CASE STUDY: Procter & GambleCo. (P&G) orGeneral Mills, Inc.,

Chapter "Strengthening a Company's Competitive Position: Strategic Moves, Timing, and Scope of Operations."

In your textbook can help you determine a company's competitive position as an MNC and MNC SBU.

- For example, Sony was once the leader in consumer electronics. Should an SBU of an MNC take an offensive or defensive market position?

- Learn whether and when to pursue offensive or defensive strategic moves to improve a company's market position.

- Recognize when being a first mover or a fast follower or a late mover is most advantageous.

- Become aware of the strategic benefits and risks of expanding a company's horizontal scope through mergers and acquisitions.

- Learn the advantages and disadvantages of extending the company's scope of operations via vertical integration.

- Become aware of the conditions that favor farming out certain value chain activities to outside parties.

- Understand when and how strategic alliances can substitute for horizontal mergers and acquisitions or vertical integration and how they can facilitate outsourcing.

Assignment

To successfully complete this discussion unit, you will be expected to:

Your discussion post should be a minimum of 600 words and incorporate at least two scholarly reference along with citations from the required readings.

- Analyze the competitive position of an organization.

- Evaluate the international business strategy of an organization.

- Recommend strategies for success in competing in international markets.
Identify and briefly describe the organization you have being assigned. Based on your assigned unit readings, answer the following about the organization:

- How would you define the organization's approach for growth?

- Is the organization a first mover, fast follower, or something else?

- Which works better first, mover or fast second?

- What is (the organization assigned) first mover advantage?

- How well is this advantage standing up today?

- What is the timing of offensive and defensive moves?

- What are their options today?

- What can they learn from past successes and failures?

- What have been the growth strategies over the last 3-5 years?

- How successful has the organization been?

- Has the organization used mergers and acquisitions as part of its strategy? For example, Cisco Systems uses acquisitions as a primary means of growth and building strategic competencies.

Readings

Use your textbook, Read the following:
Thompson, A. A., Peteraf, M. A., Gamble, J. E., & Strickland III, A. J. (2015). Crafting & Executing Strategy. "The Quest for Competitive Advantage". In T. A. Thompson, M. A. Peteraf, J. E. Gamble, & A. J. Strickland III, Crafting and Executing Strategy (20 ed.). New York, New York, USA: McGraw-Hill Education.