Graded Homework

BUSINESS POLICY
AND STRATEGY – BBUS 4701

Assignment 1

Introduction

The assignments
have been designed to help you integrate and apply the concepts you have
learned up to this point. These concepts provide a foundation on which other
course concepts are built. Assessing your comprehension will help ensure that
you are on track to successfully complete the course. Refer to the Course
Overview for general guidelines on preparing and submitting assignments. Also,
be sure to read your instructor’s introductory postings pertinent to the
assignments in the Discussions area of the course.

The activities
in this module have introduced key features of the strategic model. This
assignment will test your understanding of these features and what you have
learned in Module 1. All of the activities done for this module are the
foundation for this assignment; a review of the readings and the activities
should reveal the appropriate answers to the questions posed.

This assignment
consists of two parts: Part A requires an analysis of Best Buy Co. Inc. (as of
February 2013), and Part B requires that you submit evidence of your work on
the module activities. The assignment is worth 15 per cent of your final grade
in the course. Click here to see the Form 10K.

Part A: 80% of
the assignment grade

Perform an
analysis of Best Buy Co. Inc. Your analysis will draw on the Form 10K (as of
February 2013). Your analysis can include information prior to February 2013
but should not draw on any information that you might come across that is
post-February 2013. Bear in mind that as a strategic manager you do not have
the benefit of foresight and hence your analysis must be confined to the period
defined in the Form 10K as of February 2013 for this assignment.

Address the
following in your analysis:

1. Read the Best Buy Case and identify and
   analyze the company’s strategies. Your answer must identify clearly the
   firm’s strategies and show your awareness of strategic management theory
   as it is being applied by the company.
2. Prepare a Porter analysis of the industry
   in which Best Buy operates. The assessment of the Porter forces must be
   explained fully with reference to the evidence presented in the case. As
   stressed in the module, the Porter analysis is of the industry/sector in
   which the firm operates; focus your attention on the industry as a whole
   and be mindful of the segment in which Best Buy operates. The assessment
   must be complete and show your awareness of the all the factors shaping
   the industry.
3. Prepare a SWOT analysis of the company,
   revealing your awareness and understanding of the firm’s competencies,
   capabilities, and resources and relate the same to the opportunities and
   threats confronting the firm. Using the SWOT as your guide, provide
   insight in the strategies that Best Buy selected. Is the firm’s strategic
   direction consistent with what you have determined from the SWOT?
4. Prepare a macro-environment analysis for
   the industry in which Best Buy operates. Explain fully if and how the
   company is being affected by macro forces and determine if these forces
   are reflected in the firm’s strategies.
5. Based on your awareness of the firm as
   revealed in questions 1–4, provide an assessment of the firm’s overall
   strategic options and alternatives.

Part A should
not exceed 10 pages in length, double-spaced, Times Roman 12 pt. Page setup: 1
inch margin on the left and right.

Part B: 20% of
the Assignment Grade

Write a brief
report that demonstrates your active participation in the discussions and
contributions to your personal journal. Your report should include examples of
your postings on the activities, your thoughts and personal musings on the
problems and issues introduced in the activities, and a summary of what you
learned in this module. In addition, you can refer to questions that arose from
your work on the activities. If you replied to questions posed by other class
participants, indicate what your replies were and whether the interaction with
other participants increased your understanding of course concepts, such as
strategy formation and the strategic planning process. DO NOT copy and paste
from your personal journal or discussion postings. Part B is an executive
summary of the relevant issues/theory raised in the module activities.

In addition,
present your personal strategic plan (see the Personal Journal: Strategic
Planning Process Model activity in Topic 2 of Module 1) and explain clearly
what you learned about your strategic choices and decisions. Outline how you
could use the strategic model in the future to map your personal progress and
career.

Part B should
not exceed 4 pages in length, double spaced, Times Roman 12 pt. Page setup: 1
inch margin on the left and right.

When you have
completed the assignment, send it to your Open Learning Faculty Member using
the Assignments function in Blackboard.

The assignment
must be properly formatted and be professional in appearance. It must include
your name, TRU student ID, Course name, assignment number, your TRU or personal
email address and your current home mailing address, and other information as
described in the course guidelines.

Prepare
Assignment 1 in Microsoft Word format. Part A and Part B must be presented in a
single document. Assignments will not be graded if both parts are not included