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This is a continuation assignment of the assignment you already helped me with previously

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This is a continuation assignment of the assignment you already helped me with previously. Below are the details. I will attach the previous paper you wrote as well.

OVERVIEW

In this assignment, you are to use the same corporation you selected and focused on for the Strategic Management and Strategic Competitiveness assignment.

Using the corporation you chose from the Week 3 assignment, Strategic Management and Strategic Competitiveness, examine the industry in which the entity operates. Use any or all of the following resources to conduct research on the company:

• Company website.
• Public filings from the Securities and Exchange Commission's Filings & Forms page.
• Strayer University's online databases.
• The Lexis Advance database.
• Other miscellaneous sources. Note: the company's annual report will often provide insights that other resources may not include.

Use the External and Internal Environments Template [DOC] to ensure that your assignment meets the requirements.

REQUIREMENTS

Write a 4–6 page paper in which you do the following:

• Choose the two segments of the general environment that would rank highest in their influence on the corporation you chose.
  • Assess how these segments affect the corporation you chose and the industry in which it operates.
• Considering the five forces of competition, choose the two that you estimate are the most significant for the corporation you chose.
  • Evaluate how well the company has addressed these two forces in the recent past.
• With the same two forces in mind, predict what the company might do to improve its ability to address these forces in the near future.
• Assess the external threats affecting this corporation and the opportunities available to the corporation.
  • Give your opinions on how the corporation should deal with the most serious threat and the greatest opportunity. Justify your answer.
• Give your opinion on the corporation's greatest strengths and most significant weaknesses.
  • Choose the strategy or tactic the corporation should select to take maximum advantage of its strengths, and the strategy or tactic the corporation should select to fix its most significant weakness. Justify your choices.
• Determine the company’s resources, capabilities, and core competencies.
• Go to the Strayer University Online Library to locate three quality references. Note: Wikipedia and similar websites do not qualify as academic resources.

This course requires the use of Strayer Writing Standards. For assistance and information, please refer to the Strayer Writing Standards link in the left-hand menu of your course. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.

