Monique Gilliam Wednesday27 Nov at 21:02 Manage discussion entry Week 2 Discussion Forum Discuss the elements of strategic management and explain why it is crucial to an organization's survival. Excluding the examples from the textbook, give an example of a company that failed as a result of poor strategic management. Explain the difference between a strategy and a business model. Please discuss this in 200-250 words. Strategic management is a strategy that provides direction for a company.  Strategic management is a plan that includes situation analysis, strategy formulation, strategy implementation, and strategy evaluation.  Situation analysis is how managers learn and understand what the company is capable of, along with the customers and the business environment.  Strategy formulation is the process that is used to achieve the goals of the company.  Strategy implementation puts the plan in motion, and strategy evaluation tests the effectiveness of an idea. For a business to survive, the management team must be willing to grow the company to obtain new opportunities; without growth, a business will not be able to maintain longevity with a large amount of competition. The extension allows a business the ability to obtain assets, funds, and investments that will enable a push toward performance and profits. Sears is a company that I believe that failed because of poor strategic management. Sears has been a household name for many years until new competition such as Walmart and Amazon, to name a few came on the scene.  I don't believe Sears had a plan, strategy, or a goal of how-to compete because of their household name in the past.  A business should always be assessing its strategy for success; if not, the industry could be left behind.  Sears, in my hometown, never had any significant updates to the store or the merchandise to keep up with the competition. It seems to me that their strategy was just lower prices on already low-quality merchandise, excluding exercise equipment, appliances, and outdoor equipment. All businesses, large and small, should have a strategy and a business model.   A strategy is a plan of action that explains what the company will and will not do, how they plan to compete with the competition, and how they will execute the plan.  The business model is how the company plans to make a profit; also, the business model identifies what the products and services are and who their target market is and any expenses. These two plans will aid in keeping a business moving in the right direction. James Miller Thursday28 Nov at 6:30 Manage discussion entry  Strategic Planning BUS402 Week 2 Discussion 1 Discuss the elements of strategic management and explain why it is crucial to an organization’s survival. The process of strategic management is made up of four elements: situation analysis, strategy formulation, strategy implementation, and strategy evaluation. Situational analysis is the stepping off point of strategic mana ...

1. Monique Gilliam
Wednesday27 Nov at 21:02
Manage discussion entry
Week 2 Discussion Forum
Discuss the elements of strategic management and explain why
it is crucial to an organization's survival. Excluding the
examples from the textbook, give an example of a company that
failed as a result of poor strategic management. Explain the
difference between a strategy and a business model. Please
discuss this in 200-250 words.
Strategic management is a strategy that provides direction for a
company. Strategic management is a plan that includes
situation analysis, strategy formulation, strategy
implementation, and strategy evaluation. Situation analysis is
how managers learn and understand what the company is
capable of, along with the customers and the business
environment. Strategy formulation is the process that is used to
achieve the goals of the company. Strategy implementation puts
the plan in motion, and strategy evaluation tests the
effectiveness of an idea.
For a business to survive, the management team must be willing
to grow the company to obtain new opportunities; without
growth, a business will not be able to maintain longevity with a
large amount of competition. The extension allows a business
the ability to obtain assets, funds, and investments that will
enable a push toward performance and profits.
Sears is a company that I believe that failed because of poor
strategic management. Sears has been a household name for
many years until new competition such as Walmart and
Amazon, to name a few came on the scene. I don't believe
Sears had a plan, strategy, or a goal of how-to compete because
of their household name in the past. A business should always
be assessing its strategy for success; if not, the industry could
be left behind. Sears, in my hometown, never had any

