RESEARCH EXERCISE 1 - Provide your own discussion in the blank spaces.

This
activity will be rated according to the rubrics below:
Note: Answer will be rated per item/requirement including references (5-point is the
highest – total of 25 points)
1. Based on the description and analysis for this topic, would Boeing be better described
as a global firm or a transnational firm? Discuss.
Answer:
I think, Boeing is better described as a transnational firm. As a world's largest
aerospace companies developed the airplane with the newest and innovative design. It
is also the largest and efficient which makes the aviation industry different, from others.
The global nature of both technology and the aircraft market meant finding exceptional
developers and suppliers. Where partnerships provide advanced technology to access
which helps Boeing in improving its products.
Boeing Company Overview (2014) reported that Boeing have contracts with
21,800 suppliers and partners globally. And it has representation in 70 countries,
communicating with major and local airlines regionally. Being the largest aerospace
company who has many partnerships around the world, can be called as a transnational
firm. Boeing also provide strategic counsel on various political, economic, as well as
industrial developments around the world.
Having strong relationships with suppliers as well as customers are major factors
behind the success of Boeing international. The Boeing`s airplanes fly in every part of
world. Almost all airline companies worldwide have Boeing in the fleet. And this has
diverse workforce of nearly 161,133 employees from different countries (Wikipedia,
2020). Boeing has strong local presence across diverse and dynamic global markets.
Boeing serves its customers in more than 170 countries across the globe (Boeing
Company, 2014). This company as a highly convenient airlines and very profitable. They
ensure good corporate citizenship, around the globe, by complying with diverse laws,
beliefs, societies, and business.
Boeing are collaborated with government operations, in order to create an
integrated view of domestic and global government issues and developments. They have
this strategy where involves establishing, strengthening research and development
partnerships worldwide. These partners not only spread the risk but also bring
commitment to the table. Boeing is more demand in market, hence adversely affect the
profitability of company. The changes in customer requests also will affect the sales of
new aircraft. Boeing direct depends to the economic fluctuation in the world. The
exchange rate in foreign countries, local airlines economic conditions and load factor,
affect the Boeing as the manufacturer (Zade 2018, p. 7).
2. There are three primary ways to achieve competitive advantage. Provide an example
not included in the text for each, support your choices (use APA format 6th edition in
proper citation and referencing).
Answer:
Differentiation
Apple attempts to increase market demand for its products through differentiation,
which entails making its products unique and attractive to consumers. The company’s
products have always been designed to be ahead of peers. Despite high competition,
Apple has succeeded in creating demand for its products. Apple’s cheapest product
prices are usually midrange, but the products’ features ensure a high-quality user
experience. The hardware and user interface are designed to provide a lot of value for
the price, keeping profits high. However, with increasing competition from Android and
low-cost smartphones, as well as saturation in developed markets, the company could
risk becoming a high-end niche name. Apple Inc. has successfully used product
differentiation to separate its products from those of other electronics manufacturers.
According to Hanks (2018), Apple has employed a differentiation strategy to target
a section of the consumer market and send a powerful message that its products stand
out from the crowd. The Apple major aspect of a product differentiation strategy comes
from product design. Products that display a different visual style, include different
features or handle different tasks stand out from those offered by the competition. Apple
has made product design a hallmark of its differentiation strategy since the company's
origins. When Apple introduced the iPod, iPhone, and iPad, there were no similar
consumer electronics products that included so many features in one distinctive, iconic
package. Apple is also the most successful technology companies in the development of
loyalty to a brand. Loyal Apple customers will wait in line to purchase the latest iPhone,
download music through iTunes, watch their favorite television shows on Apple TV and
play games on their iPads. The company's efforts toward building brand loyalty have
allowed Apple to differentiate itself from Microsoft, Samsung and other competitors in its
various arenas.

Cost Leadership
One of the strategies of McDonald’s is cost leadership. This strategy involves
minimizing costs to offer products at low prices. Gregory (2017) stated that, as a low-cost
provider, McDonald’s offers products that are relatively cheaper compared to competitors
like Arby’s. McDonald’s cost leadership enables the company to sustain its market
leadership. The company’s broad differentiation strategy also helps. However, a possible
strategic direction for McDonald’s continued growth is to establish more locations in
developing economies and in countries where the firm has no market presence. The
recommended strategic goal is to fuel business growth through a combination of the
market penetration and market development intensive strategies.

Response
Uber Services valued customer’s feedback. A feedback culture is emerging and is
transforming how successful companies operate. Uber is a great example of how building
a feedback culture has changed the economic landscape. Not just by putting more power
in the hands of buyers, but also by protecting employees Opening the door to employee
and customer feedback is the best way to create a beneficial dialogue that promotes
continuous improvement for your company. Ratings are a key part of the new way
feedback is being utilized. Today, we can rate almost anything. Even our ratings can often
be rated. Today’s customers and employees are empowered and mobile. An example of
a company that understood this fact and effectively used it to its benefit is Uber. Uber took
the idea of ratings and ran with it to create a feedback loop that benefits both drivers and
customers. It allows the company to quickly and expediently identify problem drivers
According to Questback (2016), when employees are unsatisfied, they can
negatively impact customers and other employees, or leave your organization with a hole
to fill when they leave. When customers are unsatisfied, they can take to social media
and share their angst. Monitoring and acting on employee and customer feedback is
essential for every company today. The combination of this new feedback culture with
new combined with new technology has enabled customers to share their opinions about
their experiences with companies. Customers can rate, evaluate and "like” almost
anything they buy, which enables companies to create better buying experiences, product
offerings and customer service experiences. When employees are enabled and
encouraged to give feedback, companies get a better idea of employee engagement
levels, performance, and even organizational strengths and weaknesses.
Companies can use this data to make targeted improvements and engage
employees more actively. Fostering a constructive employee feedback system and
responding to that feedback also motivates employees to trust their employer. One of the
first companies to connect riders with drivers through a mobile app, Uber uses the rating
system both ways. Customers rate their drivers, and drivers rate their customers. This
two-way feedback system benefits both sides of the satisfaction equation in many ways.
Uber creates an average rating for each driver based on collected customer feedback. If
a driver’s rating slips below a certain average, the driver is prompted to improve their
service. If the driver’s average does not improve within a certain period of time, the driver
is let go from Uber. The two-way rating system also protects Uber drivers from
problem customers. If a customer is abusive or aggressive, for example, the driver can
rate them poorly. This rating is visible to other Uber drivers, who may choose not to pick
up that problem passenger in the future.
Reference
Zade, KN 2018, ‘Case: The Boeing Company’, Economic Factors of Boeing, p. 7,
viewed 3 November 2020, Research Gate database.

The Boeing Company 2014, Annual Report, viewed 3 November 2020, <eports.com/
HostedData/AnnualReportArchive/b/NYSE_BA_2014.pdf>

Wikipedia, 2020, Employment Numbers, viewed 4 November 2020, <https://en.

wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing#Employment_numbers>

Hanks, G 2018, Apple Differentiation Strategy, viewed 4 November 2020, < https://
bizfluent.com/way-5815745-apple-differentiation-strategy.html>

Gregory, L 2017, McDonald’s Generic Strategy & Intensive Growth Strategies,

viewed 4 November 2020, < https://bizfluent.com/way-5815745-apple-differentiation-
strategy.html>

Questback, 2016, Blog/ Feedback Culture: How Uber Mastered the Feedback Loop,
viewed 4 November 2020, < https://www.questback.com/blog/feedback-culture-how-
uber-mastered-the-feedback-loop/>