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QUESTIONS
FOR
CASE
STUDY ASSIGNMENT
Strategic
Excellence
Licensed
for use by the students of the
Executive MBA Program,
The Icfai University.
Not to be reproduced.
Executive MBA Program,
The Icfai University.
Not to be reproduced.
QUESTIONS FOR CASE
STUDY ASSIGNMENT
Strategic
Excellence
ANSWER
THE QUESTIONS FOR ANY TEN CASE STUDIES
Questions
for 18 case studies are given below. Each case study assignment has 2 questions.
Students are required to answer questions for any 10 case studies (20 answers).
Students are advised to submit answers for all 10 cases in one go, for results
to be adjudged in one instance.
1. McDonald’s
in the United Kingdom
a. When McDonald’s entered the UK
market in 1974, it initially failed to attract British customers and reported
losses. However, as of 2009, the UK was one of the most promising markets for
McDonald’s. Many factors were responsible for this change in situation. First,
identify the subset of factors that could be attributed to the organization’s
strategies. Next, tabulate that subset of factors along with the associated
strategies for each factor. Finally, classify these strategies into originally
intended and subsequently emergent strategies.
Answer: McDonald's understands the value of both its employees and its
customers. It understands the fact that a happy employee can serve well and
result in a happy customer. McDonald continuously does Internal Marketing. This
is important as it must precede external marketing. This includes hiring,
training and motivating able employees. This way they serve customers well and
the final result is a happy customer.
McDonald's in
United Kingdom: The world's leading fast food
restaurant chain McDonald's Corporation in the UK. McDonald's entered the UK in
1974 with its first restaurant in Woolwich in south-east London. Since then,
McDonald's had been expanding steadily in the UK by providing quality, service,
and value to its customers.
b. As of 2009, McDonald’s faced many
challenges in the UK. In your opinion, what strategies should McDonald’s adopt
at the corporate, business, and functional levels to continue its growth trend
in the UK? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer: In 2009, the CEO of McDonald's, UK Steve Easterbrook has said,
everyone will make their own decision on what suits them and their family and
their lifestyle. But it's good-quality food at affordable prices and if that
works for families then they'll keep on coming back. On average, our customers
come three times a month. So out of 90 meals a month, three will be at
McDonald's. I'm perfectly comfortable with that fitting in to anyone's diet.
- Study and analyze the entry and expansion
2. Emerging
Markets Strategy: Nokia Life Tools for Rural Markets
a. Business strategy is often compared
with war strategy, resulting in win-lose situations. ‘Nokia’s emerging markets
strategy is apparently creating a win-win situation, with benefits accruing to
the company, its rural customers, as well as its business partners who provide
telecommunication services or the content on agriculture, education, and
entertainment.’ Do you agree with this statement? Explain.
Answer: All Western brands are struggling to get traction in what is
shaping up to be an epic battle against the Asian Android vendors that have
started churning out relatively highly specced new models at rock bottom
prices. Vendors like Apple, HTC and Nokia put in dreadful spring performances
in China, where their current models’ price ranges simply aren’t working. Soon
we’ll find out what the pricing of Apple’s budget
b. Critically analyze the marketing mix
adopted by Nokia in emerging markets like India. Discuss the issues and
challenges faced by Nokia in targeting the rural markets in India.
Answer: The vice president and managing director of Nokia India needed to
decide whether to undertake an all-India launch of Nokia’s newest service
offering for emerging markets, called Nokia Lifetools (NLT). The NLT pilot was
very successful,
3. Starbucks:
Back to Basics?
a. What were the reasons for Starbucks’
falling popularity in 2008? Discuss.
Answer: The first sign of trouble came from the stock market. Starbucks'
share price has been cut in half in the last year after more than a decade of
nearly continuous growth.
The next sign
was the firing of its CEO who is to be replaced by the man who built the
business from just four stores, Howard Schultz. Now it has 15,000 locations in
43 countries. What Schultz is learning is that the bigger you are, the harder
it is to manage. He promoted rapid growth and he now has to clean up the
problems he
b. Discuss the transformational
initiatives that Starbucks implemented. Do you expect these initiatives to help
the company in stopping the slide in footfalls and earnings?
Answer: Starbucks reported weak quarterly earnings and slightly higher
sales Monday, as American consumers cut back on the number of expensive coffee
beverages they purchased.
In after-hours
trading, shares of Starbucks fell 3%, after closing down 35 cents to $10.20. In
the past year, the company's shares have
4. Bharti
Airtel Limited and the Indian Telecom Sector
a. Some analysts have opined that BAL’s
business model was the new business model for telecom as the global telecom
operators’ move toward emerging markets with the developed markets in the West
approaching saturation. Discuss. What, according to you, were the reasons for
the leadership position that BAL enjoyed in the mobile telecom sector in India?
