1. MGMT303: Mentoring
Week 2
Linda Wayerski

2. Course Objectives 3,6 & 7
3). Given a business dilemma with ethical implications, fully analyze all facets of the situation, reconcile the divergent perspectives, and prepare a report of your recommendations for action. 6). Given that the flow of ideas and initiative are essential ingredients for improvement and innovation in organizations of all sizes, compare and contrast entrepreneurs to intrapreneurs and how each selects from their respective portfolio of opportunities. Include how diversity of the workforce can impact improvement and innovation as well. 7). Given the challenges organizations face in a dynamically changing marketplace, identify and discuss the key issues associated with linking organizational design and structural decisions to strategic fit, outcomes, and goals.

3. Week 2 Assignment
Thoroughly research and analyze two opportunities and two threats that this organization is facing. Each of these opportunities and threats must come from a force or forces occurring within a dimension or dimensions of the general environment within the organization's external environment (Keep in mind an opportunity or threat can stem from more than one dimension within the general environment.). Be sure to include in your discussion the relevant dimensions of the general environment from which each of these forces is derived that are creating the specific opportunity or threat for the organization.
Please Note—The dimensions of the general environment are outlined in Chapter 2 and in the Week 1 Lecture.  Please read the SWOT Analysis overview and requirements located in the Introduction & Resources area under Modules.
This week you are to complete an External Environment assessment. Please ensure that you comment on trends in each of the six (6) external forces. You will use this analysis in order to complete next week's SWOT chart.

4. External Environmental Factors
Economic
Demographic
Socio-Cultural
Technological
Political/Legal
Global

5. SWOT

6. SWOT Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats
All companies must have a competitive advantages over their rivals and other competitive forces. Some of these strategic directions are described in your readings.
For example in Chapter Nine a variety of Corporate and Organizational Strategies are discussed. You may also wish to read about Sustaining Competitive Advantages and Michael Porter’s generic business strategies.      

7. SWOT Elements Strengths-Internal: What does the organization do well?
Weaknesses-Internal: What does the organization do poorly?
Opportunities-External to the organization: Forces within the dimension of the General Environment.
Threats-External to the organization: Forces within the dimension for the General Environment.

8. SWOT ANALYSIS-EXTERNAL
Managers’ decisions and actions are constrained. External constraints come from the organization’s environment and internal constraints come from the organization’s culture.
The term external environment refers to factors and forces outside the organization affecting its performance.
The economic component encompasses factors such as interest rates, inflation, changes in disposable income, stock market fluctuations, and business cycle stages.
The demographic component is concerned with trends in population characteristics such as age, race, gender, education level, geographic location, income, and family composition.
The political/legal component looks at federal, state, and local laws as well as global laws and laws of other countries. It also includes a country’s political conditions and stability.
The sociocultural component is concerned with societal and cultural factors such as values, attitudes, trends, traditions, lifestyles, beliefs, tastes, and patterns of behavior.
The technological component is concerned with scientific or industrial innovations.
And the global component encompasses those issues associated with globalization and a world economy

9. Planning
Strategic
Tactical
Operational

10. Business-Level Strategy
A business-level strategy is how a single-business organization strategically chooses to compete within its market. An organization that has many businesses will have a corporate-level strategy (discussed in the next section of this lecture), but will also have business-level strategies for each of its business units.
Michael Porter identified three types of competitive strategies that an organization can choose to follow. The strategies are:
Differentiation strategy: The organization chooses to set itself apart from its competitors through the quality of its products and services. Good examples of companies using this strategy are Coach Handbags, Nordstrom Department Store, and DeWalt Tools.
Overall cost leadership strategy: The organization chooses to gain an edge over its competitors by offering its products and services at lower prices; it does this through reducing its costs below the costs of its competitors. Walmart is a great example of using this strategy.
Focus strategy: The organization chooses to concentrate on a specific regional market, product line, or group of buyers. A local specialty pet store that sells organic pet foods and products is a good example of an organization using the focus strategy. 

11. Thank you
Courtesy Read- If you like some feedback on your assignment. Please it to me no later than on Fridays by 5:00 PM. Allow for 24 hours for me to send it back to you.
Send to
Please send me a text message at that you have sent me an with your assignment.