Market Position and SWOT Analysis

B6028 Module 1 Assignment 3 Market Position Analysis
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B6028 Module 1 Assignment 3 Market Position Analysis
Throughout this course, you will conduct a strategy audit for a selected
company. Begin this assignment by selecting an organization for your
course project activities.
In this module, you will assess the product portfolio of your selected
business unit by analyzing the value proposition, market position, and
competitive advantage of its products and services.
Part I: Interview
To gain an understanding of your selected business unit’s market
position, value proposition, and competitive advantage, conduct at least
one interview with a mid-level or senior manager.

Use the interview to solicit the manager’s perception of his or her
business unit’s product portfolio. Be sure to discuss the points of
analysis listed below in Part II of this assignment.
Part II: Analysis
Based on the information gathered from the interview, analyze the
product portfolio of your selected business unit. In your analysis,
identify the business unit of your company and the product(s) and
service(s) on which you will focus.
Make sure to include the following points in your analysis:
Describe the target customer for the product/service in terms of relevant
characteristics that impact the marketing strategy, including location
(how it should be reached) and buying habits.
Identify each customer segment’s specific wants and needs. Explain why
they buy your company’s product or service, or a competing product or
service.
Justify how well your product/service satisfies customer wants and
needs. Identify any wants and needs that are not met by your
product/service.

Analyze the position of your product/service in relation to the
competition. Identify the main competitors. Explain how your product
differs in terms of features, function, quality, price, availability, brand
image, and the like. Explain why this differentiation is important to your
customers.
Describe the source of competitive advantage for your product. Evaluate
how sustainable is this source of advantage.
Assess the long-term sustainability of the source of differentiation and
competitive advantage.
Include appropriate information from the interview in support of your
answer.
Part III: Matrix
In comparing your product/service to that of the competition, construct a
simple matrix in the following way:
List the key customer wants or needs on the left-hand vertical axis.
List the competing products on the top horizontal axis, starting with your
product/service on the left.
For each customer want or need, indicate how well each competing
product satisfies the need using a scale of 0–2.

0 = need not met
1 = need partially met
2 = need fully met
This is a simple but effective visual mechanism for comparing the
relative position of multiple offerings from competing sources.
Write a 3-page paper in Word format and attach the matrix as an
appendix. Apply APA standards to citation of sources. Use the following
file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M1_A3.doc. For example,
if your name is John Smith, your document will be named
SmithJ_M1_A3.doc.
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B6028 Module 2 Assignment 2 External Environmental
Scan-Target

B6028 Module 2 Assignment 2 External Environmental Scan (Argosy) –
Target
In order to develop effective strategies, it is critical to understand the
marketplace environment. In this assignment, you will explore the
relationship between marketplace positioning based on environmental
factors.
Throughout this course, you will work on a strategy audit for a selected
organization. In Module 1, you selected an organization for your course
project activities and completed a market position analysis for your
organization.
In this module, you will conduct a comprehensive external
environmental scan of your business unit, including a five forces
analysis, to identify the relevant trends that pose opportunities or threats
to your business.
These will serve as inputs for a final strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis that will be due in Module 4:
Assignment 2.
There are many elements that can go into an environmental scan, and
your analysis will depend on the nature of your business unit, product
portfolio, target market, and other factors related to the scope of your
business.

Your environmental scan should include some or all of the following
elements:
Economic factors and trends
Political factors and trends
Regulatory and legal factors and trends
Societal factors and trends
Technological factors and trends
Geographic factors and trends
Porter’s five forces that consists of the following aspects:
Threat of new competition
Threat of substitute products or services
Bargaining power of customers (buyers)
Bargaining power of suppliers
Intensity of competitive/industry rivalry
Although your analysis will be tailored to your specific business, be sure
to cover the following:
A thorough five forces analysis of your industry
The key factors and trends in any other areas affecting your industry

