BUS 670 Management Strategy and Policy - 2010 1
Case Questions
In order to participate in class case analysis students should read the entire case; read the case a second
time and take notes on the timeline, key issues, environmental forces, and constraints. Answer the
following questions for each case and be ready to fully discuss the case in class. Turn in your responses
to the following questions for each case.
Session 1: Robin Hood
1.
What problems does Robin Hood have? What issues need to be addressed?
2.
Do Robin Hood and the Merrymen need a new mission? New objectives? A new strategy?
3.
What strategic options does Robin Hood have? Is continuing with the present strategy an option
or is the present strategy obsolete?
4.
Why not try to end the campaign by killing the Sheriff?
5.
What are the pros and cons of accepting the offer of the barons to assist in securing King
Richard’s release from prison?
6.
What action plan would you recommend to Robin?
7.
How should Robin implement the recommended plan? What action steps will need to be taken to
make the recommended strategy work successfully?
Session 2: Apple Inc. in 2010
1.
What, historically have been Apple’s competitive advantages?
2.
Analyze the personal computer industry. Are the dynamics favorable or problematic for Apple?
3.
How sustainable is Apple’s competitive position in PCs?
4.
How sustainable is Apple’s competitive position in MP3 players?
5.
How do you assess Apple’s competitive position in smart phones?
6.
What are the prospects for the iPad?
Session 3: Bunge: Food, Fuels, and World Markets
1.
How does Bunge’s global supply chain work? What, if any are it weak links? Why does Bunge
value integration so much? Given the value it places on integration, why does it opt for
decentralization?
2.
How had the extension of the supply chain to Europe first and to China more recently been
handled? What roles do these efforts play in positioning Bunge for the future?
3.
How do you think Bunge should react to the challenges imposed by high oil prices and the
biofuels boom? Why? How does Bunge’s organizational structure contrain or enable such a
response? What do you think Christophe Darbord should recommend to Alberto Weisser? How
will the Brazil and Chinese business units respond?
How should Bunge react to biofuels and energy markets?
4.
BUS 670 Management Strategy and Policy - 2010 2
Session 4: Two Ways to Fly South: Lan Airlines and Southwest Airlines.
1.
How does Lan Airlines’ business model create and capture value?
2.
How does Southwest Airlines’ business model create and capture value?
3.
Compare the two models. Would Lan’s business model be successful in the United States?
Would Southwest’s business model be successful in South America?
Session 5: Microsoft’s Search
1.
How has Microsoft responded to competitive threats and opportunities in the past? What patterns
do you see? What is your assessment?
2.
How large is Microsoft’s competitive disadvantage in Internet search and search-related
advertising in 2008? If the industry remains on its current trajectory, how will Microsoft’s
disadvantage evolve over time?
3.
Why is Microsoft pursuing the market for search and search-related advertising?
4.
What integrated strategic option should Microsoft’s executives – especially Satya Nadella, Jay
Girott, and Gary Flake – pursue?
Session 5: Responding to the Wii
1.
How structurally attractive is the videogame industry in 2008?
2.
What are the most important lessons for the evolution of the videogame industry that Kazuo Hirai
and Sony should keep in mind as they try to formulate a strategy for regaining industry leadership
from Nintendo? How has the structural attractiveness of the industry changed over time? Why?
3.
What are Sony’s strategic options for regaining industry leadership? Which one whould you
recommend Kazuo Hirai to pursue?
Session 6: House of Tata: Acquiring a Global Footprint
1.
What is your assessment of the globalization strategies of the Tata Group operating companies,
particularly Indian Hotels, Tata Tea, and Tata Steel?
2.
What is your assessment of the role of the Tata Group in globalization?
3.
How did Tata Motors’ bid for Ford’s Land Rover and Jaguar units fit it’s strategy? What are the
pros and cons?
Session 7: Proctor & Gamble in the 21st Century: Becoming Truly Global
1.
How much did Lafley change P&G’s culture? Was it a little, incremental or dramtic?
2.
What lessons can Lafley learn from his turnaround of P&G?
3.
Are these lessons applicable to the Gillette acquisition?
4.
Imagine that you are A.G. Lafley after the Gillette announcement. How would you approach the
acquisition? What do you want to accomplish in the first six weeks? How fast or slow should
P&G proceed?
BUS 670 Management Strategy and Policy - 2010 3
Session 8: Curled Metal Inc.
1.
What should a customer be willing to pay for one of Curled Metal Inc.’s (CMI) new cushion
pads? What factors are relevant in calculating willingness to pay in this situation? Come to class
with a monetary estimate of customer value in this situation.
2.
What price should CMI set for one of its new cushion pads? Why? Focus on an 11.5 inch
cushion pad.
3.
How big is the potential market for this product? What should be CMI’s strategic marketing
objectives in introducing this product?
4.
Come to class with an integrated strategic option (differentiation, low cost, customer, product
scope, key choices) for CMI – an option that specifies your price and also specifies the other
choices facing CMI (marketing, sales, distribution, production, finance, and other functions).
Session 9: e-Types A/S
1.
Which design should e-Types show to the client? Why?
2.
How can e-Types become a more successful business; how can they make more money?
3.
How explicit should e-Types be about its creative processes? Should they be codified (written
down)?
4.
How should e-Types grow? What kind of jobs should they seek and accept?