MGMT 7012 Strategic
Management
Final Company and
Industry Assessment Report
Company: Abercrombie & Fitch
This is a multi-step assignment designed to synthesize the
knowledge you have gained throughout the course and apply strategic management
concepts to a comprehensive analysis of a firm and industry. This will be the company/organization
that you currently work for or the one that you want to work for when
you complete your MBA. Imagine you are taking on the role of a senior
consultant advising the top management team and develop a report, including
in-depth recommendations on the current strategy.
Your recommendations should be pragmatic, evidence-based (citing
multiple course materials), and geared towards actionable
strategic improvements. In other words, I should be able to provide your
recommendations to the top management team, and they can implement your changes
with full knowledge of expected results (i.e. if you are recommending a new
international market – what market, what barriers to entry, how can the company
overcome them, what are the financial and human capital costs, etc.). I would
encourage you to consider limiting your recommendations to 2 well
thought out and integrated recommendations that integrate multiple functional
areas (i.e. marketing, operations, etc.).
There are two major components to this assignment: the
checkpoints (24% of your grade) and the final report (50% of your
grade). Details of these will be available on Canvas.
The final report should include:
·
a title page
·
table of contents
·
table(s) of figures/tables,
·
~10-20 analysis pages of 12 pt text, including as many exhibits,
artifacts, and visuals as you think is appropriate (figures and tables should
be analyzed and explained in the text). For example, when doing a SWOT
analysis, you should include a visual depiction of the SWOT and explain your analysis,
focusing on “so what.”
Points will be awarded for professional formatting (headings,
bullet points, visual clarity for how text is presented), so 20 single spaced
pages of block text will not be awarded many points. Remember that senior
leaders often have very little time to read and digest information, so clear
and concise presentation is critical!
Due to the length of the paper, I expect very detailed analysis
and recommendations that reference multiple course materials (i.e. “according
to the lecture” and “according to the textbook”) and apply them accordingly. Outside
materials are encouraged (SEC filings, company websites, etc.) and should be
cited appropriately. The rubric will be
available on Canvas and an outline is provided below.
*Note – As you work on
your report, you may use AI tools (i.e., ChatGPT) to assist you in some aspects
of the research and writing process. However, it is crucial to remember that AI
is limited and should be utilized as a supplementary tool only, not the primary
basis for your work. Here are some guidelines on how to effectively incorporate
AI tools:
·
Research and data collection to gather data, articles, and
other resources relevant to your analysis. Be sure to verify the data is
accurate!
·
Writing and editing for suggesting improvements, checking
grammar and style. Be cautious of over-reliance on AI-generated text, as it has
a distinct look and often repeats itself. Make sure to infuse your own
analysis, insights, and critical thinking into the paper.
·
While AI tools can provide data and preliminary analysis,
the interpretation and strategic recommendations must be your own.
Properly
cite any AI tools or external resources used in your research.
Outline of the final paper
·
Title
Page
o
Company
name
o
Your
name
o
Course
name and number
o
Instructor’s
name
o
Date
·
Company
Overview
o
Brief
history and background of the company
o
Overview
of the company leadership, including
§
The
Top Management Team (CEO and senior leaders)
§
Board
of Directors
o
Core
business areas and products/services
o
Financial
analysis
§ Calculate revenue growth, profit
margins, ROA, ROE, and debt-to-equity ratio;
§ assess overall financial health of the
firm;
· Highlight key strengths (e.g., strong
revenue growth) and weaknesses (e.g., high debt levels).
·
Discuss
the implications for the company’s strategic capabilities and market position.
o
Analysis
of vision, mission, and core values
·
The
External Environment
o
Analysis
of the macro-environment using PESTEL
o
Industry
analysis using Porter’s Five Forces model
o
Strategic
Group analysis of where the firm is in the industry, highlighting key
competitors and industry leaders
o
Key
opportunities and threats identified from the external analysis
·
The
Internal Environment
o
Analysis
of the company’s resources, capabilities, and core competencies
o
Evaluation
using VRIO (Value, Rarity, Imitability, Organization) framework
o
Key
strengths and weaknesses identified from the internal analysis
·
Intellectual
Assets
o
Human
capital assessments (these can be objective if available or subjective using an
analysis of Glassdoor, etc. to look at employee ratings of the company)
o
Identification
and analysis of the company’s intellectual assets, including patents,
trademarks, and proprietary technologies
o
Role
of intellectual assets in the company’s competitive advantage
·
Business
Level Strategy
o
Analysis
of the company’s business-level strategy (e.g., cost leadership,
differentiation, focus)
o
Evaluation
of how effectively the strategy is implemented and its impact on competitive
positioning
·
Corporate
Level Strategy and Diversification
o
Analysis
of the company’s corporate-level strategy (e.g., diversification, vertical
integration, strategic alliances)
o
Evaluation
of the success and challenges of these strategies
·
Global
Markets and International Strategy
o
Analysis
of the company’s international strategy and presence in global markets
o
Evaluation
of the strategies used for entering and competing in international markets
·
Summary
of key findings
o
Summary
of key findings from the analysis that form the basis for recommendations
o
Overall
assessment of the company competitive advantage and/or sustained competitive
advantage
·
Recommendations
o
Recommendations
for strategic improvements
·
References
List of all sources
cited in the paper, formatted in APA style