 Week 6 External and Internal Environments Assignment Student’s Full Name BUS499 Business Administration Capstone Professor’s Name Date Figures title: 2 Template Instructions (delete this page before submitting) This template is provided to help you meet the assignment requirements. This page should NOT be submitted with your assignment, as it is not part of an academically written paper. Note the “Clarity, writing mechanics, and formatting requirements” section of the grading rubric. HOW TO USE THIS TEMPLATE • Read the explanations provided in the template for each section of your paper. o The explanations are in blue font below. o You should have already read the assignment instructions in Blackboard. • Type your response to each of the assignment requirements within the designated sections. o Each assignment requirement is identified using a section Heading that is in black font o DO NOT add extra spaces between sections. o DO NOT change the margins. • You are required to have a heading for each of the sections in your paper. o The required headings have been provided for you. o Follow the instructions below to customize the Headings as directed. o DO NOT type the assignment instructions into the sections. • After typing your responses, change the font color to black and make sure it is not in bold. o Be sure to change the font color on the title page to black after typing your name, professor’s name, and date. • Everything in blue font below should be deleted and replaced with your responses. • DELETE this entire page before you submit your assignment to avoid losing points. Do not leave a blank page here. REMINDERS • The assignment is due in week 6. Late submissions negatively impact your grade. • Use the same public corporation you used for the Week 3 assignment. • Do not copy content from other assignments in this class or others. • Include at least 4 full and complete academically written pages that address the requirements. The title page, this instruction page, and the source page do not count. • Use at least 3 quality sources, one of which MUST be the course textbook. • Strayer uses SafeAssign – an automated plagiarism checker. It is advised that you do your own writing and use external resources to support what you have written in your own words. Figures title: 3 Week 6 External and Internal Environments Assignment Write your introduction here. Include one paragraph (not more than 6 lines of text) that explains what your paper will discuss. Much of your introduction may be taken from the assignment instructions (in your own words). Read all assignment resources to understand what should be included in your paper. Be sure to review the assignment instructions in Blackboard, the grading rubric, and relevant course announcements to understand the requirements. Do not exceed 6 lines of text in this introduction. There should be no direct quotes in this section. After reading these instructions, replace this blue text with your introduction and change the font color to black. General Environment In this section you will choose the two segments of the general environment that would rank highest in their influence on the public corporation you chose for assignment 1. You must select from the segments discussed in the course. Hint: see table 2.1 in the textbook. Do not assess all the segments—only assess the two segments that rank highest in influencing your corporation. You will then assess how these segments affect the corporation and the industry in which it operates. There are two subsections below, each has a heading. The heading “Segment 1” should be changed to the first segment of the general environment you select. The heading “Segment 2” should be changed to the second segment of the general environment you select. Replace this paragraph with a very brief introduction that includes the identification of the two segments of the general environment you selected and change the font color to black. Segment 1 This subsection is where you assess the first of the two segments of the general environment you think ranks highest in its influence on the public corporation you chose for the Figures title: 4 Week 3 assignment. Change the subheading for this section, which currently says “Segment 1” to the name of the selected segment. Assess how this segment affects the corporation and the industry in which it operates. Remember that to assess a concept, you will weigh all aspects to judge the importance or relevance of that concept. Do not simply define the segment. Do not copy from your Week 3 assignment submission. Your assessment should demonstrate that you have read, understand, and can apply the concepts covered in the course resources regarding the segment. Your writing here should thoroughly assess how the selected segment influences your corporation. Do not write about the general environment in general terms. Your assessment should be directly related to your selected corporation. A thorough assessment is defined as providing a complete response that is not superficial or partial regarding the various details of the concepts as described in the course. You will need to apply and incorporate key concepts from the course material to your assessment. Do not Google “segments of the general environment” or provide high-level summaries. You must display, in specific detail, an understanding based on what is studied in this course and demonstrate your ability to apply the concepts in a real-world assessment of a corporation. Read chapter 2 in the course textbook. Review the Week 2 Learn Reading for supporting content. Properly cite your sources and avoid the use of direct quotes. After reading these instructions, replace this blue text with your assessment and change the font color to black. Segment 2 This subsection is where you assess the second of the two segments of the general environment you selected. Change the subheading for this section, which currently says “Segment 2” to the name of the selected segment of the general environment that would rank highest in its influence on the public corporation you chose for the Week 2 assignment. Repeat Figures title: 5 the evaluation instructions provided in the “Segment 1” subsection above for this second segment of the general environment. Re-read the instructions above to ensure you have covered all of the requirements for this second segment of the general environment. After completing this section, replace this blue text with your evaluation and change the font color to black. Five Forces of Competition In this section you will consider the five forces of competition and choose the two that you estimate are the most significant for the corporation you chose in assignment 1. Hint: see figure 2.2 in the textbook. You will then, evaluate how well the company has addressed each of these two forces in the recent past. There are two subsections below, each has a heading. The heading “Force 1” should be changed to the first of the two forces of competition you select. The heading “Force 2” should be changed to the second of the two forces of competition you select. Replace this paragraph with a very brief introduction