Company Strategy Analysis Project Guidelines

Individual Company Strategy Analysis and Recommendations

You are to individually produce a written, maximum of 6 pages, analytical report accompanied by an appendix that applies the material/analytical tools in the Gamble, Peteraf & Thompson text and associated lectures/PowerPoints from this class. Note: The Appendix does NOT count towards the 6 page written maximum) Specifically, your report should assess the state of your firm’s:

· Vision, strategy and business model

· External environment and strength of industry competitive forces

· Internal environment

· Competitive strategy

· Key issues facing the Company

· Recommendations for increasing and/or sustaining their Competitive Advantage in the short, medium and long terms

Company Strategy Analysis Section (4 pages):

Issues

· What conclusions/insights emerge from your analysis? Refer to the 3 Tests of a Winning Strategy from chapter 1: How well does the strategy fit the company’s situation? Is the strategy helping the company achieve a sustainable competitive advantage? Is the strategy producing good performance? What insights emerge from your external analysis? What insights emerge from your internal analyses?

· What are the Key Issues Management Should Worry About?

ANALYSES TO CONDUCT AND INTEGRAGE YOUR ISSUES

Company Overview & Strategy

• Overview of Company Vision, Products, Market Size/Potential: What is the product or service? Who buys the product or service? How big is the market for the company’s core product? Illustration example: Show the size of the market over time (i.e. growth/contraction).

• Company Strategy & Business Model: What is the company’s intended competitive strategy? What is its business model (customer value proposition and profit formula)?

• Company History, Financial & Stock Performance: Review and assess key milestones in the company’s history. Are there any major events and/or critical inflection points? Briefly comment on the company’s financial performance using key indicators (e.g., stock and other key financial indicators). Illustration examples: Create a timeline, generate a graph in excel to plot key financial indicators over time and import the chart into PPT, etc.

External Environment

• Macro Environment: Identify the 2-3 Macro Environment factors that impact the industry and the firm the most.

• Competitive(five) Forces: Present the five forces from strong to weak. Illustration example: Consider editing/adapting the PESTEL circular image or the Five Forces Model

• Driving Forces: Identify the key driving forces for change and their impact on competitive intensity and industry profitability. Illustration example: Display driving forces and/or integrate them into your Macro Environment or Competitive Forces image.

• Analysis of Rivals: Who is strongly positioned and who is not? Illustration example: Develop a strategic group map which displays the market positions of rivals.

• Key Success Factors: List the key factors of competitive success in the industry.

Internal Environment and Strategy

• Evaluation of company’s strategy: Assess how well the company’s strategy is working including whether or not it’s recording gains in financial strength and standing and whether its competitive strength and market standing are improving. Illustration