Assignment
1. When does being a first mover or fast follower lead to competitive advantage? Discuss what is meant by Blue Ocean strategy? Conduct a web search and identify a company or group that uses Blue ocean approach. (250 words)
2. How can OD practitioners encourage team members to be more innovative in their approach to managing their teams?(250 words)
3. What are the strategic advantages of being a first mover? What are the strategic advantages of being a follower or late mover? (250 words)
4. Identify five objectives that a merger and acquisition strategy can achieve. (250 words)
5. What are the merits of outsourcing the performance of certain value chain activities as opposed to performing them in-house? Under what circumstances does outsourcing make good strategic sense? If you're military provide an example of how your service may do this in relation to contracts or logistic support. (250 words)
Need the first 4 questions by Wednesday
6. Your paper should be 2 - 4 pages.
a. What is Panera Bread's strategy? Which of the five generic competitive strategies
1. Low-cost provider strategy
2. A broad differentiation strategy
3. Focused low-cost strategy
4. focused differentiation strategy
5. best-cost provider strategy
Most closely fit the competitive approach that Panera Bread is taking? What type of competitive advantage is Panera Bread trying to achieve?
b. What does a SWOT analysis of Panera Bread reveal about the overall attractiveness of its situation? Does the company have any core competencies or distinctive competencies?
c. What are the primary components of Panera Bread's value chain?
d. What does the data in case Exhibit 1 reveal about Panera Bread's financial performance? How well is the company doing financially? Use the financial ratios in the Appendix as a guide in doing the calculations needed to arrive at an analysis-based answer to your assessment of Panera's recent financial performance.
e. Describe one or two things you learned as a result of doing this case study that was new or interesting.