Miyamoto Mushasi, a great Japanese swordsman in the 1600s, thought carefully about the role of strategy in his work, The Book of Five Rings. He suggested that one of the core skills that a good strategist must possess is a special gaze, one that allows the person to see equally well both in the distance as well as at close range (Mushasi, 2005). This module, beginning with this first unit, will give you a chance to practice this skill. It will challenge you to move from the specific to the general and from the general to the specific, from analyzing how past success informs present strengths to charting future goals that can be seen from current situations.
Reference

Mushasi, M., (2005). The Book of Five Rings, Translated from Japanese by Cleary, T., Boston: Shambhala

Learning Objectives

Students will:
- Analyze the role of strategic intent as a factor in achieving potential sustainable competitive advantage
- Analyze the trade-offs and inferior positions inherent in long-term strategy intentions
- Analyze the effects of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on business strategy
- Evaluate the identity and ethos (mission/vision/values) of a selected company

Course: Strategy and Innovation(MBA)

Unit 1: Strategy as Long-Term Intent and the Expression of Values and Ethics.

Shared Activity: Strategy as Long Term Intent and Systemic Optimization

After Apple Inc., released its iPhone in 2007, Google had a decision to make. Should it try to make a phone that would compete directly? If not, what should it do?

The situation Google found itself in is not unique. Companies in every industry have to respond to their competition. Far too often, the response does not serve a greater, long-term goal. Companies often act reflexively and mimic their competitors. They attempt to do the same thing, yet they hope for better results. However, successful companies will have a strategy in place that guides responses to competitors. While Google may have had the resources to manufacture a great smartphone to compete with Apple, the company believed this did not align with its overall long-term strategy. Instead, Google chose to design Android, the software that other smartphone manufacturers could use as they competed for market share with Apple's phone. Now, almost every smartphone, except for the iPhone, uses Google's Android to power its operating system. Google therefore competes indirectly with Apple, and drives users to Google's core strength: its search platform.

Google's response to the iPhone is a demonstration of what Hamel and Prahalad (2005) refer to as ‘strategic intent.' The response did not merely react to the competition; the response successfully supported a strong, long-term goal with a logical strategy for reaching that goal and one which forced the company to expand beyond its current skills, competencies and capabilities.

To prepare for this Assignment:Pls Read
- Review the Readings.
- Then consider how strategic intent can lead to sustainable competitive advantage.
- Research the Internet to find one example of an organization that clearly has an articulated strategic intent and long-term posture towards innovation and capability expansion.(Use Microsoft Corporation and how they responded to the tablet market that was once dominated by Apple`s Ipad.
- Research the internet to find one example of an organization that clearly does not have an articulated strategic intent and long-term posture towards innovation and capability expansion. (Use Nokia Corporation and how they went from the Top maker of Cellphone to being virtually nonexistence)

Assignment:

- (A) Conduct a thorough and well-argued analysis that provides evidence that one of your chosen companies does have a strong strategic-intent posture.

o Be sure to explain the strategic implications of your analysis and speculate on what this strong strategic intent posture could bring to the organization in terms of future strategic direction and choices.

- (B) Conduct a thorough and well-argued analysis that provides evidence that one of your chosen companies does not have a strong strategic-intent posture.

o Be sure to explain the strategic implications of your analysis and speculate on what this lack of strategic-intent posture could mean to the organization in terms of future strategic directions and choices.

Instructions:

- Each part of the assignment (A) and (B) should both be 500 words (total 1000 words) excluding referencing.

- Ensure Graduate level writing and research including grammar and comprehension. Referencing should be Harvard format

- Kindly ensure assignment are checked for Plagiarism using Turnitin

Reading Material 1 - Strategic Intent by Gary Hamel and C.K. Prahalad

Reading Material 2 - Finding the profit in fairness by Christoph H. Loch, Fabian J. String, Arnd Huchzermeir, and Christiane Decker

Reading Material 3 - Strategy and Society - The link between competitive advantage and Corporate social responsibility by Michael. E. Porter and Mark R. Kramer

Reading Material 4 - Doing good and doing buiness at the bottom of the pyramid  by Arpita Agnihotri

Attachment:- Reading.rar