Assignment: External Factor Analysis & Essay

MUST BE COMPLETELY ORIGINAL WORK (2 Parts to the Assignment - External Factors Table & Essay)

Part I - EFAS Table

Using the information gathered from your SWOT analysis conducted in Unit II, create an external factor analysis (EFAS) table for the company you researched. Use Microsoft Word, or a similar program, to create your table. It should have five columns. The first column heading should be titled External Factors, the second column should be titled Weight, the third column should be titled Rating, the fourth column should be titled Weighted Score, and the fifth column should be titled Comments.

See an example EFAS table.

1. In the External Factors column, list at least six opportunities you saw in the company you researched. Underneath the opportunities, list at least six threats you saw in the company you researched.

2. In the Weight column, assign an importance factor to each of these issues from 0.0-1.0 (1.0 is most important; 0.0 is least important). These ratings are based on the probable impact on a particular company's current strategic position. The higher the weight, the more important the factor to the current and future success of the company. You may not be privy to the exact information for this company, so in some cases you will need to use your best judgment. (You will justify your weighting in column five.)

3. In the Rating column, assign a rating factor from 5.0-1.0 (5.0 is Outstanding; 1.0 is poor). These ratings are based on the company's response to that particular factor. It is your judgment call on how the company is currently dealing with each specific factor. Once again, you may need to make an estimate in this area if you are not privy to all of the information. (You will justify your weighting in column five.)

4. In the Weighted Score column, multiply the weight from column 2 by the rating in column 3 to get the factor's weighted score.

5. In the Comments column, explain why a particular factor was selected and how its weight and rating were estimated.

6. At the bottom of column 4, add the weighted scores for the external factors. Is the company doing better or worse than others in the same industry? Complete this answer underneath your table.

Format your assignment using APA Style. Use your own words, and include citations and references as needed to avoid plagiarism. Remember to use proper APA formatting and include a reference page

Part II - Essay

Companies are always responding to inside and outside forces. There are pressures from customers, the marketplace, governments, suppliers, and many other factors connected to the business. Some of these factors impact how leaders of a company respond with strategies and their implementation.

For this essay, you will conduct research on how internal and external forces impact a corporation's strategy and implementation. You may use the same company or organization you have used for the SWOT and EFAS table, or you may choose a new one. You must use at least three sources, one of which must be from the CSU Online Library. In your essay, address the following questions:

- Describe the general forces of sociocultural, technological, economic, environmental, and political-legal, in the societal environment. How does your company address each of these?

- Distinguish between a fragmented and consolidated industry, and describe examples of each. Given the business area of your company, does the company exist in a fragmented or consolidated industry? Within this industry type, is the company more consolidated or fragmented?

- In what ways may a corporation's structure and culture be internal strengths or weaknesses? Look at your organization, and analyze its structural and cultural strengths and weaknesses. How can the weaknesses be improved? How would an IFAS Table help in this situation?

Your essay should be at least two pages in length, double-spaced, and in 12 pt. Times New Roman font. The title and reference pages do not count towards the minimum page length. To complete this assignment, a minimum of three reputable sources must be used, cited, and referenced.