Individual Written Case Analysis
Case to be determined. You have been hired as a business consultant to prepare a report for the CEO of the organization and outline the actions she should take to boost the company’s performance. Using strategic models you have learned, your report should contain detailed and convincing reasons to support each one of your recommendations. It is imperative that the conclusions offered by your recommendations are analysis-based and drawn from the concepts and analytical tools discussed in the text. START EARLY.
The written case will be turned in via electronic format through the available Assignment submission on the Canvas website. The written case assignment will be typed, Cambria Font 12, double-spaced, and should be comprised of 20 written pages of content (not including title page, table of contents, executive summary, references, or appendices). The case should reflect a complete and thorough analysis using all models, tools, and techniques covered in class and the text. Any models used to support your case can be placed in your case’s appendices. Any appendices do not count in your page total. Your paper’s format should include a table of contents, headings, and subheadings as required for identification of topics you are discussing (these do not count toward your maximum page limit). The case will be professional in thought and appearance.
The report is to be grammatically correct and professionally written. Each student is advised to make an appointment with the writing lab early in the semester. In addition, the report will undergo an authenticity check upon submission. A grade of “0” will be assigned for any submission with plagiarism issues or other issues with academic integrity.
Your case analysis must address the following questions, based on the information in the case, unless otherwise specified. Your analysis format should address the questions in sequence based on the information in the case.
Case Analysis Questions:
Executive Summary
Name and describe the organization’s industry.
Describe the relevant Macro Environmental forces of the Industry.
Describe the major Driving Forces of the Industry.
Conduct a Porter’s Five Forces industry analysis. Summarize the industry impacts.
Identify and describe the Key Success Factors for the Industry.
Using a Strategic Group Map identify & discuss the major “players”, their strategies, and how the strategies differ.
Is the Industry attractive? Why and/or why not?
Conduct an in-depth financial analysis with regards to profitability, liquidity, and growth, and then provide an assessment of the overall health of the firm’s finances.
Using tools such as value chain and/or resource based view identify the competencies and skills the firm has that provide the organization with a competitive advantage and summarize their impacts (Be Specific).
Conduct a SWOT analysis on the company and describe its strategic relevance and summarize their impact.
Assess the strength of the company relative to the other Industry participants using a Competitive Strength Assessment (CSA) matrix.
What conclusions can be made concerning the ability of the company to compete based upon your CSA matrix?
Identify the firm’s present mission. Does the existing mission fit with the market forces? What changes to the mission should be made?
Identify the firm’s present generic strategy. Does the present strategy fit with market forces? What supporting strategies do the firm use to compete? Has it been effective in establishing a sustainable advantage?
Based on the case study, what are the strategic issues the firm must address to be competitive?
What additional opportunities or threats have emerged for this company during the past year?
What strategic changes would you recommend to address the firm’s strategic issues?
Use the ten part implementation model to briefly describe the actions necessary to implement the recommended strategy or strategies?
The criteria for grading written case presentations include:
Following strategic case questions explicitly — this is a requirement for the format.
Use of appropriate analytical techniques, sound logic, and well-supported arguments in evaluating the organization’s present condition and future prospects.
Thoroughness — both scope of coverage and depth of analysis.
Consistency from environmental assessment to strategic recommendations (with each of the case’s elements building from & relating to previous sections (e.g. recommendations must relate to your identified key problems/issues).
Evidence of ability to formulate realistic and workable recommendations for action.
Evidence of good writing skills including good grammar, organization, spelling adhering to the paper limits/requirements. Point deductions occur for each
Case Analysis Grading Scale:
Student demonstrates mastery of the language used in the discipline; Student demonstrates broad understanding in integrating discipline concepts and selecting & applying appropriate models; & Student demonstrates excellent writing skills: format, spelling, grammar, & documentation.
Student demonstrates good working knowledge of discipline’s language; Student demonstrates good understanding in integrating discipline concepts and selecting & applying appropriate models; & Student demonstrates good writing skills: format, spelling, grammar, & documentation.
Student demonstrates adequate working knowledge of discipline’s language; Student demonstrates adequate understanding in integrating discipline concepts and selecting & applying appropriate models; & Student demonstrates adequate writing skills: format, spelling, grammar, & documentation.
Student demonstrates deficient working knowledge of discipline’s language; Student demonstrates deficient understanding in integrating discipline concepts and selecting & applying appropriate models; Student demonstrates deficient writing skills: format, spelling, grammar, & documentation.
Student demonstrates insufficient working knowledge of discipline’s language; Student demonstrates insufficient understanding in integrating discipline concepts and selecting and applying appropriate models; & Student demonstrates insufficient writing skills: format, spelling, grammar, & documentation.
The case is due at the date/time shown in the schedule. Late cases receive a full letter grade (10%) drop prior to grading in the first 24 hours. Between 1 and 2 days, late cases receive no less than a two-letter grade (20%) drop prior to grading. Cases more than 2 days late are not accepted without extenuating circumstances, but if accepted receive a minimum 30% reduction prior to grading. Papers over 5 days late are NOT accepted & a grade of 0 is assigned.
Cases where 3 or more errors occur on any given page will be returned to the student for correction and the student will receive a 20% penalty. The student will have 1 week to remedy the grammatical errors.
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