Morgan State University McDonald’s Corporation Analysis Discussion

This take-home midterm exam involves applying both external and internal strategic tools for an analysis of an industry and/or company that you are interested in working in and for. The exam uses the tools and methodologies of the course to enable each of you to develop an understanding of the industry/business that you would like to enter. The take-home exam essentially entails you thinking and writing about your selected industry/company as though it were an analysis of a case from the textbook.

The components of the take-home exam that you will complete are:

1.An opening discussion of your analyses in Appendices in exactly the following order:

a.Processes and methods used from class discussions of cases that you applied to complete this exam. (10 points)

b.External Analysis Discussion: Interpretation of External Analysis Appendices tools – no more than one page. (25 points)

c.Internal Analysis Discussion: Interpretation of Internal Analysis Appendices tools – no more than one page. (25 points)

d.Identification and explanation of a strategic issue for the industry/company – no more than one page. (10 points)

e.A recommendation with justification for a strategy to solve this issue – no more than one page. (15 points)

f.A Personal Value Chain analysis of your own strengths and weaknesses to contribute to implementing your recommended strategy – no more than one page. (15 points)

2.Appendices that present the information for the separate tools. These Appendices should be completed first before writing answers the six points, a. to f., in number 1 above. Appendices and analyses should be prepared for:

a.External tools:

i.The Industry’s Five Forces

ii.General Environment condtitions

iii.Stage of Industry’s Evolution

iv.Industry Success Factors

b.Internal tools:

i.Stakeholder Analysis

ii.Four Strategy Questions

iii.Company Value Chain

iv.Resources Based View of Company

v.Financial Analysis

vi.Company’s Core Competencies

vii.Company’s Transient Competitive Advantage

c.Personal Value Chain

3.Bibliography – unnecessary to use in-text citations