A preliminary classification of the external factors and trends as either
opportunities or threats which will be the inputs for the final SWOT
analysis
Write a 3-page report in Word format. Apply APA standards to citation
of sources. Use the following file naming convention:
LastnameFirstInitial_M2_A2.doc.
==============================================
B6028 Module 3 Assignment 2 LASA 1 Preliminary
Strategy Audit - Merriwether& Williams
B6028 Module 3 Assignment 2 LASA 1 Preliminary Strategy Audit
(Argosy) - Merriwether& Williams
The end result of this course is developing a strategy audit. In this
module, you will outline and draft a preliminary framework for your

final product. This provides you with the opportunity to get feedback
before a final submission.
In Module 1, you reviewed the instructions for the capstone strategy
audit assignment and grading rubric due in Module 5. By now, you have
completed the following steps:
Identified the organization for your report
Interviewed at least one key mid-level or senior-level manager
Created a market position analysis
Conducted an external environmental scan in preparation of your final
report and presentation
In this assignment, you will generate a preliminary strategy audit in
preparation for your final course project.
Prepare a report that includes the following:
In preparation for your course project, prepare the preliminary strategy
audit using the tools and framework you have focused on so far
including the following:
Analysis of the company value proposition, market position, and
competitive advantage
External environmental scan/five forces analysis

Identify the most important (5–7) strategic issues facing the organization
or business unit.
You may modify the strategic issues in your final report based on the
additional analysis you will conduct in the next module as well as the
feedback you receive on this paper from your instructor.
Keep in mind that it is important to look at the strategic issue(s) from
more than just one perspective in the business unit or company—speak
to or research the issue from more than one angle to offer a 360-degree
approach that does not cause more problems or issues.
Strategic issues arise from a mismatch between internal capabilities and
external trends such that important opportunities are not being pursued
or significant external threats are not being addressed under the current
strategy.
Include a preliminary set of recommended tactics for improving your
company’s strategic alignment and operating performance.
You may modify these recommendations in your final report based on
the additional analysis you will conduct in the next module as well as the
feedback you receive on this paper from your instructor.
Keep in mind that recommendations can include, but are not limited to,
tactics in marketing, branding, alliances, mergers and acquisitions,
integration, product development, diversification or divestiture, and
globalization. If you recommend your company to go global, you must
include a supply chain analysis and an analysis of your firm’s global
capabilities.
Write your report as though you are a consultant to your company and
are addressing the executive officers of this company.

Write a 7–10-page report in Word format. Make sure your writing is
clear, concise, and in an organized manner; demonstrates ethical
scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; and
displays accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Use the following format for your report:
Cover page
Executive summary/abstract
Table of contents
Introduction to company (each subsection should be an assessment)
Value proposition
Market position
Competitive advantage
Current environment
Assessment of external factors applying five forces
Strategic issues (label each issue and provide a header and the reason for
why it is an issue)
Summary/key findings and recommendations
References

Apply APA standards to citation of sources. Use the following file
naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M3_A2.doc.
==============================================
B6028 Module 4 Assignment 2 Internal Environmental
Scan / Organizational Assessment
B6028 Module 4 Assignment 2 Internal Environmental Scan /
Organizational Assessment (Argosy)
This section provides the opportunity to develop your course project.
Conducting an internal environmental scan or organizational assessment,
provides the ability to put the strategy audit together.
In this module, you will conduct a comprehensive assessment of the
internal environment at your business unit or organization you are
working with for this project, also known as an organizational

assessment, and present your findings in a report. In your report, you
should analyze the operating characteristics and assets of your business
unit.
The SWOT model is one of the most common business tools used
during organizational assessment. Another is developing a balanced
scorecard based on a prescribed or planned set of performance
objectives that will be measured and evaluated regularly. In this
assignment, based on the external environmental scan you conducted in
M2: Assignment 2 and the internal environmental scan in this
assignment, you will develop a SWOT analysis and a balanced strategic
scorecard.
Part I: Internal Environmental Scan (2–3 pages)
The internal environmental scan or organizational assessment should
include the following:
Mission, vision, and values: Assess the organization’s understanding of
the mission, vision, and values, and how they relate the business
strategy. Is there consensus on the mission and vision of the
organization? What are the shared values of the organization? What are
the behaviors espoused by these values?
Strategy clarification: Assess the organization’s understanding of the
business strategy through the interview with a mid-level or senior

