Unless otherwise stated, answer in complete sentences, and be sure to use correct English, spelling and grammar. Sources must be cited in APA format. Your response should be four (4) double-spaced pages.

Part A

The questions in Part A refer to the material discussed in Lesson 5 of this course.

As you learned in Lesson 1, managing strategically involves formulating strategic responses and putting them into action. In Lesson 2 you learned about functional strategies (also called operational strategies), competitive strategies (also called business unit strategies), and corporate strategies. Let's now discuss implementing strong competitive and functional strategies to exploit resources, capabilities, and core competencies.

Respond to the following:

What functional strategies does an organization need?

What might provide the basis upon which an organization decides on a competitive strategy?

Describe briefly Porter's notion of being "stuck-in-the-middle." Is it always true?