1. In the case described, Panera Bread's strategy is to aggressively expand its presence in the North American market and improve the quality of the dining experience for its customers. In terms of how Panera Bread is evaluated within the five generic competitive strategies, the group determined that it is the best cost supplier. Best cost provider is considered a hybrid strategy that combines both differentiation and best cost strategies to provide the best value to customers compared to competitors. To make it different from other fast casual dining places, Panera Bread has made a wide variety of items available on their menus and created a superior dining environment. As a low-cost vendor, the average check size is $8-10 at Panera Bread. This makes sense since most of Panera's competitors fall into this price range. Panera Bread also offers a higher quality assortment of foods, thus creating value for the customer. The group believes that Panera Bread can gain a competitive advantage in the dining experience and offer higher quality food products at lower prices than competitors.2. A SWOT analysis analyzes a company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Strengths Panera Bread has many strengths as they have shown major growth since their existence. They now own over 1,500 stores and have company revenue of $1.8 billion. Some of them include the ability to differentiate yourself from the competition, market research and quality catering. Panera prides itself on being a world-class “best cost provider.” Panera offers quality food in a quality dining room at an affordable price. This allows them to compete in a highly competitive North American food industry. Weaknesses The team had difficulty seeing... half of the card...... e.g. The baking plant employs more than 1,300 people and makes daily trips to major restaurants within a 300-mile radius. All products are made without chemicals or preservatives to add to Panera quality. The group likes that Panera Primary uses an integrated approach to its distribution processes. This form of backward integration reduces costs for Panera and simplifies delivery. However, Panera receives orders from other logistics companies for some products. Service Panera definitely creates value for its customers with its high-quality service by providing a relaxed and casual atmosphere and providing superior quality foods in a timely manner. As stated previously, Panera seeks to establish a competitive advantage by offering differentiated products, high-quality meals, and offering higher quality foods at the same or lower price than its competitors.