manager. Assess his or her understanding and agreement of the business
unit’s value proposition, market position, and competitive advantage.
Cultural assessment: Explain the unwritten rules and shared values that
govern behaviors in the organization. Do they act as enablers or blockers
to the strategy? For example, is there a culture of information sharing
and collaboration that enables the organization to respond quickly across
structural boundaries to solve problems for customers? On the other
hand, do groups not share important information through informal
mechanisms, thus slowing response times?
Value chain analysis: Identify the primary (direct) and support (indirect)
activities that create and deliver your product or service to your
customers. Assess each activity’s contribution to competitive advantage
through cost or differentiation. Identify any areas where the business
may be at a competitive disadvantage.
Summary of findings: Using these different analyses, identify the
organizational strengths and weaknesses as they relate to the business
strategy. Organizational strengths are assets, capabilities, and resources
that contribute directly to the organization’s strategic fit, differentiation,
and competitive advantage relative to competing organizations.
Organizational weaknesses are characteristics and capabilities (often
lacking) that place the organization at a disadvantage relative to
competitors.
Part II: SWOT Analysis (1–2 pages)

Your SWOT analysis should summarize the opportunities and threats
from the external environmental scan with the strengths and weaknesses
from your organizational assessment or internal environmental scan.
Your output should include a matrix depicting strengths or weaknesses
on the horizontal axis and opportunities or threats on the vertical axis.
This matrix will reveal a set of strategy forces that can be used to assess
the current strategy and identify important potential changes to the
strategic direction of the company.
In creating your SWOT analysis, look for natural pairings of internal and
external factors that match internal resources and capabilities to the
external environment. Internal strengths and external opportunities
depicted in the upper-left quadrant on your matrix might form
complementary pairs that suggest necessary strategic focus for the
business unit to pursue opportunities that fit its competitive strengths.
Conversely, internal weaknesses and external threats shown in the lower
right quadrant of the matrix may combine to illustrate the need for a
defensive strategy to avoid becoming highly susceptible to competitive
threats.
Your matrix should not simply be a collection of four lists compiled
together in a matrix. Your analysis should combine factors and explain
why specific strengths complement specific opportunities, and selected
weaknesses are amplified by external threats. In addition to your matrix,
provide a brief narrative that summarizes the main findings in your
analysis and the implications for the current and projected strategy.

Part III: Balanced Strategic Scorecard (1–2 pages)
Use the balanced scorecard or another similar tool to recommend
indicators and measurements that will tell you if the company is
successful or unsuccessful in progressing toward your vision through
execution of strategy.
A balanced scorecard presents organizational performance on four
primary groups of measures:
Financial
Customer (external stakeholder)
Learning and growth
Internal process
You should develop a strategy scorecard that ties the performance of
your business unit in these areas to its overall business strategy. The
challenge you face is selecting two-to-three measures in each of the four
areas that give a measurable and reliable indication of the business unit
performance in the key activities that promote strategic fit, customer
value, and sustained competitive advantage.

Write an 5–7-page report in Word format. Apply APA standards to
citation of sources. Use the following file naming convention:
The paper should include a cover page, executive summary/abstract,
table of contents, body of paper—proper headers (mission, vision, and
values assessment; strategy clarification; cultural assessment; value
chain analysis; summary of key findings; SWOT analysis; balanced
strategic scorecard; and references).
==============================================
B6028 Module 5 Assignment 2 LASA 2 Presentation of
Strategy Audit Findings
B6028 Module 5 Assignment 2 LASA 2 Presentation of Strategy Audit
Findings

In this assignment, integrate all the pieces of work you have drafted and
formally turn it into the capstone strategy audit.
In previous assignments, you performed multiple, specified analyses of
your company (or any company of your choosing). Those individual
analyses provide the needed research to successfully complete the
following LASA.
Part I: Strategy Audit Report
Using the tools and framework learned in class and throughout the
program, prepare a 15-page strategy audit of your company with a
companion presentation. The strategy audit is a comprehensive analysis
of the company’s business strategy and operating performance, and
culminates in a series of recommendations for improving your
company’s performance based on the findings and conclusions of your
analysis.
A strategy audit involves assessing the actual direction of a business and
comparing that course to the direction required to succeed in a changing
environment. A company's actual direction is the sum of what it does
and does not do, how well the organization is internally aligned to
support the strategy, and how viable the strategy is when compared to
the external market, competitors, and financial realities. These two
categories, the internal assessment and the external or environmental
assessment, make up the major elements of a strategy audit.

