Assignment 2: Research Brief and Draft Slides 1 and 2 Due Week 7, Day 7 (Weight: 20%) “Strategy means making clear-cut choices about how to compete. You cannot be everything to everybody, no matter what the size of your business or how deep its pockets.” Jack Welch For this assignment you will use Jack’s Five Slide Methodology to analyze the business environment and competition. Specifically, you will draft PowerPoint slides 1 and 2, and explain your rationale and research for each of these two in an accompanying research brief. Both the research brief and slides are submitted for this assignment, as separate attachments. Use the same format you did for the Week 4 Case 5-7 Page Research Brief. Analyze the business environment and competition FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION OR ONE YOU HAVE SELECTED WITH YOUR PROFESSOR’S APPROVAL using Jack’s Five Slide Methodology. 1. Slide 1 – “What does “the Playing Field” Look Like? a. Who are the competitors in this business, large and small, new and old? b. Who has what share, globally and in each market? Where do we fit in? c. What are the characteristics of this business? Is it a commodity, high value, or somewhere in between? Is it long cycle or short? Where is it on the growth curve? What are the drivers of profitability? d. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each competitor? How good are its products? How much does each one spend on research and development (R&D)? How big is each sales force? How performance-driven is each culture? e. Who are this business's main customers, and how do they buy? 2. Slide 2 – “What has the Competition Been Up To?” a. What has each competitor done in the past year to change the playing field? b. Has anyone introduced game-changing new products, new technologies, or a new distribution channel? c. Are there any new entrants, and what have they been up to in the past year? Draft Slides 1 and 2. Develop slide 1 and 2 for your final project. 1. Draft slide 1 a. Synthesize your market research to provide key, relevant bullet points from Slide 1. 2. Draft slide 2 a. Synthesize your market research to provide key, relevant bullet points from Slide 2. Note: In week 10, you will submit a compilation of all 5 slides in a presentation. The final presentation, with accompanying slides and notes, should reflect corrections, amendments, and depth gained from using the professor's feedback and student idea development throughout the course. Weight: 20% Assignment 2: Research Brief and Draft Slides 1 and 2 Criteria Unsatisfactory Low Pass Pass High Pass Honors 1. Describe what the Playing Field Looks Like today. Weight: 30% The student did not or unsatisfactorily describes relevant industry, competitor, and customer information. Little to no synthesis of ideas is demonstrated and logical reasoning is not included or evident. The student describes relevant i ...

1. Assignment 2: Research Brief and Draft Slides 1 and 2
Due Week 7, Day 7 (Weight: 20%)
“Strategy means making clear-cut choices about how to
compete. You cannot be everything to
everybody, no matter what the size of your business or how
deep its pockets.” Jack Welch
For this assignment you will use Jack’s Five Slide Methodology
to analyze the business environment and
competition. Specifically, you will draft PowerPoint slides 1
and 2, and explain your rationale and
research for each of these two in an accompanying research
brief. Both the research brief and slides
are submitted for this assignment, as separate attachments. Use
the same format you did for the
Week 4 Case
5-7 Page Research Brief. Analyze the business environment and
competition FOR YOUR
ORGANIZATION OR ONE YOU HAVE SELECTED WITH
YOUR PROFESSOR’S APPROVAL using
Jack’s Five Slide Methodology.
1. Slide 1 – “What does “the Playing Field” Look Like?
a. Who are the competitors in this business, large and small,
new and old?

