One Page, Double-space with 12-point Times New Roman font and one-inch margins on all sides. An outline format is recommended to an essay format.

Internal Assessment:

This part concentrates on the nature of the internal environment of the company. Here, you should consider the following elements related to companys current status:

a. Identify the mission statement and major goals of the company.

b. What is its business (customers, products, and business model)?

c. What are its corporate/business-level strategies?

d. What are its major resources, and capabilities?

e. What are its various sources of competitive advantage?

f. Supplement the above analysis with the companys current and past financial performance.

o Is the company in trouble or is it financially strong?

o Are there areas of concern?

Both trend and ratio analyses in relation to industry average and competitors data can help here. Keep in mind that computation of ratios without drawing inferences does not convey any useful meaning.

Tips 1. Developing an internal assessment for a strategy paper is an iterative process. Keep a relatively broad definition of internal environment in the beginning; this will become more focused as the analysis unfolds. In addition, you should think creatively (outside-the-box) to examine latent or potential strengths or weaknesses which could allow for or hinder alternative ways of achieving the firms major goals, for repositioning the organization within its current environment, or even for redefinition of the relevant environment for the organization. 2. Be careful to distinguish weaknesses that may be due to management neglect from conscious management choices. For example (despite their cheery advertisements), customer service is not central to Wal-Mart because of their low cost strategy. 3. Do not mistake performance outcomes (e.g., low cost, market share or profit growth) for organizational resources and capabilities. Companies never own low cost, market share or profit; they must earn it every day through successful application of their capabilities. 4. What is internal or external may be a matter of judgement, depending on the extent of the relationship involved. For example, the suppliers of Marks & Spencers may be considered integral part of the organization because of the long-term close relationship.