Module 4 Reaction Assignment: Generic Strategies and Strategic Renewal For this week’s topic on Generic Strategies and Strategic Renewal, identify a business unit (or a company, if it is focused on a single business) and explain what type of generic strategy it is pursuing. Is this a good strategy in your opinion? Provide your rationale. Reaction and Interaction General Instructions
An important aspect of learning strategic management is the application of concepts and frameworks to real-world situations, including your own company and familiar industry contexts. Online education also provides access to a variety of other professionals and an opportunity to learn from them. Therefore, this assignment asks you to reflect on and apply strategy concepts and tools in a discussion board post (reaction), and then to engage in conversation by responding to your classmates on their posts (interaction). In order to undertake this assignment, you may choose a real-world context or example (company, industry, etc.) already familiar to you such as your current or former employer, or pick an example or context from the news. What is critical is that you apply what you learn in the course to this context or example … think of yourself as an expert being called on to discuss your expert view on the real-world example you picked. After you have posted your “reaction”, also respond to two other classmates’ reactions in your “interaction”.
Requirements (Reaction)
1. Make sure you actually CONNECT the example/context with the strategy framework and tools you are applying (from this week). And then try to say something interesting or insightful about what’s going on (you have leeway here to be creative and take intellectual risks). Please make sure you have responded adequately to the discussion prompt provided. 2. Please ensure that the links you provide relate to the company/organization (and the specific issue within it) that you are discussing. You need to provide a link even if you are discussing your own company/organization. If you do not have such a link, please find a different example/company for your assignment. 3. We want you to learn through this exercise. To this end, do not pick an example or context that has already been discussed in that module’s lecture video. Ride hailing services, food delivery, and video streaming are off limits, for example, in week 1. Similarly, airlines, pharmaceuticals and cafes / restaurants are off limits for week 2; and so on. Essentially avoid an example that plagiarizes an application of the week’s framework illustrated by the instructor (in the lecture video or live session). At first, you may experience some ambiguity about this requirement, but it’s quite easy to find an example that is “in the clear” … just use good judgment; as a manager you’ll need to do that all the time. 4. At the bottom of your reaction post, please include links (a minimum of one) to your source material(s). You must ensure that this link is accessible (not broken, not behind a pay wall) so that your classmates and our graders can access it. 5. Ensure that your write-up is in the 400-500 word range. The target should be around 450 words … don’t try to meet the bare minimum, as word counts can vary depending on the software used. Make sure the write-up does not include quotes that go beyond 5-6 words … the reaction should be essentially in your own words. Quotes are understood to be from your uploaded article; so no citation is needed. 6. Use professional language throughout, and make sure you write the “reaction” well, with clear organized sentences. Think of it like a professional note/blog or email. 7. You have to post your reaction post before you can see your peers’ reaction post. 8. If you are unsatisfied with your reaction post, please post your new reaction post by replying to your original reaction post. 9. The last reaction post attempt will be graded, and the first two interaction post attempts that exceed the word limit will be graded. 10. Off-Limit topics listed on the syllabus cannot be used for this assignment.
