Week 2 learning
activity
General instructions:
Research, apply and answer in your own words with
appropriate reference(s) and in-text citation(s) to this week’s readings,
videos, and/or examples from current events to support the position and/or
rationale.
Label your responses specifically “Learning activity 1”, and
“Learning activity 2”.
Write in 250 words at least for initial response due
Thursday.
Write in 75 words for each follow-up response (at least 2
follow-up responses for each learning activity) due Sunday by expanding the
discussion topic substantively and explore other possibilities and/or
solutions, thereby enriching class learning.
Each week there are 2 learning activities. Each learning
activity requires 1 initial response, and 2 follow-up postings. Hence, for 2
learning activities of each week, 2 separate initial responses and 4 follow-up
postings in total are required to meet the discussion requirements.
In each of the weekly learning activities (that is, weekly
discussion participation forum) in this course, learners are not allowed to use
the same companies as those are instructed as the focal companies in the
Assignment 1, Assignment 2, and Assignment 3 Phase 1 of this course.
Week 2 Learning Activity 1
In Chapter 3, we learned Michael Porter’s Five-Forces Model
to evaluate competitiveness within the company’s industry. Porter’s five forces
include: rivalry, new entrants, suppliers, and buyers. Harvard professor
Michael Porter’s book “Competitive Strategy” propelled the concept of industry
environment into the foreground of strategic thought and business planning.
(Pearce & Robinson, 2000, p.84) Porter contends “The collective strength of
these forces determines the ultimate profit potential in the industry, where
profit potential is measured in terms of long-run return on invested capital”.
(Wheelen & Hunger, 1998, p.60) The cornerstone of the book is an article
from the Harvard Business Review in which Porter explains the five forces that
shape competition in an industry. (Porter, 2012, Porter, 1996; The Five
Competitive Forces, 1996)
The five forces are:
Rivalry among existing competitors
The bargaining power of suppliers
Threat of new entrants to the market
The bargaining power of buyers
Threat of substitute products/services
The pool of industries is listed below:
Food processing
Gardening accessory and equipment
Garment manufacturing
Steel manufacturing
Trucking industry
You are expected:
Select ONE of the industries from the above pool and
identify a specific company in that industry.
Identify each of the key drivers (that is, the Porter’s five
driving forces) of competition for that industry and specifically for the
selected company based on the Porter’s Five Forces analysis. (That is,
company-specific and industry-specific factors, not the conceptually “generic”
factors).
Explain in details how the above-mentioned external
competitive forces are affecting the business environment of the industry in
general, and the selected company in particular on the overall strategic
planning processes that are unique to that industry in general and that company
in particular.
Support the rationale for your explanation.
Use the appropriate APA formatted scholarly reference source
and corresponding in-text citations in all your postings.
References:
Pearce II, J.A. & Robinson Jr., R.B. (2000).Strategic
management: Formulation, implementation and control 7th ed.). New York:
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Porter, M.E. (2015, November 5). What is strategy? Michael
Porter explains common misunderstandings. [Video] Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Hd88eBgkw0
Guest speaker Michael Porter. What is strategy? (2012,
November 13). [Video] University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvYwKM5bY0s
The five competitive forces that shape strategy (1996).
[Video] Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYF2_FBCvXw
Unknown (2014). Introduction to strategic management. Washington, D.C.: The Saylor Foundation.
Wheelen, T.L., & Hunger, J.D. (1998).Strategic
management: and business policy: Entering 21st century global society. (6th ed.).
New York: Addison-Wesley.
Week 2 Learning Activity 2
Utilizing the industry/company selected for Learning
Activity #1 and your comments regarding the key drivers of competition based on
Porter’s 5 Competitive Forces, you are expected:
Respond to the following questions:
What do you believe is a limitation to only evaluating those
competitive forces for that selected industry/company?
What are some of the implications that are NOT considered
when the strategic planners only utilize Porter’s 5 Competitive Forces?
How might you identify those additional external
factors that had been previously
excluded in your Learning Activity 1 when you applied only Porter’s 5
Competitive Forces?
Support the rationale for your explanation.
Use the appropriate APA formatted scholarly reference
sources and corresponding in-text citations in all your postings.
References
Guest speaker Michael Porter: What is strategy? (2012,
November 13). [Video] University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq9-JT8moU4
The five competitive forces that shape strategy: An
interview with Michael E. Porter, Professor Harvard University (1996). [Video]
Harvard Business Publishing. Retrieved from