2. b. Who has what share, globally and in each market? Where do
we fit in?
c. What are the characteristics of this business? Is it a
commodity, high value, or
somewhere in between? Is it long cycle or short? Where is it on
the growth curve? What
are the drivers of profitability?
d. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each competitor?
How good are its products?
How much does each one spend on research and development
(R&D)? How big is each
sales force? How performance-driven is each culture?
e. Who are this business's main customers, and how do they
buy?
2. Slide 2 – “What has the Competition Been Up To?”
a. What has each competitor done in the past year to change
the playing field?
b. Has anyone introduced game-changing new products, new
technologies, or a new
distribution channel?
c. Are there any new entrants, and what have they been up to
in the past year?
Draft Slides 1 and 2. Develop slide 1 and 2 for your final
project.
1. Draft slide 1
a. Synthesize your market research to provide key, relevant

3. bullet points from Slide 1.
2. Draft slide 2
a. Synthesize your market research to provide key, relevant
bullet points from Slide 2.
Note: In week 10, you will submit a compilation of all 5 slides
in a presentation. The final presentation,
with accompanying slides and notes, should reflect corrections,
amendments, and depth gained from
using the professor's feedback and student idea development
throughout the course.
Weight: 20% Assignment 2: Research Brief and Draft Slides 1
and 2
Criteria Unsatisfactory Low Pass Pass High Pass Honors
1. Describe what
the Playing
Field Looks Like
today.
Weight: 30%
The student did

4. not or
unsatisfactorily
describes relevant
industry,
competitor, and
customer
information. Little
to no synthesis of
ideas is
demonstrated and
logical reasoning
is not included or
evident.
The student
describes
relevant
industry,
competitor,
and
customer
information,
but is unclear
or less than
adequately
explained.
Somewhat
demonstrate
d synthesis
of
information,
ability to
determine
key
information,
and make

5. novel
connections
and insights.
The student
describes
relevant
industry,
competitor, and
customer
information, and
was mostly
clear and
concise.
Satisfactorily
demonstrated
synthesis of
information,
ability to
determine key
information, and
make novel
connections and
insights.
The student
clearly and
concisely
describes
relevant
industry,
competitor, and
customer
information.
Completely
demonstrated

6. synthesis of
information,
ability to
determine key
information, and
make novel
connections and
insights.
The student
clearly and
concisely
describes
relevant
industry,
competitor, and
customer
information.
Went beyond
the provided
questions to
include pertinent
information.
Exemplary
demonstration
of synthesis of
information,
ability to
determine key
information, and
make novel
connections and
insights.
© Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document

7. contains Strayer University confidential and proprietary
information and may not be
copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed, in whole or
in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer
University. This
course guide is subject to change based on the needs of the
class.
Weight: 20% Assignment 2: Research Brief and Draft Slides 1
and 2
Criteria Unsatisfactory Low Pass Pass High Pass Honors
2. Describe
What the
Competition Has
Been Up To.
Weight: 30%
The student did
not or
unsatisfactorily
described
relevant industry,
competitor, and
customer
information. Little
to no synthesis of
ideas is
demonstrated and
logical reasoning
is not included or

8. evident.
The student
described
relevant
competitor
information, but
is unclear or
less than
adequately
explained.
Somewhat
demonstrated
synthesis of
information,
ability to
determine key
information, and
make novel
connections and
insights.
The student
described
relevant
competitor
information, and
was mostly
clear and
concise.
Satisfactorily
demonstrated
synthesis of
information,
ability to
determine key

9. information, and
make novel
connections and
insights.
The student
clearly and
concisely
described
relevant
competitor
information.
Completely
demonstrated
synthesis of
information,
ability to
determine key
information, and
make novel
connections and
insights.
The student
clearly and
concisely
described
relevant
competitor
information.
May have gone
beyond the
provided
questions to
include pertinent
information.

10. Exemplary
demonstration
of synthesis of
information,
ability to
determine key
information, and
make novel
connections and
insights.
3. Research
finding and facts
are supported
with in-text
citations,
appendixes, and
references.
Weight: 20%
There are no in-
text citations,
appendixes, or
references to
support research
findings or facts.
Some research
findings and
facts are
supported with
in-text citations,
appendixes,
and references;

11. formatting is not
consistent and
does not
support easy
identification of
sources.
Many
research
findings and
facts are
supported with
in-text citations,
appendixes,
and references;
formatting may
not be
consistent or
enable the
reader to easily
locate the
source.
Most research
findings and
facts are
supported with
in-text citations,
appendixes, and
references;
and/or the
formatting is
mostly
consistent and
enables the
reader to identify

