Assignment 2: External and Internal Environments 

Choose an industry you have not yet written about in this course, and one publicly traded

corporation within that industry. Research the company on its own Website, the public filings on

the Securities and Exchange Commission EDGAR database (http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml), in

the University's online databases, and any other sources you can find. The annual report will

often provide insights that can help address some of these questions.

Write an eight to ten (8-10) page paper in which you:

1. Choose the two (2) segments of the general environment that would rank highest in their

influence on the corporation you chose. Assess how these segments affect the corporation you

chose and the industry in which it operates.

2. Considering the five (5) forces of competition, choose the two (2) that you estimate are the most

significant for the corporation you chose. Evaluate how well the company has addressed these

two (2) forces in the recent past.

3. With the same two (2) forces in mind, predict what the company might do to improve its ability

to address these forces in the near future.

4. Assess the external threats affecting this corporation and the opportunities available to the

corporation. Give your opinions on how the corporation should deal with the most serious threat

and the greatest opportunity. Justify your answer.

5. Give your opinion on the corporation's greatest strengths and most significant weaknesses. 

Choose the strategy or tactic the corporation should select to take maximum advantage of its

strengths, and the strategy or tactic the corporation should select to fix its most significant

weakness. Justify your choices.

6. Determine the company’s resources, capabilities, and core competencies.

7. Analyze the company’s value chain to determine where they can create value using the

resources, capabilities, and core competencies discussed above.

8. Use at least three (3) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not quality as

academic resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

 Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all

sides; references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any

additional instructions.

 Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s

name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in

the required page length.