Guide to Individual Case Preparation Case Notes Template The following outline and question areas are intended as a guide to your thinking for individual case preparation. Some question areas, as noted, are required for each case, while others are relevant only for selected cases, depending on the content and focus of the case. You may use this template to prepare your handwritten notes on assigned cases. Your handwritten notes must be submitted as photocopies of the work you have prepared before class. I. Current Situation A. Current Performance (required) How has the organization performed in recent years in terms of return on investment, market share, and profitability? (This section must be based on and present evidence of your conduct of appropriate numerical analyses of the firm s market and financial performance i.e. ratio analyses and/or change (and percentage change) over time in key market and financial measures over time.) Your task is to conduct analyses and discover possible problems facing the company, not to just present data. What are the organization s current mission, objectives, strategies and policies? B. Corporate Governance Who are the Board of Directors and what is their level of involvement in strategic management? C. Top Management What person or group constitutes top management? Have they established a systematic approach to strategic management?
Are strategic decisions made ethically in a socially responsible manner? Is top management sufficiently skilled to cope with likely future challenges? II. External Environment (Opportunities and Threats) A. General Environment (required) What general environmental forces are currently affecting both the organization and the industries in which it competes? Which of these forces present future threats or opportunities? Are these forces different in other regions of the world? (where the firm does business) B. Industry Environment (required) What (How do the five) forces or industry economic characteristics drive industry competition? What are key factors in successful competition in the industry? What key factors in the immediate environment currently affect the organization as opportunities or threats? Which factors represent future threats or opportunities? Which firms are major competitors in the industry and/or the organization s strategic group? C. Summary of External Forces (required) Which of the general and industry environmental forces are most important to the
organization and to the industries in which it competes at the present time? Which will be important in the future? III. Internal Environment (Strengths and Weaknesses) A. Corporate Structure Is the present structure consistent with current organizational objectives, strategies policies and programs as well as with the firm s international operations? B. Corporate Culture Is there a well-defined or emerging culture composed of shared beliefs, expectations and values? What is the culture s position on important issues facing the organization? (that is, productivity, quality of performance, adaptability to changing conditions and internationalization) C. Organizational Activities Analysis (required) Through appropriate analysis of raw data or relevant information as provided in the case, evaluate the following areas of firm activities, functions and business processes. Not all assigned cases will include information on all organizational activities. Marketing- How well is the firm performing in terms of analysis of (both domestic and international) market position and marketing mix? What trends emerge from this analysis? How have these trends affected past performance? What is the likely impact of these trends on future performance? Do these activities provide the company with a competitive advantage? Finance-How well is the firm performing in terms of financial analysis (consider ratios,
common size statements and capitalization structure) What trends emerge from this analysis? How have these trends affected past performance? What is the likely impact of these trends on future performance? Do these activities provide the company with a competitive advantage? Research and Development-What are the firm s current R&D objectives, strategies, policies and programs? Does R&D provide the company with a competitive advantage? Operations and Logistics- What are the firm s current manufacturing/service objectives, strategies, policies and programs? Have you observed any significant (positive or negative) trends in costs or efficiency? How well does the firm perform relative to the competition? Are operations managers using appropriate concepts and techniques to evaluate and improve current performance? Does operations provide the company with a competitive advantage? Human Resources Management (HRM)- What are the firm s current HRM objectives, strategies, policies and programs? How well is the firm performing with respect to HRM? (turnover, grievances, strikes, layoffs, employee training, quality of work life) What trends emerge from this analysis? How have these trends affected past performance? What is the likely impact of these trends on future performance? Do these activities provide the company with a competitive advantage?
Information Systems (IS)- What are the firm s current IS objectives, strategies, policies and programs? How well is the firm s IS performing in terms of providing a useful database, automating routine clerical operations, assisting managers in making routine decisions, and providing information necessary for strategic decisions? What trends emerge from this analysis? How have these trends affected past performance? What is the likely impact of these trends on future performance? Do these activities provide the company with a competitive advantage? D. Capabilities/ Core Competencies of the Firm (required) Identify the firm s most valuable capabilities. (A capability has been defined as the capacity to deploy resources that have been purposely integrated to achieve an end state such as the Gillette Co s effective promotion of a brand name product.) Could or do any of these capabilities actually or potentially serve as a basis for competitive advantage? E. Summary of Internal Factors (required) Which of the internal activities and capabilities are most important to the organization and to the industries in which it competes at the present time? Which will be important in the future? IV. Analysis of Strategic Factors (required) What are the most important internal and external factors (Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities, Threats) that you believe may significantly impact the organization s future performance? This section (a SWOT analysis) should summarize the significant factors you have identified in Sections II and III of your report and serve as the basis for your identification of any strategic issues or recommendations you develop for the firm. V. Identification of Strategic Issues (required) A strategic issue is a challenge that stands as an obstacle to a firm s future success. The results of both internal and external analysis are utilized to identify issues and problems as clearly and sharply as possible. Worrys, obstacles or problems of strategic importance should be expressed as how to (how to reduce the company s high costs) questions. Potential opportunities should be expressed as whether to (whether to expand the firm s product offerings) questions. Strategic recommendations must address all strategic issues identified. VI. Strategic Alternatives And Recommendations (required) A. Identify the generic business and/or corporate level strategy currently being followed by the organization. Can current or revised objectives be met by fine-tuning or the more careful implementation of current strategies?
B. What are the major feasible alternative strategies available to this firm as it addresses its strategic initiatives? What are the pros and cons of each? C. Which of the strategic alternatives are you recommending for this firm? (If appropriate, differentiate your recommendations for corporate, business and functional strategies and different units of the firm.) D. Explain how your recommendation resolves both long and-term problems and effectively deals with strategic factors. E. What kind of programs should be developed should be developed to implement the recommended strategy? Who should develop and or administer these programs? Are these programs financially feasible? VII. Evaluation and Control (required) A. Is the current information system capable of measuring critical success factors and providing sufficient feedback on implementation activities? B. Are adequate control measures in place to ensure conformance with the recommended strategic plan?
Adapted from Wheelen, T. and Hunger, J.D. Strategic Management and Business Policy, Addison-Wesley, 1996.