1. Bus 411 DAY 15

2. Agenda • Assignment 5 Due March 20 • SWOT, SPACE, BCG and QSPM Matrices for Google • Mid term Exam Posted • Due March 24 • 20 Short essays • How to present a case study • Tony Case Study One Apple Computer • Team work if time allows

3. Team 1 Karen Geneice Lee James Team 2 Takefumi Matt Darius Danielle Case Study Teams

4. March 24 Midterm due Team work (no class) March 27 Team Work (no class) March 31 Team 1 Case 19 Jet Blue April 3 Team 2 Case 20 AirTran April 7 Tony Case 27 Kroger April 10 Team 1 Case 26 Best Buy April 14 Team 2 Case 28 Home Depot April 17 Tony Case 23 Harrah’s April 21 Team 1 Case 24 Royal Caribbean Cruises April 24 Team 2 Case 25 Web Reservations International April 28 Team 1 Case 21 USA truck May 1 Team 2 Case 22 Yellow Roadway Corp. Take home final assigned May 6 @ 10AM In-class final May 9 by 3 PM Take home final Timeline (tentative)

5. Strategy management The real key to effective strategic management is to accept the premise that the planning process is more important than the written plan, that the manager is continuously planning and does stop planning when the written plan is finished. The written plan is only a snapshot as of the moment it is approved. If the manager is not planning on a continuous basis --- planning, measuring, and revising – the written plan can become obsolete the day it is finished. This obsolescence becomes more of a certainty as the increasingly rapid rate of change makes the business environment more uncertain. --- Dale McConkey

6. What is a case study? • Describes a firms situation at some point in time • Most of these case studies are 2005 ( a couple of 2004’s) • Analysis must reflect the correct time period • You have the benefit of hindsight • Contains mostly fact with some opinion • Puts the reader on the scene • Allows learning by doing

7. Preparing Cases Analysis • Need for Practicality • Cases are incomplete • Make reasonable assumptions and DOCUMENT your assumptions • Need for Justification • Support your decisions • Need for Realism • Be realistic • Need for Specificity • What, why, when, how, where and who • Business people (and business professors) dislike generalities and vagueness • Need for Originality • Be original…there is no perfect answer • If it were that easy everyone could do it! • Need to Contribute • teamwork

8. Class Discussion • Read the case • Take notes • SWOT Analysis • Make recommendations • Conduct Research • The better you are at research the easier the analysis goes • Prepare PowerPoint and presentation • Get ready for Cross-Examination • Peers • Everyone should read all the cases! • Instructor

9. Some question you should be able to answer • What are the firm most important external opportunities and threats? • Strengths ands weakness? • How would you describe their financial condition? • What are the existing strategies and objectives? • Who are the competitors and what are their strategies? • What objectives and strategies do you recommend? • Explain your reasoning • How does this differ from what they are doing? • How do implement the recommendations? • What problems do you foresee in implementation? • How will you evaluate progress towards your recommendations?

10. Identify Mission, Vision, Objectives, Strategies Develop New Vision and Mission Most are poor Identify external opportunities and threats CPM EFE Identify internal strengths and weaknesses IFE Financial ratios Analyze SWOT Matrix SPACE BCG IE matrix Grand Strategy Matrix QSPM Give advantage and disadvantages of alternative strategies Recommend Strategies and long range objectives Show cost Specify how strategies are to be implemented and what results to expect Recommend specific annual objectives (goal) and polices Recommend procedures for evaluation Be Original – Take chances Remember business rewards risk taking Be ready for Cross-examination Steps in Preparing

11. Making the presentation • Organize with PowerPoints and graphics • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp8dugDbf4w • Give overview • Inform the audience if it is a team presentation • Who does what • Control your voice • Manage Body language • Do not read your notes or the power points-be fluid • Use lots of visuals • Be enthusiastic! • Answer questions at the end

12. Case study Scenario • You are a team of consultants presenting a Strategic plan to the board of directors of the company. • You need to convince that board that you know what you are doing • Whatever you recommend should be the preferred course of action for the company in question for the next 3 years • Expect tough questions…be ready with answers • Don’t propose something that has already been tried unless you know that it was a implementation problem and not a strategic one • Don’t BS.. you will get exposed

13. Tips for success • Page 360 - 373 • Content tips • http://www.strategyclub.com/ • Use S&P Industry survey • Process tips • Divide the work • Cover all bases • Attempt to uncover flaws in your analysis

14. Research Tips • Your best resources are the UMFK Digital Databases • Business and company resource center • Business source premier • Newspapers (proquest) • Value Line research center • Wall Street Journal • Academic Search Premier • Census gateway • Econlite • Fed in print • Other resources • http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml • http://finance.yahoo.com/ • http://money.cnn.com/ • http://moneycentral.msn.com/home.asp • Investor relations web site for the company associated with the case study • http://www.isc.hbs.edu/ • Bad resources • Web searches • Friends and colleagues • Tonyg.umfk.maine.edu

15. Case Presentation Analysis

16. Peer Review for Case studies In rating yourself and your team members, use a one- to five-point scale, where 5 = superior, 4 = above average, 3 = average, 2 = below average, and 1 = really weak. Add the scores to obtain a total score for yourself and the other group members. Put any comments you like on the bottom or back of this page. Fold this sheet when you complete the ratings below. If you receive a poor rating on this evaluation, your final case average will be lowered one letter grade. A superior rating may add points to the final case average.