Define product differentiation and discuss the role that customer perceptions play in product differentiation.

Question

Instructions

Assignment 8

Directions:  Sources must

  be cited in APA format. Your response should be four (4) double-spaced pages; 

Making

  strategic decisions are part of the territory when it comes to the job of an

  analyst. You’ll need to decide what to do in a given circumstance and then

  answer questions to explain your decisions. Let’s say you are a Strategic

  Analyst for a Fortune 500 Company, and your CEO has asked you how to position

  a specific business and product line to gain a competitive advantage in a

  single market. 

Part

  A: Product Differentiation

Part

  A refers to the material discussed in Lesson 5 of this course. Using logical,

  clear writing, do the following:

Define product differentiation and discuss the role

       that customer perceptions play in product differentiation.

Identify the three broad categories of product

       differentiation and two bases of differentiation under each category.

Explain the relationship between product

       differentiation and managerial creativity.

Part

  B: Flexibility and Real Options

Part

  B refers to the material discussed in Lesson 6 of this course. Using logical,

  clear writing, answer the following:

What is strategic flexibility? Why is it thought of

       as a third generic business-level strategy?

What are strategic options?

What are real options?

Part

  C: Collusion

Part

  C refers to the material discussed in Lesson 7 of this course. Using logical,

  clear writing, answer the following:

What is collusion?

What are the two types of collusion and how are they

       different?

How does signaling relate to collusion?

Part

  D: Vertical Integration

Part

  D refers to the material discussed in Lesson 8 of this course. Using logical,

  clear writing, do the following:

Define vertical integration and differentiate between

       forward vertical integration and backward vertical integration.

Identify the three fundamental explanations of how

       vertical integration can create value and discuss how value is created

       under each.

Identify three reasons a firm may be able to create

       value through vertical integration when most of its competitors are not

       able to create value through vertical integration.