that includes the identification of the two forces of competition you selected and change the font color to black. Force 1 This subsection is where you evaluate the first of two forces of competition that you estimate to be the most significant to the corporation you chose. Change the subheading for this section, which currently says “Force 1” to the name of your selected force. Provide a thorough assessment of why you think the selected force is significant to your corporation. A thorough assessment is defined as providing a complete response that is not superficial or partial regarding the various details of the concept as described in the course. Do not Google “five forces of competition” or simply provide a definition. You will need to apply and incorporate key concepts from the course material in your assessment. Figures title: 6 Evaluate how well the company addressed the selected force in the recent past. This will require some research. Remember that to evaluate a concept, you will break down all components to determine or analyze facts, value, or views. Your evaluation should demonstrate that you have read, understand, and can apply the concepts covered in the textbook and course resources. Do not write about the selected force in general terms. Your evaluation should be directly related to your selected corporation and include a thorough evaluation of how the company has addressed the force recently. You must display an understanding based on what is studied in this course and demonstrate an ability to apply the concepts in a real-world evaluation of a corporation. You will need to read the chapters and listen to the lectures to understand the key concepts for each force. Read chapter 2 in the course textbook and review the Week 2 Learn Reading for supporting content. Cite all sources and limit the use of direct quotes. After reading these instructions, replace this blue text with your evaluation and change the font color to black. Force 2 Choose another one of the five forces of competition that you estimate to be the most significant for the corporation you chose. This should not be the same force assessed in the “Force 1” section above. Change the subheading for this section, which currently says “Force 2” to the name of the selected force. This subsection is where you evaluate the second of the two forces of competition that you selected. Repeat the evaluation instructions provided in the “Force 1” subsection above for this second force of competition. Re-read the instructions above to ensure you have covered all of the requirements for this second force of competition. After completing this section, replace this blue text with your evaluation and change the font color to black. Figures title: 7 Future Improvements With the same two forces assessed and evaluated in the previous two sub-sections above, predict what the company might do to improve its ability to address the forces in the near future. Your writing here should provide a thorough prediction of what the company should do to address impacts from the selected forces. Do not simply discuss company information published by your sources. This section should be your prediction of what the corporation should do. Your prediction should be your own, not predictions or recommendations from your sources or actions your corporation has already taken or plans to take. Remember that a thorough evaluation is defined as providing a complete response that is not superficial or partial regarding the various details of the concepts as described in the course. Your prediction should be specific to your selected corporation, relevant to the evaluation you conducted, and directly related to improvements the corporation could make to address the two forces you selected in the two subsections above. Read chapter 2 in the course textbook and review the Week 2 Learn Reading for supporting content. Cite your sources and avoid the use of direct quotes. After reading these instructions, replace this blue text with your prediction and change the font color to black. Greatest External Threat Identify what you consider to be the greatest external threat to the corporation you selected. The threat should be specific to your corporation. Justify why you consider the threat to be the greatest. Support your justification with an assessment of the impact the threat has on the corporation. For example, your justification could include a comparison of other threats or an evaluation of facts that support the magnitude of the threat’s impact. Follow this justification with a discussion on how the corporation should address the threat. Specifically describe the strategy and provide a justification that supports why you believe the strategy will be successful Figures title: 8 in combating the threat. This section must include both a clearly identified external threat and a clearly articulated action\strategy the corporation should take to address the threat. Do not write in general terms. Your writing here should be specific and incorporate the course concepts relating to threats and the external environment. Read chapter 2 in the course textbook. The textbook provides a solid background for this section. Review the Week 2 Learn Reading for supporting content. Cite your sources and avoid the use of direct quotes. After reading these instructions, replace this blue text with your response and change the font color to black. Greatest Opportunity Identify what you consider to be the greatest opportunity to the corporation you selected. The opportunity should be specific to your corporation. Justify why you consider the opportunity to be the greatest. Support your justification with an assessment of the impact the opportunity could have on the corporation. For example, your justification could include a comparison of other opportunities or an evaluation of facts that support the magnitude of the opportunity’s impact. Follow this justification with a discussion on how the corporation could best take advantage of the opportunity. Specifically describe the strategy and provide a justification that supports why you believe the strategy will be successful in adding value to the corporation. This section must include both a clearly identified opportunity and a clearly articulated action the corporation should take to take advantage of the opportunity. Do not write in general terms. Your writing here should be specific and incorporate the course concepts relating to opportunities and the external environment. Read chapter 2 in the course textbook. The textbook provides a solid background for this section. Review the Week 2 Learn Reading for supporting content. Cite your sources and avoid the use of direct quotes. After reading these instructions, replace this blue text with your response and change the font color to black. Figures title: 9 Strengths and Weaknesses Give your opinion on the corporation's greatest strengths and most significant weaknesses. Keep in mind that strengths and weaknesses are internal to the organization (i.e. the internal environment). You will need to address both the greatest strengths and most significant weaknesses. Do