Purpose Statement

In this activity, you will be exploring two companies from the same industry to learn about their competitive strategies. This assignment requires you to apply much of the knowledge from this module, such as identifying organizational and human resource trends and whether those appear to be aligned.

Instructions

Explore the websites of two companies from the same industry. What can you learn about their competitive strategies from the websites? Can you find answers to the following questions?

• Does the website clearly identify either a cost or a differentiation strategy?
• Does the information on the website fit with your general beliefs about the company?
• Does the website have a portal for selling goods or services? If so, does it seem to emphasize price or quality features?
• What types of jobs are advertised in the employment section of the website?
• Does the website emphasize longterm relationships between the organization and employees? Does it emphasize training programs?

Based on the information you obtain, do the following:

1. Evaluate how well the websites succeed in communicating information
2. Determine whether you think each companys competitive strategy and human resource strategy match
3. Compare and contrast the strategies and practices of the companies that are direct competitors

There is no required word count on this assignment but your responses should be thorough and provide evidence that you understand the difference between cost and differentiation strategy.