Assignemnt: Business Policy and Research realted topic
1. Take a look at- Creating strategic direction the Mott McDonald case study (note that there are six pages to this case study) and discuss their mission, vision, and values in terms of this course. To what extent do these serve as decision guides for strategic managers in the organization?
2. Describe the unique challenges facing a company that is pursuing a (focused) "Cost Leadership" strategy. Identify a company or division (other than Ikea) that succeeds with this strategy and describe some of the actions it has taken to in order to be successful.
3. Review the Lego case study http://www.thelegocasestudy.com (2014). Using concepts derived from this course, what Strategic issues did Lego face in the early 2000s? What was their (strategic) mechanism for growth? How well did they leverage their core competencies?
4. Romulac Inc. (RI), a subsidiary of a large successful manufacturing conglomerate, supplies a key component in the assembly of residential cooling systems (air conditioning units, etc.). There has been tremendous consolidation in RI's industry, to the point where only five suppliers of this particular component account for nearly 90 percent of U.S. industry sales. Paralleling this trend, its customers-composed of makers of branded residential air conditioning units like Carrier and Trane-have seen similar levels of consolidation in their own industry. Half of these firms produce all their components in-house, while the balance purchases them from specialized component manufacturers like RI. RI's business is extremely capital intensive, and their 40 percent share of the market allows them to also be the most profitable domestic player. Strong competitors exist in Europe and Asia. Although like RI, these foreign players' strongholds are their home regions, with negligible presence outside of the region. Some of the larger Asian manufacturers have signaled an interest in more aggressively pursuing the lucrative U.S. market. RI is presently considering a $400 million dollar investment in a new plant, which will create a component that is much quieter, more efficient, and is likely to satisfy future regulatory standards. While the core technology for the new component is very old, RI's engineering and design skills have allowed them to retain their low cost advantage, even though the component will represent a significant improvement over products currently provided by its competition.
a. Develop an argument as to why RI should try to be a first-mover with this new technology.
b. Develop an argument as to why RI should try to be a second-mover with this new technology
Describe the managerial shortcomings that the practice of Evidence Based Management are intended to overcome.