International Environments: Cultural, Political, Social, Technological, Regulatory [PROCURE & WATCH DVD] Gung Ho with Michael Keaton

When analyzing your case study, the keys are:Identification of Issues: Accurate and complete, relative importance indicated
and defended.Analysis of Issues: objectives stated, alternative specified, evaluation and
choice, and use of case data.Plan of action: Comprehensiveness, specified and detailed, time sequence
indicated, consequences considered, and workable action plan.Presentation: Clarity and precision, organization and overall impact. Guidelines for Case AnalysisCase studies typically depict actual situations faced by business executives. A case
analyst acts much as a consultant would. You offer business expertise and objectivity.
Your challenge is to assess the environment and design appropriate strategic responses.
You will be challenged to analyze then design a plan which includes depth and insight
regarding the environmental and strategic analyses you will conduct, using business
concepts, strategic planning tools, and the value theory framework. Your use of quality
support materials, writing style and organization of data are important to your overall
analysis as well.Read the case once, simply to see what it concerns. Then, read the case again carefully
noting significant facts, examining any exhibits, graphs, tables, etc., and analyzing any
financial or technical data provided. Identify the issue of the case, being sure to treat
the problem, not just the symptoms of the problem. Your case analysis should begin with
a brief Executive Summary that includes a brief introduction of the situation, major
problem(s) opportunity(s), possible solutions, recommendations, and suggestions for
implementing a strategy. Remember do not rehash case facts. Though each case has a
focal issue(s) meriting special consideration, your objective is to comprehensively, yet
concisely analyze relevant business management activities. Finally, you are permitted to
make realistic assumptions; however, they should be tied to some real evidence (you are
entitled to your own opinion, not your own facts). A formal case analysis should examine
the following areas in sufficient detail:I. Internal Situation – resources (human, financial), past performance (firm,
SBU, product/market), organizational factors (management, org. structure,
goals)II. External Situation – industry (market size, growth potential, industry structure
via Porter’s Five Forces Model), competition (number, strength, strategies),
and macro environment (economy, technology, political/legal, socio-cultural).
[NOTE: in addition to SAP/ETOP, also conduct a SWOT]III. Core Competencies – what they are; how do they add value to the firmIV. STP business – segmentation dimensions, primary/secondary target markets,
customer profile/needs and positioning.V. Competitive Strategy – competitive position, competitive objectives,
competitive advantage.VI. Value Framework – (1) what external cultural factors influence this
organization? (2) describe the organizational culture or what the organization
values, (3) what do the firm’s employees most likely value? (4) what do
suppliers of this organization value? (5) what are the most crucial customer
values? (6) what would third parties (e.g. government, unions, special interest
groups, etc.) value most with regard to this organization? (7) what do
competitors value most and how might this affect their strategy? and (8) what
are the unique values that owners of this organization have?VII. Evaluating Performance – methods, variables, control measuresMistakes you want to avoid [DO NOT DO] when preparing analyses• Including graphs/exhibits in appendices without referring to them in your analysis• Re-telling the case (re-telling the story)• Missing the issue (the main point of the case)• Suggesting the “fallacy of shoulds” argument to deal with the problem(s)• Suggesting an impossible strategy (beyond the capabilities of the company)• Reaching no conclusion, citing insufficient information in the case.