Strayer University BUS499: Comcast Corp. Business Management Report

This report provides a comprehensive business analysis of Comcast Corporation, examining its various segments including Cable Communications, Cable Networks, Broadcast Television, Filmed Entertainment, and Theme Parks. It delves into the company's competitive environment using Porter's Five Forces, highlighting competitive rivalry, buyer power, and potential threats and opportunities. The report identifies Comcast's strengths, such as its automation strategy, and weaknesses, such as limited R&D investments. Furthermore, it assesses the company's resources and capabilities using a VRIO analysis, evaluating their value, rarity, imitability, and organizational structure. The report also discusses Comcast's globalization strategies, future improvements, and potential threats such as skilled workforce shortages. The student assignment, submitted to Desklib, offers a detailed examination of Comcast's strategic positioning and recommendations for future growth.

Running head: BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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Introduction
The concerned organization, Comcast Corp., is an entertainment, and communications
company, which was founded in the year 1963 by Ralph J. Roberts, Daniel Aaron, and Julian A.
Brodsky (McGuigan & Pickard, 2016). The organization has developed a range of propositions
in accordance to the changing needs of the customers. The report will take the initiative of
identifying and analyzing the segments along with the evaluation of the different environmental
considerations. Therefore, the purpose of the report is to recognize the capabilities of the
organization in mitigating the issues that are being faced by the same for empowering the
sustainable growth.
General Environment
The concerned organization have taken the initiative of developing different innovation
based measures with the purpose of increasing the competitive vantage point among the other
existing American broadcast and telecommunication company. The concerned organization
holds a number of segments like Cable Communications, Cable Networks, Broadcast Television,
Filmed Entertainment, and Theme Parks. The section would enumerate the vital segments of the
organization for identifying their influence on the growth of the organization.
Filmed entertainment
The concerned organization, Comcast Corp. have taken the initiative of acquiring the
NBC Universal and currently holds 75% of the shares of Sky (McGuigan & Pickard, 2016).
The increased market share of the organization in the filmed entertainment sector would allow
the same in gaining a competitive edge and a greater market exposure in nations like Ireland,
Germany, Austria and Switzerland, along with UK (McGuigan & Pickard, 2016). The market

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expansion of the organization specifically aimed at improving the resource use and thereby
control the manner in which the operations might be undertaken in accordance with the needs of
the customers. Moreover, the acquisitions that were made by the organization supported in
increasing the effectiveness of the business operations in accordance with the demand of the
customers.
Themed parks
One of the most priced segment of the concerned organization are the theme parks which
have added to the competitive edge of the same while adhering to the common entertainment
related needs of the target audience of the business. The organization initiated partnerships with
the Beijing Shouhuan Cultural Tourism with the purpose of inaugurating a theme park and resort
in Beijing, China. Moreover, the park will consist of seven themed lands as city walk, associated
with two hotels (Kumar, 2019). The modifications and diversity in the entertainment
propositions of the organization, along with larger financial resources allowed the venture in
gaining a competitive edge over its market competitors in the globalized regions. The
constructions are still being undertaken in the site and is supposed to be inaugurated by 2021
(Mooney, 2016). The different changes in the organizational operations are based on the
effective functioning of the different innovative propositions in accordance to the demand of the
target audience. The different changes in the organizational operations are based on the efficient
functioning of the different systems in accordance with the needs of the venture.
Five Forces of Competition
Competitive rivalry
The intensity of competition in the US markets have increased with the indulgence of
Liberty, Walt Disney, Sirius and the like with increased investments. The intense competition in

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the markets have affected the capability of the businesses in maintaining the effectiveness of the
business operations and induced a culture of continuous innovation. The different propositions
and the unique value of the propositions that are made by the organizations affected the
capability of the concerned organization in improving the rate of operations. Therefore, the
indulgence of giants have complicated the structure of the industry in US and the other markets
while increasing the rate of technological innovations, influencing high competitive rivalry
among the businesses.
Bargaining power of the buyers
The bargaining power of the buyers in the industry have significantly increased with an
increase in the market competition and the proposition of different unique and technical
innovations (Razzano, 2018). Again, the lower switching costs have significantly affected the
capability of the organizations in increasing the retention of the target customers. The
technological innovations and the quality of the value propositions made by the different
propositions influence the bargaining power of the customers. Therefore, the different factors
positively supported the customers in maximizing their bargaining power while deciding on the
propositions.
Future Improvements
The concerned organization might take the initiative of making expansions in the
developing economies due to their stabilizing economic situation with a minimized rate of
inflations in the markets. Moreover, the improvements in the disposable income of the target
audience of the organization would allow the same in increasing the scope of sales in the
developing economies.

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Greatest External Threat
Shortage of skilled workforce in the global markets might be one of the major threats that
are being faced by the concerned organization while operating in the different regions. The lack
of experienced and skilled employees in the markets have reduced the scope of expansion of the
venture while adhering to the common objectives of the venture.
Greatest Opportunity
The increased customer base through the online channels has been one of the major
opportunities of growth of the venture. The different changes in the organizational operations are
based on the effective functioning of the different systems in accordance with the needs of the
venture (McGuigan & Pickard, 2016). The increased chances of improving the market scope
would allow the organization in increasing the effectiveness of the business propositions and
making expansions in the different economies.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The major strategy of the organization is based on the automation of different operations
in accordance with the changing needs of the customers. It has helped the organization in
maximizing the quality of the offerings while adhering to the changing needs of the customers.
On the other hand, a subtle weakness of the organization is related to diminished investments in
the R&D operations. The minimized investments on the R&D operations would affect the
capability of the organization in increasing the innovativeness of the same against the
modifications that are made by the other players.

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Strategy or Tactic
The concerned organization might take the initiative of sourcing skilled workforce
through attractive job offers while recruiting experienced and talented workforce for increasing
the quality of the propositions that are made by the venture (Hitt, Ireland & Hoskisson, 2016).
On the other hand, the concerned organization must also take the initiative of empowering the
R&D operations through continuous investments.
Resources, Capabilities, and Core Competencies
VRIO analysis
Factors Valuable Rare Inimitable Organization
Organizational
model
Yes No No Yes
Value
propositions
Yes Yes No Yes
Highly trained
Human
resource
Yes No No Yes
R&D Yes No No No
The organizational model, R&D operations and experienced workforce is not rare as they
can be easily found in the industry. Moreover, the resources of the organization are imitable
which might affect the capability of the organization in gaining a competitive edge over the

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existing market players. However, most of the resources are well organized and valuably
contribute to the continuous innovation in the venture while operating in the different markets.

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References
Hitt, M. A., Ireland, R. D., & Hoskisson, R. E. (2016). Strategic management: Concepts and
cases: Competitiveness and globalization. Cengage Learning.
Kumar, B. R. (2019). Comcast Acquisition of AT&T Broadband. In Wealth Creation in the
World’s Largest Mergers and Acquisitions (pp. 163-166). Springer, Cham.
McGuigan, L., & Pickard, V. (2016). Comcast Corporation. In Global media giants (pp. 86-105).
Routledge.
Mooney, A. (2016). US Telecom Association V. FCC. Federal Communications Law
Journal, 68(3), 421.
Razzano, M. J. (2018). Comcast-NBCU, Netflix, and the FCC: The Dual Merger Review Process
as a House of Cards. Notre Dame L. Rev. Online, 94, 63.