Introduction

The assignments have been designed to help you integrate and apply the concepts you have learned up to this point. These concepts provide a foundation on which other course concepts are built. Assessing your comprehension will help ensure that you are on track to successfully complete the course. Refer to the Course Overview for general guidelines on preparing and submitting assignments. Also, be sure to read your instructor's introductory postings pertinent to the assignments in the Discussions area of the course.

The activities in this module have introduced key features of the strategic model. This assignment will test your understanding of these features and what you have learned in Module 1. All of the activities done for this module are the foundation for this assignment; a review of the readings and the activities should reveal the appropriate answers to the questions posed.

This assignment consists of two parts: Part A requires an analysis of Best Buy Co. Inc. (as of February 2013), and Part B requires that you submit evidence of your work on the module activities. The assignment is worth 15 per cent of your final grade in the course. Click here to see the Form 10K.

Part A: 80% of the assignment grade

Perform an analysis of Best Buy Co. Inc. Your analysis will draw on the Form 10K (as of February 2013). Your analysis can include information prior to February 2013 but should not draw on any information that you might come across that is post-February 2013. Bear in mind that as a strategic manager you do not have the benefit of foresight and hence your analysis must be confined to the period defined in the Form 10K as of February 2013 for this assignment.

Address the following in your analysis:

1. Read the Best Buy Case and identify and analyze the company's strategies. Your answer must identify clearly the firm's strategies and show your awareness of strategic management theory as it is being applied by the company.

2. Prepare a Porter analysis of the industry in which Best Buy operates. The assessment of the Porter forces must be explained fully with reference to the evidence presented in the case. As stressed in the module, the Porter analysis is of the industry/sector in which the firm operates; focus your attention on the industry as a whole and be mindful of the segment in which Best Buy operates. The assessment must be complete and show your awareness of the all the factors shaping the industry.

3. Prepare a SWOT analysis of the company, revealing your awareness and understanding of the firm's competencies, capabilities, and resources and relate the same to the opportunities and threats confronting the firm. Using the SWOT as your guide, provide insight in the strategies that Best Buy selected. Is the firm's strategic direction consistent with what you have determined from the SWOT?

4. Prepare a macro-environment analysis for the industry in which Best Buy operates. Explain fully if and how the company is being affected by macro forces and determine if these forces are reflected in the firm's strategies.

5. Based on your awareness of the firm as revealed in questions 1-4, provide an assessment of the firm's overall strategic options and alternatives.

Part A should not exceed 10 pages in length, double-spaced, Times Roman 12 pt. Page setup: 1 inch margin on the left and right.

Part B: 20% of the Assignment Grade

Write a brief report that demonstrates your active participation in the discussions and contributions to your personal journal. Your report should include examples of your postings on the activities, your thoughts and personal musings on the problems and issues introduced in the activities, and a summary of what you learned in this module. In addition, you can refer to questions that arose from your work on the activities. If you replied to questions posed by other class participants, indicate what your replies were and whether the interaction with other participants increased your understanding of course concepts, such as strategy formation and the strategic planning process. DO NOT copy and paste from your personal journal or discussion postings. Part B is an executive summary of the relevant issues/theory raised in the module activities.

In addition, present your personal strategic plan (see the Personal Journal: Strategic Planning Process Model activity in Topic 2 of Module 1) and explain clearly what you learned about your strategic choices and decisions. Outline how you could use the strategic model in the future to map your personal progress and career.

Part B should not exceed 4 pages in length, double spaced, Times Roman 12 pt. Page setup: 1 inch margin on the left and right.
When you have completed the assignment, send it to your Open Learning Faculty Member using the Assignments function in Blackboard.

The assignment must be properly formatted and be professional in appearance. It must include your name, TRU student ID, Course name, assignment number, your TRU or personal email address and your current home mailing address, and other information as described in the course guidelines.

Prepare Assignment 1 in Microsoft Word format. Part A and Part B must be presented in a single document. Assignments will not be graded if both parts are not included.