Ben & Jerry’s Homemade: The Unilever Scoop Case Study

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1. Case papers should address the key issues that pertain to the financial strategy and then make clear recommendations with as much support as possible.

2. Papers should be no more than three double spaced pages (not including exhibits) and include a cover page with your name, the date, the course number, and the title of the assignment (case name).

3. Papers should be organized into specific sections. For example, Background, Key Issues, Risk, Recommendations, and Detailed Support for Any Recommendations.

5. Your grade will depend on how well you identify the issues and argue your recommendation.

6. All Footnotes and References Must use the APA Format.

UV5663 Aug. 18, 2011

 

This case was prepared by Senior Researcher Gerry Yemen, Professor Yiorgos Allayannis, and Associate Professor Michael J. Schill. It was written as a basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation. Copyright  2011 by the University of Virginia Darden School Foundation, Charlottesville, VA. All rights reserved. To order copies, send an e-mail to sales@dardenbusinesspublishing.com. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the permission of the Darden School Foundation.

 

BEN & JERRY’S HOMEMADE: THE UNILEVER SCOOP

Four offers were on the table to purchase Ben & Jerry’s Homemade (Ben & Jerry’s) in

early 2000; in the end, Unilever’s deal was by far the most attractive. And now, 10 years after becoming a subsidiary of the Dutch global consumer product company, much had changed at Ben & Jerry’s—and much had remained the same.

By the time the purchase was announced in South Burlington, Vermont, on April 12,

2000, Ben & Jerry’s pre-deal stock price of $21 had increased substantially, to just shy of $35, and the company had $237 million in sales and $3.4 million in earnings. Unilever had increased its earlier tender offer of $36 to $43.60 per share or $326 million total, to be paid in cash (see Exhibit 1 for stock price charts).1 Both Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s hoped to benefit from the acquisition.

The Unilever muscle offered Ben & Jerry’s an opportunity to scale up and enter several

new markets internationally—something it had not been able to do previously. Unilever was one of the largest global firms in the world operating in 88 countries, employing 255,000 worldwide, and earning sales over $45 billion in 1999.2 Within the US, the company had 66 offices, manufacturing operations in 23 states, 22,000 people, and over $8 billion in sales. With increased access to capital and resources, Ben & Jerry’s would have the potential to dramatically increase the size and social impact of its brand.

Unilever was looking to satisfy investor pressure to grow. And part of the company’s

growth strategy had included several larger acquisitions before this one. (It acquired 20 companies in 2000.) Ben & Jerry’s gave Unilever an edge in the competitive “super-premium” ice cream segment in several U.S. markets—something else it had not been able to do previously. In addition, Nestlé had entered a joint venture with Häagen-Dazs to leverage each

1 “Unilever Scoops Up Ben & Jerry’s,” BBC News, April 12, 2000, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi

/business/710694.stm (accessed August 4, 2011). 2 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Unilever Form 20-F, 1999, 12–3 and 41–3.

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-2- UV5663 other’s distribution channels, which would create a clear advantage in the segment. And with the potential to spread the Ben & Jerry’s brand and values to the world, Unilever would now own a company that validated its corporate social responsibility interests.

As Ben & Jerry’s became part of a conglomerate family, one question remained on the

minds of many: whether Ben & Jerry’s would still have Free Cone Day.

Screaming for Ice Cream As most industry watchers had expected, the deal included a couple of unusual twists.

During negotiations, Unilever seemed to soften its initial proposal restricting Ben & Jerry’s social commitments and interests. Ben & Jerry’s would stay in Vermont, continue to purchase non-BGH (bovine growth hormone) dairy goods from Vermont, and donate 7.5% of its profits to charity, and employees would still get their three free pints of ice cream per day. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield would remain active in the firm’s social agenda and continue to manage the brand, and Perry Odak would remain in the top slot running the firm. Unilever also agreed to pay $5 million to start up a Ben & Jerry’s foundation for funding businesses in low-income communities. The ice cream company would operate as an independent subsidiary (not become part of Unilever’s Breyers or Magnum’s brands) and would have its own independent board of directors, and the CEO would report to both Unilever’s and Ben & Jerry’s boards. Ben & Jerry’s management had full discretion over which of Unilever’s HR policies it chose to adopt or modify. According to Carlos Perseguer, Unilever’s director of ice cream operations in Europe, many of these concessions were based on fear within Unilever of “contaminating” Ben & Jerry’s.3