Answer: In the 2000s, telecommunications (telecom) company Bharti Airtel
Limited (BAL) was the market leader in the Indian telecom market. It had
established itself as the leader in the market by differentiating itself with
its focus on building a strong brand through innovation in sales, marketing,
and customer service, and an innovative cost effective business model. Analysts
also credited BAL with negotiating the regulatory
b. As of early 2008, BAL was trying to
expand into other developing and emerging markets. In your opinion, should BAL
expand to other developing and emerging markets or should it concentrate on the
fast growing Indian market which still has scope for huge growth? If it expands
into other emerging markets, do you think it will be successful in replicating
its Indian success story? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer: The transformational impact of digitization (the mass adoption of
connected digital technologies and applications by consumers, enterprises, and governments)
continues to drive telecommunications operators’ most critical strategic and
operational decisions. This trend governs how telecom companies try to monetize
their infrastructure investments and exploding data traffic, boost newly needed
capabilities, rationalize their product and service offerings, improve the
customer experience, and evolve
5. Problems
at China Airlines
a. Analyze the external and internal
environment factors that hampered CAL’s operations over the years.
Answer: Caribbean Airlines Limited is the state-owned airline and flag
carrier of Trinidad and Tobago. Headquartered in Iere House in Piarco, the
airline operates flights to the Caribbean, North America, Central America and
South America from its base at Piarco International Airport. Presently
Caribbean Airlines employs more than 1,700 people and is the second largest
airline in the Caribbean.
b. Analyze the revival efforts
undertaken by the airline to restore its image and regain consumer confidence.
Do you think improvements in cross-strait relations between Taiwan and mainland
China could enhance CAL’s business prospects in the Taiwanese aviation
industry? What else needs to be done?
Answer: The T&T Government is looking at restructuring Caribbean
Airlines (CAL). There could be major changes to its management and operational
capacity as well as its routes and in the Air Jamaica arrangement. So said
Trade Minister Vasant Bharath at
yesterday’s post-Cabinet news conference at the Prime Minister’s St Clair
office. He added: ”Caribbean Airlines has had its troubles. So yes, CAL is
being restructured. Its
6. Bajaj
Auto Limited’s Business Strategy – From Market Leader to Follower
a. Critically analyze and comment on
the transformation initiative started by Bajaj Auto in 2001. Do you think the
initiative was successful in achieving its strategic objective? Take a stand
and justify your answer.
Answer: The case discusses the business strategy of Bajaj Auto Limited
(Bajaj Auto), a leading Indian manufacturer of two wheelers. Bajaj Auto, which
sold two wheelers in India since 1945, was the market leader in the Indian two
wheeler
b. Comment on the reasons why Bajaj
Auto lost its leadership status in the Indian two wheeler industry. What was
(were) the most important reason(s): wrong choice of strategy (or) faulty execution (or) external factors
beyond the company’s control (or) any other reason (to be stated explicitly in
your answer)? Going forward, what measures must Bajaj Auto take to increase its
market share in the Indian two wheeler industry?
Answer: The credit goes to increased competition. "The competitive
landscape has changed radically in the past few years. The transition from a
closed economy to a competitive market economy has brought into focus the considerations
of cost, quality, service and speed," says Niroop Mahanty, vice-president,
Human Resource Management, at Tata Steel. That required changes in both the
number and the quality of manpower.
Competition
isn't new, but somehow the year
7. Chery
Auto’s Success Story
a. Comment on Chery’s growth strategy.
Do you think the company’s growth would be sustainable in the long term? Why or
why not?
Answer: In simple terms and with reference to a business, sustainable
growth is the realistically attainable growth that a company could maintain
without running into problems. A business that grows too quickly may find it
difficult to fund the growth. A business that grows too slowly or not at all
may stagnate. Finding the optimum growth rate is the goal. A sustainable growth
rate (SGR) is the maximum growth rate that a
b. Chery used reverse engineering to
develop its products. Comment on the advantages and disadvantages of this
R&D strategy.
Answer: Reverse
engineering, also called back engineering, is the processes of extracting
knowledge or design information from anything man-made and re-producing it or
re-producing anything based on the extracted information. The process often
involves disassembling something (a mechanical device, electronic component,
computer program, or biological, chemical, or organic matter) and analyzing its
components and workings in detail.
The reasons and goals for obtaining such
8. Mr.
Clean Car Wash: Procter & Gamble’s Foray into Services
a. Evaluate P&G’s decision to enter
the highly competitive car wash market. Comment on its choice of franchising
model for this business.
Answer: In July 2009, 13 giant cutouts of Mr. Clean began staring down on
them from the entryways of carwashes across the area. Meanwhile, the personal-care
behemoth Procter & Gamble has been watching to see if its tanned, ripped,
cue-balled mascot could draw dirty cars into sudsy tunnels.
b. Discuss the challenges faced by
P&G, a consumer goods company, in diversifying and establishing a business
in the service sector. Do you think P&G would be able to manage the value
chain and create a sustainable competitive advantage in the service industry?
Give reasons in support of your assessment.
Answer: P&G believes Mr. Clean can support a national network. The
product has a brand loyalty that stretches back to 1958, when it was launched.
Within six months of its creation, Mr. Clean was America's No. 1 cleaning agent
and inspired the longest-running jingle in TV history.
When it comes to
the business of actually washing
9. Anomaly:
Not Just Another Ad Agency
a. Identify the forces that are causing
changes in the traditional business model of the advertising industry.
