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38 PART 1 • OVERVIEW OF STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT

External influences include trends in the following areas: economic, social, cultural,
demographic, environmental, technological, political, legal, governmental, and competitive.
External factors could include declining numbers of high school graduates; population shifts;
community relations; increased competitiveness among colleges and universities; rising
numbers of adults returning to college; decreased support from local, state, and federal agen-
cies; increasing numbers of foreign students attending U.S. colleges; and a rising number of
Internet courses.
Internal factors of a college or university include faculty, students, staff, alumni, athletic
programs, physical plant, grounds and maintenance, student housing, administration, fund-
raising, academic programs, food services, parking, placement, clubs, fraternities, sororities,
and public relations.

Instructions
Step 1 On a separate sheet of paper, write four headings: External Opportunities, External Threats,
Internal Strengths, and Internal Weaknesses.
Step 2 As related to your college or university, list five factors under each of the four headings.
Step 3 Discuss the factors as a class. Write the factors on the board.
Step 4 What new things did you learn about your university from the class discussion? How could this
type of discussion benefit an organization?

Assurance of Learning Exercise 1C

Strategic Planning at a Local Company
Purpose
This activity is aimed at giving you practical knowledge about how organizations in your city
or town are doing strategic planning. This exercise also will give you experience interacting
on a professional basis with local business leaders.

Instructions
Step 1 Use the telephone to contact business owners or top managers. Find an organization that does
strategic planning. Make an appointment to visit with the strategist (president, chief executive
officer, or owner) of that business.
Step 2 Seek answers to the following questions during the interview:
How does your firm formally conduct strategic planning? Who is involved in the
process? Does the firm hold planning retreats? If yes, how often and where?
Does your firm have a written mission statement? How was the statement developed?
When was the statement last changed?
What are the benefits of engaging in strategic planning?
What are the major costs or problems in doing strategic planning in your business?
Do you anticipate making any changes in the strategic-planning process at your
company? If yes, please explain.
Step 3 Report your findings to the class.

Assurance of Learning Exercise 1D

Getting Familiar with SMCO

Purpose
This exercise is designed to get you familiar with the Strategic Management Club Online
(SMCO), which offers many benefits for the strategy student. The SMCO site also offers tem-
plates for doing case analyses in this course.