12. the source.
All research
findings and
facts are
exemplarily
supported with
in-text citations,
appendixes, and
references;
formatting is
consistent and
enables the
reader to easily
identify the
source.
© Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document
contains Strayer University confidential and proprietary
information and may not be
copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed, in whole or
in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer
University. This
course guide is subject to change based on the needs of the
class.
Weight: 20% Assignment 2: Research Brief and Draft Slides 1
and 2
Criteria Unsatisfactory Low Pass Pass High Pass Honors
4. Research
brief and slides

13. are logical,
professionally
formatted, and
free from
grammatical
errors.
Weight: 20%
Research brief is
illogical and
unprofessional
and contains
multiple
mechanics and
usage errors.
There is no cover
page, and
headings may be
missing.
Research brief
is somewhat
logical and
semi-
professional,
and includes a
cover page and
some headings.
Several
mechanics and
usage errors
make parts of
the text difficult
for the reader to

14. understand.
Research brief
is satisfactorily
logical and
professional. It
includes a cover
page, and
headings. The
headings and/or
the font or
spacing may not
be the most
professional.
There may be a
few mechanics
and usage
errors, but they
do not have a
major impact on
the flow.
Research brief is
logical and
professional. It
includes a cover
page, may have
mostly
appropriate
headings, font,
and spacing.
Mechanics and
usage errors, if
any, are minor
and have no
impact on the

15. flow.
Research brief is
highly logical
and extremely
professional. It
includes a cover
page and
appropriate
headings,
professional font
and spacing are
used. It enables
the reader to
quickly skim and
understand
main points.
There are no
mechanics or
usage errors.
Required Assignment 2—Motivating Staff
An important aspect of talent management is identifying and
rewarding quality employees. There are many methods to
recognize and retain these ideal workers.
Description
In this assignment, you will research and discuss new ways for
a technology firm to help motivate and retain its current
employees.
Using the Argosy University online library resources and the
Internet, research best practices and innovative methods of
increasing employee morale and retention. Select approximately
6–8 scholarly sources for use in this assignment.

16. Scenario
You work in the HR department of a large and successful
technology company. The firm has been the market leader of the
industry for years and potential employees seek the prestige of
working for the company. Due to a recent staff reorganization,
many current employees are now unfulfilled and some are even
seeking employment with the firm’s biggest competitor. You
have been assigned the task of researching new ideas so that a
plan can be developed to increase employee morale and
retention.
Instructions
Prepare a report in which you describe current best practices for
employee retention, illustrate how they could benefit this
organization, and provide strategies on how to incorporate these
practices within the company. Further, you will need to provide
an outline of how to successfully execute a staff reorganization
should it need to be performed again in the future.
Your document should specifically address the following:
· Research and analyze recent best practices for employee
retention within the technology industry.
· Identify methods to assess compensation amounts for multiple
positions.
· Evaluate successful training and career development plans.
· Analyze current methods of employee motivation within the
technology industry.
· Outline the procedure for the incorporation of these new plans.
Explain how your plans support the company’s overall goal to
prevail as the market leader.
· Outline necessary steps to a successful staff reorganization.
Please note that the focus is on identifying recent best practices
regarding employee morale and retention and how the strategies
could fit within this firm.
Your final deliverable should utilize approximately 6–8
scholarly sources. Make sure you write in a clear, concise, and
organized manner; demonstrate ethical scholarship in accurate
representation and attribution of sources; and display accurate

17. spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Click here to download the APA Guide document. Use the
guidelines in it to format your assignment.
Write an 8–12-page report in Word format. Apply APA
standards to citation of sources. Use the following file naming
convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M7_A2.doc.
By Wednesday, March 1, 2017, deliver your assignment to
the M7: Assignment 2 Dropbox.
Grading Criteria
Assignment Components
Proficient
Max Points
Research and analyze recent best practices for employee
retention within the technology industry.
Current best practices for employee retention within the
technology industry are discussed and justified. The analysis
includes a timeline that differentiates past best practices with
current best practices.
Identify methods to assess compensation amounts for multiple
positions.
Methods identified are varied in nature, and serve to assess
compensation for a variety of positions.
Evaluate successful training and career development plans.
Evaluation includes justification as to why the development
plans are successful. Possible suggestions to improve the
development plans further are included.
Analyze current methods of employee motivation within the
technology industry.
Methods identified are varied in nature. Analysis includes
positive and negative methods of employee motivation, and
justification for a variety of methods.
Outline the procedure for the incorporation of these new plans.

18. Explain how your plans support the company’s overall goal to
prevail as the market leader.
Outline demonstrates the integration of HR management.
Explanation clearly describes how the plan assists in the
company’s goal to prevail as the market leader.
Outline necessary steps to a successful staff reorganization.
Steps outlined follow best practices for business reorganization.
They are highly likely to create a successful staff
reorganization.
Academic Writing
Write in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrate
ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of
sources (i.e., APA); and display accurate spelling, grammar, and
punctuation.
Wrote in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrated
ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of
sources; and displayed accurate spelling, grammar, and
punctuation.
Total:
Leadership Development and Succession Planning
An effective succession plan is essential to ensure the
continuity of a company’s business objectives across multiple
leaders. For this assignment, you will research and discuss the
very public leadership changes that occurred in Apple Inc. and
Yahoo! Inc.
Using the Argosy University online library resources and the
Internet, research the leadership changes that occurred in the

19. following two companies during the specified time period:
1. Steve Jobs leaving Apple Inc. in 2011.
2. Yahoo! Inc. between the years 2007 and 2012. During this
period, the firm had over six individuals in the chief executive
officer (CEO) position. When answering questions about
Yahoo! Inc., you may include comments about any of the
leadership changes within the specified time period.
For both companies provide a brief summary of the
circumstances surrounding the changes in leadership and answer
the following questions:
· What was the public plan prior to the departure of the CEOs?
· What business and HR objectives were most important prior to
the switch?
· Was the chosen successor an internal or external hire? Why do
you think that method was chosen? Was it successful?
After your initial posts respond to the following:
· How did the transition affect the business objectives of the
company?
· Imagine the current CEO for each company internally
announces that he or she is stepping down in one year. What
strategies do you recommend HR implement to find a
successor? How do these strategies align with the overall
business objectives? How do they align with HR objectives?
By Saturday, February 25, 2017, post your response to the
appropriate Discussion Area. Through Wednesday, March 1,
2017, review and comment on at least two peers’ responses.
Write your initial response in 300–500 words. Your response
should be thorough and address all components of the
discussion question in detail, include citations of all sources,
where needed, according to the APA Style, and demonstrate
accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation
Do the following when responding to your peers:
· Read your peers’ answers.
· Provide substantive comments by
· contributing new, relevant information from course readings,

20. Web sites, or other sources;
· building on the remarks or questions of others; or
· sharing practical examples of key concepts from your
professional or personal experiences
· Respond to feedback on your posting and provide feedback to
other students on their ideas.
· Make sure your writing
· is clear, concise, and organized;
· demonstrates ethical scholarship in accurate representation
and attribution of sources; and
· displays accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Grading Criteria
Assignment Components
Max Points
Initial response was:
· Insightful, original, accurate, and timely.
· Substantive and demonstrated advanced understanding of
concepts.
· Compiled/synthesized theories and concepts drawn from a
variety of sources to support statements and conclusions.
Discussion Response and Participation:
· Responded to a minimum of two peers in a timely manner.
· Offered points of view supported by research.
· Asked challenging questions that promoted discussion.
· Drew relationships between one or more points in the
discussion.
Writing:
· Wrote in a clear, concise, formal, and organized manner.
· Responses were error free.
· Information from sources, where applicable, was paraphrased
appropriately and accurately cited.