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2 pages/≈550 words
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1
Style:
APA
Subject:
Business & Marketing
Type:
Essay
Language:
English (U.S.)
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Total cost:
$ 8.64
Topic:
BUS 440 Milestone 2
Essay Instructions:
Instructions
Milestone 2: Business-Level Strategy
In this assignment you're going to analyze a company that was 'stuck-in-the-middle' until it went bankrupt or otherwise stopped operations sometime in the last twenty years. What should executives have done differently? Could the end of that company have been changed?
For this milestone, you will put yourself in the shoes of a business analyst for that company before it's demise, and write a paper for executives which includes:
Why and how the company is stuck in the middle.
An explanation of the conditions in the firm's industry and the business-level strategy that the firm should pursue in response. Explain and justify your recommendations.
A strategy recommendation for the firm's executives to pursue.
This assignment will enable you to apply the material you've learned to the business case of your choosing. This will deepen your knowledge of business-level strategy, and also enable you to research a firm or industry you're interested in. You may focus on the same industry as you discussed in your previous assignment.
For help finding an example of a 'stuck-in-the-middle' firm, review the examples included in the module and in this article. You are welcome to select your firm from one of the course examples, or from outside of the course material, as long as the firm fits the criteria of being 'stuck in the middle'. You will do research for this assignment by searching for analyses, articles and news reports of the end of the company. Your milestone should draw on at least three sources (which need to be properly cited in a works cited).
Guidelines
Your report should be 1-2 pages, and should be written in clear and professional language. You will need to cite the sources you use using APA 7 style. Your list of works cited does not count towards your page limit.
If you need inspiration, visit the books and articles cited in the bibliography for this module; they contain many case studies you can draw on to inspire your work. Remember to cite your sources.
You can find information about the conditions within an industry using reports, economic forecasts, news articles, interviews or academic articles. If you're having trouble locating information, reach out to the professor or to UMPI's library services.
What to include in your submission
Your assignment submission should include:
A short paper (1-2 pages) addressing the points outlined above in APA 7 style.
A list of works cited.
Essay Sample Content Preview:
Milestone 2: Business-Level Strategy
Student’s Name
Institution
Course Number and Name
Instructor’s Name
Date
Milestone 2: Business-Level Strategy
Why and How Circuit City Was ‘Stuck in the Middle’
Being stuck in the middle is not a position any firm would desire because it is associated with poor performance (Kennedy, 2020). Circuit City was an electronics retailer that went bankrupt after it got stuck in the middle. As highlighted by Kennedy (2020), the company could not compete with Best Buy which offered superior services as well as Target and Walmart which sold electronic products at cheaper prices. The inability of the company to offer its customers unique features and to compete with other industry players based on price left the company with no cash to pay money owed to suppliers such as Samsung, Sony, and HP (Cohan, 2021). As a result, the company went bankrupt after six decades of operations.
Circuit City was stuck in the middle because it did not pursue cost leadership or differentiation. As noted by Bruner (2012), a firm's profitability depends significantly on its position and competitive advantage in its industry. In the electronic retail industry, Circuit City did not have a competitive advantage because it neither offered unique products and services nor low prices for its customers.
Industry Conditions and Business-Level Strategy
The electronic retail industry is characterized not only by stiff competition but also by increased access to information by customers courtesy of rapidly advancing internet tech...
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