Running head: STRATEGIC FIT WITH THE INDUSTRY ENVIRONMENT 1 STRATEGIC FIT WITH THE INDUSTRY ENVIRONMENT 2 Strategic Fit With the Industry Environment James Smith MBA 6024 Unit 4 Assignment 1 3/20/16 Strategic management is termed as the art and the science of the formulation, implementation, and the evaluation of the cross-functional decisions that are made and enable an organization to achieve the goals that have been set. The objectives are achieved through the development of policies and plans that when implemented will assist in achieving the objectives of a firm. Therefore, the strategic management of any given organization combines various activities from various functional areas of an organization and also ensures that the organization is working towards accomplishing the set goals and objectives of a firm. The strategic management is tasked with giving instructions to the management team so as to combine their efforts towards the accomplishment of the organizational goals. It is a process that also involves the assessment of the competitors, the goals that have been set, and the effectiveness of the strategies that have been applied. There are various models that are used in the analysis of the strategies that are applied by a company. PEST analysis is the best suited technique that assists in evaluating the environment where a business operates. Scenario Planning, on the other hand, is a technique that is capable building various views that are plausible in regards to the future of the entity. The Porters Five commonly referred to as the five forces analysis is a model that is used to analyze the effects of competition in the industry. Market segmentation is the technique that seeks to identify the similarities and the differences between the group of customers and the users. The directional policy matrix is a technique that summarizes the competitive strength of the operation of business in specific areas (Burton 2012). The PEST analysis of a firm is a concept that is widely used in marketing. The tool is also crucial because it is used by these firms to master the environment where they are operating. Additionally, firms use the approach in the analysis of the environment before the launch of a new product. The analysis entails answering various questions that are of great importance to the firm. First, the firm seeks to understand the current political situation in the environment where the business is being operated. The analysis determines how the political situation of that given country will have an impact on the industry. The other question that the analysis seeks to answer is the prevalent economic factors that are in existence in the given environment (Haberberg 2007). The third question that has to be addressed by the analysis is the role culture in the market. Further, the analysis focuses on the determinants of the culture. The ...

1. Running head: STRATEGIC FIT WITH THE INDUSTRY
ENVIRONMENT 1
STRATEGIC FIT WITH THE INDUSTRY ENVIRONMENT
2
Strategic Fit With the Industry Environment
James Smith
MBA 6024
Unit 4 Assignment 1
3/20/16
Strategic management is termed as the art and the science of the
formulation, implementation, and the evaluation of the cross-
functional decisions that are made and enable an organization to
achieve the goals that have been set. The objectives are
achieved through the development of policies and plans that

2. when implemented will assist in achieving the objectives of a
firm. Therefore, the strategic management of any given
organization combines various activities from various
functional areas of an organization and also ensures that the
organization is working towards accomplishing the set goals and
objectives of a firm. The strategic management is tasked with
giving instructions to the management team so as to combine
their efforts towards the accomplishment of the organizational
goals. It is a process that also involves the assessment of the
competitors, the goals that have been set, and the effectiveness
of the strategies that have been applied.
There are various models that are used in the analysis of the
strategies that are applied by a company. PEST analysis is the
best suited technique that assists in evaluating the environment
where a business operates. Scenario Planning, on the other
hand, is a technique that is capable building various views that
are plausible in regards to the future of the entity. The Porters
Five commonly referred to as the five forces analysis is a model
that is used to analyze the effects of competition in the industry.
Market segmentation is the technique that seeks to identify the
similarities and the differences between the group of customers
and the users. The directional policy matrix is a technique that
summarizes the competitive strength of the operation of
business in specific areas (Burton 2012).
The PEST analysis of a firm is a concept that is widely used in
marketing. The tool is also crucial because it is used by these
firms to master the environment where they are operating.
Additionally, firms use the approach in the analysis of the
environment before the launch of a new product. The analysis
entails answering various questions that are of great importance
to the firm. First, the firm seeks to understand the current
political situation in the environment where the business is
being operated. The analysis determines how the political
situation of that given country will have an impact on the
industry. The other question that the analysis seeks to answer is
the prevalent economic factors that are in existence in the given

3. environment (Haberberg 2007).
The third question that has to be addressed by the analysis is the
role culture in the market. Further, the analysis focuses on the
determinants of the culture. The other question that needs to be
answered is the technological innovations that might impact the
structure of the market in the long run. Further, the legislations
that are available and how they might impact the market of that
particular product. Finally, the environmental concerns for the
industry are also performed during the analysis so as to ensure
that environment is favorable and friendly to prosper the
business in the industry.
The strategic position of the firm is positioned in a way that
they will succeed. The corporate strategy has been designed to
place the firm in a market position where it will be profitable.
Additionally, the employees in the firm will be best suited as
well as the products made will be successful. The firm is
supposed to reposition it and utilize the available resources so
as to acquire the largest market segment. The firm is
strategically fit with the current competition that is in the
environment. The degrees that have to be evaluated in regards
to the organizational structure are in regards market forces, the
target market, and the positioning of the firm. The
implementation will also have an impact on the success or the
increase in the revenue (Henry 2011).
References
Burton, R. M. Organization Design: The evolving state-of-the-
art. Boston, MA: Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, 2012.
Haberberg, A., & Rieple, A. Strategic management: Theory and
application. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007.
Henry, A. Understanding strategic management. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2011.
Running head: STRATEGIC FIT OF THE FIRM ASSESSMENT

