Growth in a Competitive Ecosystem Case Study - Management Assignment Help

Assignment Task

Task

Discussion 1:

Case Study With Discussion: Options for Growth in a Competitive Ecosystem—Apple

Observers often consider the competitive ecosystem of the smartphone and mobile electronics industry to be a “red ocean” industry. Many rivals engage in direct competition with each other, with increasingly less room to differentiate one product from the others. In such industries, consumers often have the power to drive prices down as rival firms have few other ways to compete. Increased competition leads to thinner profit margins as rivals drop prices further and further.

Yet, even in these conditions, some innovative companies find a strategy to exploit opportunities for growth that rivals cannot easily imitate. For example, in the airline industry, Southwest Airlines and Virgin Airlines have found room to grow, even in the fiercely competitive “red ocean” ecosystem of the airlines industry.This week, you examine a case study of Apple, Inc., which both established a “blue ocean” space in the smartphone industry, and has found room to grow in what is becoming an increasingly global and competitive space.

The essence of the five-force, competitive analysis is to examine whether one might find it attractive or not to compete in a given industry, and where, specifically, there might be “dominant positions” within an industry, and to identify the forces that shape the potential to make money in an industry, given a particular “competitive position.” That is, how will you win? (How will you create unique value?)

To prepare for this Discussion:

• · Review all required readings, including the Weekly Briefing, which provides additional guidance on how to complete the Assignment.
• · Review this week's case study. You can, and should, scan it multiple times.
• · Identify and review all relevant readings from the MBA Capstone Program Bibliography.
• · Review the figure below to re-familiarize yourself with the elements of a five-forces analysis, which you have used in a couple of other contexts within the MBA program.By Day 3, post:
• · A detailed explanation of the critical competitive forces (and their underlying dynamics) in the smartphone industry that may threaten Apple based on a relevant five-forces analysis and other concepts you've learned from your MBA program. Be sure to explain how and why you've focused on the critical forces that you've identified.
• · A detailed explanation of the potential for new entry and/or effective substitute competition, based on a relevant blue ocean strategy analysis and other concepts you've learned from your MBA program. Be sure to explain how and why you've focused on a particular new entry or substitute threats to Apple.
• · An explanation of the strategic implications of the competitive forces you identified above: what are the opportunities and threats to Apple's position in the ecosystem of the smartphone industry that it must factor into its strategy for the future, based on your analysis, and why? Provide evidence from the case and any other research you might do, and support your reasoning with references to this week's readings and from prior MBA program course concepts.

Your response to these prompts should be polished, researched, and well documented.

General Guidance: Your original post, due by Day 3, will typically be approximately 1 single-spaced page in length (cut and pasted into the DQ) as a general expectation/estimate. Refer to the Week 5 Discussion 1 rubric for grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use the rubric to assess your work.

Discussion 2 - Week 5

Discussion 2: Capstone Forum: Assignment With Peer Review: Five-Forces and Blue Ocean Strategy Analysis for Your Organization

Now it is time to apply lessons learned from this week's case analysis and Discussion about competitive force assessment, this week's readings, and other resources, to help you think about how you might answer the question, how will you win? (How will you create unique value?)

To prepare for this Discussion:

Review all required readings, including the Weekly Briefing, which provides additional guidance on how to complete the Assignment.

Review this week's case study and peer discussion and reflect and make notes on the following: What insights did you gain, and what did you learn from this week's resources your case analysis and peer discussion that you can apply to your Strategy Playbook for your chosen organization? What conceptual and strategic differences are important between the case example and your organization (focus on the concepts analyzed this week)? What assumptions do you need to make in order to use the strategy concepts appropriately?

Identify and review all relevant readings from the MBA Capstone Program Bibliography. Given your chosen organization, what concepts, tools, and readings from the Program Capstone Bibliography are most relevant to helping guide how you might recommend improving the company? How and why are they relevant?

Locate and maintain access to publicly available information about your organization.

By Day 5, post a polished and synthesized entry into the discussion area, which will also be the basis for an entry into the final draft of your Strategy Playbook for Extraordinary Results. At minimum you should add the following to your discussion post and Strategy Playbook:

An evidence-based and cohesive set of specific and actionable recommendations for actions (based on application of this week’s strategy concepts), that your selected organization can take that will clearly enable your organization to achieve its strategic goals, sustain and grow its business, and remain viable and healthy.

HINT: You should provide a preliminary argument that defends your recommendations. Consider why your recommendations are SMART-- specific, measurable, achievable (that is realistic and feasible, and timely (relevant and important).

A related set of metrics that will enable your selected organization to measure the effectiveness of your recommended actions.

HINT: These metrics could then be used in the comprehensive final draft of your strategy playbook diagram, which is part of your final Strategy Playbook.

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