The “food” industry impacts life on a daily basis

The “food” industry impacts life on a daily basis. However, just referring to this entire industry as food is misleading, as there are many industries within the broad industry. Firms such as Kellogg’s and General Foods are active in creating packaged foods for home consumption, while McDonalds and Starbucks provide food as part of a service operation. There are also commodities brokers, grocery stores, beverage companies, and restaurant supply businesses. Some firms compete in multiple segments or industries, while others are more focused on a clear niche. Some companies operate internationally, while others may be restricted to a specific geographic area. The firm chosen for this paper should be one that competes in the “food” industry, and where running operations that help provide food for humans is the core of what the company does. Select any company matching these criteria, and contact the professor if there is uncertainty whether the firm fits the criteria. (Delta Airlines nor Scheels fit this criteria, although both do sell a little food as part of their operations.) It is generally easier to analyze a public company, as more information (especially financial) is typically available – but a private company is acceptable as long as there is sufficient information to complete the analysis. When writing the paper, assume that a member of the class will be spending a day interviewing for a job at this company, and a goal of the paper could be to prepare this job applicant to ask good questions about the company, and engage in thoughtful discussions about the company’s future prospects. The primary goal of this analysis is to fully research a particular firm, describe its current business situation, and identify several reasonable alternative courses of action the managers of the firm may consider. Describe the industry (or industries) in which the firm competes, and do a thorough external analysis of the situation. How is the firm shaping, or being shaped by, industry forces? With whom is it partnering, complementing, or competing? Which are it’s major competitors, how do competitors’ strategies differ, and what competitive moves might specific competitors take in the near future? How is the industry likely to evolve over the next 5 years? The paper also needs to perform an internal analysis of the firm, identifying the firm’s strengths and weaknesses, and the resources it has at its disposal. The financial situation of the firm needs to be carefully and thoughtfully analyzed to determine how it is using its financial resources. This analysis of the company should comprise 3000- 4000 words, and potentially include several exhibits. Next, the paper should describe at least three distinct strategic alternatives that would significantly change the position and key strategy of the firm (not just tweaks on the current strategy) – strategies its managers should be considering, but not all of which it would be able to take on and implement. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of these alternatives. Identifying and describing the strategic alternatives should comprise about 1000 words, and should be based on the prior analysis. A complete bibliography should be included, and proper citation provided for all data and analyses that were gathered from outside sources. Multiple sources of information must be used, including that “published” by the company, news reports regarding the company, and independent analyses of the company and industry. Make sure to obtain information from enough sources so that there is a thorough and balanced understanding of the company – not just what the company wants customers and investors to believe about it.