Factors and Trends that Influence Strategy Development

See attached assignment instructions.  Must adhere to all requirements. 

Factors and Trends that Influence Strategy Development

In this module you will explore how businesses react to changing economic times and the influence this has on product/service positioning in the market place. You will also learn about the different approaches an organization may take such as a retrenchment approach, an investment approach, or an ambidextrous approach to provide a foundation for opportunity and risk in recessionary times. Consumer spending habits have undergone dramatic and enduring change in the United States.

Using the module readings, Argosy University online library resources, and the Internet, respond to the following:

· What risks and opportunities do the three common strategies during recessionary times—retrenchment, investment, and ambidextrous strategies—present to businesses?

· What are the factors that are key for establishing product differentiation in the new post-recession consumer environment especially as it relates to economic indicators?

· What is a luxury good and should marketers of luxury goods abandon their efforts to establish premium pricing?

· How do changes in societal attitudes toward companies and products affect the way marketers of consumer goods think about the customer value chain? Provide examples of companies that have changed their approach to marketing in response to a shift in consumers’ value in changing economic times.

Write your initial response in approximately 300 words. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.

Essay due by 10 PM PST, Friday, July

12

, 2013

4

Grading Criteria	Maximum Points
Explained factors key for product differentiation in a post-recession consumer environment demonstrating analysis of economic indicators, the customer value chain, and societal attitudes toward companies and products.		4
Actively contributed to the discussion by providing points of view with rationale, challenging points of the discussion, or drawing relationships between points of the discussion.	12
Wrote in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrated ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; displayed accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Total:	20

 
Must use below sources for citations and references

· Efendioglu, A., & Karabulut, A. (2010). Impact of strategic planning on financial performance of companies in Turkey. International Journal of Business and Management, 5(4), 3–12. (ProQuest Document ID: 821297217) 

http://search.proquest.com.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/821297217/
abstract?source=fedsrch&accountid=34899

· Heiba, F. (2011). Future global marketing negotiations: A strategic scenario. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 2(4). (ProQuest Document ID: 904523887) 

http://search.proquest.com.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/904523887/
abstract?source=fedsrch&accountid=34899

· Porter, M. (1996). What is strategy? Harvard Business Review 74(6), 61–78. Retrieved from

http://libproxy.edmc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=bsh&AN=9611187954&site=ehost-live

· Deeter-Schmelz, D. R., Ramsey, R. P., & Gassenheimer, J. B. (2011). Bleu Ribbon Chocolates: How can small businesses adapt to a changing environment? Marketing Education Review, 21(2), 177–182. doi: 10.2753/MER1052-8008210207 (EBSCO AN: 63968062) 

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