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BUS 6320 - Global Strategic Management   Book: Strategic Management, 5th Edition, Georgia Institute of Technology Frank T

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BUS 6320 - Global Strategic Management  

Book: Strategic Management, 5th Edition, Georgia Institute of Technology Frank T. Rothaermel

Discussion Board Questions:

Welcome to Unit IV.  This unit explores business strategies including differentiation, cost leadership, and blue oceans.  Additional topics include the importance of innovation and intrapreneurial thinking within an organization which is necessary for businesses to remain viable in a very competitive global environment.  Organizational leaders look to create of culture of intrapreneurship (corporate entrepreneurship) and include this in the strategic plan.    

The deliverable for this week is a case analysis of the IBM company.  Similar to Unit II case analysis, you should begin by reading the case in the textbook and then conduct an analysis of the company.  Research is required which includes additional information on the company (Organizational Background), assessing the current situation (Situation Analysis), and identifying a problem with the company (Problem). 

From there you will come up with 3-5 POTENTIAL alternatives (Alternatives) that could solve the problem you just identified.  Consider this brainstorming.  Finally, you will review the alternatives you have described and select one of the alternatives to recommend (Recommendations).

Now that we are halfway through this course, you can probably see how this case analysis method mirrors decisions made within companies.  Please use the template located in the classroom including subheadings as identified in the template. 

Instructions

This assignment utilizes a case depicting a real-life situation of which you will conduct a detailed case analysis. This will involve reading the provided case, researching the company, identifying a problem/challenge and compiling three to five potential alternatives that could solve the problem. Finally, you will conduct additional research in order to determine which of the alternatives you will recommend, including your rationale and supporting research.

First, read the case study: “IBM at the Crossroads" found beneath the Unit IV Study Guide on the Unit IV homepage. You will use the  Case Analysis Template  (see attachment) to complete this assignment. This analysis should include the use of the CSU Online Library to provide supporting documentation as well as the financial statements of the organization.

It is expected that a minimum of three managerial tools be used including (but not exclusively) political, economic, sociocultural, technological, ecological, and legal (PESTEL), strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT), Porter’s Five Forces, balanced scorecard, gap analysis, root cause analysis and/or McKinsey 7-S Model. These tools are explained within the Unit I and Unit II lessons of this course and could be presented within the analysis in table format.

In order to successfully complete this case study, you need to review the video and Task Learning Guides (TLGs) located below. This will provide you with the skills to research companies using scholarly research (versus a Google search) and how to research industries/competitors. This is the basis for your external analysis and identification of the problem within the company. This will also provide supporting research within your recommendations.

Company and Industry Research

 Transcript for Company and Industry Research

How to Find Company Information in the Business Source Ultimate Database (TLG)

How to Search for Articles with a Company Focus (TLG)

Your completed case study must be at least (5) five pages in length, and you must use at least five (5) peer-reviewed academic sources (see attachments) that are no more than 5 years old. Follow 7th edition APA Style when constructing this assignment, including in-text citations and references for all sources that are used. Please note that no abstract is needed. Utilization of the provided template will guide you through the case analysis process.