Reference no: EM133086090

1. Need to write the discussions on competitive advantage

- Explain what you think competitive advantage is

- Explain why the purpose of strategy isn't to increase profits

- Explain whetheror notyou think it should be

2. Need to write the discussions on external and internal environments

- Explain the relationship between a company's external environment and its internal environment

- Assess which one has a greater impact on company strategy

- Share an example from personal experience or news media that supports your argument. For example: Consider a hike in gas prices. In an industry dependent on gas, severe increases in price cause them to make changes internally, supporting the argument for the external environment.

3. Need to write the discussions on competitive strategy

- Successful companies tend to follow one of two strategies, Low-Cost Provider and Differentiation (or a hybrid of the two). In this discussion, you will consider whether one of these strategies have an edge over the other.

- For your initial post, address the following issues. There are two basic strategies: Low-Cost Provider and Differentiation. Which one is more powerful? Share an example from an actual company of the strategy you think is more powerful.

4. Need to write the discussions on international product strategy

- Companies competing internationally must decide whether or not they need to change their product to meet the needs of their buyers. This, however, can be expensive.

- For your initial post, explain which of the following options you think is more important: Change the product to sell more, or don't change the product and keep costs low?

5. Need to write the discussions on environmental responsibility

- A company's shareholders might have a hard time understanding that planting trees, or any green initiative, will lead to long-term profits. Environmental responsibility strategies have many far-reaching effects; they can lead to increased stock price, customer and employee retention, increased sales, and a number of positive outcomes. The connection between environmental responsibility strategies and these outcomes, however, may not be direct or obvious. Convincing shareholders, who often simply want a dividend, may be a difficult task.

- For your initial post, explain how you would convince company shareholders that spending money on the environment, instead of paying dividends, will have a positive effect on the bottom line and improve future company prospects.

6. Need to write the discussions on corporate culture

- A company's corporate culture is one of the strongest tools managers have to implement strategy. But how does it work? Ultimately, strategic execution should be the sole purpose of every organizational activity. If you knew you could carefully craft a tool to guide employee behavior toward effective implementation of strategy, you would spend a great deal of effort in creating that tool.

- For your initial post, explain some ways that corporate culture can have a positive influence on strategic implementation.