Business-Level and Corporate-Level Strategies Instructions
Please make sure to use the template
1
Figures title: 8
Week 8 Assignment 3
Student’s Full Name
BUS499 Business Administration Capstone
Professor’s Name
Date
Template Instructions (delete this page before submitting)
This template is provided to help you meet the assignment requirements.
This page should NOT be submitted with your assignment, as it is not part of an academically written paper. Note the “Clarity, writing mechanics, and formatting requirements” section of the grading rubric.
HOW TO USE THIS TEMPLATE
· Read the explanations provided in the template for each section of your paper.
· The explanations are in blue font below.
· You should have already read the assignment instructions in Blackboard.
· Type your response to each of the assignment requirements within the designated sections.
· Each assignment requirement is identified using a section Heading that is in black font
· DO NOT add extra spaces between sections.
· DO NOT change the margins.
· You are required to have a heading for each of the sections in your paper.
· The required headings have been provided for you.
· DO NOT delete, alter, or add anything to the section Headings.
· DO NOT type the assignment instructions into the sections.
· After typing your responses, change the font color to black and make sure it is not in bold.
· Be sure to change the font color on the title page to black after typing your name, professor’s name, and date.
· Everything in blue font below should be deleted and replaced with your responses.
· DELETE this entire page before you submit your assignment to avoid losing points. Do not leave a blank page here.
REMINDERS
· The assignment is due in week 8. Late submissions negatively impact your grade.
· Use the same public corporation you used for assignments 1 and 2.
· Do not copy content from previous assignments in this class or others.
· Include at least 6 full and complete academically written pages that address the requirements. The title page, this instruction page, and the source page do not count.
· Use at least 3 quality sources, one of which MUST be the course textbook.
· Strayer uses SafeAssign – an automated plagiarism checker. It is advised that you do your own writing and use external resources to support what you have written in your own words.
Week 8 Assignment 3
Write your introduction to this 6-page paper here. Include one (1) paragraph (not more than 6 lines of text) that explains what your paper will discuss. Much of your introduction may be taken from the assignment instructions (in your own words). Read all assignment resources to understand what should be included in your paper. Be sure to review the assignment instructions in Blackboard, the grading rubric, and relevant course announcements to understand the requirements. Do not exceed 6 lines of text in this introduction. There should be no direct quotes in this section. After reading these instructions, replace this blue text with your introduction and change the font color to black.
Business-Level Strategies
Analyze the business-level strategies for the corporation you chose to determine the business-level strategy you think is most important to the long-term success of the firm. You will also need to determine whether or not you judge this to be a good choice (Note: in this step you need to choose and write about only one (1) business-level strategy from the text book (not Google). Hint: See Figure 4.1 in the textbook. Include a thorough justification for your choice that is backed by facts and sound judgement. For background, be sure to research and explain the industry in which your selected corporation operates. You could also briefly (1 – 2 sentences) define the business-level strategy (cite your sources) you are writing about using the textbook/Learn, as an introduction to your analysis. Read Chapter 4 in the course textbook. Review the Week 4 Learn Reading for supporting content. Your response here should demonstrate that you understand the key concepts regarding the selected business-level strategy and can apply them to a real-world corporation. Keep in mind that this is a 6-page paper and as such your analysis should thoroughly address the concepts discussed in the course. Avoid unsubstantiated statements, extended introductory commentary, direct quotes, and unrelated content. Strive for about 1 ½ – 2 pages of well-constructed, in-depth analysis in this section.
In this section, you could research and identify the core competencies your chosen firm uses to implement its business-level strategies and discuss their effectiveness. You could also demonstrate from your research how the firm uses its core competencies to create and sell its products in the marketplace. Consider the actions & choices your firm has made to compete in individual product markets. Review Chapters 4-9 for specifics on the business-level strategies. Your response should clearly identify the one business-level strategy from the textbook that you think is most important to the long-term success of the corporation. Your response must also include a clearly stated and justified judgement on whether that strategy is a good choice. Include enough content and depth to demonstrate a thorough analysis of your selected corporation’s business-level strategy. Remember that this is a 6-page paper and as such, you will need to dig deep. After reading these instructions, replace this blue text with your analysis and change the font color to black.