4. 1
STRATEGIC FIT OF THE FIRM ASSESSMENT
2
Strategic Fit of the Firm
Assessment
James Smith
MBA 6024
Unit 3 Assignment 1 Rewrite
3/19/16
The Virgin Group is a company that is doing well in the
industry despite that many inconsistencies that occurred. The
company’s strategies that have been made are aimed at making
sure that company has achieved the objectives or the goals that
have been set using these strategies. The set strategic plan is
brilliant and has highlighted on some of the areas that need to
be improved. The establishment of the strategy is also likely to
bring about motivation to the individuals. The application of the

5. strategies is also likely to impact the organization's performance
in a positive manner since the individuals will be having set
aspirations as well as motivations to inspire the members of the
given organization.
The firm is in full control of the available resources and also
has the required capabilities that will assist in ensuring that the
strategies have been implemented. The functions of the
company are usually structured in a way that they are easily
applicable, and they can be of many benefits to the
organization. The issue of the differentiation has also made it
possible for the organization to gain a competitive advantage in
the issues that they will be tackling especially the ones that are
concerned with the increased productivity of the organization.
The resources belonging to the firm are also properly allocated
to make sure that the level of productivity has continued to
increase.
There are various inconsistencies between the firm’s strategy
and its goals. The company aims to attain a high profitability
but then it uses low pricing which certainly indicates that there
are inconsistencies since the goal can be hardly achieved with
the strategy. Such a strategy would not inspire or motivate
workers as they would want to see greater sales and
achievement for the company.
The company leverages its resources as well as capability by
making sure that they are combined in the best way to help to
execute the business strategy. The firm ensures that it reduces
the cost of production which is translated to low cost to the
consumer. The firm’s capabilities are found on both the
functions as well as the value chain. The company uses its
resources as well as capabilities in ensuring that competitive
advantage is established and is sustainable. Low pricing
strategy ensures that the company is in front of competitors.
The low pricing strategy helps in ensuring that there is logic in
decisions that are made regarding allocation of resources since
it ensures that they are optimally allocated.
The organization structure of the organization as well as the

6. management system of design has been on the forefront in
making sure that they have accomplished the desired goals of
the organization as well as making sure that the business
strategies have been applied without any delay. The
organizational structure of the organizational structure of the
organization has created an environment that is best suited for
the increase performance and productivity. The resource
allocation has made it possible for the firm to remain in a better
environment that will enhance the performance of the firm
(Garlichs, 2011).
Shareholders and stakeholders have the opportunity of
benefiting from the implementation of the strategies.
Shareholders will receive a higher value for the money that they
have invested in the company. The shareholders including
customers, suppliers and the society at large will benefit as the
project will benefit them by giving suppliers a high income and
offering goods to customers that suit them. The distribution of
excess profit will be done in accordance to what one has
invested in the company such that where the amount contributed
is small then the amount of profit to be given will also be small.
Differentiation strategy ensures that the interests of the
shareholders, as well as those of the stakeholders, are
consistently balanced by ensuring shareholders receive their fair
share of profits, and the stakeholder receives the goods that they
desire as well as the payments that they deserve.
There are opportunities about the strategic fit between the
company’s capabilities, organizational structure, and the
management systems. The company’s capabilities are high,
and the strategy can work well due to this advantage. The
organizational structure tends to support such programs, and it
will be an opportunity for the company to practice it. The
management systems are intact and capable of handling such a
strategic issue.
A fit strategic report suggests that the firm is ready to
implement the differentiation strategy that will help it in
producing goods that are desired by customers. The strategy has

7. the advantage boosting the sales as well as productivity which
is desired by the company. The internal environment is well
suited for the strategy and can handle it. The company has
skilled employees, many resources and the time to execute the
plan. The differentiation strategy is applied to product lines by
altering them as desired by customers. The strategy will be
applied to different market segments by enquiring what the
different customers want and changing the goods to suit the
customers’ needs (Lindow, 2013).
References
Garlichs, M. (. (2011). The concept of strategic fit. Hamburg:
Diplomica.
Lindow, C. M. (2013). A strategic fit perspective on family firm
performance. Wiesbadenr: Springer Gable.
Running head: Strategic Frame Assessment 1
BUSINESS STRATEGIES AND MODELS

