1. Explain how you would describe each of the five Generic Strategies (from Chapter 5) based on the slides and Dr. Siqueira’s video? (suggested length: 300 to 500 words)
Consider the case below.
2. Hewlett-Packard Co. and Dell Inc. are unveiling slim “ultrabook” laptop, stepping up competition with Apple Inc.’s MacBook Air.
Hewlett-Packard introduced a $1,400 laptop called the Envy 14 Spectre, which packs a 14-inch screen into a compact chassis encased in black. Dell, meanwhile, is preparing to release its own take on the ultrabook — an industry term created by Intel Corp. for light, thin laptops.
Personal-computer makers are counting on ultrabooks to challenge the MacBook Air, Apple’s best-selling laptop, which is less than an inch thick. Still, Hewlett-Packard is not trying to compete on price: The new Spectre is $100 more than a MacBook Air with a 13.3-inch screen.
Hewlett-Packard is emphasizing the laptop’s premium features and design, a bid to reach the “savvy fashionista” market, said Page Murray, a vice president of marketing at the company. “There’s always someone who wants to win the race to the bottom,” Murray said. “It usually ends with a splat.”
The Spectre features a glossy black-glass lid that sits atop a silver glass palm rest and finger-sensing pad. The computer has an extra-bright screen, enhanced Beats Audio sound and a version of Adobe Systems Inc.’s Photoshop software. It weighs less than four pounds and can run for nine hours on one charge.
(Adapted from Ricadela, 2012)
– In your viewpoint, what is the generic strategy (from Chapter 5) that you recommend to HP’s Envy 14 Spectre to address its target market segment and competition? Provide your justification. (suggested length: 300 to 500 words)
3. Explain the main features of Blue Ocean Strategies (from Chapter 6) based on the slides and Dr. Siqueira’s video, and their connection to innovation. (suggested length: 300 to 500 words)
Consider the case below.
4. The circus business was (and still is) in long-term decline. Alternative forms of entertainment – sporting events, TV, and video games – were casting a growing shadow. Children, the mainstay of the circus audience, preferred PlayStations to circus acts. There was also rising sentiment, fueled by animal rights groups, against the use of animals, traditionally an integral part of the circus. On the supply side, the star performers that Ringling and the other circuses relied on to draw in the crowds could often name their own terms. As a result, the industry was hit by steadily decreasing audiences and increasing costs. What’s more, any new entrant to this business would be competing against a formidable incumbent that for most of the last century had set the industry standard.
Cirque stripped away some of the traditional circus offerings – such as animals, three-ring shows, unsophisticated elements like sawdust and hard benches, and expensive “star” artists – and injected new elements drawn from the world of theater. For instance, unlike traditional circuses featuring a series of unrelated acts, each Cirque creation resembles a theater performance in that it has a theme and story line.
Cirque also borrows ideas from Broadway. For example, Cirque mounts multiple productions based on different themes and story lines. As with Broadway productions, too, each Cirque show has an original musical score, which drives the performance, lighting, and timing of the acts. The productions feature abstract dance, an idea derived from theater and ballet. By introducing these factors, Cirque has created highly sophisticated entertainments, and by staging multiple productions, Cirque gives people reason to come to the circus more often, thereby increasing revenues.
Cirque offers elements of both circus and theater, and by eliminating many of the most expensive elements of the circus, it has been able to dramatically reduce its cost structure. (Adapted from Kim and Mauborgne, 2004)
– Which Blue Ocean Strategy features (Create uncontested market space, Make the competition irrelevant, Create and capture new demand, Break the value-cost trade-off, and Align the whole system of a firm’s activities in pursuit of differentiation and low cost) apply to Cirque du Soleil? Provide your justification. (suggested length: 300 to 500 words)
5. For A-level grade, please review the Assignment Grading Rubric.
The last paragraph of the assignment contains at least 3 sentences with:
(a) 1 SDG number and name *
(b) “How can business practices related to this assignment contribute to this SDG?”
* The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are: 1: No Poverty, 2: Zero Hunger, 3: Good Health and Well-being, 4: Quality Education, 5: Gender Equality, 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, 7: Affordable and Clean Energy, 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, 10: Reduced Inequality, 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, 13: Climate Action, 14: Life Below Water, 15: Life on Land, 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions, 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal (https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/).
Name of book is Crafting and Executing Strategy: Concepts (22nd edition).
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