Blog

Paper #2: How is my company positioned? (or, “where are we?”)focus on Porters, CPM, OT and EFE…but don’t just fill in the blanks…use the tools to explain the Key Question: How is my company positioned? Are they strong? How and Why? Are they a little fish in a big pond?Paper #2 is the second part of the External analysis. So it’s more about what is happening across the industry, and the competitors are doing, than it is about your company: External environment compared to your company.THIRD, Outline your paper so it presents the research and “facts, findings, conclusions, and recommendations” in a smooth logical flow. Don’t just write every fact you can find down in the order you find it This project provides you with the opportunity to evaluate the competitive position of one of the organizations listed below and integrate that information in a partial SWOT (OT), Porter’s Five Forces, External Factor Evaluation (EFE) matrix, and Competitive Profile Matrices (CPM). In this project, you are presenting a report document. The expectation is that the report provides the level of details to help the audience grasp the main topics and to understand and complete the External Environmental Analysis.How to Set Up the Report The document has to be written in Word or rtf. No other format is acceptable. No pdf files will be graded. Use 12-point font for a double-spaced report. The final product cannot be longer than 10 pages in length, which includes all tables and matrices but excludes the title page and reference page. Do no use an Appendix.Create a title page with the title, your name, date, the course number, the instructor’s name.Create Topic Headings that correspond to exact sections of the project requirements. Step 4 Industry AnalysisPerform a Porter Five Forces analysis on the organization’s industry and the focal company in particular. The industry is the global industry. First, use the course materials to identify the five forces and what components make up each force. Then, perform an analysis of each force that clearly discusses the ‘why and how’ and concludes with the effect of the given force on the fortunes of the industry (industry profitability) and/or industry dynamics; that is whether the effect of the force on the industry is weak/modest/average/moderate or strong/severe and also on the focal company. You may not use a Porter Five Forces analysis that is already completed and available on the Internet. A zero will result if used as the analysis has to be the result of your research and your own development.Step 5 Competitive AnalysisPerform a Competitive Analysis using the focal company’s closest three competitors plus the selected company. Explain why these companies ar

e competitors. Analyze the competition’s products and services explaining features, value, targets, etc. What are the competition’s strengths and weaknesses and what is the market outlook for the competition?Identify and discuss at least eight (8) key success factors (critical success factors). Each industry has different key success factors so make sure the success factors fit the industry. Review the Competitive Profile Matrix Example under week 3 Content for clarification.Develop a Competitor Profile Matrix (CPM). Explain how you developed the matrix. Make sure to support your reasoning. Step 6 Partial SWOT Analysis A SWOT analysis is a tool used to assess the strengths and weaknesses (internal environment) and the opportunities and threats (external environment) of an organization. You will complete a partial SWOT analysis only completing an analysis on the OT (Opportunities and Threats). The information presented is not based on your beliefs but on fact-based, data-driven information. The items used in the OT are factors that are affecting or might affect the focal company or those companies within the identified industry.You will:Develop an OT table using your research to identify at least five (5) opportunities and five (5) threats that influence the industry and the focal company. Make sure to cite the elements within the table. Perform an OT analysis (separate from the SWOT table). You may not use a SWOT analysis that is already completed and available on the Internet. The OT is for the focal company and no other company. A zero will result if used as the analysis has to be the result of your research and your own development. NOTE: A matrix is a table. It is not an analysis.Step 7 External Factor Evaluation (EFE) AnalysisThe External Factor Evaluation (EFE) matrix will allow you to use the information from the industry analysis and the competitive analysis to assess whether the focal company is able to effectively take advantage of existing opportunities while minimizing the identified external threats that will help you formulate new strategies and policies. You will use the opportunities and threats from the OT analysis.Using the information gathered for the OT analysis, develop an EFE matrix using five (5) opportunities and five (5) threats. Discuss how you developed the EFE matrix and the outcome. Make sure to support your reasoning.Step 8 ConclusionCreate a conclusion. The Conclusion is intended to emphasize the purpose/significance of the analysis, emphasize the significance/consequence of findings, and indicate the wider applications that are derived from the main points of the project’s requirements. You will draw conclusions about the findings of the external environment analysis.