02 Jan References: Suppor

Research Information

Review the following resources to further your understanding of a selected firm to use in your coursework. Use additional resources from the Capella University Library, Internet, your text case studies, or your own research, as needed, for completing the course assessments.

Ford

Ford is a complex multinational organization that has recently focused on strategic initiatives to address production capacity, supply chain reliability, sustainability, and technological innovation in order to remain competitive in the rapidly changing automotive industry.

Grant, R. M., and Jordan, J. (2012). Ford and the world automobile industry in 2012. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley and Sons.

Currie, A., Larsen, P. T. (2011, Jun 7). Ambitious goals for Ford. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/08/business/08views.html?_r=0

Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative. (n.d). Ford Motor Company manages ethics and social responsibility [PDF]. Retrieved from: https://danielsethics.mgt.unm.edu/pdf/ford-motor-case.pdf

Henry, J. (2015). One Ford, part two; Tweaking The master plan. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimhenry/2015/08/30/one-ford-part-two-tweaking-the-master-plan/#3d15b7147333

Miller, D. (2016, April 9). Dispelling 3 Ford Motor Company shareholder concerns. The Motley Fool. Retrieved from http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/04/09/dispelling-3-ford-motor-company-concerns.aspx

Complete a SWOT analysis, synthesize the internal and external analyses of your selected firm, and make recommendations to leadership through an executive PowerPoint presentation.

As a business professional, you may be asked to complete a SWOT analysis to report on your key findings and make recommendations to leadership (often through PowerPoint presentations). This assessment allows you to practice this type of analysis, summarize your key findings, and present your recommendations to leadership.

In this assessment, you will focus on recommendations to address strategic issues. Strategic recommendations include not only formulating strategy, but approaches to implement, or realize, them.

Grant and Jordan (2015) say that the “primary value of a formal planning system is creating a mechanism for linking strategy to a system of implementation that involves operational planning, target setting, and resource allocation” (p. 310). A key element of a successful strategy is effective implementation. Aspects of organizational structure, systems, and culture determine the effectiveness with which strategy is executed and are fundamental to the effectiveness of strategic management.

As you prepare to complete this assessment, you may want to think about other related issues to deepen your understanding or broaden your viewpoint. You are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of your professional community. Note that these questions are for your own development and exploration and do not need to be completed or submitted as part of your assessment.

Overview

The organizational leadership of your selected firm has requested that you provide them with an executive PowerPoint presentation synthesizing your internal and external analyses of the firm, as well as recommend potential strategic actions the company could take to address the issues raised by your analyses.

Preparation

If necessary, familiarize yourself with Microsoft’s PowerPoint program and a SWOT analysis format. Both are required to complete this assessment.

You will need to include at least five current, scholarly, or professional resources to support your presentation.

Requirements

Develop a PowerPoint presentation of 8–12 slides (with speaker’s notes) that synthesizes the internal and external analyses for your selected firm. Your presentation must include a well-developed SWOT analysis, a summary of potential strategic actions, and the following:

Summary of SWOT Analysis

Examine the internal resources, capabilities, and competencies of the selected firm using key strategic management tools and models such as the VRIO Framework and Value Chain.

Look specifically for capabilities that are required for the company’s competitive advantage.

Be specific about the firm’s resources (both tangible and intangible) that seem most strategically important, now and in your vision of the company’s future strategic development.

Cleary state where firm Strengths and Weaknesses are found.

Analyze the firm’s external environment including its general environment, industry, and competitive position. Choose a strategic management model such as PEST analysis or Porter’s Five Forces Model to use in this analysis. Clearly state where external Opportunities and Threats are found.

Illustrate the key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats using a SWOT table. You might also develop a SWOT figure that depicts your findings in a way that allows for more effective integration and synthesis of your key ideas.

Strategic Actions Based on SWOT Analysis

Relate the SWOT analysis to the key strategic actions the selected firm could take to further its alignment and long-term success.

How can you relate internal strengths and weaknesses with opportunities and threats in the external environment? Are there capabilities that need to be enhanced in order to capitalize on opportunities or reduce threats? Are there capabilities that can be divested because they are no longer needed in the current or projected environment?

What are the strategic actions that would align specific strengths and weaknesses with specific opportunities and threats?

Your presentation should be written clearly and be communicated effectively to organizational leadership in a business environment. Keep in mind that the audience is an upper level leadership audience, so formatting your content to appeal to that audience will help your presentation be on point.

Additional Requirements

References: Support your PowerPoint presentation with at least five academic resources from the Capella University Library. You must use proper APA style and format for citations and references.

Length: 8–10 PowerPoint slides (with speaker’s notes), plus references.

Written communication: Demonstrate graduate-level writing skills through accurate communication of thoughts that convey the overall goals of the analysis and do not detract from the message.

Font: Times New Roman, 12 point.

Note: Faculty may also use the Writing Feedback Tool to provide feedback on your writing. In the tool, click the linked resources for helpful writing information.