This is a Collaborative Learning Community (CLC) assignment.

The purpose of this assignment is to conduct an environmental scan and industry analysis on a company and identify how external and industry environmental factors impact the operational and competitive landscapes of your corporation.

Consult Table C-2 and C-3 in the Case Studies section of the textbook and choose a publicly traded company to research in this assignment and throughout the course. If you choose not to use one of the companies listed, identify an industry in which you are interested and select a publicly traded company and operating unit therein to study. You will need to obtain instructor approval before moving forward with this assignment and confirm that sufficient information on your selected company exists and is available for you to research.

Perform an external environmental scan and industry environmental analysis on this publicly traded company from the perspective of a business unit. Begin your analysis with the seven segments of the general environment (Figure 2.1) and the five forces of competition model (Figure 2.2) as presented in the text, and then complete a detailed outline of the meaningful trends, issues, and factors that impact or are likely to impact the overall competitive landscape for your company in the future. The purpose of this multilevel analytical approach is to break down macro trends and issues until you identify how exactly they affect your company and business unit.

This analysis will require significant research. Although the framework suggested is structured, this assignment is not intended to be a linear exercise. Be creative in your research—the entire idea of strategy lies in having information or insight that your competition may not have, so this assignment may require a little digging. Tables C-2 and C-3 in the textbook indicate where each of the listed companies are mentioned within the text, but these references will only serve as a starting place. You may want to look for standardized SEC corporate filings and industry analyses through the GCU library, or you could also begin your research by consulting online NAICS databases, SEC filing databases (such as EDGAR), or sources like business and industry periodicals.

The format of your analysis is limited only by your own creativity, though the "Environmental and Industry Analysis Framework" resource may be referenced as one method of organizing your research. While you may choose to use an Excel spreadsheet to show your thought process and research, it is not required, and the attached framework is intended to serve as an example rather than a template.

However, you choose to present your material, your analysis should include the following components:

1. Sectors of the external environment and the five forces of competition.
2. Concepts to research in each category. (Note: This list is intended to be used as a springboard and should not be considered exhaustive in any individual case.)
3. Macro trends related to the issues noted in section B. (Note: There may be more than one trend or issue identified for each section B concept.)
4. Impact of the trends and issues identified in section C on your corporation.
5. Impact of the trends and issues identified in section D on your operating business unit.
6. Conclusions about how and why these assessments are relevant to the company overall. (These conclusions may be your own personal suppositions, or they may be provided from external sources.)
7. Sources referenced in each section of your analysis.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance.