Posts in category: Uncategorized

COMPETITION – MARKET RESEARCH MANAGER ANALYSIS

Due Date

Week 10

Note: While representative of possible situations faced by Target & Walmart, all scenarios in this assignment are fictional.

Real Business

As you learned this week, understanding your competition and adjusting your own business accordingly is critical to a business’s success. A large discount retail store like Target competes not only with other discount retail store stores but also with those stores that offer just some of the products Target does, such as grocery stores. Keeping track of all these competitors is quite a task; that’s why large companies have a team of market researchers dedicated to managing that research.

Your Role

This week, you’ll assume the role of a Market Research Manager at Target.

WHAT IS A MARKET RESEARCH MANAGER?

Market Research Managers are responsible for creating and improving processes for gathering information on various market conditions, competitors, and consumer trends in their companies’ industries. They are typically responsible for managing a team of researchers and reporting their findings to the head of the department. Teams across the company then use these findings to help improve products, guide marketing efforts, and more.

As a Market Research Manager, part of your role is to consistently analyze Target’s position relative to its competitors and report on these findings. As part of this process, you complete a SWOT analysis for each of Target’s main competitors each quarter. The quarter is coming to a close, and your boss has asked for the latest SWOT analysis for Walmart.

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1: Research

Search online and find 1-3 articles that discuss the competition between Target and Walmart. For each article:

• Provide a link to the article.
• Identify which aspects of the article will be helpful as you conduct your SWOT analysis.

Step 2: Strengths

Based on your own experiences shopping at Target and Walmart and the research you conducted:

• Identify 1-2 strengths Target has in comparison to Walmart. For each strength, explain your rationale.

Step 3: Weaknesses

Based on your own experiences shopping at Target and Walmart and the research you conducted:

• Identify 1-2 weaknesses Target has in comparison to Walmart. For each weakness, explain your rationale.

Step 4: Opportunities

Based on your own experiences shopping at Target and Walmart and the research you conducted:

• Identify 1-2 possible opportunities Target has to be more competitive with Walmart. For each opportunity, explain your rationale.

Step 5: Threats

Based on your own experiences shopping at Target and Walmart and the research you conducted:

• Identify 1-2 possible threats that might diminish Target’s competitiveness with Walmart. For each threat, explain your rationale.

Step 6: Who Will Come Out Ahead?

Based on your SWOT analysis, do think that Target or Walmart is better positioned over the long term to come out ahead? Why?

Step 7: Real-World Application

Conduct a SWOT analysis for your company and one of its biggest competitors using the methodology outlined in Steps 1-6.

In a two-page essay, compare and contrast virtue, deontological, and utilitarian ethical theories. How can they each apply to professional decision-making? Reference an ethical case that you have seen in your own profession or from recent news headlines.

Follow APA guidelines if you do reference an actual case and/or other content. Be sure to include an introduction.

De George, R. T. (2010). Business ethics [VitalSource Bookshelf version] (7th ed.). 

Write a page answering the following questions.

Please be sure to validate your opinions and ideas with citations and references in APA format. 

How are the S-curve and the product lifecycle different? Are they the same concept applied in different ways, or are there distinct insights that can be obtained from both models? 

Based on your experience, what do you think the greatest challenge is for a leader that is attempting to lead innovation within an organization? Why? 

 Strayer University is moving to a new HR/payroll system that is  sponsored by a firm called Workday.com. You have been asked to oversee  the stakeholder management aspects of this project. Identify some of the  key stakeholders at Strayer, and describe how you plan to keep them  engaged during your year-long project. Be sure to include the  appropriate methods, since not all of your stakeholders are located at  the HQ office in Herndon, VA. 

Please read and respond to the attachment.

Note: Only up to 20% of the content in the written response can be quotes from third parties.  

Read Socrates Discovers Generic Management by Xenophon in your Phase 1 resources. Socrates believed that leadership skills were generic enough to be transferable in any situation. Socrates believed that whether you are leading a chorus or an army, the leadership skills are the same.

Discuss the following for this assignment:

• Defend or      justify your agreement or disagreement with Socrates’ belief in generic      leadership skills. 
• Compare      and contrast your concept of leadership from 10–15 years ago to now?      Evaluate the influences that changed your concept of leadership. 

Based on your What Rewards Do I Value Most? Assessment result, what motivational technique(s) would you use to motivate yourself, and why? Would you use the same technique(s) to motivate your co-worker(s) and/or employee(s)? Why or why not?

To attract, motivate, and retain good workers, companies need to define what an employee wants from the employment relationship. One way to define employee needs is to consider “total rewards,” which are everything an employee perceives to be of value resulting from working for the company. Benefits are a core element of total rewards and the ever-growing package of offerings have evolved. You must now work with the company to define precisely where the various programs will be categorized. 

Write a six- to seven-page paper in which you do the following: 

• Identify and discuss at least three important variables that almost always should be considered by organizations when developing employee benefits programs. Be sure the response is specific and relevant. 
• Compare and contrast income protection programs and pay for time not worked programs, both of which are usual elements of benefits programs. How are the programs similar? Are they mandatory? 
• Research and discuss at least four to five of what may be referred as “Other Benefits” that you could recommend to the management team as necessary elements for the benefits package. Hint: Flextime and product or service discounts are good examples.
• Develop an employee benefits package for any exempt or non-exempt position (you must designate which) level of your choosing, making sure you support the selection of your program elements.
  • Note: The preferred method for presenting your benefits package information is using a table or exhibit, but either approach is not mandatory.
  • Examples:US Bank Benefits at a Glance and UW-Madison New Employee Benefits Summary.
• Use at least four quality academic resources in this assignment, one of which must be the assigned textbook.

NOTE: You are not allowed to use non-academic websites except for those listed in the course resources list, or SHRM, ASTD, HCI, or WorldatWork. There are no exceptions to this requirement.  You may also use Strayer University Library to locate additional sources to support your work.

• select one organization for which you worked or with which you are familiar, and support or challenge the degree to which the organization aligned the goals set for employees to the vision and mission of the organization. Recommend key steps that this, or any, organization could take in order to correct its performance management process if the goals set for employees do not align to the goals for the organization. Justify your response.
• Give your opinion on the effectiveness of the two best methods to provide formal individual growth opportunities for the organization you selected. Support your response with specific examples of the benefits of using your chosen methods

Discussion Topic #1

Discuss whether unions are still relevant and necessary in today’s work environment. What other means might be used to ensure the ‘‘employee voice’’ in the workplace? Remember to cite your references. Use at least one reference from class materials.

Discussion Topic #2

Discuss a major event in labor history that has had “carryover” to the modern practice of HR? [As an example, the Knights of Labor (KOL) promoted many ideas that were radical at the time..but common practice today!]

 https://open.lib.umn.edu/humanresourcemanagement/chapter/12-1-the-nature-of-unions/ 

 https://www.history.com/topics/19th-century/labor