Outline for the Analysis of Business Cases

1. What are the company's vision/mission and objectives? (See Crafting & Executing Strategy text, 20th edition, pp. 20---30) 2. Corporate strategy and business (or competitive)strategy What have been the key elements of the company's corporate strategy (pp. 30---37; 177---204; 211---246) up until the time of the case? What is the company's business strategy (pp. 117-140, ignore "best cost provider")? What role does corporate culture play in the implementation of the company's strategies (pp. 343-364)? 3. Industry analysis Define the industry to which the company belongs. Using Porter's five forces model, analyze the competitive forces in this industry (pp. 48-63). Discuss those factors or problems which are most important for this industry and why they are important. 4. Company situation analysis Make lists of internal strengths, internal weaknesses, external opportunities, and external threats (pp. 89-97). Be sure to include analysis of financial information (pp. 79-83) in examining the company's internal capabilities. Based on your analysis, summarize the major strategic issues facing the company and industry. 5. Recommendations Select and describe a strategy for this company. Your strategy recommendations should be justified in terms of how well they deal with environmental threats, take advantage of opportunities, minimize internal weaknesses, and utilize the organization's competitive strengths.