not choose one or the other. Both the greatest strengths and most significant weaknesses must be addressed. Do not write in general terms. The identified strengths and weaknesses should be specific to your selected corporation. Include a justification that supports your opinions. This section must include both clearly identified strengths and clearly identified weaknesses. Read Chapter 2 and 3 in the course textbook. The textbook provides a solid background for this section. Review the Week 2 and Week 3 Learn Reading for supporting content. Cite your sources and avoid the use of direct quotes. After reading these instructions, replace this blue text with your application and change the font color to black. Strategy or Tactic Choose the strategies or tactics the corporation should select to take maximum advantage of the strengths you identified in the section above, and the strategies or tactics the corporation should select to fix the most significant weaknesses you identified. You will need to select strategies/tactics for both the strengths and weaknesses. Do not choose one or the other. Strategies/tactics for both the strengths and weaknesses must be addressed. Justify your choices. Your justifications should be sound and thoroughly explained. For example, do not simply state that the corporation should choose a selected strategy, but rather explain why the strategy is a good choice for your corporations’ specific strengths or weaknesses. Read Chapter 2 and 3 in the course textbook. The textbook provides a solid background for this section. Review the Week 2 and Week 3 Learn Reading for supporting content. Cite your sources and avoid the use of direct Figures title: 10 quotes. After reading these instructions, replace this blue text with your responses and change the font color to black. Resources, Capabilities, and Core Competencies Determine the company's resources, capabilities, and core competencies. Your determination should include an explanation of the relevance of each resource, capability, and core competency. Do not simply list the resources, capabilities, and core competencies. Remember that a thorough determination will provide a complete response that is not superficial or partial regarding the various details of the concepts as described in the course. Use your course materials to demonstrate your understanding of the key course concepts regarding resources, capabilities, and core competencies. Do not write in general terms. Your determination should display that you can apply the course concepts to your selected corporation. Read Chapter 3 in the course textbook. The textbook provides a solid background to this section. Review the Week 3 Learn Reading for supporting content. Cite your sources and avoid the use of direct quotes. After reading these instructions, replace this blue text with your determination and change the font color to black. Figures title: 11 Sources 1. Hitt, Ireland, & Hoskisson. 2020. Strategic management: Concepts and cases: Competitiveness and globalization (13th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning 2. Author. Publication Date. Title. Page # (written as p. #). How to Find (e.g. web address) 3. Author. Publication Date. Title. Page # (written as p. #). How to Find (e.g. web address) 1 Walmart Strategic Management and Strategic Competitiveness Analysis Noel Sanchez Strayer University BUS499 Business Administration Capstone Dr. Brian C. Grizzell 22 April 2021 2 Walmart Strategic Management and Strategic Competitiveness Analysis This paper focuses on the strategic management and strategic competitiveness analysis of corporations. The selected organization is Walmart, a large retail business in the industry. A discussion on how globalization and technology have affected Walmart Corporation. Further, the industrial organization model and the resource-based model are applied to determine how the company can realize profit margins beyond its current revenue. An analysis of Walmart's mission and vision statement will be examined to establish its contributions to overall organizational success. Lastly, the paper will explore how different stakeholders have influenced the success experienced at Walmart Inc. Globalization Globalization refers to the process in which companies extend their operations internationally. As an American retailer, Walmart has spread its activities worldwide and currently operates in 28 countries with more than 1100 outlets. The decision to exploit international markets resulted from globalization that has realized the company increased revenue and profits. Walmart has managed to expand its operations to global markets such as Asia and Africa. Competition has become a significant threat for the organization since it exposed Walmart to both local and foreign rivals. For example, in the United Kingdom, the company encounters fierce competition from firms such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s. A decline in international trade barriers had exposed the business to stiff competition. Competitive rivalries have impeded the ability of Walmart to increase its market share as a result of globalization across the UK retail market. Another globalization strategy employed by Walmart was partnering with offshore suppliers in China (Negi and Anand, 2014). In 2002, the company shifted its global 3 outsourcing headquarters from Hong Kong to Shenzhen, south of China. It has increased sales within the corporation and realized improved revenues of $514.4 billion in 2019. Technology Although Walmart has experienced significant growth and expansion globally, similar to other firms, it has been threatened by technological changes. Various categories of developments in technology have impacted the company. One of the technological advances is program applications, whereby the business has become creative in optimizing mobile application use. The Walmart pay application has generated customer traffic in the United States which has reached all the 4600 stores in the country. This technological advancement is an improved customer buying experience that facilitates store advertisements and offers increasing annual revenue. Also, Walmart has extensively utilized Big Data Analytics to develop personalized interactions with clients (Marr, 2017). This information has provided the company with insights into purchasing behavior, search interactions, and search interactions. Walmart has also automated the navigation process for clients by securing a patent on self-driving shopping carts that helps customers locate items on shopping lists. It has positively influenced the organization by attracting and retaining consumers, which improves sales. The business has also enjoyed enhanced supply chain management and stockroom efficiency due to Radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology. Organizational expertise in Walmart has been realized due to digital innovation. For example, in 2011, WalmartLabs was developed as an idea hub that generated innovative ideas that enhance customer in-store and online shopping experience through digital transformation (Negi and Anand, 2014). Disruptive