 

New Flavor at the Top

At first, aside from some public grumbling from Cohen and Greenfield about big corporations, not much changed at Ben & Jerry’s. Then, in early 2001, a longtime Unilever executive, Yves Couette, was selected to take over as the new Ben & Jerry’s CEO (what employees called chief euphoria officer). When Couette heard his company had bought Ben & Jerry’s, he said, “My first reaction was, they are out of their minds.”4 Yet, once appointed to run the business, Couette quickly adopted the casual attire and accepted employee playfulness. When he sent a group of managers off-site for a day for one of Unilever’s standard branding exercises, the managers returned with an ice-cream-cone-shaped drawing that said, “good for the belly and soul.”5 When Couette wanted Ben & Jerry’s anti-big-business employees to learn more about

3 James E. Austin and Herman B. Leonard, “Can the Virtuous Mouse and the Wealthy Elephant Live Happily

Ever After?,” California Management Review, November 1, 2008, 80. 4 Patrick Kiger, “Corporate Crunch,” Workforce Management 84, no. 4 (April 2005), 35. 5 Kiger.

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-3- UV5663 financial issues, he hired a consultant who taught the concepts playfully: Participants had to operate their own lemonade stands.

Ben & Jerry’s business seemed to thrive under the arrangement. Between 2001 and 2004,

sales reached $417.9 million, operating margins tripled, and operations expanded into 13 new countries.6 Not everyone was surprised by the success, given Unilever’s history of buying big- name brands and driving up their bottom lines. Indeed, there had been inefficiencies in Ben & Jerry’s production and distribution, and Unilever used its hefty manufacturing and distribution systems to save money and use less energy.7 To avoid duplication and increase efficiencies, it employed some of its resources from other ice cream production operations, and for that reason, 69 Ben & Jerry’s legacy employees were let go, and two plants were closed. All in all, though, sales and profits surpassed Unilever’s expectations—Ben & Jerry’s had the largest sales growth of any of Unilever’s businesses.8

 

Flavour with a U In 2004, Couette was replaced by Walt Freese, who had been Ben & Jerry’s chief

marketing officer since 2001, and who described his view of the merger like this:

The company [Ben & Jerry’s] brought its super-premium products to the Unilever business portfolio, but perhaps more importantly, Ben & Jerry’s brought a deep sense of values-led decision making and progressive vision that would complement and push Unilever into new areas of social, environmental, and economic commitment. Unilever clearly understood and publicly stated that it believed much of the success of the Ben & Jerry’s brand was based on its connections to “basic human values.”9 For the next four years, Freese’s team maintained success, and by 2008, Ben & Jerry’s

held 36% of the ice cream market share, second behind Häagen-Dazs’s 44%10—continuing to fulfill merger expectations. And Unilever kept its promise to support the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation, having contributed $10 million to it over the years, as well as having donated an undisclosed (the company used the word significant) amount of product to community groups and nonprofits in Vermont and the United States.11 “I was skeptical about this supposed

6 Kiger, 32 and Ruth Mortimer, “A Big Dollop of Investment,” Brand Strategy, April 2005, 8. 7 Austin and Leonard, 80, 89. 8 Austin and Leonard, 82. 9 Austin and Leonard, 81. 10 “Ben & Jerry’s SWOT,” Marketingteacher.com, http://www.marketingteacher.com/swot/ben-and-jerrys-

swot.html (accessed August 4, 2011). 11 Austin and Leonard, 85.