2. significant updates to the store or the merchandise to keep up
with the competition. It seems to me that their strategy was just
lower prices on already low-quality merchandise, excluding
exercise equipment, appliances, and outdoor equipment.
All businesses, large and small, should have a strategy and a
business model. A strategy is a plan of action that explains
what the company will and will not do, how they plan to
compete with the competition, and how they will execute the
plan. The business model is how the company plans to make a
profit; also, the business model identifies what the products and
services are and who their target market is and any expenses.
These two plans will aid in keeping a business moving in the
right direction.
James Miller
Thursday28 Nov at 6:30
Manage discussion entry
Strategic Planning
BUS402 Week 2
Discussion 1
Discuss the elements of strategic management and explain why
it is crucial to an organization’s survival.
The process of strategic management is made up of four
elements: situation analysis, strategy formulation, strategy
implementation, and strategy evaluation. Situational analysis is
the stepping off point of strategic management. Factors that are
considered in situational analysis include, internal and external
environments of the company. Internally a company looks at
employee interactions and externally an organization considers
supplier and vendor interactions (The major elements of
strategic management process, n.d.). Strategy formulation is
the design phase of strategic management. This is phase where
the strategy is formulated and developed. A company looks at
their overall strengths on a corporate, operational and

3. competitive level. The next stage is strategy implementation.
This phase employs the strategic plan and are the steps and
methods that will execute the strategic plan. The last element is
strategic evaluation. This is an examination of the strategic
implementation. An organization needs to ensure that the
strategy is achieving the designed goal. Strategic management
is a continuous process. Strategic management is integral to a
company’s growth. Without a strategic plan a company will
remain status quo and fail to meet emerging needs.
Excluding the examples from the textbook, give an example of a
company that failed as a result of poor strategic management.
Blockbuster video, founded in 1984, at one time was the leading
video rental space. Blockbuster video in the early 2000s had
over 9000 stores and more than 80,000 employees worldwide.
In the late 1990s, a newcomer to the video rental market,
Netflix, began offering rentals over the internet. Netflix
approached Blockbuster in 2000 and offered to sell them their
service for $50 million. Blockbuster declined the offer because
they felt the company was a niche business that only catered to
a small clientele. Netflix now has almost 150 million
subscribers and revenues that exceed $15 billion. Blockbuster
failed to embrace digital media streaming until it was too late
and subsequently filed for bankruptcy in 2013.
Explain the difference between a strategy and a business model.
Abraham (2006) provides a simple definition for strategy as
“how a company competes.” (p.127). A company’s strategy
allows them to concentrate their focus upon a vision or long-
term goal. A company’s business model is the tool/tools they
use to execute that strategy.
-Dusty Miller
Reference
Abraham, S. C. (2006). Strategic planning: A practical guide for
competitive success, p. 127. Miami, OH: Thomson South-
Western (Cengage).
The major elements of strategic management process. (n.d.)

4. Retrieved from
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/196677/the_major_ele
ments_of_the_strategic.html?singlepage=true&cat=3
James Miller
Friday29 Nov at 7:45
Manage discussion entry
Environmental Scanning
BUS402 Week 2
Interactive Assignment
Leidos, Inc. (LDOS)
Provide a general description of the publicly traded company
you chose.
As listed in the Mergent on-line database, Leidos, Inc. is a
company, engaged in science, engineering and information
technology that provides services and solutions in the defense,
intelligence, civil and health markets (2019). Leidos’ segments
are:
Defense
Solution
s, which deploys solutions in the areas of intelligence
surveillance and reconnaissance, enterprise information
technology, integrated systems, cybersecurity and global
services;
Civil, which is focused on integrating and protecting physical,
digital and data domains.
Health, which is focused on delivering solutions to federal and

5. commercial customers that are responsible for the health and
well-being of people including service members and veterans.
Describe the challenges facing the company in the chosen
category of analysis.
Leidos continues to face challenges in the area of technological
advancement. Current advances in emerging technologies
possess strategic significance. Kania (2018) notes that growth
in biotechnology, artificial intelligence (AI), fifth-generation
mobile communications (5G), and quantum computing are
integral to economic competitiveness (para. 2). The hurdles
that Leidos encounters in these areas, lies in actively recruiting
subject matter experts in these fields. Leidos must also be able
to provide an environment of growth for these individuals.
Staying at the forefront of technological innovation will be key
to the strategic success of the company.
Assess its current performance in your chosen category of
analysis.
Leidos is listed on the Forbes 500 list as one of the best
companies to work for and is continually ranked on top 10 lists
in the areas of technological innovation, scientific discovery
and collaboration, and informatics. These awards assist in
recruiting efforts of top minds in the disciplines for which
Leidos is noted. These recruitment efforts allow Leidos to meet
the challenges of advancing technology.
Forecast its projected performance in your chosen category of

