ASSIGNMENTS

I WILL CHECK FOR PLAGIARISM. DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. USE YOUR OWN OPINION. USE IN TEXT CITATIONS WHEN IT IS NECESSARY.

1- Analyze Chico'sFAS Inc 2010 Annual Report. In a 2 page document, write an overview of the company's functional strategies using the Three Functional Concerns model.

2- COURSE PROJECT

It is time to select a company for your Strategic Management Plan. In 1-2 paragraphs provide a brief description of the organization you selected and the reason why you chose that particular company.

WHEN SELECTING A COMPANY FOR YOUR COURSE PROJECT, I strongly urge you to choose a small business, perhaps one local to where you live. You'll want to avoid large companies such as Wal-Mart, Amazon, Google, Yahoo, Apple, Coke, Pepsi, Disney, Microsoft, etc. You'll also want to avoid franchise or home based distribution companies.

Chico's FAS Inc

Scoring Rubric:

Module  Course Project - Company Selection

Scoring Rubric:

3- Strategic Formulation and Strategic Implementation

Choose a Corporate example of poor strategic formulation and poor strategic implementation. In 2 page documents, evaluate and explain what happened. What could have been done to change the formulation and evaluation?

4- COURSE PROJECT SWOT ANALYSIS

Strategy formulation requires an objective analysis of the factors that characterize the company's strategic situation. There are a number of techniques that can be used to create a quick strategic overview of the company. SWOT analysis is an example of such a technique. SWOT analysis is based on the assumption that an effective strategy derives from a soundit" between the company's internal resources (Strengths and Weaknesses) and its external situation (Opportunities and Threats). A good fit maximizes the company's strengths and opportunities and minimizes its weaknesses and threats.

For example:

Positive

Negative

Internal Factors

Strengths

• Technological Skills
• Leading Brands
• Distribution Channels
• Customer Loyalty
• Customer Relationship
• Production Quality
• Management

Weaknesses

• Absence of important skills
• Weak Brands
• Poor Access to Distribution
• Low Customer Retention
• Unreliable Product/Service
• Management

External Factors

Opportunities

• Untapped Markets
• Technological advancements
• Mergers, joint ventures, partnerships, or strategic alliances
• Socio-cultural trends
• New Distribution Channels

Threats

• Changing Customer Tastes
• Closing Geographical Markets
• Technological Advances
• Changes in Government Policy
• Tax Increase
• Change in Demographic Structure
• New Distribution Channel

With the information above and other research, conduct a SWOT analysis on the company you selected. The format presented above should be used for your analysis.Then provide a 1 page narrative describing the analysis you conducted.

5- ORGANIZATIONAL

Research once failed companies Tyco and Best Buy. In a 2 page document, describe in detail, their organizational renewal strategies to create a successful turnaround. Compare the new corporate strategy to the old. Did it work?

6- COURSE PROJECT

Now that you have completed the internal and external audits for the company you chose for this project, use the information to create a list of strategic objectives. From these objectives, generate a list of strategy alternatives.

Using the appropriate tools of strategic choice from your text and research, choose a course of action. Be sure to justify your selections with supporting data/information.

For this assignment, you should submit a 2 page document containing:

• A list of strategic objectives
• A list of strategy alternatives
• Your strategic choice with appropriate justification

Your strategy analysis and choice become part of your overall strategic plan. For details on the paper, view the Strategic Plan - Introduction page located in Week 01 of this course