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-4- UV5663 ‘transport of values’ from Ben & Jerry’s to Unilever, but it has happened to some degree,” Jerry Greenfield said.12

Ben & Jerry’s status as social icon was maintained when it came out against cloning and

made sure the public was aware that the firm would never use any supply chain material from cloned animals.13 And keeping up the hipness, Ben & Jerry’s also launched a Facebook app called Dessert Island so people could vote on flavors they would like to have in Europe. With names and flavors such as The Dublin Mudslide, Minter Wonderland, and The VerMonster, the ice cream was shown stranded on a deserted island while trying to make its way east across the Atlantic Ocean. “We kept B&J separate so as not to damage or dilute it,” Perseguer said. “It has special treatment within Unilever.”14

Despite those efforts, there were some scuffles, including one over Unilever corporate policy disallowing partisan political action, when some Ben & Jerry’s employees were asked not to go to an antiwar demonstration in Washington, D.C., on a bus emblazoned with the Ben & Jerry’s name.

By 2010, Freese had resigned and was replaced by another Unilever legacy executive,

Jostein Solheim, who had spent 14 years in the firm’s ice cream segment (see Exhibit 2 for ice cream segment data). Although Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield played less of a role in the firm than many had hoped, the pair still kept track of what was going on. “Sometimes the company does activities that promote various social causes that I agree with, so I participate in those,” Cohen said. “Recently, the company did a campaign about reducing our nuclear arsenal—taking the $10 billion we would save from cutting the arsenal in half and using it for kids and schools. Jerry and I were active in promoting that campaign.”15

Despite much of the squawking over being sold to a large company, 10 years later, a lot

of what was Ben & Jerry’s simply stayed the same. And yes, Ben & Jerry’s continued Free Cone Day each year.

 

12 Melissa Shin, “Green Targets: What Happens When a Big Company Swallows a Little Green Pill?,”

Corporate Knights, February 1, 2008, 14. 13 Pallavi Gogoi, “The Case Against Cloning,” Bloomberg Businessweek, March 7, 2007,

http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/mar2007/db20070306_592550.htm (accessed July 5, 2011). 14 Austin and Leonard, 87. 15 Austin and Leonard, 98.

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Exhibit 1

BEN & JERRY’S HOMEMADE: THE UNILEVER SCOOP Ben & Jerry’s Stock Price (NYSE) Before Acquisition

(in U.S. dollars)

Data source: Bloomberg Financial Markets.

 

Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever Stock Prices (NYSE), April 6–18, 2000 (in U.S. dollars)

 

 

Data source: Bloomberg Financial Markets.

20

25

30

35

40

45 Announcement date 4/12/2000

14.4

14.6

14.8

15

15.2

15.4

15.6

0 5

10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

U ni

le ve

r st

oc k

pr ic

e

B en

& J

er ry

‘s st

oc k

pr ic

e

Ben & Jerry’s Unilever

Announcement date 4/12/2000

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-6- UV5663

Exhibit 2

BEN & JERRY’S HOMEMADE: THE UNILEVER SCOOP Unilever Financial Data on Ice Cream and Beverage Category

(in millions of euros)

 

Turnover Operating

profit

Global ice cream

market value 1999 6,769 574 26,715 20001 7,823 367 31,030 2001 7,838 464 34,394 2002 7,456 569 37,449 20032 6,994 1,024 32,752 2004 6,286 709 28,282 2005 6,373 767 30,769 2006 7,578 900 31,266 2007 7,600 809 32,679 2008 7,694 915 33,811 2009 7,753 731 35,000 2010 8,605 724 —

Data source: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Form 20- F, Unilever filings for 2001, 2003, 2006, 2008, and 2010, and Datamonitor, “Industry Profile: Global Ice Cream,” December 2004, 2005, and 2010.

 

1 The company said that increased price competition, particularly in North America, was responsible for a drop

in profits (Unilever SEC Form 20-F, 2000, 18). 2 The company explained that turnover dropped because of currency rate of exchange movements (Unilever

SEC Form 20-F, 2004, 33). It also said ice cream had a strong year because of warm weather, the addition of soft- serve out-of-home products, and lower carbohydrate ice cream products.

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A Production Process At Kenneth Day Manufacturing

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question 1

A production process at Kenneth Day Manufacturing is shown in Figure S7.9. The drilling operation occurs separately from, and simultaneously with, the sawing and sanding operations. Sawing Sanding Assembly 6 units/hr 6 units/hr 0.7 units/hr Drilling 2.4 units/hr Welding Assembly 2 units/hr 0.7 units/hr Assembly 0.7 units/hr A product needs to go through only one of the three assembly operations (the operations are in parallel).

question 2

In Cambodia, six laborers, each making the equivalent of $3 per day, can produce 40 units per day. In China, ten laborers, each making the equivalent of $2 per day, can produce 45 units. In Billings, Montana, two laborers, each making $60 per day, can make 100 units. Based on labor costs only, which location would be most economical to produce the item?

