Problem 1: In your own words, how would you distinguish between competitive advantage and strategic management as they relate to strategic planning? Which are you more interested in and why?
Problem 2: Create and post a mnemonic that will help you remember the five steps of the strategic planning process.
Problem 3: Select at least two components of the strategic planning process to examine more closely. What interests you about each? What challenges are associated with each component?
Problem 4: Identify at least two potential planning pitfalls and two potential cognitive biases facing the company. Explain how each could result in poor strategy.
Problem 5: Use your imagination to evaluate the current CEO according to the seven characteristics of good strategic leaders. How does he/she measure up?
Problem 6: In fewer than 25 words, explain what industry means to you in terms of competitive strategy.
Problem 7: Explain what went into your brief definition. What did you have to include, and what did you end up leaving out?
Problem 8: Of the three industry analysis models, which do you think has the most benefits and why? Which is the most limited and why?
Problem 9: Select three of the components of building and maintaining competitive advantage that you think are most important. Explain why these are the most significant.
Problem 10: In your opinion, which is more difficult and why: establishing initial competitive advantage or sustaining it over time?
Problem 11: Which functional-level strategies would you use to increase efficiency and reliability in your company, and why?
Problem 12: Which functional-level strategies would you use to increase excellence and innovation in your company, and why?
Problem 13: Which functional-level strategies would you use to increase responsiveness to customers in your company, and why?
Problem 14: What are some of the dangers of a company not defining its business in the context of competitive positioning? Explain.
Problem 15: Describe at least two strategies for guiding a company to define its business in a context of competitive advantage and the significance of doing so.
Problem 16: Name one strategy you would use to lead each of the following, providing reasoning for your selection: fragmented industries, embryonic industries, and growth industries.
Problem 17: In your opinion, is it more difficult to sustain strategies for a fragmented industry or an embryonic industry, and why?
Problem 18: In your opinion, is it more difficult to sustain strategies for a growth industry or an embryonic industry, and why?
Problem 19: Would you like to be in charge of strategic management for a first-mover company? Explain why or why not, using specific examples.
Problem 20: Assess two examples of technological paradigm shifts, explaining how each has already or could continue to affect enterprise strategy.
Problem 21: Which global marketplace entry modes would you be most and least likely to recommend to other strategists, and why?
Problem 22: In your opinion, what are the most significant pros and cons of making global strategic alliances?
Problem 23: In the following discussion, consider which corporate-level strategies you would apply to the following situations and the rationale:
- A toy company that is losing money because its goods are overpriced
- A smartphone company that is struggling in a crowded industry
- A clothing company that cannot afford to pay wages to U.S. workers