Strategic Management: Week1

1
BSAD 471 Business Policy
Strategies Tactics Results
Mark Fuller St. FrancisXavier University
2
Case Design
3
Case Structure

• Executive summary
• Problem statement
• - Issues, problems, challenges, and/or
  opportunities
• Analysis
• External analysis Five forces and a strategic
  group map
• Internal analysis Financial and value chain
  analyses
• Alternatives
• - Three or more specific business-level
  strategies
• Decision criteria
• - Decision criteria, decision matrix
• Recommendations
• - Justification for a chosen strategic direction
• Implementation plans
• - Project plan including key tasks, timelines,
  responsibilities, and budgets
• Contingency planning
• - Back-up strategic plans based upon five
  trigger events
• Appendices as per your Orientation Guide

Start your analysis by writing your appendices
first
4
Helpful Hints

• Write your appendices first.
• Ensure a cascading level of detail.
• Use a similar template for your individual case
  assignment and your team project.
• Automate some of the work by using the styles
  menu as well as headers and footers.
• Write to the grading sheet.
• Ensure your thoughts flow logically and
  consistently throughout the report.
• Use the AMJ style guide to format citations on
  your team project.

5
Cover Page

• Key components
• Client name
• Use the case title for the individual case
• Client logo
• Use Schwartz logo for the individual case
• Your name
• Your student number
• Contact information
• Date of issuance

6
Page Layout
Use numbers and titles e.g. Appendix 1 Firm
Overview
Appendix 1 Firm Overview
Text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text
Page
Client Name
Your Name
7
Page Formatting
Label each chart, graph, table, etc. e.g. Table
1 List of Organizational Challenges
Appendix 1 Firm Overview
Text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text text text
text text text text text text text text
Table 1 List of Organizational Challenges
Clearly describe the significance of each table,
figure or graph.
8
Page Content
Explain each chart, graph, table, etc. e.g.
provide commentary and analysis Use the Style
Menu to apply headings this allows you to
automate table of contents Style, grammar and
spelling are important e.g. cover pages, tables
of contents, typefaces, font size, margins,
justification, footnotes, references, page
numbering, layout, etc.
9
Problem Statements

• External environment
• Industry opportunities and rivals weaknesses
  to be exploited
• Industry threats and rivals strengths to be
  mitigated
• Internal environment
• Firm strengths to be enhanced
• Firm weaknesses to be corrected

Problem statements should be clear, comprehensive
and appear at the beginning of your case and
appendices.
10
Types of Analyses

• Internal
• SWOT
• BCG matrix
• Product life cycle
• Experience curve
• Financial ratios
• Internal value chain

• Competitive
• Five forces analysis
• Porters diamond framework
• Strategic group maps
• Comparative value chains

• External
• SWOT
• PEST
• Benchmarking
• External value chain

Choose your analytical tools wisely not all are
appropriate for every firm or industry
11
Analysis (contd)
12
External Analysis
13
Internal Analysis
InboundLogistics
Operations
OutboundLogistics
Marketing Sales
Services
Value chain analysis identifies key
interdependencies
14
External Value Chain Example
15
Normative-Comparative Value Chain
16
Alternative Formulation

• Three or more
• No status quo
• Business level strategies
• Evolve naturally from your analyses
• Clear, coherent and comprehensive

17
Alternative Formulation Example
18
Decision Criteria and Matrix
19
Decision Criteria Example
20
Decision Matrix Example

• Improvement opportunities
• More descriptive labels
• More detailed scale
• Description of each criterion

21
Recommendations

• Sets long term direction
• A specific alternative or combination of
  alternatives
• Details major phases or components
• Explanation of rationale
• Why you chose what you chose
• Why you did not choose what you did not choose

22
Implementation Plan

• Specifies milestones and tasks
• Identifies person(s) responsible
• Provides metrics, timeframes, cost drivers and
  estimates

23
Implementation Plan Example
24
Implementation Plan Example
25
Contingency Planning
26
Contingency Plan Example
27
Coming Soon Boardroom 1

• Key Objectives
• Describe to class the firm you have chosen to
  study and fundamental details about the industry
  and
• Identify the specific research sources you plan
  to include in your final report and why theyre
  included.
• Note 1 All sources identified in Boardroom 1
  must be used in your final report, but additional
  sources may be added later.
• Note 2 A maximum of 4 minutes and 3 PowerPoint
  slides per team.
• Note 3 Each student must present at least once
  during the in-term boardroom presentations.

28
Questions?

• Email mfuller_at_stfx.ca
• Internet www.markfuller.ca
• Office Hours Mon 930am-11am Mon 1pm-2pm
  Wed 1pm-2pm Thu 1115am-12pm Thu
  215pm-330pm