8. Strategic Frame Assessment
James Smith
MBA 6024 Unit 1 Assignment 1
2/27/16
EXECUTIVE MEMO
To: Vice president, Teri Bell.
From: Marketing manager.
Re: THE VIRGIN GROUP STRATEGIC MODELS AND
FRAMEWORK.
Firm’s business and corporate strategies.
Virgin group, being a huge conglomerate organization with
hundreds of subsidiary companies, has laid out business
strategies which differ from one organization to another. These
are the decisions which a firm is involved in and makes while in
the process of maintaining, creating and making use of
advantages in the market for better competition methods. Small
business owners, can identify where competitive advantage may
be best exploited through evaluation of the company’s
competition, product line, target market and market gaps.
Keeping costs low and choosing differentiation of products
could be effectively used(Jensen, 2000). However, a firm which
chooses to keep costs low may not meet the profitability targets
set thus would prefer using differentiation as a strategic plan to
lure customers into purchasing the company’s products. This

9. company could also emphasize on freshness, quality ingredients
or some other attributes that consumers will value highly
enough to pay extra. This firm’s strategy is diversification of
products, which creates a variety for customers, hence enables
customer attraction and retention for the organization.
Corporate strategies undertaken by the firm are such as
mergers, franchising and adopting globalization. When an
additional business is incorporated into the firm, making
decisions on corporate strategies is a critical step. The firm
needs to be aware of the need to be effective in all projects it
undertakes and profitability levels it aims at, in the global and
local market levels. Selling volumes enables the firm to enjoy
economies of scale and this is a clear way to conquer emerging
competition from all fields.
How the firm competing and applying business and corporate
strategies.
The firm competes through production of differentiated
products. The application of matrix, hybrid and cost
minimization strategies did not work well for the firm as other
factors were greatly compromised. Use of differentiated
products has led to the increased number of sales and thus
profitability. This is the method used to counter competition
and has proven to be more effective than other strategies, as
customer satisfaction is assured. Diversification is applied
through thorough market research, which enables marketers to
identify gaps in the market, consumer trends and preferences.
Competitive game plan.
Workplace diversity has been emphasized over the past
several years. This is due to the benefits it brings along with it
and the creation of equal opportunity to all members in an
organization. In my view, diversity awareness involves the
recognition by employees of the importance of the existence of
several groups at the workplace is an important issue in an
organization. This entails harnessing and encouraging the
existence of different personnel in an organization, which is
entirely to the organizations advantage. Product diversity has

10. also seen to the firm’s success over the years. Customers prefer
differentiated brands, where they can make choices and select
the brands they prefer rather than being tied to accepting a
single set of products (Watson, 2005). This is a critical step for
the firm and the advantages of this type of measure have been
clearly monitored. The firm has gained a strong market position
and an added competitive advantage.
The firm's business model. What is the customer value
proposition? What is the profit proposition?
The business model used is that from the manufacturer,
retailer and finally the consumer. With this, a shorter chain of
distribution is enabled thus cutting costs for the firm. Cutting
costs is an effective method of generating funds for the firm.
This is through minimization of expenditure thus keeping cash
inflows higher than the outflows. Virgin Atlantic’s promotion
has a positive impact on consumers. The main aim of this
company is to ensure customer satisfaction and profit
maximization at the same time. The huge company has made a
global name for themselves and its promotion has played a big
part in this. The customer value proposition for virgin Atlantic
include all the overall advantages or benefits that their
customers will derive from being their partners in business and
being part of them in general. Prices are cut down to see to it
that customers are pleased, and the issues of quality and support
are offered to the company’s clients. These go hand in hand
with the company’s profit propositions as the firm, through
application of promotional techniques has been able to counter
competitive forces and remain the best service providers in the
regions it operates.
The firm's corporate strategy, including product, geographical,
and vertical scope in which it operates.
Products and services provided by the virgin group of
companies are: travel, leisure, mobile, media, holidays and
more. For the virgin group of companies to have attained such
levels of success in the corporate world, it must have a hugely
thought out and effective marketing mix achieved through the

11. four key elements; product, promotion, price and placement.
This has led to the firm taking part in expansion activities from
its initial product line and field of operation. With the
implementation of its well decided strategies, virgin group of
companies has earned customer trust, especially through the
name itself and provision of quality services for its consumers.
The firm is situated in various places in the world, having
numerous branches in different areas. Due to the pure size of
the Virgin Group their distribution channel is extremely
expansive. This is a global company which has extended
operations to meet customer requirements and create awareness
on its products and value. The firm owns various related
ventures in the world, through mergers and acquisitions which
have been its sources of strength as compared to other
businesses.
References
Jensen, C. (2000). Foundations of Strategy. New York: Harvard
University press.
http://media.capella.edu/CourseMedia/MBA6024/assignmentIntr
o1/wrapper.asp
Watson, B. (2005). Business Models: Investing in Companies
and Sectors with strong Competitive Advantage. Hampshire:
Harriman house limited.