Discussion
If everyone at a company, from its leaders to its employees, lacked the skill sets and knowledge necessary to work with modern technology, you would not expect that company to become the next disrupter of the technological world. If suppliers could only deliver raw materials for a product at $10, you would not expect a company to offer the final product to customers at $5 each, unless the goal of that company is to go out of business. Companies do not want to enter a market for something that is in the last stages of being a fad, nor would they want to expand their offerings into an area that will soon be heavily regulated or where superior products or services already exist, which would make it difficult to turn a profit. By having an understanding of the marketing five Cs and using its principles to make strategic decisions, managers can have a better understanding of what their capabilities are (company), who they need to work with (collaborators), whom they are trying to sell to (customers), which existing products or services they need to outperform (competitors), and how larger aspects of the global economy can impact their businesses (climate).
In this Discussion, you will locate an example of a real company that has gone through a change and apply your understanding of the five Cs to determine their effect on the decisions that were made.
To prepare for this Discussion:
• Locate a recent news article on an organization that has undergone a significant change, such as entering a new international location, scaling back from a particular market, downsizing, cutting back on product or service offerings, or moving manufacturing offshore.
• Review the Academic Writing Expectations for 2000/3000-Level Courses, provided in this week's Learning Resources.
Post a 150- to 225-word (2- to 3-paragraph) analysis of the environment for the organization featured in the news article using the five Cs of situational analysis. In your analysis, address the following:
• How do you think each of the five Cs had an effect on the company's change? (Be sure to mention each C and provide your hypothesis for how that factor impacted decision making.)
• Which one of the five Cs was the most significant factor in this decision? Provide a rationale for your answer using specific examples.
• Based on the information you have available, did this company make the right decision? Why or why not?
• To support your response, be sure to reference at least one properly cited scholarly source.
The response should include a reference list. Double-space, using Times New Roman 12 pnt font, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.