Corporate-Level Strategies
Analyze the corporate-level strategies for the corporation you chose to determine the corporate-level strategy you think is most important to the long-term success of the firm. You will also need to determine whether or not you judge this to be a good choice. (Note: in this step you need to choose and write about only one (1) corporate-level strategy from the text book (not Google). Hint: See chapter 6 in the textbook. Include a thorough justification for your choice that is backed by facts and sound judgement. You could also briefly (1 – 2 sentences) define the corporate-level strategy (cite your sources) you are writing about using the textbook/Learn, as an introduction to your analysis. Read Chapter 6 in the course textbook. Review the Week 6 Learn Reading for supporting content. Your response here should demonstrate that you understand the key concepts regarding the selected corporate-level strategy and can apply them to a real-world corporation. Keep in mind that this is a 6-page paper and as such your analysis should thoroughly address the concepts discussed in the course. Avoid unsubstantiated statements, extended introductory commentary, direct quotes, and unrelated content. Strive for about 1 ½ – 2 pages of well-constructed, in-depth analysis in this section.
Your response should clearly identify the one corporate-level strategy from the textbook that you think is most important to the long-term success of the corporation. Your response must also include a clearly stated and justified judgement on whether that strategy is a good choice. Include enough content and depth to demonstrate a thorough analysis of your selected corporation’s corporate-level strategy. Remember that this is a 6-page paper and as such, you will need to dig deep. After reading these instructions, replace this blue text with your analysis and change the font color to black.
Competitive Environment
Analyze the competitive environment to determine the corporation’s most significant competitor (this will require research outside of the course material). Compare their strategies at each level and evaluate which company you think is most likely to be successful in the long term. Justify your choice. Hint: read chapters 1 – 10 in the course textbook as they provide a solid background for this section. Review the Week 1 – 8 Learn Readings for supporting content. Remember that this is a 6-page paper and requires a thorough competitive analysis. Strive for about a 1 ½ – 2 pages of well-constructed, in-depth analysis in this section. Cite your sources and avoid the use of direct quotes. After reading these instructions, replace this blue text with your analysis and change the font color to black.
Market Cycles
Determine whether your choice from Question 3 (Competitive Environment section above) would differ in slow-cycle and fast-cycle markets. It would be a good idea to briefly explain what the slow-cycle and fast-cycle markets are from the textbook (cite your sources) as a short introduction to your determination. Hint: read Chapter 5 in the course textbook. Remember that this is a 6-page paper and therefore each section requires a thorough response that demonstrates your understanding of key concepts covered in the course and your ability to apply them to a real-world corporation. Cite your sources and avoid the use of direct quotes. After reading these instructions, replace this blue text with your response and change the font color to black.
Sources
1. Hitt, Ireland, & Hoskisson. 2020. Strategic management: Concepts and cases: Competitiveness and globalization (13th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning
2. Author. Publication Date. Title. Page # (written as p. #). How to Find (e.g. web address)
3. Author. Publication Date. Title. Page # (written as p. #). How to Find (e.g. web address)
In this assignment, you are to use the same corporation you selected and focused on for the
assignments, Strategic Management and Strategic Competitiveness and External and Internal
Environments.
Research the company on its own website, the public filings on the Securities and Exchange
Commission’s Filing & Forms page, the Strayer University’s online databases, the Lexis
Advance database, and any other sources you can find. The annual report will often provide
insights that can help address some of these questions.
Use the Business-Level and Corporate-Level Strategies Template [DOCX] to ensure that your
assignment meets the requirements.
Requirements
Write a 6–8 page paper in which you do the following:
Analyze the business-level strategies for the corporation you chose to determine the
business-level strategy you think is most important to the long-term success of the firm and
whether or not you judge this to be a good choice. Justify your opinion.
Analyze the corporate-level strategies for the corporation you chose to determine the
corporate-level strategy you think is most important to the long-term success of the firm and
whether or not you judge this to be a good choice. Justify your opinion.
Analyze the competitive environment to determine the corporation’s most significant
competitor. Compare their strategies at each level and evaluate which company you think is
most likely to be successful in the long term. Justify your choice.
Determine whether your choice from Question 3 in the Business-Level and Corporate-Level
Strategies Template [DOCX] would differ in slow-cycle and fast-cycle markets.
Use at least three quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other websites do not quality as
academic resources.
This course requires the use of Strayer Writing Standards. For assistance and information, please
refer to the Strayer Writing Standards link in the left-hand menu of your course. Check with your
professor for any additional instructions.
The specific course learning outcome associated with this assignment is as follows:
Determine business-level and corporate-level strategies for a corporation’s long-term
success comparable to the competitive environment.
Scoring Guide
Ⓒ 2020 Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University Confidential and Proprietary
information and may not be copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed in whole or in part, without the expressed
written permission of Strayer University.
