal, all businesses have one thing in common - they MUST SELL something to someone (Sell "X" to "Y") that ultimately satisfies a human need or want  (X¹ ) (see Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs). That transactional process is common to all businesses be they proprietorships, corporations (public or private), National, Multi-National (MNC) or Transnational Corporations (TNC), for-profit or not-for-profit. In short, that is how the sought-after ROI ultimately gets created. Preceding that transaction there are three other main questions to consider:

1. What are the methods, terms and conditions surrounding the creation, acquisition and possession (ownership or agent relationship) of "X" for onward sale?
2. What parameters define both the characteristics and location of  the "Y" component? and
3. What are the transportation requirements to obtain and deliver (distribute)  "X" to "Y"?

Except for transactional process described above, "Selling "X" to "Y", the remainder are management process decisions that are essential will ultimately determine factors such as price, quality, quantity, market, competitive advantage etc. of the company.

NOTE: In this simulation you are free to define (imagine) what your company actually is when you are "assigned" to it: is it a start-up, established, large, small, import, export, manufacture based, intellectual property based etc. The rules of the simulation prevent you from using and existing company. If you wish to emulate and existing company, you must call it something else and ultimately describe what it does. E.g. if you wish to work on the business model similar to "Walmart" you can call it e.g.  "FloorMart" and go into direct competition with Walmart.

Assignment 1

1. Describe your company's "transactional process". What are you selling (X), what need are you satisfying (X¹)and to whom are you selling it (Y)?
2. Describe the process that brings "X" into our possession for sale e.g. wholesale source, manufacturing etc. For this purpose, agriculture is considered as a form of "manufacturing", as is 3D printing.
3. Where is "Y" located and the approximate size of the market?
4. Research, identify and analyze the Key Success Factors (KSF) for the business process you have identified.
5. Identify 3 Potential Rivals of the industry that you have chosen to work in and identify what advantages they have and how they compete. These will be determined based not necessarily where they physically exist but where they interrupt or compete with your industry.