In your strategy audit:
Provide a high-level analysis of the company’s business strategy and
operating performance. Be sure to complete the following:
Analysis of the company value proposition, market position, and
competitive advantage
Internal environmental scan/organizational assessment
SWOT Analysis
Balanced scorecard/strategy scorecard
Recommend specific tactics for improving your company’s strategic
alignment and operating performance.
Recommendations can include but are not limited to tactics in
marketing, branding, alliances, mergers/acquisitions, integration,
product development, diversification or divestiture and globalization (if
you recommend your company go global, you must include a supply
chain analysis and an analysis of your firm’s global capabilities).
Explain how the recommendations will help the company achieve its
strategy and vision.
You are to write this report as though you are a consultant to your
company, and are addressing the executive officers of this company.
You will collect and analyze a large amount of data in producing your
report, but your final product will be condensed and focus on presenting
your analysis findings and conclusions.

Your report should consist of the following sections in the given order.
Executive summary (1 page): A concise and insightful summary of the
significant findings of your analysis and the recommendations you have
for your executive team.
Strategic issues and recommendations(5 pages): Identify 5–7 most
important strategic issues facing your business unit. Strategic issues
arise from a mismatch between internal capabilities and external trends
such that important opportunities are not being pursued or significant
external threats are not being addressed under the current strategy.
The strategic issues list should integrate your SWOT analysis, your Five
Forces analysis, and the organizational assessment and external
environmental scan completed earlier during the course. These detailed
analyses are the foundation for your final set of findings and
recommendations presented to the executive team.
In developing your recommendations for addressing each strategic issue,
consider misalignments that might be apparent in different operating
areas:
Product portfolio: Are there changes to the target market segment, value
proposition, or positioning of the product or service line needed?
Structure: Are the organizational roles and responsibilities, decision-
making authority, skill requirements, and work assignments properly
configured and aligned to support the strategy?

Organizational culture or behavior: Does the organizational culture
inspire behaviors that support the strategy? Are the mission, vision, and
values clearly articulated and aligned with the strategy? What new
behaviors are needed?
Value chain activities: Does the organization value chain fully align with
the strategy? Are their activities that should be added, eliminated, or
modified significantly?
Performance measures: Do the organization’s performance measures
focus on the key drivers of strategic success? Is there a strategy
scorecard that ties the main elements of the strategy to specific operating
capabilities, including goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) that
give an indication of incremental or predictive progress toward reaching
strategic goals?
Your recommendations should fall into these general categories, but
should be specific in terms of scope and expected impact.
These sections have been completed earlier in the course, and should
appear as appendices:
SWOT analysis (2 pages—completed in Module 4): SWOT matrix
illustrating strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Balanced strategy scorecard (4 pages—completed in Module 4):
Develop a Balanced Scorecard for your business unit that reflects the
key drivers for your business strategy.
Organizational assessment (3 pages—completed in Module 3)

External environmental scan and five-forces analysis (3 pages—
completed in Module 2)
Market position analysis (3 pages—completed in Module 1)
Use information from your previous assignments to support your
conclusions and recommendations and conduct additional research when
needed. Make sure you properly reference and cite so that the location of
information is clear.
Submit your 15-page report in Word format. Apply APA standards to
citation of sources. Use the following file naming convention:
Part II: Companion Presentation
Finalize the companion with a 10-slide Power Point Presentation that
summarizes the audit and recommendations in a compelling manner that
persuades senior management to explore and possibly implement your
recommendations. The elements of the presentation should include the
following:
Title
Agenda
Summary of audit
Recommendations

Key measurements
Risks and benefits
Call to action
Next steps
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