Prior to beginning this assignment, read Chapter 2 of the course text and review the Mission Statements (Links to an external site.) web page.

The Week 1 written assignment is Section 1 of the Capstone Paper for the course. The full description and instructions for the Capstone Paper can be found in the Week 5 – Final Paper page of the course.

Below is a list of five large and significant organizations. Research each organization and select one as the topic for the final paper:

CSX – Transportation industryJBS – Food industryUniversity of Arizona Global Campus (formerly known as Ashford University) – Higher educationNokia – Technology industrySimon Properties Group – Real Estate and Retail

Each organization is unique and has important strategic challenges. Once you select an organization, begin a detailed search to identify the history, industry, mission and vision, values and purpose, the leadership within, and potential competition.

Also, research and select a news item (within the last 12 to 24 months) that is affecting the company and posing a challenge to the strategy of the company. Challenges come in many different forms and could be positive or negative. You may discover leadership issues, legal or legislative issues, environmental challenges, human resource concerns, product design and research challenges, growth challenges, or possibly financial issues. Keep in mind that the identified challenge will be the core of the strategic review and recommendations developed throughout the paper.

Once your research is complete, prepare Section 1 of the paper. Section 1 must have at a minimum three full pages of content (excluding the cover and reference pages). You must include at a minimum three resources in addition to the course text that provide qualified information related to the organization. Wikipedia is not a qualified resource. Use the Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) document for additional guidance. Include the text as a scholarly resource to support theory and concepts related to strategy. During the construction of Section 1, be specific and refrain from making assumptions.  

To complete this assignment, you must address the following:

Select an organization.Identify the history, the industry, the mission and vision, the values and purpose, the leadership within, and potential competition.Research and select a news item that is affecting the company and posing a challenge to its strategy.

The Section 1 of the Capstone Paper