Product Description: A “Soft Drink” is a carbonated, flavored, non-alcoholic liquid meant for human consumption. Example products produced by this industry include cola (Coca-Cola, Pepsi Cola, Diet Dr. Pepper, store brands, etc.), flavored soft drinks (Orange Crush, Grape Nehi, etc.), root beer (A&W, Barq’s, IBC), ginger ale (Vernor’s, Canada Dry Ginger Ale, Schweppes Ginger Ale, etc.), etc.

Substitute Products: by definition, a substitute is a product produced OUTSIDE this industry but serves the same function as a product produced INSIDE this industry. Primary substitutes for soft drink products include milk, bottled (and tap) water, sparkling water, fruit juices, beer, wine, spirits, coffee, teas, soy and coconut milks, etc. (NOTE: A SUBSTITUTE IS NOT A PRODUCT MANUFACTURED BY A DIFFERENT COMPANY IN THE INDUSTRY).

Strategic Group: Coca-Cola (KO), PepsiCo (PEP), Monster Beverage (MNST), and Keurig/Dr Pepper (KDP).

Note: You MUST use these companies. Refer to them by their ticker symbol (i.e. “KO” for The Coca-Cola Company). Also, for the purposes of this project, just focus on the strategic grouping of companies listed above and pretend they all have a PRIMARY function of manufacturing Soft Drinks (not water, food stuffs, etc.). Ignore the company “Embotelladora Andina” and “American Beverage S.A.” These are international companies that are not in your strategic group.

Note: In this industry, note the following terms and DO NOT CONFUSE THEM:

• Raw material suppliers: These are the companies that supply raw materials that get turned into soft drinks.
• Manufacturers / Producers: These are the companies that purchase raw materials from suppliers and CREATE the soft drink products. These companies include the companies in the strategic group.
• Customers: These are the companies that purchase the soft drinks in bulk from the manufacturers. These would include wholesalers, retailers, etc. (This includes Walmart, gas stations, Publix, etc.).
• Consumers: These are the people who actually drink the soft drinks (i.e. you and me). The consumers buy from the customers. (The consumers are actually the retail or wholeseale organizations who buy from the companies that produce customers, not customers of the manufacturing industry).

Note: Do not use the terms “buyer” or “supplier” because they are ambiguous. Rather, use the term “consumer” or “raw material supplier”.

Perform basic research on the industry that you have been assigned (Use the “Gale: Business Insights” database from Troy’s library page). Once you get as much industry information that you can there, look up each of the companies in your strategic grouping and find out what you can about each of them as well. You can also use the SEC’s EDGAR database to look up particular companies (https://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml). The companies in this group are almost exclusively publicly traded, which means that each company must make certain documents available to investors, the government, and to the general public. In later portions of this assignment, you will need the information for the competitors, so while you are gathering information, save everything you can about the industry and group of competitors to a folder on your PC. This might include URLs, 10K filings, recent press releases, and more. Then, for the first part of this assignment (listed below), prepare a single Microsoft Word document using the Sample Submission Document as a guide (use the latest APA style guide). I’ll be checking very closely to make sure you follow the format of the Sample Submission document EXACTLY, so pay close attention to this. Most students struggle with two things in these assignments. First, they don’t follow the sample document exactly. Second, they don’t proof their work sufficiently. In this document, prepare a response to each of the questions asked and make sure that you completely answer all portions of each question. In addition, make sure that you do the following:

Note: You MUST use information that is much more recent than journal articles for this project. That is, journals are great, but it takes too long for articles to be published for them to do you much good in some areas. Other information is simply not going to be found in journals at all. Examples would include information on the current political climate, pending legislation, economic indicators, etc. Google is your friend here. Just make sure that you stick to reputable sources (i.e. government sites, industry sites, specific company sites in the industry, reputable news outlets, etc.). Do NOT use any source that is a social network (i.e. Wikipedia, FaceBook, etc.), an “essay for sale” site (i.e. “UK Essays”), nor the work of other students at other universities (i.e. Fern Fort University).

