Case #2 – Greyston Bakery: Combatting Poverty While Making a Profit
I. Based on “An Approach to Case Analysis” from the Manning School, and go through the Short Cycle Process using the case provided.
II. Analyze Case #2: Greyston Bakery – Based on the assigned readings on the Fishbone (Ishikawa) method of contributing causes & Mintzberg’s 5 P’s, provide your answer to each of the following questions:
1. Decision-Maker & Urgency: Who is the decision maker in this case, and what is their position and responsibilities? When does the decision maker have to decide, resolve, act or dispose of the issue? What is the urgency to the situation?
2. Significance: What appear to be the main issue(s) of concern or problem, and its significance for the organization? Based on your analysis contributing root causes below, how would you define the problem in this case?
3. Underlying Issues: What is the underlying, contributing root causes in the case? How do you define them in relation to the problem?
• Based on the Fishbone (Ishikawa) method of root cause analysis, briefly identify all of the contributing root causes likely to be causing a problem.
• Make sure to provide a Fishbone (Ishikawa) Diagram in your response
4. Strategy: An organization’s strategy has been described as its direction and scope over the long term within a changing environment to meet the needs of markets, and add value to stakeholders (Johnson and Scholes, 1997). Henry Mintzberg argues that all strategies exhibit all of the following characteristics, albeit in varying proportions.
Based on your reading of the Greyston Bakery case, offer brief examples of each of the following 5 characteristics:
• Plan – a direction, guide, course of action – a ‘map’ to get from here to there – looking forward
• Pattern – consistency of behaviour over time – looking to experience – looking back
• Position – a ‘position’ in the market – a particular market for a product/service – where products meet the market (a position)
• Perspective – an organization’s fundamental/traditional way of doing things – looks inward – What are we?
• Ploy – a ‘manoeuvre’ – reaction to an opponent/competitor
• Respond in paragraph form – do not respond in point-form
• Structure your paper based on the 4 questions listed
• Maximum of 5 pages, including cover page and Fishbone (Ishikawa) Diagram
• Cover page with student name, ID
• Double spacing, standard margins, 12 point font
