Introduction

For this portfolio work project, you will analyze the internal and external factors that shape and influence an organization’s strategy. Your work on this assessment will demonstrate your understanding of industry forces and how an organization can leverage its strengths to its advantage.

Scenario

The vice president of strategy has asked you to prepare an objective analysis of the internal and external environments of the organization. She is hoping that your insight can be used to plan for the future direction of the company.

Your Role

You are a strategic analyst for the company you have selected to use in this course. The company has recently started the strategic planning process and needs to analyze the current internal and external environments.

Requirements

For this assessment, you will need to complete a VRIO or Value Chain analysis, a PESTEL analysis based on research of the organization (not conjecture or opinion), and a Five Forces model (pay attention to the relationships of elements from both PESTEL and Five Forces). These must be included in the document you submit. You should also research the industry your company is in, as well as the company’s website for information and supporting evidence. Once you have this research completed, prepare an executive briefing report that will be distributed to senior executive leadership. In your report, address the following:

• Analyze the internal environment of the organization.
  • What are the key findings from your VRIO or Value Chain analysis?
  • How well does the organization leverage its strengths to execute the business strategy?
  • How effective is the organizational structure and management system design?
• Analyze the external environment of the organization.
  • What are the key findings from your PESTEL analysis?
  • What are the key findings from your Five Forces analysis?
  • How can the organization respond to these forces to better position itself?
• Recommend a course of action for leadership based on your analysis.

Deliverable Format

• The strategic analysis is a professional document and should therefore follow the corresponding MBA Academic and Professional Document Guidelines, including single-spaced paragraphs.
• In addition to the analysis, include:
  • Title page.
  • Table of contents.
  • Executive summary.
  • VRIO or Value Chain analysis.
  • PESTEL analysis.
  • Five Forces analysis.
  • References page
  • APA formatted references from at least five sources.
• Target length of 3–6 pages in addition to title and references pages, VRIO/Value Chain, PESTEL, and Five Forces analyses.
• Written for an audience of executive leaders.

Evaluation

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies through corresponding scoring guide criteria:

• Competency 2: Apply strategic thinking approaches to resolve business-related challenges.
  • Recommend a course of action based on an internal and external environmental analysis.
• Competency 3: Analyze the internal and external environments of an organization in order to formulate and implement successful strategies.
  • Analyze the internal environment of an organization.
  • Analyze the external environment of an organization.
• Competency 5: Communicate business needs, opportunities, and strategies with multiple stakeholders.
  • Correctly format citations and references using current APA style.
  • Write content clearly and logically with correct use of grammar, punctuation, and mechanics.

Your faculty will use the scoring guide to review your deliverable as if they were the vice president of strategy. Review the scoring guide prior to developing and submitting your assessment.