Steps in Preparing a Comprehensive Written Analysis In preparing a written case analysis, you could follow the steps outlined

here, which correlate to the stages in the strategic-management process and the chapters in this text. (NoteThe steps in presenting an oral case analysis are given, they are more detailed, and could be used here). Step 1 Identify the firms existing vision, mission, objectives, and strategies. Step 2 Develop vision and mission statements for the organization. Step 3 Identify the organizations external opportunities and threats. Step 4 Construct a Competitive Profile Matrix (CPM). Step 5 Construct an External Factor Evaluation (EFE) Matrix. Step 6 Identify the organizations internal strengths and weaknesses. Step 7 Construct an Internal Factor Evaluation (IFE) Matrix. Step 8 Prepare a Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) Matrix, Strategic Position and Action Evaluation (SPACE) Matrix, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Matrix, Internal-External (IE) Matrix, Grand Strategy Matrix, and Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM) as appropriate. Give advantages and disadvantages of alternative strategies. Step 9 Recommend specific strategies and long-term objectives. Show how much your recommendations will cost. Clearly itemize these costs for each projected year. Compare your recommendations to actual strategies planned by the company. Step 10 Specify how your recommendations can be implemented and what results you can expect. Prepare forecasted ratios and projected financial statements. Present a timetable or agenda for action. Step 11 Recommend specific annual objectives and policies. Step 12 Recommend procedures for strategy review and evaluation.

STEPS IN PRESENTING AN ORAL CASE ANALYSIS Oral PresentationStep 1

Introduction a. Introduce yourselves by name and major. Establish the time setting of your case and analysis. Prepare your strategic plan for the three years 20102012. b. Introduce your company and its products/services; capture interest. c. Show the outline of your presentation and tell who is doing what parts. Oral PresentationStep 2 Mission/Vision a. Show existing mission and vision statements if available from the firms Web site, or annual report, or elsewhere. b. Show your improved mission and vision and tell why it is improved. c. Compare your mission and vision to a leading competitors statements. d. Comment on your vision and mission in terms of how they support the strategies you envision for your firm. Oral PresentationStep 3 Internal Assessment a. Give your financial ratio analysis. Highlight especially good and bad ratios. Do not give definitions of the ratios and do not highlight all the ratios. b. Show the firms organizational chart found or created based on executive titles. Identify the type of chart as well as good and bad aspects. Unless all white males comprise the chart, peoples names are generally not important because positions reveal structure as people come and go. c. Present your improved/recommended organizational chart. Tell why you feel it is improved over the existing chart. d. Show a market positioning map with firm and competitors. Discuss the map in light of strategies you envision for firm versus competitors strategies. e. Identify the marketing strategy of the firm in terms of good and bad points versus competitors and in light of strategies you envision for the firm. f. Show a map locating the firms operations. Discuss in light of strategies you envision. Also, perhaps show a Value Chain Analysis chart.

g. Discuss (and perhaps show) the firms Web site and e-commerce efforts/abilities in terms of good and bad points. h. Show your value of the firm analysis. i. List up to 20 of the firms strengths and weaknesses. Go over each one listed without reading them verbatim. j. Show and explain your Internal Factor Evaluation (IFE) Matrix. Oral PresentationStep 4 External Assessment a. Identify and discuss major competitors. Use pie charts, maps, tables, and/or figures to show the intensity of competition in the industry. b. Show your Competitive Profile Matrix. Include at least 12 factors and two competitors. c. Summarize key industry trends citing Standard & Poors Industry Survey or Chamber of Commerce statistics, etc. Highlight key external trends as they impact the firm, in areas such as the economic, social, cultural, demographic, geographic, technological, political, legal, governmental, and natural environment. d. List up to 20 of the firms opportunities and threats. Make sure your opportunities are not stated as strategies. Go over each one listed without reading them verbatim. e. Show and explain your External Factor Evaluation (EFE) Matrix. Oral PresentationStep 5 Strategy Formulation a. Show and explain your SWOT Matrix, highlighting each of your strategies listed. b. Show and explain your SPACE Matrix, using half of your space time on calculations and the other half on implications of those numbers. Strategy implications must be specific rather than generic. In other words, use of a term such as market penetration is not satisfactory alone as a strategy implication. c. Show your Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Matrix. Again focus on both the numbers and the strategy implications. Do multiple BCG Matrices if possible, including domestic versus global, or another geographic breakdown. Develop a product BCG if at all possible. Comment on changes to this matrix as per strategies you envision. Develop this matrix even if you do not know the profits per division and even if you have to estimate the axes information. However,

make no wild guesses on axes or revenue/profit information. d. Show your Internal-External (IE) Matrix. Because this analysis is similar to the BCG, see the preceding comments. e. Show your Grand Strategy Matrix. Again focus on implications after giving the quadrant selection. Reminder: Use of a term such as market penetration is not satisfactory alone as a strategy implication. Be more specific. Elaborate. f. Show your Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM). Be sure to explain your strategies to start with here. Do not go back over the internal and external factors. Avoid having more than one 4, 3, 2, or 1 in a row. If you rate one strategy, you need to rate the other because, that particular factor is affecting the choice. Work row by row rather than column by column on preparing the QSPM. g. Present your Recommendations Page. This is the most important page in your presentation. Be specific in terms of both strategies and estimated costs of those strategies. Total your estimated costs. You should have ten or more strategies. Divide your strategies into two groups: (1) Existing Strategies to Be Continued, and (2) New Strategies to Be Started. Oral PresentationStep 6 Strategy Implementation a. Show and explain your EPS/EBIT analysis to reveal whether stock, debt, or a combination is best to finance your recommendations. Graph the analysis. Decide which approach to use if there are any given limitations of the analysis. b. Show your projected income statement. Relate changes in the items to your recommendations rather than blindly going with historical percentage changes. c. Show your projected balance sheet. Relate changes in your items to your recommendations. Be sure to show the retained earnings calculation and the results of your EPS/EBIT decision. d. Show your projected financial ratios and highlight several key ratios to show the benefits of your strategic plan. Oral PresentationStep 7 Strategy Evaluation a. Prepare a Balanced Scorecard to show your expected financial and nonfinancial objectives recommended for the firm. Oral PresentationStep 8

Conclusion a. Compare and contrast your strategic plan versus the companys own plans for the future. b. Thank audience members for their attention. Seek and answer questions.