You must follow the following guidelines in writing this case study.• Read the required topics carefully. Don’t assume they are exactly the same as the topics in thegroup project.• The time period is the one covered by the case as reported in the textbook. No outside research isallowed.• Make use of concepts and theories from the text and class discussions. You need not cite the textdirectly nor shouldyou explain/develop the concepts or theories. Please assume that I have knowledge andunderstanding ofmanagement theories. Simply make the logical connections between the concept or theory and thecase issue towhich it applies.• Use the perspective of a consulting team (NO first person). Pretend that your audience is the CEOor Board ofDirectors. Thus, your audience is familiar with all the facts of the case; do not waste time restatingcase data. Yourobjective is to analyze, interpret, draw conclusions, and make recommendations and projectionsthat are unique andmust be explained and justified.• The case analysis report must be typed, Times New Roman,12-point, 1-inch margins all around,double-spaced,at least 10-page in length (EXCLUDING cover page, abstract, exhibits, tables, references orappendices), andfollow APA (7th edition) format (APA is the College of Management standard, so you should befamiliar with it.More information about APA format can be found at: https://libguides.metrostate.edu/APA). Thereshould be NOextra, unnecessary, or redundant space between paragraphs. The case analysis report should besubmitted onlyas Microsoft Word file format (.doc).• Your report should be well organized, succinct, and well written. The report should read as aunified piece of workand flow smoothly. The case should not read as multiple individual pieces merged into the same file.• In your report, please clearly indicate each topic you are addressing.• Number pages consecutively from the beginning of the document to the end.• The Turtitin Similarity grade of your submission must be less than 20%.• PROOFREAD! In addition to content, grammar, spelling, and style are important! I will take offpoints fornot following these guidelines and for submitting a sloppy report.For each item below, I use the following rubric in my scoring:Weak (.5-.6):Major topic is present, butmajor items are omitted,presented without justification,or inaccurately described.Acceptable (.7 – .8)Every sub-topic is present,Course concepts used accurately,Justification of conclusionsobviously based on data, analysisStrong (.9 – 1):Every sub-topic is covered thoroughlyyet concisely.Conclusions are specific, with details andexamples used to illustrate the concepts.The following are the required topics for the text portion of the report:Introduction (10 points). Introduce the case in one or two paragraphs describing the market(s) thefirm competesin, a summary of the key attributes of their products, and a general descriiption of how well they areperforming.State the central question or issue presented in the case. Keep this brief, since your audience knowsthe details.External Analysis (20 points). Describe the key external opportunities and threats from the generalenvironment.Also, what forces seem to have the greatest effect on industry attractiveness based on the fiveforces analysis?Internal Analysis (20 points). What are the firm’s core competencies? Do any of them lead to asustainablecompetitive advantage? Use the VRIO framework to justify your claims.Business Level Strategy (20 points). State and justify which generic business level strategy dominatesthe firm.Use the capabilities and activities in the value chain as evidence for your conclusion by describinghow thosecapabilities and activities increase value (in the eyes of the customer) or how they help reduce costs.Describe thelevel of consistency throughout the firm regarding the business level strategy – do the activitiessupport thebusiness level strategy? Or do they seem to contradict each other?Corporate Strategy (20 points). Where in the industry value chain does the firm compete, and inwhich productmarkets? Discuss their current level of vertical integration, horizontal integration and diversification.Discuss theorganizational forms they have used to pursue corporate strategy – mergers and/or acquisitions,strategic alliances,etc. Why do you think they have chosen those methods?Global Strategy (10 points). Describe the current global strategy and provide evidence about howthe firm’sresources and competencies support the pressures regarding costs and local responsiveness.Describe entry modesthey have usually used, and whether the modes are appropriate for the given strategy.Proposed Alternatives (20 points). Based on the issue identified in the opening paragraph, choose 2alternativesthat might be pursued by the firm. One of the proposed alternatives should be relatively short termand would notcost much, and the other should be relatively long term and would require significant investment.For each of theproposed alternatives, describe risks and/or benefits to two internal stakeholders and two externalstakeholders.Recommendation and Implementation (30 points) Select and justify, based on urgency andimportance, one of the2 alternatives mentioned above and describe an action plan to accomplish the recommendation:State ameasurable goal – what results would need to be reviewed to determine if additional changes wereneeded? List atleast one input control and one output control that would support this implementation and includeat least 5 actionsteps to take to accomplish the recommendation. please make sure you use the textbook mentionedand if you have any question, feel free to ask me.