Analyze the business-level strategies for the
corporation you chose to determine the
business-level strategy you think is most
important to the long-term success of the firm
and whether or not you judge this to be a good
choice, and justify your opinion. 20 %
Unacceptable
Did not submit or
incompletely
analyzed the
business-level
strategies for the
corporation you
chose to
determine the
business-level
strategy you
think is most
important to the
long-term
success of the
firm and whether
or not you judge
this to be a good
choice. Did not
submit or
incompletely
justified your
opinion.
Needs
Improvement
Insufficiently
analyzed the
business-level
strategies for the
corporation you
chose to
determine the
business-level
strategy you
think is most
important to the
long-term
success of the
firm and whether
or not you judge
this to be a good
choice.
Insufficiently
justified your
opinion.
Satisfactory
Partially
analyzed the
business-level
strategies for the
corporation you
chose to
determine the
business-level
strategy you
think is most
important to the
long-term
success of the
firm and whether
or not you judge
this to be a good
choice. Partially
justified your
opinion.
Competent
Satisfactorily
analyzed the
business-level
strategies for the
corporation you
chose to
determine the
business-level
strategy you
think is most
important to the
long-term
success of the
firm and whether
or not you judge
this to be a good
choice.
Satisfactorily
justified your
opinion.
Exemplary
Thoroughly
analyzed the
business-level
strategies for the
corporation you
chose to
determine the
business-level
strategy you
think is most
important to the
long-term
success of the
firm and whether
or not you judge
this to be a good
choice.
Thoroughly
justified your
opinion.
Analyze the corporate-level strategies for the
corporation you chose to determine the
corporate-level strategy you think is most
important to the long-term success of the firm
and whether or not you judge this to be a good
choice, and justify your opinion. 20 %
Ⓒ 2020 Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University Confidential and Proprietary
information and may not be copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed in whole or in part, without the expressed
written permission of Strayer University.
Unacceptable
Did not submit or
incompletely
analyzed the
corporate-level
strategies for the
corporation you
chose to
determine the
corporate-level
strategy you
think is most
important to the
long-term
success of the
firm and whether
or not you judge
this to be a good
choice. Did not
submit or
incompletely
justified your
opinion.
Needs
Improvement
Insufficiently
analyzed the
corporate-level
strategies for the
corporation you
chose to
determine the
corporate-level
strategy you
think is most
important to the
long-term
success of the
firm and whether
or not you judge
this to be a good
choice.
Insufficiently
justified your
opinion.
Satisfactory
Partially
analyzed the
corporate-level
strategies for the
corporation you
chose to
determine the
corporate-level
strategy you
think is most
important to the
long-term
success of the
firm and whether
or not you judge
this to be a good
choice. Partially
justified your
opinion.
Competent
Satisfactorily
analyzed the
corporate-level
strategies for the
corporation you
chose to
determine the
corporate-level
strategy you
think is most
important to the
long-term
success of the
firm and whether
or not you judge
this to be a good
choice.
Satisfactorily
justified your
opinion.
Exemplary
Thoroughly
analyzed the
corporate-level
strategies for the
corporation you
chose to
determine the
corporate-level
strategy you
think is most
important to the
long-term
success of the
firm and whether
or not you judge
this to be a good
choice.
Thoroughly
justified your
opinion.
Analyze the competitive environment to
determine the corporation’s most significant
competitor, compare their strategies at each
level and evaluate which company you think is
most likely to be successful in the long term,
and justify your choice. 25 %
Ⓒ 2020 Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University Confidential and Proprietary
information and may not be copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed in whole or in part, without the expressed
written permission of Strayer University.
Unacceptable
Did not submit or
incompletely
analyzed the
competitive
environment to
determine the
corporation’s
most significant
competitor. Did
not submit or
incompletely
compared their
strategies at
each level and
incompletely
evaluated which
company you
think is most
likely to be
successful in the
long term. Did
not submit or
incompletely
justified your
choice.
Needs
Improvement
Insufficiently
analyzed the
competitive
environment to
determine the
corporation’s
most significant
competitor.
Insufficiently
compared their
strategies at
each level and
insufficiently
evaluated which
company you
think is most
likely to be
successful in the
long term.
Insufficiently
justified your
choice.
Satisfactory
Partially
analyzed the
competitive
environment to
determine the
corporation’s
most significant
competitor.
Partially
compared their
strategies at
each level and
partially
evaluated which
company you
think is most
likely to be
successful in the
long term.
Partially justified
your choice.
Competent
Satisfactorily
analyzed the
competitive
environment to
determine the
corporation’s
most significant
competitor.
Satisfactorily
compared their
strategies at
each level and
satisfactorily
evaluated which
company you
think is most
likely to be
successful in the
long term.
Satisfactorily
justified your
choice.
Exemplary
Thoroughly
analyzed the
competitive
environment to
determine the
corporation’s
most significant
competitor.
Thoroughly
compared their
strategies at
each level and
thoroughly
evaluated which
company you
think is most
likely to be
successful in the
long term.
Thoroughly
justified your
choice.
Determine whether your choice from Question 3
would differ in slow-cycle and fast-cycle
markets. 20 %
Ⓒ 2020 Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University Confidential and Proprietary
information and may not be copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed in whole or in part, without the expressed
written permission of Strayer University.
Unacceptable
Did not submit or
incompletely
determined
whether your
choice from
Question 3
would differ in
slow-cycle and
fast-cycle
markets.
Needs
Improvement
Insufficiently
determined
whether your
choice from
Question 3
would differ in
slow-cycle and
fast-cycle
markets.
Satisfactory
Partially
determined
whether your
choice from
Question 3
would differ in
slow-cycle and
fast-cycle
markets.
Competent
Satisfactorily
determined
whether your
choice from
Question 3
would differ in
slow-cycle and
fast-cycle
markets.
Exemplary
Thoroughly
determined
whether your
choice from
Question 3
would differ in
slow-cycle and
fast-cycle
markets.
Include three references. 5 %
Unacceptable
No references
provided.
Needs
Improvement
Does not meet
the required
number of
references; all
references poor-
quality choices.
Satisfactory
Does not meet
the required
number of
references;
some references
poor-quality
choices.
Competent
Meets number of
required
references; all
references high-
quality choices.
Exemplary
Exceeds number
of required
references; all
references high-
quality choices.
Clarity, writing mechanics, and formatting
requirements. 10 %
Unacceptable
More than 8
errors present.
Needs
Improvement
7–8 errors
present.
Satisfactory
5–6 errors
present.
Competent
3–4 errors
present.
Exemplary
0–2 errors
present.
w10a1 – Capstone
Summary
Click the linked activity title to access this assignment.
Text
Ⓒ 2020 Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University Confidential and Proprietary
information and may not be copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed in whole or in part, without the expressed
written permission of Strayer University.
How to earn full credit
assignment 3
Switch to Slide Show then click the on each slide to watch the embedded videos in a new window
1
Download the Template
Log into the Blackboard course
Navigate to the Course Info section
Click the linked file titled:
“BUS499 Assignment 3 Template 2020 x”
Open the downloaded file
Click “Enable Editing”
Save the file to your computer
2
Review the Instructions
Navigate to Week 8 in Blackboard
Read the Business-Level and Corporate-Level Strategies section
Navigate to the Course Info page in Blackboard
“Download the Course Guide”
Review the Scoring Guide in the Course Guide
Open the previously saved BUS499 Assignment 3 Template 2020 template
Read the entire template
Be sure to also read all announcements and email
3
Study Key Course Concepts
Complete the To-Do List in weeks 1 – 8
Review Chapters 1 – 10
Pay close attention to the following concepts:
Business-level strategies
Corporate-level strategies
Competitive environment
Slow-cycle markets
Fast-cycle markets
4
Company to Research
You will use the same company you researched for assignments 1 and 2
You will also use this same company for assignment 4
The Overview section of the assignment instructions include tips on choosing a public corporation
Papers on non-public corporation earn a score of zero
5
Title Page
Replace the text that reads “Student’s Full Name” with your name
Replace the text that reads “Professor’s Name” with your professor
Replace the text that reads “Date” with the current date
Highlight your name, professor’s name, and the date then change the font color to black
Select “Save”
6
Template Instructions
Scroll to page 2
Reread the template instructions
The template instructions page MUST be deleted before submitting your work
Do not leave a blank page after deleting the template instructions
Do not submit your paper with the template instructions included – you will lose points
The Template Instructions page was created to help you correctly use this resource. The content is based on best practices in writing, common mistakes students make, and the assignment requirements
7
Introduction
Begin your paper with a brief introduction
Develop an introduction that follows the introduction instructions in the template.
