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 2

Strategic Management (MGT 401)

Course Name: Strategic ManagementStudent’s Name:
Course Code: MGT 401Student’s ID Number:
Semester: CRN:
Academic Year:
 

For Instructor’s Use only

Instructor’s Name:
Students’ Grade:  /15Level 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.

Learning Outcomes:

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)

This assignment includes 2 sections:

  1. Case study

Assignment Question(s):

Read carefully case No 8 from your textbook (entitled ‘iRobot: Finding the Right Market Mix?)and answer the following questions: (1 mark 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.

Suppliers:

  • Describe the core competency and the outsourcing strategy of iRobot.
  • What kind of strategic alliance is used by iRobot? Why does iRobot choose it?
  • What are the main challenges that iRobot faces? 
  • Assess the competitive advantage of iRobot in its market.
  • Recommend solutions for iRobot to improve its competitive advantage.
  1. Mini-project

From real national/international market, select any type of strategic alliance between two firms and answer the following questions: (1 mark each question)

  1. Briefly introduce your chosen firms, partners of the strategic alliance (industry, nationality, size, market position…). Max 150 words
  2. What is the type of strategic alliance used by your chosen firms? Explain its different reasons.  
  3. What is the method used by the firms to manage their cultures after the alliance? underline the pros and cons of this method.  
  4. Is this strategic alliance successful? Justify.  
  5. What recommendations can you provide to the managers of these firms to improve their competitiveness?  

Notes.

  • Use at least 4 references for your answers to section II.
  • All references used should be listed by the end of your analysis, using the APA style.