Week 8 Assignment 3 Student Full Name Business Administratio

14week 8 Assignment 3student Full Nambusiness Administration Capstoned

Using the corporation you chose from Assignment 1, examine its industry. Research the company on its own website, the public filings on the Securities and Exchange Commission EDGAR database, university online databases, and any other sources you can find. The annual report will often provide insights that can help address some of these questions. Be sure to cite your sources! Additionally, analyze the business-level strategies for the corporation to determine the most important one for its long-term success and assess whether this is a good choice. Research and explain the industry in which your selected corporation operates, and briefly define the relevant strategies based on your textbook and course materials. Then, identify the core competencies of your chosen firm and demonstrate how it uses these core competencies to create and sell its products. Further, analyze the corporate-level strategies to identify which one is most important for long-term success and evaluate this choice. Additionally, examine the competitive environment, identifying the most significant competitor, and compare their strategies regarding market commonality, resource similarity, and competitive behavior, justifying which company is more likely to succeed in the long term. Finally, determine whether your chosen competitor would differ in slow-cycle versus fast-cycle markets by briefly explaining these market types based on your textbook.

Paper For Above instruction

Understanding the strategic positioning of a corporation within its industry is essential for assessing its potential for long-term success. This paper explores the industry environment of a selected company, analyzing its business-level and corporate-level strategies, core competencies, competitive landscape, and market dynamics, to develop a comprehensive view of its strategic posture and sustainability.

Firstly, an examination of the industry in which the corporation operates provides a foundational understanding. This includes investigating industry structure, key players, market trends, and competitive forces. Such insights are critical because they influence strategic options and company performance. The company's official website, annual reports, SEC filings, and credible external analyses are valuable sources for gathering this information. For example, if the chosen company is Apple Inc., analyzing its position within the technology sector reveals an industry characterized by rapid innovation, high competition, and significant technological change (Hitt, Ireland, & Hoskisson, 2013).

Next, analyzing the company's business-level strategy involves identifying how it competes within its industry. According to Hitt, Ireland, & Hoskisson (2013), common strategies include cost leadership, differentiation, and focus strategies. I have selected differentiation as the key business-level strategy for Apple, which emphasizes unique products, brand loyalty, and innovation. Apple leverages its core competencies—such as design excellence, proprietary technology, and brand strength—to create products that stand out in the market (Barney, 1991). For instance, Apple's innovation in product design and integrated ecosystem demonstrates how it uses its core competencies to secure a competitive advantage and command premium pricing.

In terms of corporate-level strategy, which defines the scope of the firm’s activities across industries and markets, I believe diversification into different technology segments and global markets is most vital for Apple's long-term success (Hitt, Ireland, & Hoskisson, 2013). Apple’s strategy of expanding into various product categories such as wearables and services exemplifies this approach. This diversification reduces dependence on iPhone sales alone and sustains revenue growth amid market fluctuations. The company's strategic decisions, such as entering health technology with Apple Watch or expanding its services division, are aligned with the corporate strategy of expanding scope and leveraging existing core competencies in new domains (Grant, 2019).

The competitive environment analysis involves identifying Apple's primary competitor, which is Samsung Electronics. Both companies compete in multiple markets with significant market share overlaps, such as smartphones and wearables. Comparing their strategies, Samsung relies heavily on resource similarity—such as manufacturing capabilities and extensive R&D—and adopts aggressive competitive behaviors, including price cuts and product launches. Meanwhile, Apple focuses on differentiation through innovation, brand loyalty, and a premium pricing model (Porter, 1980).

Assessing the long-term success prospects, Apple’s differentiation strategy and strong brand equity position it favorably, although Samsung’s cost leadership and resource advantages make it a formidable rival. Apple's proprietary technology and user ecosystem create high entry barriers that favor sustained competitive advantage. Nevertheless, Samsung's aggressive innovation and market responsiveness could challenge Apple's dominance, especially in emerging markets or segments where price sensitivity is high (Chen, 2018).

Finally, market cycle considerations—slow-cycle versus fast-cycle markets—also influence strategic options. Slow-cycle markets are characterized by stable technological change and high entry barriers, favoring persistent competitive advantages. Fast-cycle markets involve rapid technological innovation and frequent product obsolescence, requiring firms to continuously innovate (Hitt, Ireland, & Hoskisson, 2013). In the context of Apple and Samsung, smartphones initially represented a fast-cycle market, demanding rapid innovation and flexible strategies. Over time, certain segments, such as high-end smartphones, have matured into slow-cycle markets where sustained differentiation and brand loyalty matter more. Therefore, Apple’s strategic focus on innovation and ecosystem development aligns more with responding effectively in fast-cycle markets, whereas Samsung's resource-based tactics adapt across market types (Christensen, 2013).

References

• Barney, J. B. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1), 99-120.
• Chen, J. (2018). Competitive strategies in the smartphone industry. Strategic Management Journal, 39(4), 857-876.
• Grant, R. M. (2019). Contemporary Strategy Analysis (10th ed.). Wiley.
• Hitt, M. A., Ireland, R. D., & Hoskisson, R. E. (2013). Strategic Management: Concepts and Cases: Competitiveness and Globalization (10th ed.). South-Western Cengage Learning.
• Porter, M. E. (1980). Competitive Strategy. Free Press.
• Christensen, C. M. (2013). The innovator's dilemma: When new technologies cause great firms to fail. Harvard Business Review Press.
• Kim, W. C., & Mauborgne, R. (2004). Blue ocean strategy. Harvard Business Review, 82(10), 76-84.
• Susan, L., Dacin, P. A., & Sanko, D. T. (2016). Cultural considerations in strategic management. Journal of International Business Studies, 47(2), 235-251.
• Johnson, G., Scholes, K., & Whittington, R. (2017). Exploring Corporate Strategy (11th ed.). Pearson.
• O’Reilly, C. A., & Tushman, M. L. (2016). Lead and disrupt: How to solve the innovator’s dilemma. Stanford Business Books.