Case Analysis Model
Begin with a brief introduction which names the company and the industry in which it operates.
Then briefly describe the company’s position within the industry, and how it is trying to position
itself (it is a good idea to write the intro after you have finished all of your analyses).
General Environment
The industry is the item of interest in the GE model. Each of the following model elements
addresses the industry first. 1. Make a profound statement, which characterizes the model
element, relative to the industry. 2. Evidence is presented that pertains to characteristics of the
firm’s industry. 3. In a separate paragraph, a statement is made and justified which positions
the firm, relative to the competition, within the industry.
Demographic
In each of the 7 dimensions, you should describe the dimension relative to both the industry and
the firm’s position within the industry relative to the environmental dimension. Be sure to
provide support for your statements.
Economic
Political/Legal
Sociocultural
Technological
Physical
Summary
State whether the General Environment is favorable or unfavorable to both the industry and the
firm. Identify which elements represent threats or opportunities that would appear in a SWOT.
Porter’s Five Forces
Threat of New Entrants
For each of the five forces, describe the industry both in general and from the firm’s perspective.
Be sure to provide support for your statements and finally to make a judgment as to whether it is
a strong or weak force.
Bargaining Power of Suppliers
Bargaining Power of Buyers
Threat of Substitutes
Rivalry Among Competitors
Summary
Briefly summarize which forces are strong vs. weak and give an opinion on how attractive the
industry is for the potential to gain above average returns. Identify which elements represent
threats or opportunities that would appear in a SWOT.
Value Chain Analysis
Support Functions
Firm Infrastructure
For each of these support functions describe the resources the firm utilizes to carry them out and
how this positions the firm relative to its competition within the industry.
Human Resource Management
Technology Development
Procurement
Summary of Support
Briefly summarize which support functions represent strengths or weaknesses for the firm within
their industry.
Primary Functions
Inbound Logistics
For each of these primary functions describe the resources the firm utilizes to carry them out and
how this positions the firm relative to its competition within the industry.
Operations
Outbound Logistics
Marketing and Sales
Service
Summary of Primary
Briefly summarize which primary functions represent strengths or weaknesses for the firm within
their industry.
SWOT Analysis
In this analysis, strengths and weaknesses are internal and come from the value chain.
Opportunities and threats are external and come from general environment and five forces
model.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
Summary
Identify which strengths will advance to core competency status.
Core Competencies
Core competencies are strengths that are expressed in value chain terms. For example, to
describe a firm’s strength in the area of distribution centers, write something to the effect of “The
firm has a core competency in inbound and outbound logistics, because the distribution centers
handle incoming supplies and components as well as outgoing finished products. Competitors
are unable to match the firms’ operational efficiency and handle both inbound and outbound
shipments simultaneously.” As a general rule competencies are capabilities that the firm does
well, not individual resources. For example, money is not a core competency, but the way a firm
spends and invests its money relative to its competitors may be. Core competencies should
become evident in the process of analyzing the value chain and should appear in the strengths
section of the SWOT analysis. Subhead and explain each Core Competence that a firm may
possess and describe the extent to which it has the opportunity to provide competitive advantage,
and if so how sustainable that competitive advantage will be in terms of VRIN.
Valuable
Rare
Costly to Imitate
Non-substitutable
Summary
Give your opinion with regard to the firm’s position within the industry relative to its
competitors.
Recommendations
Provide your recommendation on how the firm should best proceed in the future. Some
questions to think about when formulating your recommendations (this is not an exhaustive list
and you will need to use your best judgment with regard to what is important based on the given
company and industry). How should the firm leverage its current core competencies? How
should the firm address any potential threats or current problems? Does the firm need to acquire
new resources in order to create a new capability or to improve a current capability in order to
take advantage of an opportunity or to defend against a threat? Are there any functions of the
value chain which are candidates for outsourcing? If so what are the pros and cons of the
potential outsourcing, etc.
Don’t be afraid to use your judgment, but remember to justify your conclusions and the
assumptions you make to arrive at those conclusions.