Research Project

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In this project, you are required to apply the concepts that you have learnt in Strategic Management to
critically analyze a publicly-traded company of your choice.
Objectives
• Increase your understanding of what managers should and should not do in guiding a business
to success.
• Build your skills in sizing up company resource strengths and weaknesses and in conducting
strategic analysis in a variety of industries and competitive situations.
• Get valuable practice in identifying strategic issues that need to be addressed, evaluating
strategic alternatives, and formulating workable plans of action.
• Enhance your sense of business judgment.
• Gaining in-depth exposure to different industries and companies, thereby acquiring something
close to actual business experience.
Requirements
Your written critical analysis of the company should cover the following.
1. Introduction and Brief History: Provide an introduction of the company you are working on and
cover such areas as brief history of the company; The top management of the firm and note
what experience and leadership skills the executives bring to the firm; What is the principal
business model of the firm? (How does the firm make most of its profits?), Search for a vision,
mission statement, and statement of values for your chosen firm, their industry, recent
significant events, etc.
2. Strategic Issue Identification: It is essential early on in your paper that you provide a sharply
focused diagnosis of strategic issues and key problems and that you demonstrate a good grasp
of the company’s present situation. Using the concepts and tools from the chapters as
diagnostic aids, make sure you can identify the firm’s strategy and that you can pinpoint
whatever strategy implementation issues may exist. Consider beginning your paper with an
overview of the company’s situation, its strategy, and the significant problems and issues that
confront management. State problems/issues as clearly and precisely as you can.
3. Analysis and Evaluation: Check out the firm’s financial ratios, its profit margins and rates of
return, and its capital structure, and decide how strong the firm is financially. A summary of
various financial ratios and how they are calculated can be found on page 522 of your text. Use
it to assist in your financial diagnosis. Similarly, look at marketing, production, managerial
competence, and other factors underlying the organization’s strategic successes and failures.
Decide whether the firm has valuable resource strengths and competencies and, if so, whether
it is capitalizing on them. Check to see if the firm’s strategy is producing satisfactory results and
determine the reasons why or why not. Probe the nature and strength of the competitive forces
confronting the company. Decide whether and why the firm’s competitive position is getting
stronger or weaker. Use the tools and concepts you have learned about to perform whatever
analysis and evaluation is appropriate.
4. Recommendations and Conclusion: The final section of the written case analysis should consist
of a set of definite recommendations and a plan of action. Your set of recommendations should
address all of the problems/issues you identified and analyzed. State how your
recommendations will solve the problems you identified. Be sure the company is financially able
to carry out what you recommend. Be sure to state your recommendations in sufficient detail to
be meaningful—get down to some specifics. Avoid such unhelpful statements as “the
organization should do more planning” or “the company should be more aggressive in
marketing its product.” For instance, if you determine that “the firm should improve its market
position,” then you need to set forth exactly how you think this should be done. Offer a definite
agenda for action, stipulating a timetable and sequence for initiating actions, indicating
priorities, and suggesting who should be responsible for doing what.
Additional Requirements: Your final paper, excluding the cover page, abstract, appendix and references
should be at least 10 pages in length, double spaced and use 12 point Times New Roman font, prepared
using the APA style.