Strategic Management (MGT 401)

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ministry of Education Saudi Electronic Universityالمملكة العربية السعودية وزارة التعليم الجامعة السعودية الإلكترونية  

                          College of Administrative and Financial Sciences

Assignment 

Course Name: Strategic ManagementStudent’s Name:
Course Code: MGT 401Student’s ID Number:
Semester: Summer TermCRN:
Academic Year:2022-23-Summer term
 

For Instructor’s Use only

Instructor’s Name: XXXXXX
Students’ Grade:               /30Level of Marks: High/Middle/Low

General Instructions – PLEASE READ THEM CAREFULLY

  • The Assignment must be submitted on Blackboard (WORD format only) via allocated folder.
  • Assignments submitted through email will not be accepted.
  • Students are advised to make their work clear and well presented, marks may be reduced for poor presentation. This includes filling your information on the cover page.
  • Students must mention question number clearly in their answer.
  • Late submission will NOT be accepted.
  • Avoid plagiarism, the work should be in your own words, copying from students or other resources without proper referencing will result in ZERO marks. No exceptions.
  • All answered must be typed using Times New Roman (size 12, double-spaced) font. No pictures containing text will be accepted and will be considered plagiarism).
  • Submissions without this cover page will NOT be accepted.
  • Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs):
  • Recognize the basic concepts and terminology used in Strategic Management (CLO1)
  • Describe the different issues related to environmental scanning, strategy formulation, and strategy implementation in diversified organizations- CLO2
  • Explain the contribution of functional, business, and corporate strategies to the competitive advantage of the organization-CLO3.
  • Distinguish between different types and levels of strategy and strategy implementation-CLO4
  • Communicate issues, results, and recommendations coherently, and effectively regarding appropriate strategies for different situations-CLO6

Assignement Questions

Section I. Discussion Questions (15 marks)

Discuss briefly the following questions (maximum 200 words for each question). (3 marks each question)

  1. Why has strategic management become so important to today’s corporations and how does it typically evolve in a corporation?
  2. Discuss how a development in a corporation’s natural and societal environments can affect the corporation through its task environment.
  3. How can value-chain analysis help identify a company’s strengths and weaknesses?
  4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a first mover in an industry? Give some examples of first-mover and late-mover firms. Were they successful?  
  5. Why are many strategic alliances temporary?

Notes:  

  • Using the terminology developed in the course of strategic management will be highly valued.
  • Your answers MUST include at least 7 outside references (other than the slides and textbook) using a proper referencing style (APA).
  • Using references from SDL will be highly valued.
  • You answers should not exceed 1500 words.

Section II: Case study  (15 marks)

Read carefully case No 8 from your textbook (entitled ‘iRobot: Finding the Right Market Mix?)and answer briefly the following questions: (1.5 marks for each question)

  1. Draw the SWOT matrix of the iRobot company.
  2. What is the competitive strategy used by iRobot company?
  3. Use the five forces of the M. Porter matrix to describe the robot-based product industry.
  4. Describe the different functional strategies of the iRobot company.
  5. Describe the relationship of iRobot with its primary stakeholders.
  6. Describe the core competency and the outsourcing strategy of iRobot
  7. What kind of strategic alliance is used by iRobot? Why does iRobot choose it?
  8. What are the main challenges that iRobot faces? 
  9. Assess the competitive advantage of iRobot in its market.
  10. Recommend solutions for iRobot to improve its competitive advantage.

Good Luck