6. analysis.
Leidos” current forecast is to be a $25 billion company by
2025. One of Leidos’ key values in the company’s values
statement is “Innovation”. Innovation will be key to Leidos
achieving success in technological advancement. Leidos
continues to develop new technologies and has seen an upward
trend in patent filings. Leidos is investing in the company’s
infrastructure by shifting the strategic focus to a more
aggressive mergers and acquisition approach.
Evaluate impending opportunities or challenges that result from
your environmental scan.
Challenges that Leidos continues to face come from their
competitors. Companies such as Booze Allen Hamilton,
Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon continue to provide
technological advancements in many of the same disciplines as
Leidos. These companies compete with Leidos for talent and
for contract awards. Another challenge faced by Leidos is the
ever-changing face of technology. Leidos must be able to adapt
quickly to these changes and advancements.
Opportunities for Leidos lie in emerging global markets.
Technology has allowed many former Third World nations to
emerge as frontiers for corporate advancement and talent pools.
By investing in these nations, Leidos can seize the opportunity
of growth outside of the US domestic market and increase their
global footprint.

7. -Dusty Miller
Reference
Kania, E. (2018 December 29) Challenges of technology,
innovation and competition in the new year. Retrieved
from https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/423066-challenges-
of-technology-innovation-and-competition-in-the-new-
year (Links to an external site.)
Mergent On-Line, (2019). Leidos Holdings Inc (NYS: LDOS).
Retrieved from https://www-mergentonline-com.proxy-
library.ashford.edu/companydetail.php?compnumber=115750&p
agetype=synopsis (Links to an external site.)
Monique Gilliam
Friday29 Nov at 14:56
Manage discussion entry
Week 2 Interactive Assignment
Provide a general description of the publicly traded company
you chose.
Dollar General (DG) is a discount retailer. As of March 1, 2019,
DG operated 15,472 stores located in 44 States, primary in the
Southern, Southwestern, Midwestern, and eastern U.S. DG
provides a selection of merchandise, including consumables

8. items, seasonal items, home products, and apparel. DG
merchandise includes national brands, as well as its private
brand selection with prices at substantial discounts to national
brands (Dollar General, 2019)
Describe the challenges facing the company in the chosen
category of analysis.
I believe that a challenge Dollar General could have with
demographics is trying to move into an area that has middle-
and upper-class income. Most people in this income bracket like
things a certain way, and although they have a choice, they
don't want certain things in their list of options. Dollar General
is known to cater to the small rural Americans with income less
than $40,000 per year.
Assess its current performance in your chosen category of
analysis.
DG has 135,000 employees, 15,000 + stores in 44 States, they
rank 123rd on the fortune 500 lists, and they had $25.6 billion
in sales as of the fiscal year of February 2019. AS of November
29,2019, revenue is $26.7 billion with net income $1.6 million
(investor. Dollar general, 2019)
Forecast its projected performance in your chosen category of
analysis.
2020 should be another year of growth for DG the company has
plans to be visible in 46 states in the year of 2020 with three
new stores already under construction that will celebrate their

9. grand opening in the early fiscal year of 2020 (Dollar General,
2019).
Evaluate impending opportunities or challenges that result from
your environmental scan.
The impending opportunities for DG success are to continue to
impact rural Americans with a fully-stocked convenience store
as well as the move to other demographics of income. DG's
mission statement is to "serve others," and that should be all
demographics. They may have to upscale the stores in these
areas, but they still be should be visible or available in those
areas, and if they do not grow, then they can relocate. I believe
the stores will do well for that income bracket.
Reference
Investors.Dollargeneral.com
Dollar General Corp (NYS: DG) Retrieved from https://www-
mergentonline-com.proxy-
library.ashford.edu/companydetail.php?compnumber=2516&pag
etype=synopsis