PLEASE FOLLOW THE TEMPLATE FOR PAPER

Week 8 – Business-Level and Corporate-Level  Strategies

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. 

o The explanations are in blue font on the pages that follow.

o You should have already read the assignment instructions in Blackboard.

· Type your response to each assignment requirement within the designated sections. 

o Each assignment requirement is identified using a section heading that is in bold and black font.

o DO NOT add extra spaces between sections.

o DO NOT change the margins.

· You are required to have a heading for each section in your paper. 

o The required headings have been provided for you (in bold and black font).

o DO NOT delete, alter, or add anything to the section headings.

o DO NOT type the assignment instructions into the sections.

· After typing your responses, change the font color from blue to black and ensure your content is not in bold.

o Be sure to change the font color from blue to black on the title page after typing your name, professor’s name, and date.

· Everything in blue font on the following pages should be deleted and replaced with your responses in black.

· DELETE this entire page before you submit your assignment to avoid losing points.

REMINDERS

· The assignment is due in week 8.  

· 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 six (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 three (3) quality sources, one of which MUST be the course textbook.

· Strayer uses SafeAssign – an automated plagiarism checker. You must use your own words and external resources (with in-text citations) to support what you have written in your own words.

Week 8 – Business-Level and  Corporate-Level Strategies

Write your introduction here. Include one (1) paragraph (not more than six [6] lines of text) that explains what your paper will discuss. Most 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. Review the assignment instructions in Blackboard, the grading rubric, and the recorded writing workshop to understand the requirements. Do not exceed six (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 firm’s long-term success. 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 textbook (not Google). Hint: See Figure 4.1 in the textbook. Include a thorough justification for your choice backed by facts and sound judgment. For background, be sure to research and explain the industry in which your selected corporation operates. You could also briefly (in 1 – 2 sentences) define the business-level strategy (cite your sources) you are writing about using chapter 4 in the textbook and” Learn” as an introduction to your analysis. Read chapter 4 in the course textbook. Review the Week 4 Readings under “Learn” in Blackboard 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; 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 or services in the marketplace. Consider the actions & choices your firm has made to compete in individual product markets. Review Chapters 4-9 for specifics on business-level strategies. Your response should clearly identify the one business-level strategy from the textbook that you think is most important to the corporation’s long-term success. Your response must also include a clearly stated and justified judgment 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, so 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 one you think is most important to the firm’s long-term success. You will also need to decide 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 textbook (not Google). Hint: See chapter 6 in the textbook. Include a thorough justification for your choice backed by facts and sound judgment. You could also briefly (in 1 – 2 sentences) define the corporate-level strategy (cite your sources) you are writing about using the textbook. Review the Week 5 Readings under “Learn” in Blackboard 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; 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 corporation’s long-term success. Your response must also include a clearly stated and justified judgment 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, so 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 Analysis

Analyze the competitive environment to determine the corporation’s most significant competitor (this will require research outside the course material). Compare their strategies at the business and corporate levels. Hint: read chapters 1 – 10 in the course textbook, as they provide a solid background for this section. Review the Week 1 – 8 Readings under “Learn” in Blackboard for supporting content. Remember that this is a 6-page paper and requires a thorough competitive analysis. Strive for about 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.

Competitive Environment Conclusion 

Based on your analysis, conclude which corporation is most likely to be successful in the long term and support your conclusion with at least three pieces of specific evidence. Be sure to consider the business-level and corporate-level strategies for both corporations. Remember that this is a 6-page paper and requires a thorough competitive analysis. Strive for about 1 ½ – 2 pages of well-constructed, in-depth analysis in this section. Use the textbook and other credible resources. Cite your sources and avoid the use of direct quotes. After reading these instructions, replace this blue text with your conclusion and change the font color to black.

Market Cycles

Determine whether your choice from Requirement 4 (Competitive Environment Conclusion, above) would differ in slow-cycle and fast-cycle markets. Support your position with specific evidence. It would be a good idea to briefly explain the slow-cycle and fast-cycle markets 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; therefore, each section requires a thorough response demonstrating your understanding of the course’s key concepts 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. Michael      A. Hitt. 2020. Strategic Management: Concepts and Cases: Competitiveness      and Globalization. 13th ed. 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)

INSTRUCTIONS

In this assignment, you are to use APPLE. You will examine business and corporate-level strategies and their impact on corporate success comparable to the competitive environment.Use any or all of the following resources to conduct research on the corporation:

• The corporation’s website.
• Public filings from the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Filings & Forms page.
• Strayer University’s online databases.
• The Nexis Uni database.
• Other credible sources. (The corporation’s annual report will often provide insights that other resources may not include.)

(Note: It is expected that you will also use your course textbook to complete the assignment.)

Instructions:

Refer to the following documents for this assignment:

• Assignment Formatting and Tips [PDF]
• The attached template is REQUIRED for this assignment. (Refer back to it if needed as guidance for later assignments).
• Please review the attached “How to Earn Full Credit on Assignment 3” video.

Write a 6-8 page academic research paper in which you include the following:*  Note: The title page and source list are in addition to the 6-8 page requirement

1. Assess the business-level strategies you believe to be most appropriate for the corporation’s long-term success. Support your position with specific evidence.
2. Assess the corporate-level strategies you believe to be most appropriate for the corporation’s long-term success. Support your position with specific evidence.
3. Analyze the competitive environment to determine the corporation’s most significant competitor. Be sure to include a comparison of the business-level and corporate-level strategies for both corporations.
   • Based on your analysis, conclude which corporation is most likely to be successful in the long term. Support your determination with at least three pieces of evidence.
4. Determine whether your corporation, or its most significant competitor, would differ in slow-cycle and fast-cycle markets. Support your position with specific evidence.
5. Use three or more quality sources, including your textbook, to support your writing. Choose sources that are credible, relevant, and appropriate. Cite each source listed on your source page at least one time within your assignment. (Note: Wikipedia and similar websites do not qualify as academic resources)
6. Produce writing that is clear and well organized and applies appropriate Strayer Writing Standards (SWS) style. Writing contains accurate grammar, mechanics, and spelling.

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.