Assignment

Rothaermel Questions

- AnalysisMUST clearly relate to the Discussion Question's main topics. It includes analysis of the sections (parts).

- Each questionMUST provide details and/or examples.
- Proper spelling and grammar are used.
- APA format including citations and references are correct.
- Scholarly references no older than 5 years.
- MUST use textbook for many questions below and reference the page found.

Required Textbook:

Rothaermel, F. T. (2017). Strategic management concepts (Custom 3rd ed.) New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.ISBN: 1259912779

1. How is a strategy different from a business model? How is it similar?

2. Threadless (in Strategy Highlight 1.1) is an example of a firm building its customer base to use new products and also to participate in the design and vetting of popular designs. In the summer of 2010, Dell Computer announced a partnership with Threadless for designs on its laptop computers. For a small additional fee (and an extra day's delay in shipping), you can get a Threadless design etched on your new Dell laptop. Why do you think Dell is keen on offering this service? What other firms use this crowdsourcing technique? Where else might this type of business model show up in the future?

3. Based on discussions in this chapter which railroad firm seems more prepared to use planned emergence, CSZ or Japan Railways? Why?

4. Why is it important for any organization (firms, nonprofits, etc.) to study and understand its external environment?

5. How do the five competitive forces in Porter's model affect the average profitability of the industry? For example, in what way might weak forces increase industry profits, and in what way do strong forces reduce industry profits? Identify an industry in which many of the competitors seem to be having financial performance problems. Which of the five forces seems to be strongest? (Be sure to discuss each of the 5 forces)

6. Why is it important to study the internal resources, capabilities, and activities of firms? What insights can be gained?

7. Conduct a value chain analysis for McDonald's. What are its primary activities? What are its support activities? Identify the activities that add the most value for the customer. Why? Which activities help McDonald's to contain cost? Why?

8. In the past few years, McDonald's has made a lot of changes to its menu, adding more healthy choices and more higher-priced items, such as those offered in McCafé (e.g., premium roast coffee, frappé, and fruit smoothies), and has also enhanced its in-restaurant services (e.g., free, unlimited Wi-Fi; upgraded interiors). Did McDonald's new priorities-in terms of a broader, healthier menu and an improved in-restaurant experience-require changes to its traditional value chain activities? If so, how? Try to be as specific as possible in comparing the McDonald's from the recent past (focusing on low-cost burgers) to the McDonald's of today.

9. The resource-based view of the firm identifies four criteria that managers can use to evaluate whether particular resources and capabilities are core competencies and can, therefore, provide a basis for sustainable competitive advantage. Are these measures independent or interdependent? Explain. If (some of) the measures are interdependent, what implications does that fact have for managers wanting to create and sustain a competitive advantage?