Strategy Analysis #1—Generic Strategy

This assignment uses the model of Porter’s Generic Strategies. (Picture below as a reminder)

1. Pre-Writing Activity: Use the table below to collect information about your company.

The purpose of a pre-writing activity is to collect the information that you will use to write a paragraph explaining your company’s generic strategy

NOTE: There is a list of types of evidence in the “Generic Strategy Overview and Introductions” document on Blackboard.

A. What is Your Company’s Source of Competitive Advantage?

Is your company’s source of competitive advantage low cost or differentiation (product uniqueness)? If it is differentiation, what is its specific type of differentiation?

B. What is Your Company’s Competitive Scope?

Is the target market broad or narrow? If it is narrow, in what ways?

C. What is your company’s generic strategy?

Combine your answers to questions A and B to answer this question!

2. Write a paragraph explaining your company’s generic strategy.

Use the scaffolding (below) to write your paragraph. Fill in the blanks using the information that you used to fill in the above table.

IMPORTANT: Just like any other piece of nonfiction writing that uses published information for evidence, use in-text citations for each fact (whether or not it is a direct quote). See the example document for more help.

Scaffolding for writing about generic strategy:
[Organization/product]’s competitive advantage is                            . [List and explain evidence here.]

Its competitive scope is                         . [List and explain evidence here.]

Therefore, the generic strategy is                   .

3. List Your References

At the end of the document, please list the places where  you found your information.

4. Prepare Your Work to Turn In

• DELETE all of the instructions, examples, and other information
• KEEP The completed table, your paragraph, and your list of references.
• ADD Your name and company name at the top of the page
• Single-space your work
• Save your document as Word or .pdf, otherwise I cannot read it.
• Admire your work. Congratulate yourself for learning and applying a new concept.

5. Submit Your Work

On Blackboard, please upload your document. Then, take a deep breath, and let it out. Whew.