Introduction:You will use the various analytical tools presented in the course to provide a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis for a company with which you are familiar and have not previously performed analysis on such as a competitor of your current employer. Once the SWOT analysis has been generated, you will discuss how this information might be used in terms of making strategic decisions for the company. You will also discuss what makes a strategy either successful or unsuccessful and how the SWOT analysis can affect the overall success or failure of the strategy. Finally, you will use your analysis to create a business strategy for the company in task 2.Requirements:A. Evaluate what makes a strategy either successful or unsuccessful by doing the following:1. Discuss how the creation of the vision, mission, and values statements are critical in the formation of the overall strategy.·       Chapter 2 discusses the development of a strategic vision, mission statement, and value statement.·       Provide an overview of the importance of each of these aspects of business planning and strategy.·       Discuss vision, mission statement, and value statements in detail and build a case for their strategic importance to a company.·       Tie each of the three components to the overall strategy of a business and explain how they provide a framework for future strategic planning. 2. Discuss the importance of leadership team buy-in of the strategy.·       Review Chapter 2 of the text as it relates to the corporate leadership team’s role in developing and implementing a strategic vision.·       Provide a detailed discussion of the fact that it is important for the leadership of an organization to buy in to the strategic plans of the organization.·       Discuss the role that the leadership of an organization plays in crafting and implementing the strategic vision of an organization. 3. Discuss the use of at least two analytical tools in performing a situational analysis.·       Chapter one discusses the three tests of a winning strategy (Fit Test, Competitive Advantage Test, and Strong Performance Test)·       Other examples for analyzing the internal and external business environment include resource & capability analysis (Chapter 4) , Porters five forces (Chapter 3), PESTEL analysis (Chapter 3), and SWOT analysis (Chapter 4).·       Outline the definition of two of these tests and cite all work appropriately.·       Discuss, in detail, the importance of each test and its impact on crafting a successful strategy. 4. Discuss the importance of having the appropriate alignment between strategy, people, and corporate culture.·       Chapter 12 discusses corporate culture and the role that it play in an organization.·       Provide an in depth discussion, with examples, of the need to align the strategy, human resources, and corporate culture.·       Discuss the role of ethics, values, and norms and the way they impact results. a.   Discuss the role that this alignment plays in determining the success or failure of the business strategy.·       Provide examples of successful and unsuccessful alignment of corporate cultures, people, and strategy. Cite work appropriately and utilize details when building a case for the importance of alignment. B. Perform a SWOT analysis for a company with which you are familiar or where you are presently employed by doing the following:1. Analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the company.·       Chapter 4 provides a great deal of information on performing a SWOT analysis·       Perform a SWOT analysis on a business that you are familiar with; preferably one for which you work or have worked for in the past.·       View these YouTube Videoso    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0D2fT6obqdgo    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNXYI10Po6A·       Provide an in depth overview of the organization that allows the reader to grasp the company. Provide items such as size, products, services, market, and geographic scope.·        Place at least five to eight bullet points in each of the four quadrants and provide detailed analysis of why these items have been placed in the particular quadrant.·       Remember that Strengths and Weaknesses are internal to the company while Opportunities and Threats are external and somehow impact the entire industry.·       Remember that Strengths and Opportunities are good things while Weaknesses and Threats are bad things. C. Discuss how the SWOT analysis from part B impacts your company’s strategic decisions.·       Review Chapter 4 about the impact that a SWOT analysis has on strategic planning.·       Discuss, in detail, how the SWOT analysis that was completed in the previous section impacts a company’s strategic plan.·       Provide facts to support your contentions.·       Discuss at least three changes that could be made based on the SWOT analysis and provide a basic plan for implementing these changes. D. When you use sources, include all in-text citations and references in APA format.·       Refer to the Purdue OWL online resource for APA tips and tricks.o    https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/·       Utilize the Center for Writing Excellence when needed in order to ensure the submission is APA compliant. Note: For definitions of terms commonly used in the rubric, see the Rubric Terms web link included in the Evaluation Procedures section.Note: When using sources to support ideas and elements in an assessment, the submission MUST include APA formatted in-text citations with a corresponding reference list for any direct quotes or paraphrasing. It is not necessary to list sources that were consulted if they have not been quoted or paraphrased in the text of the assessment.Note: No more than a combined total of 30% of a submission can be directly quoted or closely paraphrased from outside sources, even if cited correctly. For tips on using APA style, please refer to the APA Handout web link included in the APA Guidelines section.