Object Modeling

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Session 6: Object Modeling

 

Preview

In the last session, you used data and process modeling techniques to develop a logical model of the new system. Now you will apply your object modeling skills to create various diagrams and documentation for the new TIMS system. You will review the background material and develop an object-oriented model that includes several types of diagrams.

 

Tasks

1. I need to review Jesse’s e-mail message regarding object modeling and the JAD session summary. I need to identify possible use cases and actors, and create a use case diagram for the TIMS system.

Possible use cases might include Student Payment, Register, Request Course, Teach Course, Determine Schedule, and Maintain Training Records. Possible actors might include Student, Instructor, Training Administrator, and Corporate Client. A sample use case diagram for Determine Schedule, Register, and Prepare Training Report follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. She wants me to create a model of the use case that shows how students register. She also wants to see a class diagram.

A sample class diagram for the Register use case follows:

 

 

Student

Student number

Name

Address

SSN

 

 

Request course

Add course

Complete course

Drop course

Change student data

 

0..*

0..*

Registration Record

 

 

 

Student number

Course number

Payment method

Tuition due

 

 

 

Registers

 

 

 

 

 

Determine tuition

Prepare roster

Confirm

 

 

 

 

 

 

1..*

Includes

 

 

1..*

 

 

 

Course

Course number

Course name

Instructor

Day/Time

 

 

Add Course

Change Course

Delete Course

Instructor

Instructor ID

Name

Courses qualifications

Location

Phone

Teach course

Report outcome

 

 

 

 

Teaches

 

 

 

1..*

1

 

 

 

 

 

1

Updates

Training Record

Student number

Course number

Date

Completion data

Output to SCR staff

Output to student

Output to corporate client

 

 

 

3. I need to create a sample registration sequence diagram that shows the steps in the registration process.

Sample Registration Sequence Diagram:

 

 

Requests Course

Confirms Available

Schedules

Student

Registration

Courses

Checks Availability

 

Confirms

Notifies

Payment

Instructor

Bill

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Jesse asked me to create a state transition diagram that describes typical student states and how they change based on certain actions and events. She said to include a brief cover memo.

Possible use cases might include Student Payment, Register, Request Course, Teach Course, Determine Schedule, and Maintain Training Records. Possible actors might include Student, Instructor, Training Administrator, and Corporate Client. A sample use case diagram for Determine Schedule, Register, and Prepare Training Report follows:

 

 

 

RULES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Multiple courses? Y Y Y Y N N N N
Employed by SCR client? Y Y N N Y Y N N
Client service rep waiver? Y N Y N Y N Y N
Eligible for discount A X X X X        
Eligible for discount B X X X   X X X  
Not eligible for discounts               X

 

 

Simplified rules:

 

RULES 1 2 3 4 5 6
Multiple courses? Y Y Y N N N
Employed by SCR client? Y N N Y N N
Client service rep waiver? – Y N – Y N
Eligible for discount A X X X      
Eligible for discount B X X   X X  
Not eligible for discounts           X

 

 

A sample decision tree follows:

 

 

Multiple courses

Client service rep override?

Not eligible for discounts

Eligible for discount B

Eligible for discount B

Eligible for discount A

Eligible for discount A and B

Eligible for discount A and B

Employed by SCR client?

Employed by SCR client?

Yes

Yes

No

No

 

Client service rep override?

No

No

 

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bills

 

 

Bills

External and Internal Environments

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External and Internal Environments

Overview

In this assignment, you are to use the same corporation you selected and focused on for Assignment 1.