1. Put your name and student ID number in the document header, along with page numbers, following the example in the Sample Submission document. Note that the page header on the title page includes “Running Head:” to the left of your name, but not on the other pages in the document.
2. Make sure your work (all portions, no exceptions) is in Times New Roman, 12pt font, 1” margins.
3. Use Microsoft Word’s built-in “Source Manager” to handle your citations and references. For instructions as to how to do this, either ask the instructor for a “how-to” or just download it from the Writing Assignments module (it says, “Setting up Microsoft Word…”). I also have a video on how to do this in the Writing Assignments module in Canvas.
4. Create a title page that looks like the one in the sample document. (NOTE: After Writing Assignment #1 has been graded, your instructor will assign you a company. Just leave the company name off of the title page until your company has been assigned. Remember, you don’t get a company assigned until AFTER certain conditions are met based on your list of opportunities and threats.). Follow the format of the Sample Submission document AS CLOSELY AS POSSIBLE.
5. Make sure to use headings that match the Sample Submission document.
6. Immediately prior to submitting your document to Canvas, proofread your document THOROUGHLY. Troy University pays the cost for students to have the Premium version of Grammarly’s free add-in to Microsoft Office, which will show up on the ribbon bar in Microsoft Word. In addition, Word’s built-in proofing tools (grammar, spelling, and style checkers) are also used for grading. These are the PRIMARY methods that the instructor uses to check student work for errors. (Note: Each “routine” error generally results in a 1-point deduction from the submission grade. “MAJOR ISSUE” errors generally result in a 5+ point deduction for each occurrence.). Please also note that you are responsible for all mistakes in your submission, even if Grammarly and Word don’t find any errors.  
   WRITING ASSIGNMENT #1
7. Perform basic INDUSTRY research for the ENTIRE industry you have been assigned (not just the strategic group) and look for issues by following the PESTEL model’s major categories. Read what the textbook has to say about the PESTEL model and what types of things go into each category. You can also find examples online by just Googling “PESTEL Example” and reading some of the pages that show up. There is a great page at https://www.business-to-you.com/scanning-the-environment-pestel-analysis/ that should give you some good ideas.).

Make sure you have at least 20 opportunities and 20 threats total. However, they need to be spread out so that you have at least one opportunity and one threat for each category in each of the two models, with no duplicates. Even though a phenomenon can technically be listed in more than one category, only put it in one. It is even possible that a phenomenon can be both an opportunity and a threat, depending on how one views it. Regardless, only list something once.

2. Perform additional basic INDUSTRY analysis for the industry again, but this time use “Porter’s Five Forces” model. Identify at least 2 major issues for EACH of the forces in the model. (NOTE: Again, this is an INDUSTRY analysis, not a company analysis.) For #1 and #2 above, the following items should help you get started. I expect to see most of
   these in your work because they are nearly always applicable to most industries: Unemployment rate, disposable income, wage rates, currency exchange rates, inflation rate, etc.
   Political stability at home and abroad, military strife, effects of administration changes, etc.
   Changing legislation (state / Federal), regulations (both FDA and EPA), court cases, etc.
   Social and political issues regarding environmental concerns (raw materials, production, waste, etc.).
   Technological developments, availability of raw materials, barriers to entry/exit, economies of
   scale/scope, market growth/contraction, etc.
   Social trends and issues involving the products themselves, generational issues (i.e. old consumers vs.
   younger, demands consumers put on businesses, demand changes due to consumer preferences, etc..
3. Using this information, create a list of Opportunities and Threats (numbered O1, O2, O3, etc. and T1, T2, T3, etc.) that would apply to the majority of the companies in your firm’s industry. (note: If you provide an opportunity that is worded to include a something a competitor or the industry can do, your answer is completely incorrect and you will just have to do it over. Just because a company says that something is an opportunity for them does not make it an opportunity. Many companies often get this incorrect. Also, don’t use the words “Opportunity” or “Threat” to describe an opportunity or threat!) Opportunities and Threats ALWAYS meet the following criteria:
   a. They represent phenomena or trends that currently exist and are not past or hypothetical future problems unless there is strong and sufficient evidence that suggests that the phenomena will PROBABLY exist (and your evidence must be clear and strong, in the present tense, with solid sources to back it up).
   b. They represent phenomena or trends, NOT ACTIONS that a competitor or the industry might do about them (again, this is an automatic show-stopper). Read each one aloud and ask yourself if you are saying that a company can do something. If yes, then I stop grading here. If no, then possibly okay.
   c. They apply to the environment in which the industry operates, not just to one or a few companies in the industry. Remember, your focus is on the environment in which the industry operates, not the industry competitors.
   d. They are not under the control or direct influence of only one or a few competitors.
   e. They do NOT describe things that are ALWAYS true (i.e., “Companies must follow government regulations”, or “When unemployment goes up, people have less money to spend”).
   f. They are written in complete and grammatically correct sentences.
   g. They are all in the present tense (not past or future tense).

Note: Don’t use the terms “opportunity” or “threat” to describe one.

4. Make sure that each item in the list has a valid citation. That is, the items in the list cannot be just dreamed up from imagination. A valid citation that points to a source is required for EVERY line item in the list. CITATIONS MUST BE INSERTED USING WORD’S SOURCE MANAGEMER TOOLS.
5. Include the references section using Microsoft Word’s built-in Source Manager and turn it in.

