Organizational Management

Discussions
To participate in the following discussions, go to this week’s ;Discussion ;link in the left navigation.

1. Making Strategy
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   “Making strategy, once an event, is now a continuous process.” ; Explain what you think this strategy means and explain how you think it applies to Apple’s new iPad. Review the video: ;Apple iPad Hits Stores in the U.S. ;Respond substantively to at least two of your fellow students’ postings.
2. Company Rankings
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   Fortune ;publishes an annual ranking of the most admired companies, both global and U.S. ; Choose either ranking and get the most recent listing of the top 10. ; Look up the financial information on one company on the list. ; Look up information on the Board of Directors of this company. ; What conclusions might you draw about the role of the Board in the strategic management of these most admired companies? ; Respond substantively to at least two of your fellow students’ postings.

Assignment

Making Over Avon

Read Chapter 1, Case #3: Making Over Avon. ; Answer questions 1-4 in a 3-5 page APA style paper (excluding title and reference pages), and support with the concepts outlined in your text and from your previous classes.

1. Explain how strategic management and the strategic management process are illustrated in the Avon case.
2. What are some performance measures that Avon’s strategic decision makers might use to evaluate the results of the restructuring initiatives?
3. Andrea Jung is Avon’s first female CEO, which you might find surprising considering that Avon’s target market is overwhelmingly female. ; Do some research on the number of female CEOs and female board members in U.S. companies? ; (Check out Catalyst, an organization that researches women’s workplace issues.) ; Have these numbers changed over time? ; What conclusions might you draw from these data?
4. Go to Avon’s website (www.avoncompany.com). What are Avon’s vision and mission? ; How might these statements affect strategic decisions and actions? ; Check out the company’s executive team. ; Select one top manager other than Andrea Jung. ; Describe that individual’s job responsibility. ; Finally, select one of the company’s brands and describe what strategies are being used for that brand.