Strategic Profile Guidelines
Strategic Profile Paper
Electronic version (.doc or .docx) to NEO (folder and Turnitin)
maximum 14 pages (of written text)
1.5 spacing throughout
12 font, Palatino or NewTimes Roman
No Bold, no bullet points
Use headings and sub headings as appropriate to give the paper a clear, readable structure.
NOTE:
Writing must be at an acceptable university level. This means all submissions must be proofread and free of spelling and grammatical errors. Papers with significant numbers (more than one per page) of errors will be graded down significantly and will likely receive failing grade.
Overview:
The aim of SP is for students to perform critical analysis of the current strategy of the company, and research and briefly and clearly analyze its internal and external environment. SP is an exercise in analytical and creative thinking and writing, it is not about recreating an annual report on the company.
Strategic Hypothesis/Theme:
As a key part of this students will also come up with a critical question to be answered about the company’s current strategy and strategic direction. Regarding the “strategic question” or guiding theme of the SP here is an example:
“One of the main strategic issues that Kroger has been facing throughout many years is being not able to change its business operations that could’ve help them to stay competitive within the industry.
For example, Kroger did not have home delivery services until April 2017 but only order online and pick up services. All in all, this led to intense competition in grocery retailing, especially after the acquisition of Whole Foods by Amazon in 2017.
Kroger’s stock dropped from $31 to $22 per share after this announcement was made. New technological e-commerce grocery delivery services are getting popular comparing to traditional shopping and Kroger’s inability to stay ahead of these changes led to where it is now.
Despite these facts, Kroger’s total sales increased by 11% in the FY2017 comparing to the FY2015. However, the company is still facing high competition within the industry as it reported a decline of net income by 6.7% in the FY2017 comparing to FY2015.
What strategy should Kroger implement to maximize its net profit and achieve sustainable competitive advantage?”
Develop such a strategic hypothesis for your company. This question is of critical importance to your paper as it will drive your research and analysis.
Expectations:
The student is to research and do critical analysis of the selected company’s corporate strategy, related activities and implementation methods. In the paper, there should not be any explanation or definitions of theories. What is more important to keep in mind is to provide clear and logical reasoning (and support where needed) to back up your analysis:…“State and substantiate”
Analysis of the Internal and External Situation:
Using Porters 5 Forces, SWOT and other methodologies such as TOWS, an analyst (the student) can draw conclusions about the company’s competitiveness, its processes, and most importantly the Strengths and Weaknesses and
Threats and Opportunities faced in the environment.
The SWOT/TOWS Matrix analysis will drive your strategic alternatives. It is critical when writing about the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities to provide support for your statements. And remember that 3 key strengths, weaknesses etc will suffice to make your case.
Example:
If you are writing about Hewlett Packards PC business a Threat might be: This is a threat because HP’s dominant position as the leader in PC shipments has been eroding for several years and the company needs to address this in a meaningful and timely manner as the overall PC market continues to decline, a major two front threat.”
This should then be supported by a statement along the lines of:
According to Gartner, in their October 10, 2012 report on PC shipments: “Lenovo took the No. 1 position in worldwide PC shipments for the first time in the company’s history, as its share increased to 15.7 percent, while HP’s global PC share was at 15.5 percent”.
To summarize:
For each S,W,O or T students should follow this format:
State the S W O or T clearly and succinctly.
Provide relevant supporting material.
Provide analysis of the meaning and possible outcomes.
TOWS Matrix:
This is derived directly from the SWOT table. The alternatives will come directly from here . It is important when writing the alternatives in TOWS not to just repeat SWOT but to combine the various options into a strategic alternative.
Work with Sources and Literature:
At least 8 different academic sources must be used from the school databases, not google. Footnotes should follow MLA format. Footnotes should be at the bottom of each page.
You may NOT use the annual report or wikipedia as primary sources.
Charts and Diagrams
When relevant and appropriate these should be used and clearly captioned in detail as to why they have been used and whats important about them. ( These do not count towards the page count)
Outline:
Introduction (1/2-1 page) , Strategic hypothesis and key strategic issues (driving forces).
Business Activities (1 page)– explain the main area of activity of the company, and how it makes profits from that activity.
You should include relevant information. For example: supply chains, marketing activities, distribution channels…etc.
Current Strategy and Porters 5 Tests of Strategy (1 page)
a. What is the current strategy in your opinion and your writing-not from annual report, is it working?
b. Then discuss whether it meets Porters 5 Tests. Take each test and clearly state first whether or not it meets the test and why.
c. What should be their strategic considerations as they move forward…Adjust current develop new etc?
Business Model Canvas (2-3 pages)
Fill out canvas template, describe briefly each section, analyze each section. Put original canvas in appendix. This section should also include an analysis of current activity systems map and text discussing the main activities and sub-activities and then how they create Strategic Fit (3-4 sentences for each main activity (including subs). Take a screen shot of the map where you think there is fit and explain in paper. Give two examples of Strategic Fit. (2 images, one paragraph for each explaining fit)
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