Using the corporation you chose from Assignment 1: Strategic Management and Strategic Competitiveness, examine the industry in which the entity operates. Use any or all of the following resources to conduct research on the company:

  • Company website.
  • Public filings from the Securities and Exchange Commission EDGAR database.
  • Strayer University’s online databases.
  • The Nexis Uni database,
  • Other miscellaneous sources. Note: the company’s annual report will often provide insights that other resources may not include.
Requirements

Write a four- to six-page paper in which you do the following:

  • Choose the two 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.
  • Considering the five forces of competition, choose two forces of competition that you estimate are the most significant for the corporation you chose. Evaluate how well the company has addressed these forces in the recent past.
  • With the same two forces in mind, predict what the company might do to improve its ability to address these forces in the near future.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Determine the company’s resources, capabilities, and core competencies.
  • Go to Basic Search: Strayer University Online Library to locate quality references. Note: Wikipedia and similar websites do not qualify as academic resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

  • This course requires use of new Strayer Writing Standards (SWS). The format is different than other Strayer University courses. Please take a moment to review the SWS documentation for details.
  • Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; references must follow SWS 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.

Use the Assignment 2 Template [DOC] to ensure that your assignment meets the above requirements.

The specific course learning outcome associated with this assignment is as follows:

  • Analyze the effects of the general environment, competition, threats, opportunities, strengths, and weaknesses relative to a corporation.

Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic and organization of the paper, and language and writing skills, using the scoring rubric.

  • 1

    Figures title: 8

    Week 6 Assignment 2

    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.

    · The explanations are in blue font below.

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

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

    · Each assignment requirement is identified using a section Heading that is in black font

    · DO NOT add extra spaces between sections.

    · DO NOT change the margins.

    · You are required to have a heading for each of the sections in your paper.

    · The required headings have been provided for you.

    · Follow the instructions below to customize the Headings as directed.

    · DO NOT type the assignment instructions into the sections.

    · After typing your responses, change the font color to black and make sure it is not in bold.

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

     

    · Everything in blue font below should be deleted and replaced with your responses.

    · DELETE this entire page before you submit your assignment to avoid losing points. Do not leave a blank page here.

    REMINDERS

    · The assignment is due in week 6. Late submissions negatively impact your grade.

    · Use the same public corporation you used for assignment 1.

     

    · Do not copy content from other assignments in this class or others.

     

    · Include at least 4 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 3 quality sources, one of which MUST be the course textbook.

    · Strayer uses SafeAssign – an automated plagiarism checker. It is advised that you do your own writing and use external resources to support what you have written in your own words.

    Week 6 Assignment 2

    Write your introduction here. Include one (1) paragraph (not more than 6 lines of text) that explains what your paper will discuss. Much 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. Be sure to review the assignment instructions in Blackboard, the grading rubric, and relevant course announcements to understand the requirements. Do not exceed 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.

    General Environment

    In this section you will choose the two (2) segments of the general environment that would rank highest in their influence on the public corporation you chose for assignment 1. You must select from the segments discussed in the course. Hint: see table 2.1 in the textbook. Do not assess all the segments—only assess the two (2) segments that rank highest in influencing your corporation. You will then assess how these segments affect the corporation and the industry in which it operates. There are two (2) subsections below, each has a heading. The heading “Segment 1” should be changed to the first segment of the general environment you select. The heading “Segment 2” should be changed to the second segment of the general environment you select. Replace this paragraph with a very brief introduction that includes the identification of the two (2) segments of the general environment you selected and change the font color to black.

    Segment 1

    This subsection is where you assess the first of the two (2) segments of the general environment you think ranks highest in its influence on the public corporation you chose for assignment 1. Change the subheading for this section, which currently says “Segment 1” to the name of the selected segment. Assess how this segment affects the corporation and the industry in which it operates. Remember that to assess a concept, you will weigh all aspects to judge the importance or relevance of that concept. Do not simply define the segment. Do not copy from you assignment 1 submission.

    Your assessment should demonstrate that you have read, understand, and can apply the concepts covered in the course resources regarding the segment. Your writing here should thoroughly assess how the selected segment influences your corporation. Do not write about the general environment in general terms. Your assessment should be directly related to your selected corporation. A thorough assessment is defined as providing a complete response that is not superficial or partial regarding the various details of the concepts as described in the course. You will need to apply and incorporate key concepts from the course material to your assessment. Do not Google “segments of the general environment” or provide high-level summaries. You must display, in specific detail, an understanding based on what is studied in this course and demonstrate your ability to apply the concepts in a real-world assessment of a corporation. Read chapter 2 in the course textbook. Review the Week 2 Learn Reading for supporting content. Properly cite your sources and avoid the use of direct quotes. After reading these instructions, replace this blue text with your assessment and change the font color to black.

