MGMT435:7:Online Strategic Management and Planning
Discussion – Chapters – 4 and 5
1. What are the main differences between a low-cost strategy and a differentiation strategy?
2. How can a business-level strategy of (a) low cost and (b) differentiation offer some protection against competitive forces in a company’s industry?
3. What is required to transform a business-level strategy from a concept to a reality?
Chapter 5 –
1. How are the four building blocks of competitive advantage related to each other?
2. What role can top management play in helping a company achieve superior efficiency, quality, innovation, and responsiveness to customers?
3. Over time, will adoption of Six Sigma quality improvement processes give a company competitive advantage, or will it be required just to achieve parity with competitors?
4. What is the relationship between innovation and competitive advantage?
CASE – Chapter 4 and 5
Chapter 4 – CLOSING CASE Verizon
Chapter 5 – CLOSING CASE – Functional Strategy at Amazon
Discussion Questions – Chapter 6
1. Why are industries fragmented? What are the primary ways in which companies can turn a fragmented industry into a consolidated industry?
2. What are the key problems in maintaining a competitive advantage in embryonic and growth industry environments? What are the dangers associated with being the leader in an industry?
3. What investment strategies should be made by: (a) differentiators in a strong competitive position, and (b) differentiators in a weak competitive position, while managing a company’s growth through the life cycle?
4. Discuss how companies can use: (a) product differentiation, and (b) capacity control to manage rivalry and increase an industry’s profitability.
5. What strategies might these enterprises use to strengthen their business models: (a) a small pizzeria operating in a crowded college market and (b) a detergent manufacturer seeking to unveil new products in an established market?
Case – Chapter 6
Chapter 6 – CLOSING CASE – The Rise of Internet Streaming Services and Decline in the Power of Cable Companies
MGMT365:7:Online Managing Conflict and Change
Discussion 3.1
Review Exercise 4.1 and answer the following: From the perspective of an individual employee, what are the benefits of working in a built-to-change organization?
For the individual employee, what are the potential disadvantages of working in a built-to-change organization?
Discussion 3.2
Review Exercise 5.3 and answer the following: What digital tools and social media technologies can be used to attract customers or clients from your previous employer to your business – and perhaps from other organizations in the sector?