Conduct a portfolio analysis of an organization's products. If your chosen organization is large, you may select one of those business units and 3-4 products within that unit. Remember that products can be physical goods or intangible services.

Your portfolio analysis should include, at a minimum, a detailed evaluation of the products in terms of their market attractiveness (market forces, competitive environment, market access) and competitive position (differentiation, cost advantage, marketing advantage). The chart is appropriate (see figure 11.8) but the "why/detail" behind it is more important. Support your thoughts with data from your organization/outside sources, news article references, consumer trends (see the VU library databases for industry/organization specific information - e.g. MarketLine, Hoover's, Mergent, Mintel or similar databases have plenty of information on organizations and industries). For example, data points such as a product's market share, number of competitors, etc. should hopefully be readily available for most situations.

Part II (6 points)

Using what you learned in Part I, what strategic market plans do you suggest for 2-3 products in your analysis. Examine in detail the potential offensive or defensive strategies for those products (chapters 12&13). What strategy(ies) makes the most sense for your organization? Are there any potential negative consequences of your plans? How would you mitigate those negative consequences?

Part III (3 points)

Given what you discovered in Part I & II, evaluate your organization's readiness to support your chosen strategies from three perspectives: 1) people (including leadership), business processes, and necessary technology. One perspective may be more important than the other two or all three may be equal in value. If obstacles exist, what can you suggest specifically to mitigate/remove them? Note: It is not enough to say, "we need different leadership" or "we need different technology, but it costs too much". It is up to you to argue for redistribution of resources (a critical skill in leadership roles). All organizations are constrained by time and resources. Perhaps you can plug a hole or two in the customer experience.

Format

Each section should have a separate header: Part I, Part II or Part III. Single-spaced, typewritten with1" marginall around.

Appendices are necessary to for this assignment. Please label each appendix appropriately in the body of the paper. When you are citing sources in your discussions, please identify those sources in a reference section at the end of your paper (any consistent referencing format such as APA or MLA is acceptable).

I am looking for you to think creatively but realistically about each requirement. This will help you not only think through the pros and cons of the actions of the organization but also help you to identify ways it can improve.

The given company to analyze is Groupon (GRPN), the American based e-commerce company