Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:
Paper Instructions:

Answer five (5) out of the six (6) essay questions below.  The word count for each essay is 400-500 words.  Each question is worth 48 points, for a total of 240 points.

Submit back to me in a Word document, double spaced. While you do not have to use citations throughout your essay, I am requiring to list the sources you used at the end of each of essay.  You can use any sources you would like.  The listing of sources does not count towards your word count.

It is critically important that you answer in your own words as I will run your answers through a software program called, “Turnitin.”  This will let me know if there are unacceptable levels of plagiarism.



Assume you are the CEO of a regional grocery store. The company currently has 25 brick and mortar stores located in three different states in the Southeast.  All are located in small towns where there are no Wal-Marts or Targets.  Top management is working on its strategic plan for the next five years.  Some important decisions that need to be made include the following: is the company going to expand to more states, will the company expand its e-commerce platform (including home delivery), and will it expand into larger cities.  What kind of decision making process will you use?  Once decisions are made, what is the best way to implement its strategic plan?


Assume you want to open a new retail bookstore that carries both new and used books. You hope that you can also bring in authors to the store in order to sign their books.  You can select any city you would like in which to locate the bookstore.  Using Michael Porter's five industry forces as your framework, determine the viability of actually opening your bookstore.


  3.  Using one (you pick) of the companies below, explain how and why innovation matters to them      from both a profit and culture perspective.

          a).  Walt Disney Company    b).  Zappos    c).  Southwest Airlines



    4.  You have been hired as the Human Resources director by a tech company located in Jackson, MS.  It currently has 200 employees located in Jackson as well as in California. It has been operating as a start-up with little to no organization as most all of the original employees were friends from college. They have grown to a size, though, where they need organizational structure. They expect to double in employee size in three years. Their workforce includes tech oriented employees as well as accounting and marketing/sales employees. What kind of organizational structure would you recommend? What are the pros and cons to your suggestions?



5.  Using the Job Characteristics Model, select one (you pick) of the following professions and describe it based on each dimension of the model.

    a). college professor  b).  food server (waiter)  c). truck driver  d).  professional musician 



6. Select any company/organization you would like (it has to be a company/organization I can verify on the internet) and describe the resources it has to achieve a competitive advantage over other competitors in the same industry.