    Segment 2

    This subsection is where you assess the second of the two (2) segments of the general environment you selected. Change the subheading for this section, which currently says “Segment 2” to the name of the selected segment of the general environment that would rank highest in its influence on the public corporation you chose for assignment 1. Repeat the evaluation instructions provided in the “Segment 1” subsection above for this second segment of the general environment. Re-read the instructions above to ensure you have covered all of the requirements for this second segment of the general environment. After completing this section, replace this blue text with your evaluation and change the font color to black.

    Five Forces of Competition

    In this section you will consider the five (5) forces of competition and choose the two (2) that you estimate are the most significant for the corporation you chose in assignment 1. Hint: see figure 2.2 in the textbook. You will then, evaluate how well the company has addressed each of these two (2) forces in the recent past. There are two (2) subsections below, each has a heading. The heading “Force 1” should be changed to the first of the two forces of competition you select. The heading “Force 2” should be changed to the second of the two forces of competition you select. Replace this paragraph with a very brief introduction that includes the identification of the two (2) forces of competition you selected and change the font color to black.

    Force 1

    This subsection is where you evaluate the first of two (2) forces of competition that you estimate to be the most significant to the corporation you chose. Change the subheading for this section, which currently says “Force 1” to the name of your selected force. Provide a thorough assessment of why you think the selected force is significant to your corporation. A thorough assessment is defined as providing a complete response that is not superficial or partial regarding the various details of the concept as described in the course. Do not Google “five forces of competition” or simply provide a definition. You will need to apply and incorporate key concepts from the course material in your assessment.

    Evaluate how well the company addressed the selected force in the recent past. This will require some research. Remember that to evaluate a concept, you will break down all components to determine or analyze facts, value, or views. Your evaluation should demonstrate that you have read, understand, and can apply the concepts covered in the textbook and course resources. Do not write about the selected force in general terms. Your evaluation should be directly related to your selected corporation and include a thorough evaluation of how the company has addressed the force recently. You must display an understanding based on what is studied in this course and demonstrate an ability to apply the concepts in a real-world evaluation of a corporation. You will need to read the chapters and listen to the lectures to understand the key concepts for each force. Read chapter 2 in the course textbook and review the Week 2 Learn Reading for supporting content. Cite all sources and limit the use of direct quotes. After reading these instructions, replace this blue text with your evaluation and change the font color to black.

    Force 2

    Choose another one (1) of the five (5) forces of competition that you estimate to be the most significant for the corporation you chose. This should not be the same force assessed in the “Force 1” section above. Change the subheading for this section, which currently says “Force 2” to the name of the selected force. This subsection is where you evaluate the second of the two forces of competition that you selected. Repeat the evaluation instructions provided in the “Force 1” subsection above for this second force of competition. Re-read the instructions above to ensure you have covered all of the requirements for this second force of competition. After completing this section, replace this blue text with your evaluation and change the font color to black.

    Future Improvements

    With the same two (2) forces assessed and evaluated in the previous two (2) sub-sections above, predict what the company might do to improve its ability to address the forces in the near future. Your writing here should provide a thorough prediction of what the company should do to address impacts from the selected forces. Do not simply discuss company information published by your sources. This section should be your prediction of what the corporation should do. Your prediction should be your own, not predictions or recommendations from your sources or actions your corporation has already taken or plans to take. Remember that a thorough evaluation is defined as providing a complete response that is not superficial or partial regarding the various details of the concepts as described in the course. Your prediction should be specific to your selected corporation, relevant to the evaluation you conducted, and directly related to improvements the corporation could make to address the two forces you selected in the two (2) sub-sections above. Read chapter 2 in the course textbook and review the Week 2 Learn Reading for supporting content. Cite your sources and avoid the use of direct quotes. After reading these instructions, replace this blue text with your prediction and change the font color to black.

    Greatest External Threat

    Identify what you consider to be the greatest external threat to the corporation you selected. The threat should be specific to your corporation. Justify why you consider the threat to be the greatest. Support your justification with an assessment of the impact the threat has on the corporation. For example, your justification could include a comparison of other threats or an evaluation of facts that support the magnitude of the threat’s impact. Follow this justification with a discussion on how the corporation should address the threat. Specifically describe the strategy and provide a justification that supports why you believe the strategy will be successful in combating the threat. This section must include both a clearly identified external threat and a clearly articulated action\strategy the corporation should take to address the threat. Do not write in general terms. Your writing here should be specific and incorporate the course concepts relating to threats and the external environment. Read chapter 2 in the course textbook. The textbook provides a solid background for this section. Review the Week 2 Learn Reading for supporting content. 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.

    Greatest Opportunity

    Identify what you consider to be the greatest opportunity to the corporation you selected. The opportunity should be specific to your corporation. Justify why you consider the opportunity to be the greatest. Support your justification with an assessment of the impact the opportunity could have on the corporation. For example, your justification could include a comparison of other opportunities or an evaluation of facts that support the magnitude of the opportunity’s impact. Follow this justification with a discussion on how the corporation could best take advantage of the opportunity. Specifically describe the strategy and provide a justification that supports why you believe the strategy will be successful in adding value to the corporation. This section must include both a clearly identified opportunity and a clearly articulated action the corporation should take to take advantage of the opportunity. Do not write in general terms. Your writing here should be specific and incorporate the course concepts relating to opportunities and the external environment. Read chapter 2 in the course textbook. The textbook provides a solid background for this section. Review the Week 2 Learn Reading for supporting content. 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.

    Strengths and Weaknesses

    Give your opinion on the corporation’s greatest strengths and most significant weaknesses. Keep in mind that strengths and weaknesses are internal to the organization (i.e. the internal environment). You will need to address both the greatest strengths and most significant weaknesses. Do not choose one or the other. Both the greatest strengths and most significant weaknesses must be addressed. Do not write in general terms. The identified strengths and weaknesses should be specific to your selected corporation. Include a justification that supports your opinions. This section must include both clearly identified strengths and clearly identified weaknesses. Read Chapter 2 and 3 in the course textbook. The textbook provides a solid background for this section. Review the Week 2 and Week 3 Learn Reading for supporting content. Cite your sources and avoid the use of direct quotes. After reading these instructions, replace this blue text with your application and change the font color to black.

    Strategy or Tactic

    Choose the strategies or tactics the corporation should select to take maximum advantage of the strengths you identified in the section above, and the strategies or tactics the corporation should select to fix the most significant weaknesses you identified. You will need to select strategies/tactics for both the strengths and weaknesses. Do not choose one or the other. Strategies/tactics for both the strengths and weaknesses must be addressed. Justify your choices. Your justifications should be sound and thoroughly explained. For example, do not simply state that the corporation should choose a selected strategy, but rather explain why the strategy is a good choice for your corporations’ specific strengths or weaknesses. Read Chapter 2 and 3 in the course textbook. The textbook provides a solid background for this section. Review the Week 2 and Week 3 Learn Reading for supporting content. Cite your sources and avoid the use of direct quotes. After reading these instructions, replace this blue text with your responses and change the font color to black.

    Resources, Capabilities, and Core Competencies

    Determine the company’s resources, capabilities, and core competencies. Your determination should include an explanation of the relevance of each resource, capability, and core competency. Do not simply list the resources, capabilities, and core competencies. Remember that a thorough determination will provide a complete response that is not superficial or partial regarding the various details of the concepts as described in the course. Use your course materials to demonstrate your understanding of the key course concepts regarding resources, capabilities, and core competencies. Do not write in general terms. Your determination should display that you can apply the course concepts to your selected corporation. R ead Chapter 3 in the course textbook. The textbook provides a solid background to this section. Review the Week 3 Learn Reading for supporting content. Cite your sources and avoid the use of direct quotes. After reading these instructions, replace this blue text with your determination and change the font color to black.

     

    Sources

    1. Hitt, Ireland, & Hoskisson. 2020. Strategic management: Concepts and cases: Competitiveness and globalization (13th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western 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)