Answer: The case deals with Anomaly, a unique organization that claimed to
be not "just an [advertising] agency, an incubator or a brand-strategy
shop..." but all of these.
It describes
Anomaly's business model, including the kind of solutions it provided to
clients, the manner in which it earned revenues, and its emphasis on creating
Intellectual Property (IP).
The case also
discusses some of the different projects undertaken by Anomaly, and concludes
with some information about its latest
b. Discuss the most important
structural and functional aspects of Anomaly’s business model. What are its
drawbacks? Can this model be a source of sustainable competitive advantage for
the company in the long run? Justify.
Answer: One of the wonderful things about being a coach is that I meet
hundreds of executives who freely share their business and leadership
challenges with me. As well as helping me understand how hard it is to run an
organization, they show me how they are managing to adapt — or not — to
changing organizational structures.
10. Trader
Joe’s: A Unique Customer Experience
a. Trader Joe’s was different from
other supermarkets in many aspects. In your opinion, did this difference help
Trader Joe’s overcome competition? Why or why not? Justify your answer.
Answer: Aldi is a low-cost supermarket chain started in Germany by two
Albrecht brothers — one of whom later bought Trader Joe’s. While Aldi (a
combination of the words Albrecht and discount) has been in the U.S. for
several decades, it’s recently been on an expansion binge and announced plans
in June to expand into southern California.
11. Voltas
Ltd.: From Turnaround to the ‘Big Bang’
a. Discuss the external and internal
environmental factors and strategic decisions (if any) that caused the downturn
of Voltas in the late 1990s.
Answer:
b. In your judgment, was Voltas wise to
invest to grow in the retail AC market, rather than in the institutional
market? Give reasons in defense of your judgment.
Answer:
12. Cisco’s
Strategy in Recessionary Times
a. In the context of the economic
crisis in the US in 2008-09, do a SWOT analysis for Cisco.
Answer:
b. In spite of the global economic
crisis, Cisco continued with its aggressive acquisition plans. Comment on the
pros and cons of this inorganic growth strategy. Also, comment on Cisco’s
strategic choice to invest in the video technology and home entertainment
business.
Answer:
13. Indian
Animation Industry: Moving Up the Value Chain?
a. Critically analyze the business
models followed by the Indian animation companies. Given that many Indian
animation companies are moving up the value chain, what are the pros and cons
of adopting such an approach?
Answer:
b. If you were a CEO of a mid-sized
Indian animation company, what short- and long-term strategies would you
develop based on the information given regarding the current state of the
industry? Make suitable assumptions, if required, and state them explicitly.
Answer:
14. H&M’s
Supply Chain Management Practices
a. Critically examine how H&M
emerged as one of the main players in the global fast fashion industry. H&M
faced significant competition from clothing retailers like Zara and the likes
of Wal-Mart and Target. What measures should H&M take to compete with these
players effectively?
Answer:
b. Given the store management practices
at H&M, explain how the company attempted to use its supply chain
management practices as a source of competitive advantage.
Answer:
15. JC
Penney’s People Strategy: Setting the Right Climate for Human Resource
Development
a. Comment on Mike Ullman’s decision to
change the century-old culture at JCP just after a successful turnaround. Will
the culture change initiatives instituted at JCP help it achieve the goals of
(i) reducing turnover of existing employees, (ii) attracting new talent from
outside, and (iii) increasing the effectiveness of the company’s coaching
program? Give reasons for your answers.
Answer:
b. From a strategic management
perspective, what are the lessons to be learned from the JCP culture change
initiatives? How can JCP keep the momentum of change rolling in its favor in
the future?
Answer:
16. Ford
– The ‘Way Forward’ Restructuring Program
a. Competition, primarily from the
Japanese automobile companies, had played a major role in reducing Ford’s
market share in the North American markets. What other factors have contributed
to Ford’s declining market share?
Answer:
b. Does the ‘Way Forward’ plan adopt a
numerator-focused approach to management or a denominator-focused one? Though
some analysts described ‘Way Forward’ as a step in the right direction, a few
analysts have questioned its effectiveness in the light of the problems faced
by Ford. From the company’s perspective, discuss the benefits and disadvantages
of implementing the ‘Way Forward’ plan.
Answer:
17. Reorganizing
Dell Inc.
a. Discuss the problems faced by Dell
Inc. during the early 2000s and their causes.
Answer:
b. Discuss the strategic initiatives
taken by Michael Dell during his second term as the CEO of the company. Do you
think the measures taken by him are enough to regain the company’s market
leadership position?
Answer:
18. Restructuring
Citigroup: The Bank in Trouble
a. Evaluate the restructuring
strategies adopted by Pandit at Citigroup. In your opinion, are these measures
sufficient to revive Citigroup? Explain.
Answer:
b. Critically analyze and comment on
the reasons that led to the financial problems at Citigroup. Some analysts felt
that Citigroup lacked business control systems and the right culture. Comment
on this statement and suggest measures to improve the business control systems
and culture at Citigroup.
Answer:
Dear students get fully solved
assignments
Send your semester &
Specialization name to our mail id :
help.mbaassignments@gmail.com
or
call us at : 08263069601
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