A 6-8 page research paper 12pt font Times Roman following APA formatting (Cover page, Introduction, Community resource interview, body of paper, conclusion followed by “Lesson Learned” paragraph addressing What did you learn from this project that will be helpful to you in your role as a manager? Last page is reference page.
Note – There is a great deal of latitude built into this project. Be sure to stay focused or it will become too large to accomplish.

Research should include a Community Resource Interview, the course text (Management: An Integrated Approach) and at least one other source as a basis for understanding and explaining Business-Level Strategy. You should use at least two research sources per company. Additional research can include the use of any combination of primary and secondary sources from: Interviews, Internet websites, journals, magazines, newspapers, documented interviews, library reference materials (ProQuest and ground) as well as other sources. The only source not acceptable is Wikipedia. The key is that you must be able to substantiate your comments/conclusions using verifiable and reliable sources.
(Hint: a lot of information can be found in the SEC Filings Form 10K for public companies)

Scenario for your research focus:
Business organizations use different strategies to grow their business and draw a wider customer base as well as to serve the needs of their current customers and stakeholders. Their level of success is affected by the decisions they make. As managers, what can we learn from researching the management of other organizations; as well as our own?
Explore the websites of Two of the three US businesses provided below. In addition, identify a Third company of your choosing (cannot use Starbucks or Krispy Kreme, and should be a publicly traded company on the NY stock exchange – however this company can also be the company where your Community Resource Interview takes place, providing your source and provide you the information you need).

Sony Corporation of America (US Branch):

http://www.sony.com/en_us/SCA/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (Links to an external site.)

Netflix:

https://ir.netflix.com/index.cfm (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (Links to an external site.)

Domino’s Pizza:

https://biz.dominos.com/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (Links to an external site.)

Company of your choosing:

Research and Discuss
Which type of business-level strategy each pursues. Compare how they differ, or if they have the same or similar strategy. Address leadership, segmentation, and how each business determines it customer base and retains those customers. Are there challenges and practices influenced by economic changes and globalization? Your discussion of these areas should cover the below listed points into your paper.
Evaluate:
(1) Review the attractiveness industry structure
(2) Opportunities and threats in the external environment (incorporate use of Porter’s 5-Force Model or SWOT analysis)
(3) Internal resources to determine how to compete.
Answer three fundamental questions:
(1) Who do we serve (a broad or narrow market segment)?
(2) What do we provide (a small or large range of products or services)?
(3) How do we provide it (our unique production approach or delivery processes)?

Community Resource Interview
The purpose for conducting an interview is to provide additional insight, gather first-hand information from an organization, and incorporate the findings into your research.
Contact and interview a President, Vice President, Director, or Manager. The person you interview should have P&L, operations, and HR oversight over the company or department they manage and should have knowledge to answer the questions to tie in with your research. The questions below are similar to the questions you are addressing for the companies you select for your research:
1. Is there a specific business-level strategy the company employs?
2. Are there challenges and practices influenced by economic changes and globalization?
3. Are there any technological and cultural challenges?
4. What are the biggest opportunities and threats to the business? (SWOT)
5. How is customer base determined and retained?
6. Are there any Lessons Learned from previous company projects, products, or services?
7. Anything to add that might be helpful?