Replace the introduction instructions with the introduction you developed
Do not delete the “Week 8 Assignment 3” heading
Make sure all of the introduction instructions are removed
Make sure the font for your introduction is in black
Make sure the font for your introduction is NOT in bold
8
Requires Original Research
Do not copy content from Assignments 1 or 2
Do not copy content from other classes
Recycling work previous classes is an integrity violation
All instances of plagiarism are sent to Student Affairs
Visit the Virtual Writing Center for academic writing support
9
THIS IS A 6-PAGE PAPER
It is very important that you meet the minimum page requirement
The 6-page requirements is not an arbitrary requirement
The level of depth required in each of the core requirements warrants 6 full pages
Less than 6 full pages of content will result in less than the level of depth required
10
Business-Level Strategies
Analyze the business-level strategies to determine the one business-level strategy most important to long-term success for your selected corporation
See figure 4.1 in the textbook
Justify your strategy selection
Justify whether the strategy is a good choice
Demonstrate a thorough analysis of your selected corporation’s business-level strategy
This is not a definitions paper nor a copy/paste assignment – limit quotes
Strive for about 1 ½ – 2 pages of in depth content
11
Corporate-Level Strategies
Analyze the corporate-level strategies to determine the one corporate-level strategy most important to long-term success for your selected corporation
Justify your strategy selection
Justify whether the strategy is a good choice
Demonstrate a thorough analysis of your selected corporation’s corporate-level strategy
This is not a definitions paper nor a copy/paste assignment – limit quotes
Strive for about 1 ½ – 2 pages of in depth content
12
Competitive Environment
Analyze the competitive environment to determine the corporation’s most significant competitor
Compare strategies at each level
Evaluate which company you think is most likely to be successful long term
Justify your choice
Strive for about 1 ½ – 2 pages of in depth content
13
Market Cycles
Determine whether your choice from the Competitive Environment section would differ in slow-cycle and fast-cycle markets
Demonstrate your understanding of key concepts covered in the course and your ability to apply them to a real-world corporation
Avoid direct quotes
This is not a definitions paper
14
Minimum Page Requirement
This assignment requires at least 6 full pages of content directly addressing the 4 core assignment requirements
15
Sources
Read the instructions in Blackboard
Go to Basic Search: Strayer University Online Library and locate at least three quality references. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not quality as academic resources.
Scroll to the section of your paper with the “Sources” heading
The textbook has already been included in your source list but you need to use it in your paper.
Provide at least three (3) quality sources used in your paper
Again, one MUST be the textbook
Do not use cheat sites (e.g. free essay sites, coursehero, u.k.essay, etc.)
Make sure the font for your sources is in black
All sources listed on the Source page must have intext citations in your paper.
16
Submit Your Assignment
Submit your assignment using the provided MSWord template
The required template is a MSWord document
Do not change the document type to pdf, jpeg, rtf, odt, ppt, pptx, html, etc……
Submit your assignment as an attachment in Blackboard
Assignments cannot be emailed or posted to any other location
Do not copy and paste the content of your paper as comments in Blackboard
Submit your assignment by the due date to avoid late penalties
Late penalties can drop you grade significantly
Confirm your submission was successful
You will receive a confirmation email
You will see a preview of your work in Blackboard
17
Grading Reminders
All assignment grades include grading feedback
Read the feedback attached to your grade to understand what you did well and also what you can improve.
Once an assignment is graded and feedback provided, the assignment cannot be resubmitted for a better grade.
Plagiarized papers earn a grade of zero and will be reported to Student Affairs
Papers submitted without using the required template and section headings earn a grade of zero
18
Grading Timeline
Your submitted assignment will be graded in the order in which it is received
If submitted on time, expect your grade and feedback no later than 7 days after the assignment due date
Late submissions are graded after all on-time assignments have been graded
It is not necessary to send an email asking when your assignment will be graded.
All submitted assignments are graded
It is not necessary to send an email telling us that you submitted your assignment.
These emails have no baring on when your submission is graded
19
Frequently Missed Areas
Not submitting work on time
Not providing the analysis, justification and determination required
Not submitting at least 6 full pages of content addressing the requirements
Not using the template
Not using the textbook and course material
Plagiarism
20
Less Than 6 Pages is Less than Full Credit
The assignment requires no less than 6 full pages of content addressing the requirements
The level of depth needed in each assignment requirement will take at least 6 full pages of content.
Strive for 1 ½ to 2 pages for EACH of the main concept requirements:
Business-Level Strategies
Corporate-Level Strategies
Competitive Environment
Market Cycles
Balance your research throughout your paper
Ex. Do not write 4 pages on the Business-Level Strategies then short-change the other requirements to fit them into the other 2 pages
21
One More Time
Use the required template
Follow the instructions
Address each requirement
Submit on time
Do not copy from your sources
Do not recycle previous work
Write at least 6 full pages
22