Tutorial 2
Value Chain Analysis and Management
Questions on 'Benjy's - Can You Win Back Online Shoppers?'
Make sure you read the case study (it is only three pages!) and prepare the answers
to the following questions before the seminar.
Benjy's is an American retailer similar to GOME in Hong Kong. It has high-street
stores across the country, exhibiting and selling a wide range of electronic goods.
Customers can speak to sales staff about the various products on offer and also try
out the products before buying.
Questions
(1) Using Bowman's Strategic Clock, identify and discuss the apparent business
strategy adopted by Benjy's. Using the case study and your general knowledge
of electronic retailers, provide evidence for your choice of position on the
strategic clock.
(2) Discuss the current problems with Benjy's value chain, given the issues the
company is currently having with attracting 'paying customers'.
(3) Identify the main areas of the value chain that Benjy's should concentrate on to
improve its current situation and profitability and discuss ways in which the value
chain can be used to make such improvements.
Questions on Volkswagen - 'Sustainability 2014 At A Glance'
The sustainability report was provided in the lecture (an electronic copy can found on
Blackboard). This is quite a lengthy document but quite a few pages are taken up
with photographs and charts, so it should be quite easy to read. Make sure you read
the report and answer the questions below before the seminar.
Bear in mind the problems Volkswagen and its associated companies have been
having over the last few months. Use this knowledge when answering the questions
- it is always good to use real-life examples in this module.
Questions
(1) Using Porter's typology, and your knowledge of Volkswagen as a group, identify
and discuss the business strategy adopted by Volkswagen in recent years.
(2) The Volkswagen value chain can be found on pages 6 and 7 of the sustainability
report. Evaluate the issues surrounding the contents of the value chain in the light of
the recent emissions scandal surrounding Volkswagen and the inconsistencies
between this scandal and the qualities that Volkswagen claim they stand for in their
sustainability report.
(3) Discuss ways in which Volkswagen could alter its value chain in order to repair
the damage to its reputation following the recent scandal. The following article to a
Financial Times article on 11th November 2015 might be a useful starting point (this
can be found in the Topic 2 folder on Blackboard):
Volkswagen offers US scandal-hit drivers $1,000 in gift cards