technology is also another technological advancement embraced by Walmart. The company adopted technologies that 4 disrupt the market and maintain its position. For example, to encourage the growing online shopping, the organization developed Alphabot to create more value in its operations. Industrial Organization Model The main objective of Walmart is to improve the revenue of the company. The organization can only determine how much extra profit above its expected range based on the industrial-organizational model. According to this framework, the profitability of an organization is mainly influenced by external factors compared to internal elements such as managerial decisions. Therefore, decision-making for Walmart can improve their revenue above-average level if it is focused on the company's position in the industry. External factors for shaping the environment in the sector are crucial for achieving higher profits. The core competencies and capabilities of the firm constitute its' external resources that enable it to earn above-average returns (Hitt, Ireland, and Hoskisson, 2020). For example, Walmart receives payments from its customers through the banking billing systems such as credit and debit cards. Therefore, the company can utilize its core competitive advantages such as cost leadership and economies of scale in adopting its banking method and earn extra revenue from the processing charges. While processing the banking payments, charges are incurred, and they can become additional revenue for the business. This model will benefit the organization since it will allow Walmart to manage business transactions, thus attaining optimal output and profits. Resource-Based Model Contrary to the industrial-based model, the resource-based model focuses on the organization's internal factors as a means of improving higher profits. Walmart can earn aboveaverage returns by focusing on the internal tangible resources such as its brand, reputation, and efficient supply chain. A unique resource available to this organization is the highly effective 5 supply chain processes that create a sustainable competitive advantage. Also, through its skills in advanced information sharing, which is highly valuable, rare, and cannot be substituted or imitated, higher profits are attainable (Hitt, Ireland, and Hoskisson, 2020). These essential resources are helpful for Walmart in facilitating further integration with suppliers and stakeholders that will minimize operational costs and increase revenue above average. The resource-based model requires the firm to identify its core and most valued resources and maximize its profitability. Vision Vision describes the achievements of a company and its expected position in the future. An effective vision statement must be challenging, short, and captivate the organization's stakeholders (Hitt, Ireland, and Hoskisson, 2020). Walmart’s vision statement is to be the destination for clients to save money despite their desire to shop. Based on the company's overall success, this vision has served as a guideline for achieving its objectives. The firm has a large customer base since it is known for selling products at a relatively lower price. The focus of the vision statement is to maintain not only low prices but also improve customer welfare. The vision captivates the stakeholders, including customers and investors, by ensuring revenue is generated despite lower prices. Mission A mission describes the firm's individuality, and it should be inspiring to all stakeholders. The mission statement of Walmart is to save people money so they can live better. It was developed strategically to use price as an approach to attract customers. This mission is also effective for the organization since it meets the business ethics of the mission in serving stakeholders. An organization's mission statement should directly address the market, product, or 6 customers (Hitt, Ireland, and Hoskisson, 2020). Walmart meets this requirement since its mission is highly considered for the consumers. The organization's pricing strategy is thriving and has given the company a competitive edge against its rivalries. Stakeholders Stakeholders comprise groups and entities that impact the mission, vision and are influenced by the firm's performance and its strategic outcomes. One of the stakeholders of Walmart includes the top and store management. The principles and values of the company are based on the background of the founder. The store managers have attributed to its success through implementing efficient supply chain systems in warehouses. Another stakeholder that is crucial for the organization is the supplier. The relationship between the firm and its suppliers is vital to maintain competitive advantage and sustainability. For example, Walmart recently switched to suppliers from Asia to help minimize costs and meet the quality standards of the business (Negi and Anand, 2014). Customers are another critical stakeholder for the company due to their direct influence on its success. Walmart ensures that the prices of the products are low and the buying experience is smooth and convenient for clients. It helps in improving customer satisfaction and loyalty to the firm. Competitors are another group of stakeholders who impact Walmart's success by compelling the business to be more competitive and efficient. Rivalry firms will force Walmart to offer better goods and services and avoid any forms of lawsuits, thus practicing ethics. Employees are valuable stakeholders to the company. However, this was after the organization was suited multiple times for low wages, poor working environment, and discrimination. Also, some of the staff members filed lawsuits due to a lack of healthcare benefits. These challenges compelled the company to reconsider its human resource practices which are continuously 7 improving. The public is a crucial stakeholder that has reshaped Walmart's strategy towards community development, environmental regulations, and sustainability. The success of the firms has been a result of sustainable technologies and their contribution to corporate responsibility. Lastly, investors are also an essential aspect of Walmart's stakeholders, whose main interests are profits. The company must generate adequate revenue to pay dividends to the investors despite the cheap product prices offered. 8 Sources 1. Hitt, Ireland, & Hoskisson. 2020. Strategic management: Concepts and Cases: Competitiveness and globalization (13th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning 2. Marr, B. (2017). Really big data at Walmart: Real-time insights from their 40+ petabyte data cloud. Forbes. Com, 23. Retrieved from: https://publicaffairssme.com/PatriotFamily/wpcontent/uploads/2015/01/Real_time_insights_from_cloud_at_Walmart_23_Jan_2017.pdf 3. Negi, S., & Anand, N. (2014). Green and Sustainable Supply Chain Management Practices-A Study of Wal-Mart. Emerging Business Sustainability, 141-157. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Saurav_Negi/publication/278783443_Green_and_S ustainable_Supply_Chain_Management_Practices-_A_Study_of_WalMart/links/55856b3808aeb0cdaddd8eb2.pdf