Contemporary Strategy Analysis

post has four assignments

Read the case study on the General Electric case from Grant, R. (2010) Contemporary Strategy Analysis, Wiley. [Attached]

1. Using appropriate academic models and concepts identify GE’s core competences and capabilities and discuss their
effectiveness in supporting the corporate’s success up to 2009.

1. It is important that you use the value chainandactivity systems to identify and then discuss core competences.
2. Make sure you really understand the concept of core competencies.
3. Show why your selected competences meet the tests of what a core competence is. Then use case data to show
how these core competences have supported (or not) the corporate; be critical here and discuss the relative strengths of
your core competences.
4. Make sure you look at the work of Hamel and Prahalad on core competencies; they have published several articles
in the HBR.

2. Draft a briefing report to Jeff Immelt that advances an argument for the use of the real options approach to strategic
planning as GE attempts to address the problems that engulfed the corporate in 2009. Once again, you should make
specific reference to key authors and concepts within the real options domain.

[Please make sure this is included in the answer]

1. Advise on the merits of using real options in strategic planning.
2. The Luereman articles in the HBR are essential reading.
3. Set this out as a formal corporate style report. The key is to argue how using the real options approach could
assist and improve strategic planning in the corporate. It would be a good idea to use real or sensible, but hypothetical
examples (be specific) in your answer.
4. Remember you are arguing the value of the real options approach all the way through

3. Outline and discuss some strategic options (at least two) available to GE over the next five years (2009+). Your answer
should include an explanation as to how these options will be implemented and evaluated (you should again make
reference to appropriate academic models and concepts).

[Please make sure this is included in the answer]

1. Use the Rumelt criteria and the Balanced Scorecard to produce your answer.. You should also show how the
strategies meet Rumelt’s criteria.
2. I strongly recommend you look at the 2gc.com website if you are using the Balanced Scorecard. You should look
at the 2gc.com website for help here – see the 3rd generation scorecard example.
3. Here we are talking about actual strategies, not real options.
4. You should outline actual courses of action the corporate should take, for example: develop the business by
franchising, expanding overseas, diversifying, getting rid if a business (divest) etc.
5. You need to outline the strengths and weaknesses of at least two such strategies/options i.e. you can use a SWOT
analysis to undertake this. For each strategy you then show how the strategy could be implemented using the Balanced
Scorecard (BS) and the Rumelt criteria.
6. If you want to, you could also research some other implementation frameworks – see next window. For the BS you
could draw out the metrics that could be used in each dimension and justify them; you should also show how the metrics
and dimensions are linked to each other and the corporate’s goals and objectives. You can even change or contextualise
the dimensions to show critical thinking.

10-15 References

At least 70% of your references are academic ones e.g. from journals and textbooks. The remainder can be from quality
“other” sources such as websites. Don’t use sources like Wikipedia etc. – they are not reliable.

2:Corporate’s Success

1. Using appropriate academic models and conceptsidentify GE’s core competences and capabilities and discuss
their effectiveness in supporting the corporate’s success up to 2009.
(40%)

2. Draft a briefing report to Jeff Immelt that advances an argument for the use of the real options approach to
strategic planning as GE attempts to address the problems that engulfed the corporate in 2009. Once again, you should
make specific reference to key authors and concepts within the real options domain.
(30%)

3. Outline and discuss some strategic options (at least two) available to GE over the next five years (2009+). Your
answer should include an explanation as to how these options will be implemented and evaluated (you should again make
reference to appropriate academic models and concepts).
(30%)

In order to answer these questions you may carry out further research on the case, however you must only use material
drawn from credible sources such as: academic articles and texts; quality market research databases, e.g., Mintel; quality
newspaper and business periodicals, e.g., the FT, The Economist and even corporate biographies. You should not use
unreliable sources such as non-reviewed websites, e.g., Wikipedia.

3: Chronic Illness

After the onset of a chronic illness most people begin to adjust to their situation. Using Cognitive Adaptation Theory
discuss how this might occur. ? Cognitive Adaptation Theory Taylor, S. E. (1983).

Cognitive Adaptation Theory
Taylor, S. E. (1983). Adjustment to threatening events. American Psychologist, November, 1161-1173.

Chronic Illness