Note: You can submit Writing Assignment #1 multiple times (until you get 100% or want to move on).
 
WRITING ASSIGNMENT #2

After Writing Assignment #1 has been graded and your grade posted in Canvas, find the instructor’s comments about what was found during the grading process. Once you have been assigned a company for the remainder of this project, correct those issues in your paper and continue building your project by performing the steps below. That is, Writing Assignment #2 should be added to the end of your Writing Assignment #1 after you correct it, such that the file you upload will contain the corrected Assignment #1, plus your first attempt at Assignment #2. Do this for all submissions (the file will be large in the end).

Your instructor will assign you a company to research AFTER your Writing Assignment #1 has been graded. You cannot begin Writing Assignment #2 until then.

1. Go online and get the latest couple of annual report (10K filing) for your company, as well as the other companies in the strategic grouping that your instructor has identified. Read through it and take some preliminary notes. (Note: YOU MUST USE THE SEC’S EDGAR DATABASE AT https://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml TO GET THE LATEST10K AND COMPANY DATA. OTHER SITES AND DATABASES GIVE ADJUSTED INFORMATION THAT IS OFTEN INCORRECT.)
2. Compare your firm’s strategies and strategic objectives to those of the other competitors in your strategic group. What issues do you note? Are they struggling toward the same markets, similar objectives, and similar business models, or, are they completely different? (NOTE: What you are doing here is comparing the areas, strategies, markets, etc., in which your company is actually competing with other companies.).

NOTE: Check to make sure your company has mission and vision statements that look reasonable (if they don’t, it’s a weakness).

3. Do some non-academic research (i.e. use “Google”) and find out what you can about any serious issues the members of the firm’s Board of Directors might have (for example, a CEO arrested for something, turnover within the Board of Directors, vacant positions, etc.). What did you find?

Note: What you are looking for here are ethical and legal violations committed by members of the Board of Directors, which would be weaknesses.

4. Based on information from the annual report and/or 10K, how would you describe your firm’s current financial condition? Normally, one would use financial ratios and other pertinent income and balance sheet data to support an analysis. However, because many of you have not had any financial analysis courses in your educational program, it is acceptable to stick with those that are being reported by the company that you are reporting on, or those that are reported by other competitors in the industry. Remember, the information you are looking for is in almost definitely in the annual filings (10Ks) for the competitors in your strategic group. Make sure you discuss Net Income, Quick Ratio, Return on Assets, Return on Equity, and Total Revenue. If you don’t know how to calculate one of the ratios, you should be able to Google it fairly easily or just ask the instructor.
5. Create Table 1 for your financial analysis in the following format: (Note: Make sure all cells across each row are in the same units of measure, format, etc.). Again, make sure you follow the sample submission format! Group Avg Your Company Competitor 1 Competitor 2 Competitor 3
   Net Income
   Quick Ratio
   Return on Assets
   Return on Equity
   Total Revenue
6. Compare your company to the other companies and to the group average. Where is it stronger than, or weaker than, the others? Take notes here. These will be used when you build your list (below).
7. Go back to the information you discovered when doing your PESTEL and Porter’s Five Forces analyses, only this time reconsider these models in light of the company you have been assigned, as well as the other companies in the strategic group. Based on the information you have for your firm, plus what you have for your firm’s competitors, note any areas where your company might be stronger or weaker than the competitors mentioned earlier, or the group average. Again, these will be used when you build your list (below).
8. Finally, just as you did in Writing Assignment #1, create a list of at least 20 strengths and 20 Weaknesses that apply to your firm in particular, as they relate to other companies (remember, strengths and weaknesses are only factors if they cause the company to be significantly different from other specific companies or the group average.). Note: Begin each with the name of the company, then “is stronger than” or “is weaker than”, then either “the industry”, “the strategic group”, or a particular company, and (finally), HOW they are stronger or weaker (“in terms of net income”, “in terms of total revenue”, etc.) For example, one might say that “Acme Anti-Roadrunner has a stronger ROA than the strategic group average” or “Roadrunner-Defenses-R-Us is stronger than the average company in the strategic group in terms of consumer loyalty”. Again, make sure that EVERY item in your list of strengths and weaknesses is properly cited with an outside source. Remember, Strengths and Weaknesses are similar to Opportunities and Threats, except…
   a. They do NOT apply to the entire group, but rather apply mostly to YOUR company.
   b. They are clearly in the control or influence of your company.
   c. They are discussed ONLY as they relate to competitors and/or strategic group averages.
   d. They are NOT something the company can choose to do. That is, they are not actions a company can take, has taken, or is currently taking.

Go back and look at your list of opportunities and threats from Assignment #1. Is your company any more or less vulnerable to the phenomena you listed? If so, then you should have them listed here as strengths and weaknesses as well (i.e. “XYZ company is more vulnerable to currency exchange rate fluctuations than most of the other companies in the strategic group”).

9. Add your references section USING WORD’S SOURCE MANAGEMENT TOOLS as you did with Writing Assignment #1 and turn it in (both references sections are merged into a single one at the end of the document).  
   WRITING ASSIGNMENT #3

Correct all of the issues noted in Writing Assignments 1 and 2, then append the following to the end:

1. Perform a basic SWOT analysis, which should result in a list of at LEAST 2 or 3 of each of the 4 types of strategic choices (SO, ST, WO, and WT), with at least a full sentence or two of explanation for each of them so that one can understand the basic action that you are describing that the company can take. (Note: These are the SWOT output functions. That is, these are the actions that your company CAN take in response to combinations of input factors. Also, they must all be different. Don’t list the same action twice.).
2. Prepare Table 2 (strategic actions a company can take) in the same format as is in the sample submission:
3. Based on your SWOT analysis, recommend ONE specific action that the company could undertake that they don’t already list. Describe the change in detail and explain clearly why you chose this one in particular. (Note: This should be at least a half page or so.)
4. Add your references section as you did with Writing Assignment #2 and turn it in (all references sections are merged into a single one at the end of the document).  
   WRITING ASSIGNMENT #4

Correct all of the issues noted in Writing Assignments 1, 2, and 3, then append the following to the end:

1. Outline and discuss the specific actions needed for implementation of your chosen strategy. This should include the following:

a. Specify the overall financial results expected (i.e. the overall objectives you expect to achieve. This should be some measurable that was reported in the Financial Analysis section earlier).

b. List at least one objective for each major business function that supports the overall objective above (i.e. HR/Staffing, Production/Operations, Accounting/Finance, Sales/Marketing, R&D, etc.). Each objective must clearly be in support of the change you are recommending, be measurable, and include a reasonable and appropriate time frame for implementation. In addition, each objective must meet the following criteria:
i. State a measurable (net income, number of people, total sales in a market, etc.)
ii. An amount of expected change (a number, a %, a $, etc.)
iii. A period of time you expect the change to occur in (months or years).

c. Prepare Table 3 similar to the following:

Note: If one function has multiple objectives, add rows as required rather than putting multiple objectives on the same row.). Please pay attention to this. Some students incist on putting multiple objectives in a single row.

(Function) – Objective Measurable Amount of Change Time for Change
(Overall) – State overall objective What should change?
(what number am I watching) By how much?
+/- % or +/- value In X amount of time or by a certain date
(HR) – State Sub-objective What should change?
(what number am I watching) By how much?
+/- % or +/- value In X amount of time or by a certain date
(Prod/Ops) – State Sub-objective What should change?
(what number am I watching) By how much?
+/- % or +/- value In X amount of time or by a certain date
(Act/Fin) – State Sub-objective What should change?
(what number am I watching) By how much?
+/- % or +/- value In X amount of time or by a certain date
(Sales/Mkt) – State Sub-objective What should change?
(what number am I watching) By how much?
+/- % or +/- value In X amount of time or by a certain date
(R&D) – State Sub-objective
(Note: Only include R&D if applicable) What should change?
(what number am I watching) By how much?
+/- % or +/- value In X amount of time or by a certain date

Note: Do NOT list what is to be done in the measurable column. This column is for the actual number that will change. For example, if the thing to be done is to “increase revenue by 10%”, put that under the Objective column. In the Measurable column, simply put “Net Revenue”. In the “Amount of Change” column, list “+10%”.

2. Discuss which stakeholders would be most directly affected by your recommendations and why.
3. Outline and discuss any ethical issues that you think your recommendations might create, and how might they be addressed.
4. Outline and discuss the major challenges that leaders attempting to make this change must deal with. (Hint: Go back and review your notes from MGT-6681).
5. Outline what can be done to make this change easier (again, go back and review your notes from MGT-6681).
6. Next, make sure all issues have been corrected per the instructor’s comments on your previous submission. Next, review the instructor’s list of grading notes in the Writing Assignment module and make sure that you don’t have any of those issues present in your work. This document should be free from errors.
7. Make sure that one should not be able to look at the submission and tell that it was originally just a series of questions. The strategic planning process should be clearly identifiable. Your logic should be clear and sound.