Choose an industry you have not yet written about in this course, and one publicly traded corporation 

within that industry. Research the company on its own Website, the public filings on the Securities and 

Exchange Commission EDGAR database (http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml), in the University’s online 

databases, and any other sources you can find. The annual report will often provide insights that can help 

address some of these questions.

Write an eight to ten (8-10) page paper in which you:

1.  Choose the two (2) segments of the general environment that would rank highest in their 

influence on the corporation you chose. Assess how these segments affect the corporation you 

chose and the industry in which it operates. 

2.  Considering the five (5) forces of competition, choose the two (2) that you estimate are the most 

significant for the corporation you chose. Evaluate how well the company has addressed these 

two (2) forces in the recent past.

3.  With the same two (2) forces in mind, predict what the company might do to improve its ability to 

address these forces in the near future.

4.  Assess the external threats affecting this corporation and the opportunities available to the 

corporation. Give your opinions on how the corporation should deal with the most serious threat

and the greatest opportunity. Justify your answer.

5.  Give your opinion on the corporation’s greatest strengths and most significant weaknesses. 

Choose the strategy or tactic the corporation should select to take maximum advantage of its 

strengths, and the strategy or tactic the corporation should select to fix its most significant 

weakness. Justify your choices.

6.  Determine the company’s resources, capabilities, and core competencies.

7.  Analyze the company’s value chain to determine where they can create using the resources, 

capabilities, and core competencies discussed above.

8.  Use at least three (3) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not quality as 

academic resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

  Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all 

sides; references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any 

additional instructions.

  Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s 

name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in 

the required page length. 

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

  Identify how the six segments of the general environment affect an industry and its firms .

  Identify the five forces of competition.

  Analyze the external environment for opportunities and threats that impact the firm.

  Analyze the internal environment of a company for strengths and weaknesses that impact the 

firm’s competitiveness.

  Use technology and information resources to research issues in business administration.

  Write clearly and concisely about business administration using proper writing mechanics.

Hitt, M. A., Ireland, R. D., & Hoskisson, R. E. (2013). Strategic management: Concepts and cases: 

Competiveness and globalization (10th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning