13 Jan Remember that you are

Module 2 – Case

SWOT ANALYSIS

Assignment Overview

For the Module 2 Case, we will be formulating a SWOT analysis of the Coca-Cola Company.

Case Assignment

Visit the library, and go to IBISWorld. Enter the term “Soda Production in the U.S.” After you have familiarized yourself with the IBISWorld contents (be sure that you review all pages on the Soda industry), perform some additional and more current research in the library on Coca-Cola (use trade journals, newspaper articles, and magazines). Be sure that you review the company’s most recent 10-K report as well, located at http://www.coca-colacompany.com/2015-year-in-review/downloads

Then, in a well-written 5-page paper, do the following:

Perform an assessment of Coca-Cola’s external environment, identifying key opportunities and threats, by doing the following:

Complete an analysis of Coca-Cola’s external environment using Porter’s Five Forces.

Using the Function Approach to Internal Analysis, identify key strengths and weaknesses at Coca-Cola by performing an in-depth internal analysis of the company. Use what you have learned in previous courses to perform your analysis. At a minimum, evaluate the following functional areas:

Accounting/Finance: Include your analysis of at least three (3) key financial ratios (if you need a resource, see: Drake, P. (n.d.). Financial Ratio Analysis. Retrieved from http://educ.jmu.edu/~drakepp/principles/module2/fin_rat.pdf).

Marketing

Human Resources

Operations Management

Technology

Logistics

After you have completed your Internal and External analyses, prepare a table in which you clearly show the most important strengths and weaknesses of the company, and the most salient opportunities and threats currently facing the Coca-Cola Company.

Conclude your analysis by answering the following:

Does Coca-Cola have more strengths or weaknesses? Explain.

Does Coca-Cola have more opportunities or threats? Explain.

Does Coca-Cola have any sustainable competitive advantages? If so, what are they?

Assignment Expectations

Your Case Assignment should be a minimum of 5 pages in length.

You are required to use APA formatting, and you are required to cite and reference your sources. There should be a minimum of three (3) reputable sources cited and referenced in your paper (at least two of your sources must be different from the sources provided you in the Background materials).

Please make sure you review the assignment rubric prior to writing your assignment.

Module 2 – SLP

SWOT ANALYSIS

For purposes of the Module 2 SLP, once again consider yourself to be an expert in the field of Strategic Management. In this assignment, you will blog about some aspect of the external environment of an organization, providing examples based on current events you have found in a recent article in a trade journal, newspaper, or magazine (e.g., the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Business Week, or Forbes).

Hint: Visit either ProQuest or EBSCO-Business Source Complete in the library. Choosing an industry that is of interest to you, find a recent article related to how one or more of Porter’s Five Forces or PESTLE have impacted your chosen industry. You may want to type in a specific force as a key word (e.g., Social, Economic, Legal, Threat of Entry, Competitive Rivalry, Suppliers, Buyers, etc.). Be sure to click on “Trade Publications,” “Newspapers,” and/or “Magazines”. You may also select a specific company and discuss how a force (or forces) in the remote or industry environment have (for better or worse) affected that company.

For example, you might find a recent article related to how the fiercely competitive nature (one of Porter’s Five Forces) within the soda industry has affected the market share of such major company players as Coca-Cola or Pepsico. Or you might find an article that evaluates how a new law or regulation (in the remote environment) has impacted the healthcare industry.

Remember that you are playing the role of a Strategic Management blogger, who is conveying to the public how environmental forces (whether remote environment or industry environment forces) are affecting a particular industry.

Your main article(s) for your blog entry must be no older than 12 months. You may, of course, use older sources to support your discussion and analysis, however, the current event article serving as the main focus of your paper must be no more than 12 months old.

SLP Assignment Expectations

Your SLP assignment should be a minimum of 2-3 pages in length.

You are required to use APA formatting and you are required to cite and reference your sources. There should be a minimum of three reputable sources cited and referenced in your paper.

Please make sure you review the assignment rubric prior to writing your assignment.