1. This is a big picture question. This is a reflection and writing exercise. Now that you are at the end (or close to it) of this course, I want you to bring it all together. This question requir

BADM 7190 Exam Set #3 – Online MBA Program

(Topics 5 and 6)

Name:

Be very clear and specific in your answers. Avoid redundancy. I encourage you to give me too much information versus not enough. State all assumptions. Avoid rambling and the use of meaningless words/phrases (e.g., “doing better than competition” – tell me how and in what areas. Measured how?). Do not answer with a series of questions. Do not solely rely on examples to answer the questions; use examples to enhance your answer.

Question #1 is worth 300 points. Questions #2 and #3 are worth 100 points each.

Email responses to [email protected] in Word or PDF.

1. This is a big picture question. This is a reflection and writing exercise. Now that you are at the end (or close to it) of this course, I want you to bring it all together. This question requires you to integrate material across topics 1-5 for the purpose of having a well-rounded strategy formulation discussion. In class we mentioned that the ultimate goal of a firm is to outperform rivals and achieve a competitive advantage. This is done by creating a difference between the firm and its rivals, and preserving that difference. Simply put, how does a firm do this? To help you frame your answer this question, your response must discuss the following concepts, issues, and frameworks:

• Operational effectiveness

• Strategic positioning

• Fit among activities

• External environmental assessment (feel free to mention any of the specifics within this topic, if it helps with your response)

• Internal environmental assessment and the VRIO framework. Feel free to mention any of the specifics within the internal environmental assessment topic as they relate to the business diagnostic tools, if it helps with your response.

• Business-level strategy

• Corporate-level strategy

• Financial performance

I am looking for an integrated and comprehensive discussion. I am looking for you to explain/discuss the relationships between all of these concepts in allowing a firm to achieve the sustainable competitive advantage. Answering this question in about 1.5 - 2 pages is reasonable. Your narrative should be a mini-crash course on doing strategy well. I need to make sure you understand how all of these topics connect. Do not list the aforementioned concepts in bulleted format and give me a definition of each. I do not want a disjointed/disconnected answer. This will be your longest answer out of all the questions in this exam.

1. In topic 6, a top 13 list of essentials for successful implementation was offered. In your opinion, which three (3) lessons are the most important to successful implementation and why? Additionally, explain how you would implement these issues in order to maximize the probability for implementation success.

1. In your opinion, what are the three most important strategy lessons/ideas/concepts you learned in this class and why? I hope you will have found at least three that you will take with you for the rest of your life as a value creator for your company.