Project Deliverables- Based on Walt Disney World Company
Introduction of the company (limit to a maximum of three single-spaced pages).
o Description of the firm and its products
o Company history (brief history, critical events, competitors, leadership), including strategic
elements of its history
o Vision and mission statement
o Assessment of mission and vision
External assessment
o EFE and CPM with strategic implications
o Analysis of competitive position, opportunities, and threats
Internal assessment
o IFE with strategic implications
o Financial ratio analysis with key conclusions and implications for strategic choice
o Overall analysis of internal capabilities and implications for your strategic decisions
Internal assessment (continued from Phase 1—include IFE and financial ratios)
o Current strategy (brief description of the firm’s current strategies), including current use of
technology
o SWOT matrix with strategic implications for the company
o BCG matrix with strategic implications for the company
o Space or other matrices with strategic implications for the company
o Possible strategic alternatives
o Evaluation of current organizational structure
o Recommendation changes (if needed) to the structure, culture (including values), processes,
rewards, or technology
Strategic analysis, choices, impact, and measurement
o Product-positioning map
o Evaluation of strategies and objectives to achieve most favorable market position
o Description of how you would implement your strategies
o Milestones (steps for each major initiative with their timelines
o Specific results you want to achieve including market, financial, and product or service goals
o Financial projection (minimum three years)
o Presentation with audio – see below
o Executive summary – (compiled with concise and critical elements from the detailed work)While done as a last step, this goes in front of the report, after the index. A final and all encompassing analysis is presented, along with the recommendations that you would make to the firm’s board of directors. This includes identifying what you recommend, and briefly outlining alternatives considered, key implementation steps, and the impact of the implementation on the company’s performance and competitive position.
Tips for Completing the Project
You should expect to build up a large mass of analyses before you can put together a coherent case. In the end, a great case will always look “simple” relative to the countless hours going down many different
paths in order to build understanding. The volume of material generated can distract from the creative part of the process. The following suggestions are designed to serve as a reminder for things not identified distinctly in the assignments, the syllabus, or the textbook Plan preparation guidelines.
1. Company and industry background
Use your own judgment to determine the amount of background to include. Over-detailed
company history is usually irrelevant and rarely improves the report. On the other hand, a history
of strategic moves and competitive reactions might be very illustrative. Decide what to include
based on whether that information is important to understanding the future environment and
strategic choices. Market share, financial strength, brand image, and the like are always relevant
strategically.
2. Address uncertainty
In your strategic analysis, make sure to state any assumptions related to your business. If you
believe there is going to be high risk, describe contingency plans or alternate scenarios.
3. Discuss the things that create organizational culture and behavior necessary to support
the strategy
a. What operational and motivational processes create the culture (acting your way into a new
way of thinking, identity orientation, incentives, etc.)?
b. What organizational structure fits the mission/vision, the operational approach, and the need
for adaptability or stability?
c. Make sure to delineate your ethics standards including values the company lives by.
4. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and internal/external (IE) matrices
Some of you may think that the BCG and IE matrices are not relevant to your project since your
organization only reports one business segment. First, these exhibits are important to think
through and are required even if they only have one product line. Second, there are often more
segments in any organization than meets the eye. The reason to break up the business into
component parts is to shed some light on the strategic positioning and future potential. Ask
yourself, are there segments that behave differently (different customers, competitors, growth
rates, success factors, etc.)? You can be sure that Wal-Mart is looking at grocery, clothing,
pharmacy, electronics, toys, garden, and automotive all separately, and possibly even separating
seasonal items. For purposes of this class, approximations can be used whenever necessary to
separate a subunit. Pushing the analysis down to a more detailed level forces you to recognize
what you know and what you do not know. I am more concerned with strategic thinking than with
availability of detailed data. You can put estimated numbers in your plans as long as a note is
added explaining the basis, reasoning, and level of uncertainty.
5. Implementation
Your implementation strategy must show how it is aligned with your strategic objectives. The
strategic-level implementation questions are mainly resource-related (where the money/people
come from) and timing issues (when are initiatives expected to happen). In addition, if there is
something specific mentioned in the analysis (e.g., a trend, a weakness, concerns about the
competitive response) that affects implementation, then you need to include the relevant part of
the implementation approach mentioned as part of the strategy. If there is not anything notable in
these kinds of areas, then specific content is not required in the report.
6. Overall assessment of the strategy
As you prepare your strategies, it will be helpful to review Rumelt’s four criteria:
a. Consistency
i. Strategy should not present inconsistent goals and policies.
ii. All of the pieces of your overall strategic approach should be aligned.
b. Consonance
i. Strategy should examine sets of trends.
c. Feasibility
d. Advantage
i. Strategy should include creation or maintenance of competitive advantage.
7. Sources
Follow APA style guide to write the case. Cite within the body of your case and include a
reference list. This is particularly true for any source data that will come from financial reports and
corporate websites.
