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Strategic analysis report: Accurate and effective application of strategic management concepts and analytical techniques Custom Essay

1. A separate title page 2. Maximum of 6 typed pages for the written case analysis (I will stop reading at end of page 6) 3. Maximum of 3 pages of ORIGINAL EXHIBITS (tables, graphs, or graphics) 4. Double spaced paragraphs, Times New Roman or Arial font – 11 or 12 pt 5. Stapled in top left corner (no binder or folder) FORMAT AND STRUCTURE The case analysis should be written in paragraph form, as a business document. Be clear and concise in your communication, and avoid any jargon or unnecessary adverbs/adjectives. Your report must follow the structure below (refer to the Guide to Case Analysis). 1. Problem statement 2. External analysis 3. Internal analysis 4. Decision Criteria and Alternatives 5. Recommendation and (high-level) implementation plan EVALUATION For every section, I will be looking for the following: Accurate and effective application of strategic management concepts and analytical techniques from Chapters 2, 3, 4 and 6 Deductive reasoning and sound logical analysis Coherent and convincing presentation of ideas, well defended arguments A guide to strategic management case analysis The following provides guidelines on how to perform a strategic analysis on a business case / situation. The guide also borrows from Mauffette-Leenders, L. A., Erskine, J.A., & Leenders, M.R. (2001) Learning with cases (2nd Ed). Ivey Publishing: London, ON. 1. Problem Statement A summary of the current situation, actors in the case and key issue. Sets the stage for the analysis, alternatives and recommendations. Includes the following: a. Situation: Who and what is this case about? Identify the key players and events. b. Current strategy: What is the firm’s strategic focus? What levels and types of strategy are they using? c. Identification of the issue: What is the key issue faced by the focal firm? How important and urgent is this decision? Why? What are the consequences? Important issues typically affect items such as profitability, strategic direction, competitive advantage, employee morale, customer satisfaction, etc… i.e. decision criteria. 2. External analysis An analysis of what is happening outside the focal firm that is relevant to the situation and issue being addressed. Identifies the relevant opportunities and threats that must be considered when generating alternatives and evaluating them. Includes analysis of the three levels in the environment from both a quantitative and qualitative perspective. a General Environment: What is happening in the external environment that is and may influence the firm’s industry and the firm itself? Consider the demographic, economic, political/legal, socio-cultural, technological and global segments. d. Industry Environment: Describe the industry under analysis. Using Porter’s Five Forces technique, analyze the industry forces in relation to the issue. How attractive is the industry in terms of profit potential? What does the future hold? Analyze the value chain of the firms operating within the industry and consider the greater value system in which they are embedded. Is the system changing? What impact will the changes have? e. Competitor Environment: What strategic groups exist in this industry (firms that follow similar strategies) and what role do the firms play? Who are the key competitors of the focal firm? What strategies are they using? What capabilities do they hold and what competitive advantages do they possess? What are their strengths and weaknesses? What is their financial position? Perform financial analysis as applicable. (Note: a competitor analysis is very similar to an internal analysis. The degree of analysis will depend on how much information is provided in the case). 3. Internal analysis An analysis of what is happening inside the focal firm that is relevant to the situation and issue being addressed. Relates the opportunities and threats identified in the external analysis to the strengths and weaknesses of the firm, in the context of the issue being addressed. Includes analysis of the firm’s value chain, resources, capabilities, core competencies, competitive advantage, and corporate/business level strategies from both a quantitative and qualitative perspective. a Resources: What tangible (financial, organizational, physical, technological) resources does the firm possess? What intangible (human, innovation, reputational) resources does it possess? How important are these resources in relation to the firm, industry, etc…? Perform financial analysis based on the data provided in the case and identify pertinent findings. f. Capabilities: What capabilities has the firm created from the combination of resources (e.g. distribution, HR, MIS, marketing, management, manufacturing, R&D)? How important are these capabilities? g. Core Competencies: Are the firm’s capabilities considered core competencies for the firm? Why or why not? Which core competencies are critical? h. Competitive Advantage: Are the firm’s capabilities valuable, rare, costly to imitate, non-substitutable? Based on this analysis, does the firm have a competitive advantage in this industry? Is this competitive advantage sustainable? Provide both qualitative and quantitative arguments. i. Evaluation of current position: Overall, where does the focal firm sit relative to its competitors? How does this impact the issue? j. Corporate and business level strategies: What are the firm’s current strategies? How have they changed over time? Is their strategic fit? Analyze the firm’s value chain in context. What are the firm’s major strengths and weaknesses? Where in the value chain is the firm creating value? Where do they have weaknesses? Consider what it takes to resolve those weaknesses, if they are related to the issue. 4. Alternatives Generation and evaluation of mutually exclusive alternatives that address the issue. Integrates the findings from the external and internal analysis to suggest specific options of how to resolve the issue. Alternatives are defined using strategic management concepts and are evaluated against a specific set of decision criteria that will guide the selection of the best option. a Alternatives: Will the company’s current strategy provide the firm with a competitive advantage? If not, what changes must be made to the strategy in order to achieve competitive advantage? Is an entirely new strategy required or only some modifications? What different strategic paths are available to the firm (corporate and business level)? Consider the need to outsource, acquire, divest or restructure. Identify each of the possible realistic alternatives and expected outcome. k. Decision criteria: Don’t underestimate the importance of the decision criteria. Without it, there would be no way to determine if the alternative is even possible, much less which alternative is the best. Consider which constraints or opportunities exist within the firm that will direct the selection of an alternative (e.g. resources, capabilities). What external factors will constrain or support the alternatives? Refer to the analysis performed earlier to identify and support key decision criteria. The issue and internal analysis will drive the identification of criteria but also consider opportunities and threats that exist in the external environment. Criteria can be both qualitative and quantitative, as follows: Quantitative: profit, cost, ROI, market share, capacity, delivery time, risk, cash flow, inventory turn, productivity, staff turnover, quality, growth rate, quantity Qualitative: competitive advantage, customer satisfaction, employee morale, corporate image / reputation, ease of implementation, synergy, ethics, flexibility, safety, visual appeal, obsolescence, cultural sensitivity, motivation, good will Note: list extracted from Mauffette-Leenders et al. (2001; p. 48) l. Evaluation of alternatives: Compare the ability of each alternative to solve the issue, in relation to the decision criteria. If specific measures are not available, evaluate whether the impact of the alternative against the criteria is positive, negative or neutral. 5. Recommendation and Implementation Pl
an A clear identification of the selected alternative, matched with supporting arguments and a specific implementation plan. a Recommendation: Why is this alternative the most appropriate? Using strategic management concepts, defend the alternative, outline the expected results and support the argument with a summary of how it fairs against the decision criteria. m. Implementation plan: Identify the “who, what, when, where and how” of the plan. Specify resource requirements and justify their availability. n. Assumptions: Indicate any reasonable assumptions made in the selection of the alternative.

 

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